Final tally: 410 miles

After a short day of 30-plus miles we roll into the Amtrak train station around noon with a total of 410 miles under our shoes after 8 days. It is amazing!

The day starts under a thick haze from fires on the West coast that persists the entire morning. We bicycle through the grounds of Union College to Peter Pause, a great local breakfast hang out. As has been our style we both get a large breakfast though I go all in with eggs, potatoes, toast and French toast. With good coffee and full bellies, we start the day for the last time.

Though the river is in sight early in the morning, the Mohawk-Hudson trail takes us further away from the Mohawk River so it is no longer in close view. Instead we find ourselves in glades of trees that bisect emerging and old suburban communities. 

I think we are out of the country as it is unlikely that the farms and fields of corn and soybeans we have been peddling by will be in our sights today. But we finally get a peek at the Mohawk River well below us to our right. And then all of a sudden we hit a killer hill that is the most steep and challenging of our trip. We ratchet down the gearing and with determination and grit make it up but not without strain.

From the no trespassing signs on either side of the trail it appears we are traveling through the grounds of the GE Global Research Center, which is a beautiful reserves of trees, fields, birds and butterflies. The property is huge and has a wide variety of environments that we pass through.

After leaving the property we come to the crest of a large hill and see the Mohawk in the distance. The panoramic view is spectacular and it is the highest we have been above the river or canal our entire trip. We take in the view and then a fast coast downward.

We are soon able to be near the shores of the Mohawk and spot a group of geese bathing themselves. Unlike prior encounters, they do not hiss at us or are bothered by our presence. 

Halfway into our trip today, I am thinking not so much of what I see but what I have seen and all the kind and wonderful people we have come across. The beauty of the trail and the surroundings are elating in the midst of hard-luck and depressed communities. Nearly every town we rode through had the remains of at least one abandoned factory or manufacturing facility. Yet we found and spoke with some extraordinary people.

My ride now is familiar (as this trail is similar to ones around my home) as we glide through affluent communities and well-kept houses though that changes a bit as we finally reach the Hudson River and the town of Cohoes. We are riding high above both on the trail, which abruptly ends forcing us to zig zag through a series of worn row houses and fabrication facilities as we head down in elevation. 

After a careful ride through the streets of Green Island, we reach the shores of the Hudson River on a new and well constructed trail. With ease we glide into Albany. Our ride is done.