No Turn On Red: Erie Canal - Little Falls to Albany

Wednesday, 18 May 2020 - Little Falls to Amsterdam (44 miles)

It was a long day's bike ride from Little Falls through/near St. Johnsville, Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Sprakers, Fultonville, and Fonda to Amsterdam. Fortunately, it was mostly paved. I-90 (NY Thruway) was our almost-constant companion on this stretch of the trail.

We're back to following the modern Canal - this is the dam and lock at Lock 14 near Canajoharie.

We noted that horse-and-buggy were prohibited from the using the trail. Then a minute or two later we saw horse and buggy on the road paralleling the trail.

Some might call this a "gap" or a "water gap", but here this is known as "The Noses" - where the Mohawk River threads between the Adirondack Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. No surprise that the river, the canal, the railroad, and the modern highway (I-90, NY Thruway) all follow through the same path.

The remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct. At one time this aqueduct over Schoharie Creek was the longest aqueduct on the canal - 624 ft long. There's also an excellent Vistors Center here in Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.

The start of the Amsterdam Gateway Bridge - a pedestrian bridge over the Mohawk River at Amsterdam. The bridge pays tribute to Amsterdam's neighborhoods and history.

"Mother and Child at the Mohawk River" by Dimitar Lukanov. "This veritable symphony of life, as in a miraculous orchestra of flora and fauna native to the Mohawk River Valley, is lead by the inviting, uplifting gesture of a woman - the Mother with whom the world begins."

The pedestrian walkway.

Dam and Lock E11 near Amsterdam.

Our lodging for the night was at Amsterdam Castle. Now officially a B&B (without the second B, it must be said). The site started as an 18th Century mansion that burned down. A National Guard armory was built on the old foundation, and it was converted to a private residence in 1995, and became a B&B/boutique hotel a few years later. It was certainly a unique (and comfortable) place to stay.

The Great Hall (and restaurant/banquet room) at the Amsterdam Castle. Currently the Castle is booking functions, but does not offer breakfast or operate as a restaurant.

Thursday, 10 May 2022 - Amsterdam to Latham (29.6 miles)

Today we rode from Amsterdam to Rotterdam - and beyond. The most challenging portion of the whole trip was the route through Schenectady, where we had a substantial hill going through the General Electric research grounds.

The top of the hill in Schenectady (see sign below). Several miles of the trail go through the General Electric research campus.

This warning sign (over the trail in the photo above) is a bit alarmist. It's steep, but not that steep. A few miles ahead there was a similar warning telling all bikers to walk their bikes down a much steeper hill. We didn't walk, although we did give our brakes a workout!

We're getting close to the end! This mileage sign was where we left the trail to get to our evening's hotel - the Hampton Inn Albany Airport.

Friday, 20 May 2022 - Latham to Albany (21 miles)

We always try to have a short ride on our last day. We rode through Colonie, Cohes, Green Island, Watervliet, and Menands before getting to Albany - riding through industrial parks, main streets, and beside major highways on dedicated bike paths. Albany was somewhat confusing, but we managed to get to our rental truck without incident and drove back to Buffalo to pick up our truck at the airport.