DAY 49

ROUTE:Little Falls,NY to Troy,NY	DISTANCE:83 miles	WINDS:Moderate headwinds
WEATHER:Hazy sun and 70s	TERRAIN:gentle rollers	CLIMBING:1600 feet

Saturday,July 24th. Only three days left until we dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean! I can't believe I've been doing this since June 4th...this routine just seems like a way of life now. We get up, eat breakfast, ride, check into the next hotel, shower, clean bikes, eat dinner, sleep, and then get up and do it all over again. We jokingly call it "summer camp for adults"! Fun! Today's ride was a bit more difficult than yesterday's because of the headwinds that kicked up at mid-morning. I started out riding with the regular cast of characters, and we rode together at a comfortable pace. About 12 miles out we stopped and took some pictures of Fort Klock, a colonial fort containing restored original buildings, one of which is a little red schoolhouse. In the town of Fonda, our group stopped at Antoinette's Diner for coffee and danishes, even though the SAG was just two miles away. After leaving the diner and the SAG, we passed a colonial re-enactment at Fort Johnson. I decided to pay $5 and look around, but the group decided to head on, with plans to stop eight miles up the road in Amsterdam for lunch (already!). The re-enactment was neat. Everyone was in authentic colonial dress, and most of the booths showed how folks lived back then...blacksmithing, candle-dipping, silversmithing, woodfire cooking, etc. I got some great pictures and I'm glad I stopped, even though I was left to fight the wind alone when I got back on the bike. I looked for the group in Amsterdam as I rode past, but didn't see them anywhere. I put my head down and cranked , and finally caught up with Tim, Kathryn, and Doug at mile 55. We rode for about 25 miles on a really nice bike path, but it was pretty busy and made for slower riding. We got an opportunity to see Lock 8 of the Erie Canal in action. While we were taking pictures of the lock, a cabin cruiser drove up and we watched the whole process. The driver drove the boat into the lock, docked it, the huge doors behind it closed, and the lock began filling up with water. Once the water level was even with the canal, the other gate opened and the boat drove out! It was neat to watch it all from start to finish...it only took about 10 minutes. We left the path at mile 58 for lunch at Jumpin Jacks Drive-In, and, lo and behold, the rest of my group came riding in! Guess they ate in Amsterdam and decided to eat AGAIN at the drive-in. Yikes! So much for tapering our food intake! I haven't mentioned the chicken much lately, but it was presented tonight to Michelle, our mother hen ride leader. All four of our leaders have been just awesome...Michelle (NY), Andy (CA), Brantley (NC), and Vern (AL). They've bent over backwards to make sure this trip is as perfect as possible. We had the traditional t-shirt swap after dinner tonight, and it was a ton of fun. It was done like a Yankee swap...you could swipe someone else's t-shirt if it was one you wanted. There were some great shirts up for grabs, but that rascal Joyce swiped the best one from me on the final pick! Drats! And I thought we were friends! :::laughing::: Tomorrow is the day I've been dreading...the second hardest climbing day of the trip at some 5600 feet. I'm getting myself psyched up, and I'm going to just grind it out tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for my legs and lungs! Thanks for checking in!

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