Erie Canal Completion-Day 7 From Schenectady to Rensselaer

As this trip comes to an end, I will say my goodbye early. (Did I mention that I hate goodbyes?) We had 33 miles to go with 863 feet of climbing in those few short miles. The first climb was termed the “hill out of nowhere” and saw a few riders walking up. No shame in that. I have walked many a hill before getting my e-bike. I failed to mention that when we gathered to begin our final ride that we discovered Joan's bike had a flat. That meant she would not be able to ride today and she became my SAG partner. Everyone made it to the Lyon's Park for the first stop. There were some pretty sights along the river as the bikers rode. Also got a few glimpses of the Albany skyline.

The second stop of the SAG was at Cohoes Waterfall. We stopped at the Overlook Park and got some beautiful pics. I think this is one of the widest falls I have seen (except Niagara, of course). It was just gorgeous and we sat there just listening to the water while we waited for the cyclists to arrive. You will have to catch the video on my FB page. I will try to figure out videos before our West Coast trip coming up at the end of the month!

The next stop includes the pictures at the sign where the Erie Canal is at end(or beginning depending on which direction you are traveling.) Joan and I found the sign and camped out to wait for the riders under the bridges. We even got to see the local fire department practicing their water rescues. As the team assembled we got individual pics of each rider with the sign. Then we asked a gal walking on the path to take a group pic and a video of the celebratory champagne. She was the wife of a photographer and did a great job! (Thanks for taking the time to help us out.)

The final 2.2 riding miles got us to the train station in Rensselaer. We unloaded all the luggage and said goodbyes to those heading home by train. We were there by noon so folks made their train in plenty of time. Rob and Peggy did an amazing job leading the trip across and we certainly enjoyed our ride together. I feel like we made some new friends and deepened some friendships during the past week. It makes me look forward to new adventures in the future.

As we left the station, we had one more important stop to make. We drove around 7 minutes and met up with our AussieRoo friends from Massachusetts. Sherry and Buster were waving to us from the parking lot of Recovery Sports Grill where we met them for lunch. They said we were only about 40 miles away so they drove in to met us. What a wonderful meal we had with them. It was fun to hear about their trip to Costa Rica and catch up with their coming adventures. Some of you reading this might remember that Sherry was the one who talked me into going on the hot air balloon adventure over the Outback and Sunrise. That was such a highlight on the Australian/New Zealand trip. I will always remember this! What fun to celebrate the end of our trip with them.

On the road back home now. Wynn is driving and so I thought I would complete the trip blog. I pray that all our riders get home safely from the trains, cars and final leg home. Thanks for coming along for the ride. I am very proud of the fact that I rode just short of half the miles on the Erie Canal. Wynn rode about 345 miles. His hip felt good and we are both pleased that we could complete the adventure. Sorry about all the ads that showed up this time on the blog…that hasn't happened before, so I may look for a different option before our West Coast trip.
Love to all,
Wynn and Brenda