Today’s weather was quite a contrast to yesterday. We were blessed with blue skies, cool temperatures, good trail conditions, and an overall great day.
We were ‘wheels-down’ and rolling about 8AM today with a bit of 65 miles ahead of us. We decided to hit a Dunkin Donuts on our way out of town for breakfast. It was a bit nicer than eating at McDonalds, plus there’s donuts for a sort of breakfast-dessert after the bagel sandwich.
We took several breaks throughout the day to watch boats lock through and enjoy the day. We saw the same couple of boats several times and struck up a short conversation with one that was locking through going the other way. This couple was probably in their late 60s and spends their winters in Key West. Then it is a 21 boating day adventure up the Atlantic coast to get back to their home in Cleveland.
When we got to the town of Little Falls, we decided to skip the town but go out to Lock 17. This is my third complete trip on the Canal. In both of the previous trips (2010 and 2022), I did not venture out to Lock 17 – but should have. Lock 17 is a bit of a hike away from the trail which is why I didn’t do it before. But you are rewarded with an engineering feat: one of the tallest locks in the world. It drops the water just over 40’ along the Mohawk River. Before the canal, the only way to get cargo or boats across this area was to land carry the boats and cargo due to the steep drop and waterfalls.
We saw a boat approaching and Billy pulled out the drone for some amazing shots. He captured about 15 minutes of video of the boat locking through. The pictures and video may not look that impressive until you see us standing on the lock and how tiny we are in comparison to the surroundings. See if you can find us in the first picture standing on top of the cement upper part of the lock. You’ll have to zoom in to find us. The water being let out of the lock made a tremendous noise, much like standing near a major waterfall.
After our generous break at Lock 17, we continued our way uneventfully along the canal making good time towards our destination. We stopped briefly by the homestead of General Herkimer and then continued on to the town of Canajoharie for lunch.
Our final destination was the Amsterdam Castle. It really isn’t a castle, but a former armory that has been converted into a hotel and themed with castle decorations like suits of armor. It’s a neat place – and there really isn’t much else within biking distance of Amsterdam.
Dinner was a stone’s throw away at an Italian place, Lorenzo’s. It did not disappoint. It was the best meal of the trip for me.
Tomorrow we finish our trip with about a 50 mile trip from here to Albany, then crossing the Hudson and picking up the 4:10PM Amtrak back towards Buffalo.
Time for bed. I’m a little disappointed that my bed at the Castle is not a King sized bed. That would feel more appropriate.
Hopefully I’ll be able to blog on my way home tomorrow. If not, the next installment will likely be on Friday to wrap up the trip.
Peace!
– Dcn. Matt
Deacon Matt's Blog 