The town of Little Falls just had kind of a rundown feel to it, as did the motel. My feelings might have been influenced by the fact that they didn't have an elevator and we were on the second floor. I really wasn't excited about lugging my bike and luggage up and down the stairs. I mean, yeah I'm tough and I'm riding my bike across the USA but still. Bikes up and down the stairs are just awkward, especially when you're built as close to the ground as I am.
Given the wet weather and my tiredness of the previous day, I was not sad to be leaving Little Falls behind and moving on!
We saw more Amish signs although we didn't see any Amish buggies this day. It also started raining right about NOW! Fortunately it was fairly light and didn't last too long.
We stopped off at Fort Klock for a look around, the first fortified homestead built in the area and still maintained by a descendant of the original settlers.
We stopped at a gas station in Fonda for a loo stop and a look at snacking options and spotted these premade shakes. We'd seen them before but not sampled them so it seemed like the perfect opportunity! First step - select your flavor! Nicely frozen, Fiona gives it the DQ Blizzard teset.
Select your desired thickness
The machine adds whatever, blends it up, and presents it back to you for your pleasure and enjoyment.
Find a straw
and sample it
Not too thick to get through the straw but not too thin
An easy way to get 600 calories of frozen tastiness. :) It doesn't match up to Braum's Dairy but it'll do!
This day we encountered a lot of riders who were doing an organized ride along the Erie Canal. It was fun to see so many people out but we were not used to sharing the roads and paths with packs of cyclists. We had some nice bike paths to navigate along the canal - paved this time - and we stopped off to see what was going on at Lock 8.
The Margot and her barge were being lifted. This was the first lock I saw in action.
Patty, Marv, Michael, and Konnie were here at the same time as we were.
Fiona developed a rash on her arm and was trying to blame it on my bike giving her poison ivy. It wasn't really. The Margot is up and ready to go!
Getting the barge moving.
After lunch at Jumpin' Jacks Drivein, which was also our second sag stop, we got onto another pretty bike path which had some fun downhill sections.
We tried stopping off at a gallery in Niskayuna but they closed just before we got there. Pretty spot though!
About a mile from the motel we took a left instead of a right and got a few bonus miles in. Nothing major but slightly frustrating. I was pretty hot and thirsty and ready to be done. We backtracked and found our way in. At the front desk, I was informed that I was not on the list. I didn't really care as long as Fiona was! But the clerk wanted to be clear on the matter. Whatever buddy. This was one motel where they were serious about their client privacy. They weren't giving out room numbers to anyone who wasn't on the list and they didn't even say the room numbers, just wrote them on the key holder. Kathi was kind enough to grab my bags to bring to the room so I wouldn't need to make two trips. We were on the second floor so took the elevator up but the numbers ran out before we got to our room. After asking one of the maids, we discovered that we were in the other building. This was seldom a problem because we were usually in small enough places that it was one building. This was a pretty big complex though. So back down the elevator, through a small maze, to another elevator and a ways down the hall and we finally reached our room! There was a t-shirt swap going on at 5:15. I'd brought a Colorado t-shirt to swap but we were late getting in and after the hassle of getting into the room I wasn't all that keen on trekking over for the swap. Fiona didn't have a t-shirt to swap so we just hung out and relaxed. Later that evening I was chatting with Dick who also had a t-shirt to swap but hadn't gone to the official swapping. I am now the proud owner of an Atlanta Braves shirt. Mens XL.
My cousin Kirsten lives in Albany! So she and her friend Solon came by and picked me up for dinner and a tour of Albany. I had a great time visiting with them and enjoyed being able to see more of the city than our motel. Lots to see when I come back for a visit! Albany is the capitol of New York so we drove past the capitol building and a lot of the downtown areas. Solon is a great tour guide and driver.
After returning from dinner I was beyond tired and just wanted some sleep. I also wanted a clean chain for the next day as mine had been making some noise. Conflicts. Fortunately, I had the best roommate ever and she sent me to bed and cleaned both of our bikes. Don't know how I got so lucky!
No comments:
Post a Comment