Last Ride of the Trip! 48.2 miles. Total trip was somewhere between 374-390 miles. I didn't always record all the side trips off the trail to get food or supplies.
This morning at Rotterdam, I felt a mix of feeling excited that trip was almost over, being glad my butt will get a rest, and a little sad it was soon going to be all over. No more days of eating whatever i wanted.
Took some photos of Lock 8 in Rotterdam Jct before leaving
The old erie canal sections were quite green heading into Schenectady
Very cool to see the highway signs I've seen many a time while driving, but from a nearby trail instead of the highway
Obligatory photo of the GE signage for my father in law
just the first building with Schenectady signage
rode some backroads to avoid the worst of the city traffic, took me through their little italy district too
I think this was the first shot of the Hudson
they had these little shelters, with disclaimers they won't protect you from heavy storms
The Dolly Parton bridges over i-87, going through Colonie
if i'd just checked my phone, i'd have seen a mcdonald's and subway a half mile up the road; instead i stopped for lunch at the sketchiest Stewart's I've ever been in. Literally gave, "run away!" vibes. No bathroom inside/outside, limited options, no fresh fruit/salad.... But the nice thing about Stewart's is that they have all the snacks, water and stuff for the actual bike ride too, so it's more 1 stop shopping when touring. But I think it was a sign for me to be done with Stewart's for awhile.
I setup my ultralight chair under a shady tree out in the parking lot and ate my stewart's lunch outside, next to my bike. I got to listen to some interesting conversations shouted back and forth between the folks behind me in what was probably subsidized housing. The Waterviliet Housing Authority was on the other side of the parking lot. Literal signs is what I'm saying. The nice thing about being an overgrown, giant monkey like myself is that people leave me be. If anything I feel bad sometimes because people seem nervous around me sometimes, and I don't want to give off a bad/scary vibe.
glad i road from the end of the erie canal trail, down the hudson greenway to Bethlehem NY. that stretch was scenic and I got to see lots of the bridges from underneath. bridges i've driven over a fair bit.
Official Start/End spot
official end of trail
there was a 500 ft climb near the end, but it was graded 1-2%, super easy. the last 3-4 miles after the trail ended to my in-laws were easy as well, I used the ride with gps app to route less busy roads with good shoulders/sidewalks.
That last section of rail trail was super pretty. I may have to just bring my bike to my in-laws to explore it some more.
After arriving at Chuck and Bea's, I enjoyed some pizza (thanks Bea and Chuck for getting it), and a couple beers i had Jacqui leave at their place when she dropped off the truck (planning ahead!). Bea was nice enough to let me devour a salad they had in their fridge too. I was craving veggie stuff.
i got to their place around 2-3p.m. Dried out my gear (lock 9 air was super wet), ate, caught up with my in-laws and around 6:30-7p.m. felt the call of sleeping in my own bed, so I drove the 2 hours home to Mass. I will freely admit that driving highway speeds after a week of only going 10-12 mph on a bike felt ridiculously fast. Like an internet meme of a wide-eyed cat freaking out. Once the sun set and it got dark, it got easier to drive. Eventually, I'm sure driving will go back to normal.
