Day 8 – Niskayuna to Albany

The last evening at camp was nice with friends, coolers filled with beer, a decent wine selection and lots and lots of food. I feel sure I’ve replace every calorie I’ve burned this week but that only makes each bite more delicious.

The after dinner “no-talent talent show” lived up to its name with a variety of acts put on by good natured people much braver than me. There were awards for the most flat tires in a day (4), oldest rider (88 yrs) and youngest (14 yrs), bike mechanic’s best friend (frequent customer award), slowest rider and many others I can’t remember. Fun times!

Third base turned out to be a good spot for the tent because it stayed dry through the steady rain during the night. I’m glad I didn’t know ahead of time how rainy it would be, otherwise I might have changed my mind about this. Riding in the rain is not that bad, the hard part is keeping damp clothes and bedding from getting too funky. Two visits to the laundromat were essential in making it this far. A third is definitely needed now.

We awoke early, packed and loaded up our gear, ate breakfast and headed out on the bikes by 6:30 AM. It was nice to be one of the first on the trail, riding on the quiet paved path through the woods with lots of rabbits and birds, a doe feeding in the grass and a little turtle crossing the path for company.

The trail ran along the Hudson River with miles of fresh asphalt and picturesque bridges.

We made good time, briefly stopping at the rest stop about 10 miles from Albany and crossed the finish line by 9 AM.

I’m so glad we are able to accomplish such a big goal and had so much fun doing it.