After a lovely breakfast at Porches on the Towpath in New Hope, Ted and I hop on our bikes for our first full biking day on the Delaware canal’s towpath and start north. Leaving New Hope, the path for bike tires narrows and we find ourselves on a high berm between the river and canal. […]
On the way to New Hope
The clouds mute the heat and humidity as Ted and I hop on our bicycles. Starting a new trip is always filled with anticipation as we have no pre-conceptions as to how and where the day will take us as we peddle the D&L Trail. Entering the stone dust path next to the Delaware canal, […]
A splendid day
Visiting my daughter Sarah and grandson Charlie a few days ago, Juana, Charlotte and I take advantage of the splendid day we are presented with and travel to a local wildlife sanctuary in Ipswich. The first thing I spot is an artistically stacked wood pile that has a massive branch cutting through it. I don’t […]
An unseasonable afternoon
On an unusually sunny and warm afternoon in the mid-50s F, Juana and I make our way down to New Haven harbor to kill some time. The mostly rocky shoreline has few people and action except for an elderly man feeding the birds with great bursts of bread crumbs. It is low tide, and a […]
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 […]
Another act of kindness: Day 7
I have never thought of Ted and I looking particularity needy, but I am beginning to have second thoughts. Around noon yesterday, we wind up in Amsterdam looking for lunch. But as it turns out any restaurant near the trail is closed. “Do you know of any places we can get lunch?” I ask a […]
A sunny ride: Day 7
We leave our motel early to get a hardy breakfast at the Village Restaurant in Canajoharie. Neither of us are disappointed and we fuel up for a shorter 44 mile ride to Schenectady. Canajoharie is a lovely town with wonderful architecture and buildings. An abandoned Beech-Nut factory that used to make baby foods (and is […]
A muddy, rainy slog: Day 6
After a delightful breakfast discussion with some fellow travelers, Ted and I leave yet again on a rainy, cloudy morning. Today’s slog of 65 miles to Canajoharie is our longest trip yet and with rain expected for most of the day, we expect to get wet. Approaching the Mohawk River, the trail is nicely paved […]
A random act of kindness: Day 5
“Would you guys like to come in out of the rain?” she asks unlocking the front door of the Three Pines. “The stove isn’t on but we could rustle up some sandwiches for you.” Ted and I go from despair to elation. We’ve been on the Erie Canal trail all morning and are drenched from […]
Plants need watering, bicyclists don’t: Day 5
It’s a cool and rainy morning in Syracuse as we look to bike 48 miles to Rome. Unlike our circuitous entrance to Syracuse through a maze of back roads, our exit couldn’t be simpler, safer or nicer. A new bike trail has been built on Erie Boulevard (on top of a filled in section of […]