Little Falls, New York - Day 46

Today we had a great day, not too hot, not too humid, and no head winds! Hooray! We are definitely getting into more densely populated areas which makes it easier to find those stores or gas stations for the afternoon caffeine drinks. Cold Frappucinos are going down pretty easily these days. We were on some busy roads and also some really quiet back roads. I'm happy to report the road surfaces were smooth on them all. It's the little things that make your day.   


Some how we managed to get to all the sags and into Little Falls without Polly here to navigate. My Garmin wouldn't turn on this morning, so Ward had to be the mileage guy. Last night Ward had spent an hour trying to get the route sheet mapped onto a his Garmin, but lost it all, so high tech was not an option. Finding our way was a bit like the blind leading the blind. I can't see well enough to read the road signs or my direction sheet and Ward only has one eye. This "not so good" situation was  exacerbated by the a departing gift from Polly.  She bequeathed her rear view mirror to me. This is a tiny mirror that attaches to you glasses so you can spot the cars that are overtaking you from behind. You see them in the mirror, yell "Car Back" to warn your friends and then brace your self for a near death experience as they zoom by. If all goes as planned, you have steered you bike as close to the edge of the road as possible and are still alive. Well, I spent most of the day trying to look for cars in the mirror. All I saw were the tops of trees, Ward's arms, three yellow lines on the road that were converging, my left cheek-- everything but approaching cars. Needless to say, I didn't look at the route sheet and was no help at all with directions. Come to think of it, it's quite miraculous that I didn't wind up back in Niagara Falls.


Despite the navigational challenges, we did indeed ride along the Mohawk River and into Little Falls without getting lost. The city was big manufacturing center in the 1800's when the canal was in full swing.They also produced cheese here. Little Fall's lock, number 17, is one of the largest lift locks in the world.(It's amazing what you can learn in a bar or by reading the placards along the street as you walk to the ice cream store and laundromat. 


Day 46
Miles: 79
Totall Miles: 3376
Elevation Gain: 1939
Elevation Loss: 1952
Next Stop: Latham, NY

Old barn and roadside flowers

House that belongs to barn

A New York farm on twisty road

Mason Lodge and house in Little Falls - now privatized

Old Stone Mill now houses an art center and the best ice cream in town

Cockpit - note digital Garmin and analog route sheet