Day 07: Cohoes, NY to Canajoharie, NY

Good night’s sleep: check.  Early start: check.  Paved bike path all the way to Syracuse: not so much.  My beloved hardtop ended just after passing through Schenectady.  The path thereafter was usually crushed gravel (sort of like big sand), but sometimes just dirt.  Where the trail was well-maintained, this wasn’t all that bad.  But, the level of maintenance varied from town to town, and that variance could be painfully pronounced in many cases.

Parts of the trail were open to horses, which meant a pathway pock-marked with hoof divots, making for an extremely rough ride.  In other places the trail narrowed to no more than a few tire widths.  After leaving the city, I didn’t encounter another cyclist on the trail for the rest of the day.  I suppose that should have been a clue for me to begin considering road-based alternatives.

On the bright side, I saw 7 bunnies, 1 turtle, 2 deer, and a snake along this section of the Erie Canalway.  Which, by the way, should be renamed the Route 90 Highway Trail along that stretch.  I saw some pretty farms out that way, but never once caught sight of the canal.  I did, however, have a spectacular view of the lovely New York Throughway whenever I wanted!

While taking a snack break in the town of Amsterdam, I got to talking to a fellow who was eager to tell me how the place had gone to shit.  It used to be a great town in the 90s, but when the economy went to shit all the jobs disappeared, and the place ain’t what it used to be.  He’d lived there his whole life and wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is.  And it's shit.  Since he was a lifelong resident, I asked what the deal was with the castle looming over us just to the right.  He squinted up at it as if he’d forgotten the overbearing architectural edifice was there and said he didn’t know.  “It’s just always been there.”  Ah, a world of information at our fingertips, and we don’t even know what’s in our own backyards.

Amsterdam Castle was built in 1895 as a National Guard armory.  It was purchased by a private owner in 1995.  In 2005, a new owner began extensive renovations and now part of the armory operates as a B&B.  There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Later, as the sun sunk low, I stopped at one of the areas that serves as an access point for the trail.  There was a parking lot, a couple picnic tables, and a broad swath of neatly mowed grass.  I didn’t see any “No Trespassing” signs, but I was sure that I wasn’t supposed to be tenting there.  I found a spot tucked behind some bushed and set up for the night.  My only dinner option was a McDonald’s, but I was so hungry at that point that I was more than grateful for it.  I availed myself of the free WiFi, and stumbled back to camp drunk on McNuggets.

I was hoping to get a lot closer to Syracuse than I had, but the trail was really working against me.  There would need to be some adjustments to the battle plan made based on how things looked in the morning.

What I Learned: There are a lot of friggin' trains running along the Erie Canal corridor! 

Distance Today: 58 miles
Total Distance: 297 miles