Following the rainy day yesterday, today was spectacular! A bit cloudy in the morning (a good thing as we are riding due east), but then sunny from mid-day on.
We left the Rosemont Inn in Utica after a very nice stay and a delicious breakfast. Great place! We then rode what will likely be our last extended stretch on roads, as opposed to trail. The Erie Canalway Trail is 87% complete, apparently, but that leaves some segments when you have to be on traveled roads. Such was the case this morning.
Leaving the Rosemont Inn B&B in Utica around 9:45.
We had ridden about 13 miles before getting off traveled road onto the trail, though we could have navigated to a short stretch of trail in Utica had we wished, but that would have been extra riding, and it looked like it would have actually involved more highway crossing and congestion. As it was, we had a quite nice ride through the more industrial bowels of Utica.
With so little traffic heading out of Utica on Southside Road, the few vehicles gave us a wide berth.
Google Maps made up for some failings the other day, by putting us on roads that had minimal shoulders but almost no cars and generally smooth surfaces. We made good time through the city and out into the country heading east.
In Frankfort, we hit our first detour, for a bridge on West Main Street that was under construction. The detour took us up a rather long hill and circuitous route back around to the other side of the bridge. A bit arduous, at least for the non-eBike-rider among us! When we got back down to West Main, we locked our bikes and walked down the streeet, returning with a Stewarts mocha milkshake. Frankfort was a somewhat depressing town, with empty storefronts and some abandoned buildings.
Most rural New York towns seem to celebrate falled war heros on streetlight posts, but Frankfort celebrated recent graduates, which was a nice change.
Frankfort had it’s share of burned-out or otherwise empty buildings and empty storefronts
Once we finally got onto the Erie Canalway and Empire State Trail, we rode most of the day along the Mohawk River. Despite the road noise, it was a spectacular trail—paved with gentle curves, occasional bridges and overpasses. In Herkimer, we passed under I-90, then stopped at a nice park at the Fort Herkimer Gazebo. As a child, my family stopped in Herkimer on a road trip, and I remember searching for “Herkimer diamonds” (and finding some). It would be fun to come back, maybe with Jack and Harrison!
The Erie Canalway Trail followed the Mohawk River for most of the miles we covered today. Mostly paved, and really well-maintained!
There’s a beautiful stone church at Fort Herkimer, along with the gazebo, benches, and various historic features—also restrooms.
A classic stone church by a small town park in Herkimer.
The Mohawk River here is part of the New York Barge Canal. When the canal was expanded the last time, creating the Barge Canal, they moved parts of it to existing rivers, such as the Mohawk River. So there are locks. We stopped at Lock 18 and were treated to the antics of a mink on the other side of the lock. We watched it for about ten minutes as it explored the area. Given it’s size, I think it may have been a young one.
Can you spot the mink? What a treat to spot this little fellow across Lock 18!
We stopped in Little Falls for lunch. It was somewhat over halfway in our ride today (23 miles from our inn in Utica), and we split a sandwich at Ann Street Restaurant and Deli. I think we probably spent two-and-a-half hours in Little Falls. It’s a quaint artist community, at least the part by the river. The Stone Mill there houses art galleries, lodging, and a couple cafes. At one of those cafe’s, I charged by iPhone over a latte.
Art is everwhere in Little Falls—a cute little town!
Looking down from a bridge in Little Falls, we could see where holes had been carved into the rock—when a rock gets in and is swirled around by current, it can carve our a circular pothole. Pretty cool!
East of Little Falls, the trail has high cliffs on both sides where the roak was blasted out. Clearly, this wasn’t a tow path, but it was great for cycling through!
After leaving Little Falls, we passed through this cut in the rock, with steep cliffs on either side.
Another lock or two, another rest when we tapped into our chocolate-nut bars and cashews, and we finally rolled into Fort Plain and our B&B: The Haslett House.
Quite the spot. From the outside, it looks like a classic haunted house, with multiple dormers, chimneys, and turrets, some in better shape than others. But what character the place has! The inside is filled with all sorts of collectables, books, minerals, Victorian furnishings, and pretty much everything else!
Quite an amazing spot! But high maintenance?
After my shower, I went out looking for some epsom salts for Jerelyn to soak in and discovered that they were setting up for a concert on the town green tonight. We went back there and enjoyed the music—perhaps not the best ever, but fun music from the ’60s and ’70s! We got barbecue from a Amish family, and immersed ourselves in the music and the residents enjoying it.
Music on the green in Fort Plain! Classic Rock—not exactly what I’d expect in this town.
Now to rest up for our second-to-last day of biking. With our 42 miles today, Jerelyn has biked aboput 225 miles, and I’ve put on 316 miles since Buffalo. It will be a light day tomorrow, as we head to Amsterdam, then a long day on Saturday—our final day of the trip.