Beautiful Ride Along the Mohawk

Once again I woke up to the ominous words from Stu, “Its pouring rain”. Once we turned on the Weather Channel, however, I could see that the rain was in a narrow band that was moving rapidly past our location in Little Falls. Much discussion took place at breakfast, but in the end the concensus was that rain gear would not be needed, and that proved to be the case.

Little Falls in the Rain



The clouds were still hanging low over the mountain ridges surrounding the Mohawk Valley, and occasionally a few drops fell, but mostly we dealt with wet roads and traffic. The route today was unique (at least in recent terms) in that it involved only two turns at the beginning, and a few at the end. The rest was a long run on Route 5, and then a long ride on a series of bike trails along the Mohawk and Hudson rivers.

A castle along Route 5, now used as a restaurant.

The trails made for a fantastic ride, especially since the sun had burned off the clouds, and brought out the colors of the vegetation along the route. We always see wildflowers, but a bike trail brings them so much closer. There is just nothing like riding through shady glades in the cool of the morning. It makes you want to linger, even though the path begs you to ride fast along its dips and rolls.


Several places the path seemed to be painted over the landscape, contrasting with roads, which are forced through it.

We rode today for the first time without our compadre, Kent, who took too literally the motto “New Hampshire or Bust”. He left this morning for Virginia, where he will have more treatment for his broken collarbone. Kent, we miss you!!

Me at a lock on the Erie Canal


Another lock on the canal. Locks are located at dams, which level the water behind them. Locks allow the boats to be lifted or lowered to the next level, ranging from less than 15 feet to over 40 feet.


One of the old locks. This one looked somewhat preserved.


Ilkka and I at lunch, Kent's vacant chair in the background.