One of those blue ribbon days

South Glens Falls to Troy, New York Monday, April 19, 2021

You ever have a day like this? One that couldn’t be finer?

Waking up in a trail angel’s comfortable home, fortified with a turkey sausage omelette beyond expectations, more great conversation with the angel, then out into a bluebird day with the happy knowledge it would be downhill all the way. My destination was Troy NY, home of Uncle Sam, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and most importantly, Dinosaur Barbecue, iconic chowhouse where I was due to meet friends for dinner.

The route soon joined the Hudson, and often followed the towpath of the Champlain Canal. It was dotted with little parks, where you could spot a bald eagle (too far away for a good picture, but unmistakable), bask in the sun, and just bliss out. My daydreaming was interrupted by a group of young adults with Down Syndrome, out for a stroll with their caretakers, one of the guys proudly showed me his “police badge”. I passed a setting for the musical Hamilton, but couldn’t find Angelica, Eliza, or Peggy.

The canal towpath was flat, quiet, and pastoral, but the stone dust surface was slower than the paved streets. The tangle of islands at the junction of the Hudson and the Mohawk were challenging to negotiate, but scenic.

Once at Troy, there was some business to attend to. As I mentioned earlier, I want to climb the state highpoints from sea level. On a previous trip I did go to the Atlantic Ocean, but then had to call Jane to get me when I had an equipment breakdown. This “broke the chain” of biking continuously from sea level, so I had to “zero out” again. The closest place to do this is at the head of natural navigation of the Hudson River, at Troy. The Hudson is still tidal right up to the first lock of the Erie Canal, and therefore is at sea level.

The actual spot was at the Ingalls Avenue boat launch, just below that first lock. Not active this time of year, I had the place to myself, with only a Canada goose for company.

An ugly picture of the ramp leading up from the water’s edge, but symbolic since this is essentially the beginning of my climb of the highpoints. What is that joke about the Hudson River? “They did a study of the health of the fish in the Hudson, and he’s fine.” That’s not really fair, they have cleaned the Hudson up quite a bit, people even swim in it occasionally.

Yeah, I know, a lot of pictures of a fairly mundane location, but important to me, as this is Ground Zero.

Nothing left to do except a quick shower at the hotel, then meet my friends for dinner. Brian and Mary had to leave before Frank could come, so I did this in two shifts, nibbling slowly on a Big Ass Pork platter all the while. Luxurious for me, had lots of time to talk, reminisce, and say au revoir to these dear friends. Familiar contact will be sparser from now on.

There was a funny note. Our table was on a balcony overlooking the Hudson, and directly across was a luxury housing development on an island, with the words “Starbuck Island” in huge lighted letters on the embankment. I thought OMG, the ubiquitous Starbucks has gone too far. But when I looked it up, I saw I was wrong. The island had had this name for over a century, and was named after the hero of Moby Dick (the first mate, who tried to stand up to Ahab), and who was also the inspiration for the name of the coffee company.

Distance 48.4 miles, 158.4 total. Time 7 1/2 hours with stops. Elevation gain 644 feet.