Little Falls was great, but we had to go...onto Amsterdam.
We had been so lucky with weather, and knew our luck would run out, but not until tomorrow. Day 7 was another gorgeous day...sunny and 50 to start, and it was going to get warmer, even though it was a little windy.
It was a 40 mile day...but not a 55-60 miles like the beginning of this trip. The aches and pains were still there. But we all were in a good mood. The short day yesterday, and the prospect of only 2 days remaining had us in great spirits.
We would be on the trail most of the day, and the crushed gravel from those early miles were gone...today we would be predominently on paved trail.
The early miles from Little Falls were cool as we were in the shadows of the cliffs that shade the river here, but once in the sunshine it felt so good. We continued to follow the Mohawk River/Erie Canal towards Albany.
We stopped just shy of Fort Plain at Lock 15. We rested for a bit, even doing some yoga stretches. It was amazing how light our moods were even though our bodies were not happy with us.
We knew that we would be having an early lunch at Canajoharie, so we were more playful. As we left Lock 15, the group headed out down the road, but missed the trail marker, taking us under I-90. The wind made it so they couldn't hear me yelling at them to turn around. I eventually caught up, and got them turned around. We laughed for a mile about the wrong turn.
As we got into Canajoharie, we got off the trail and headed to another recommended restaurant, the Keep Right Cafe. What a cute, and delicious eating spot. Even though it wasn't right on the trail, the slight detour was well worth it.
As we were preparing to leave, some of the riders we met last night pulled in. They had taken our suggestion of the Cafe for their lunch stop. They had told us that their plan was to finish the ride that day in Albany, so they had 80+ miles to ride. They had beautiful weather, so we wished them luck, and told them we would wave to them from our stopping point in Amsterdam.
As we continued eastward, we still followed the Mohawk River, but separating us from the river was the New York Thruway, Interstate 90.
I don't remember how many times I had travelled that road either going to or coming from Michigan. I don't recall seeing bicycles or pedestrians, but I could see the trail, and wondered where it went. I never dreamt that one day I would find out where it goes.
The trail went through several small towns that I had never heard of. Sprakers. Randall. Auriesville. Each one I wish I could have spent time checking out.
In Sprakers, a cute church had set up a rest area for folks travelling on the ECT. Riders had told us of it, and I wanted to stop, not to partake of what was offered, but to give my thanks.
We didn't stop, but I I said out loud thank you to no one in particular as we passed by.
We pulled into Amsterdam and into a party! We didn't know what was going on, but there was some sort of street festival in town. It looked like it was going to keep going for a while, so we decided to check it out, after we checked into our hotel, and grab showers.
Did I mention we were staying in a castle? Seriously! A castle.
Amsterdam Castle sits on the hill overlooking Amsterdam. I think it is technically "South Amsterdam", as it sits south of the river, and the downtown area to the north.
Regardless, upon entering the castle from the backside, you enter what can only be described as a grand hall! Tapestries, paintings, suits and armor, you name it. It is spectacular.
And our room was huge!!! It was pricey, but it was our last night, and we decided to splurge a little.
After putting our bikes in their dedicated bike storage area (guess we weren't their first ECT riders), we showered then headed down the hill to check out the festival.
We found out it was the 6th annual Wishfest, a community celebration and fundraiser for the Capitol Region Giving Tree--a non profit set up to help their neighbors in need.
There was food trucks, vendors, and live music. We arrived in time to see the completion of a ceremonial bike ride for missing children.
We grabbed a seat at Lorenzo's Southside Italian restaurant, right on the ECT, and a sponsor of the festival, and watched the festivities. We had a "snack" and an "Apple Cider Sangria" which hit the spot.
We joked that the town heard we were wrapping up our ride the following day, so decided to throw us a party.
Then we found out there were fireworks later that night. It was pure luck that we picked Amsterdam on this day. Total coincidence.
We continued to wander the festival, and listen to the music. The town came out to support a good cause, and it was packed!
As much fun as the festival was, it was starting to get dark and our tummies reminded us it was dinner time. It has become a tradition to celebrate finishing a race with a burger and a beer. Even though we weren't racing, and technically we would not finish for one more day, tonight was our last night.
So burgers and beers it would be!
During the festival we were approached by one of the candidates running for local office. He was the incumbant, and we politely told him we were just passing thought. He was interested in hearing about our trip, and the conidtion of the trail through town. He told us about plans to work on the trail to make it even better.
We couldn't think of a better person to ask where to go get our celebratory burger and beer. He directed us to Shorty's. Located away from the festival a few blocks, it felt good to walk about. We walked in, and it was hopping!
We found out that it had recently been purchased and reopened. The owners were working the bar and waiting tables. Chris came over apologized for the delay (which wasn't one) and took our drink order.
The place got busier after that.
But we got our drinks, our food, and had a great time. I made sure that the owners got a big tip. And we got hugs from Chris.
As we strolled back to the Castle, we picked out our spot on the front lawn to watch the fireworks.
And they were worth it!
It felt like we had done something great, and we won the lottery. Deep down we knew we still had 40+ miles to go, but it seemed like nothing compared to what we had already accomplished.
Plus, the forecast for the last day was not going to be pleasant -- rain and cold! So why not enjoy this last fantastic day. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
Stats for the ride so far:
Miles for the day: 43
Hours in the saddle: 3:27
Total Daily Hours: 5:17
Miles total: 328.8
Hours in the saddle total: 28:22
Total hours on the trail: 44:37
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