July 20 Day 49 76 miles
We crossed the Mohawk River first thing in the morning and then rode along the river for much of the day. There are locks that run in parallel with river, that allow continued navigation despite hydropower stations and other river obstacles. It was fun visiting a couple of the locks, even in the absence of boats, to get a sense for how things work. It was wonderful to find bike paths that have replaced tow paths along the canal, and we were on a bike path much of the day.
We ended up in Latham, in the Albany, NY area.
We ride on the bridge across the river and the canal. The Hohawk river is filled with obstacles, with the canal system running intermittently in parallel, providing continued passage for boat traffic. We soon find the bike path that takes us for many miles along the canal.
We were able to visit lock 17 along the way, the deepest lock in the country. It is manned by this young man who assured me that he is college age.
The next stop was the high point of the day. Two Amish girls were selling ice cream and doughnuts by the side of the road. We provided more business than they had planned for.
We next stopped at lock number 8, just to take a look.
We were lucky to find alternate, traffic free roads all day.
Because the drive-in was closed at our second SAG, we opted to hit a diner for lunch. It was good, and (even better) it was air conditioned!
Our last push took us to the hotel. It was a scorching finish to the day. Michael can be seen here riding straight into the lobby of our hotel.