Erie Canal Across NY Bicycle ride
Sitting in Buffalo, on a grassy knoll, just off a Greyhound-like bus from Albany, the day before embarking on a Buffalo to Albany bicycle ride organized expertly and efficiently but NY Parks org. I mean these people are on it - organizing hundreds of bikers, their parking, their transportation since no one is ending where they started. Hundreds of details with military precision - buses leave at 9, you better be at the bus by 8:50. Orientation starts at 4, arrive at 4:15 and miss out on half the information. This 7 day sojourn along the Eric Canal is a 50 mile a day trip with hundreds of other bike aficionados - like I said last year when I did half (to Syracuse) - it’s like if you combined a Grateful Dead show, a military encampment and a traveling circus - add in a religious tent revival for good measure.
This year I’m excited to be reading a great book - Wedding of the Waters - on the Canal’s construction and impact and listening to a fascinating audio book named Devil’s Ditch. Fully immersive experience - on the bike and off. For a history buff, the history of the Erie Canal was a missing link in my knowledge library, and explained a lot about Mid-1800’s history revolved a lot about around upstate central NY, a bit of logical disconnect to the those of us who only know this region as generally distressed - Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and a ton of towns in between.
But back in the 1820’s - 1900, the Erie Canal pushed commerce, ideas and politics and religions westward, through the only gap of mountains on the east coast. George Washington tried push one west from VA but it flopped finanically - It’s why NY got the Empire State label and why NYC and not Baltimore or Charleston or New Orleans or Atlanta or Richmond became the center of the urban American universe - it’s all about the Erie Canal’s construction and economic expansion it spurred.
Since it’s a week, you can camp with your own camping gear, setting up and tearing down each day, but also cherry-picking shady, out of the way locations- if you are a rider that finishes earlier than others. You can sign on to a service named Comfy Campers which sets up hundreds of tents, adds a mattress, a camping chair and a towel and wash cloth - you finish your ride and the tent is inhabitation worthy - but typically in a big field, organized grid-like, and without a lick of shade, privacy and subject to the privations of all the snoring, hooting, coughing, talking, rustling of the other campers, including my personal unfavorite - the slamming of the plastic porto-potty doors. You can RV it, with your partner driving from each overnight location, or you can do like I’m doing this year, getting local hotels. I guess there is something to be said for roughing it a few hundred other people, but I'll let someone else describe it raptously.
I chose the hotels because last year it was 100+ degrees riding and 90+ at night, after riding 50 miles, was more than a test of endurance and more like a great way to quantitatively diminish the enjoyment of the ride. So count me in for a little local hotel, some AC, and fresh sheets. Though, this year the temps are going to be in the low 70’s at night at mid 80’s during the day - a completely different experience. Stayed in Albany last night at a nice downtown hotel, but the city itself is a bit of a problem - like Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing'. Had an excellent Indian meal and a fun delicious breakfast at a very down-and-out diner. The capitol buildings and surrounds are marvels of architecture and history - then a little section of nice period housing, but then not a whole lot else positive. But what do I know, - only what I saw and I wasn’t out looking for the grand tour.
If you’d think the majority of riders are really good shape and mid-aged, you’d be somewhat correct. I think in decent shape for sure, but trends older. Because if you break it down and aren’t in a hurry, even a 50 mile day is only 5 hours of 10 miles an hour - pretty achievable if you can keep your ass seat from turning on you. Once your butt hurts, that’s a whole new game.
New foundation for modern style home in Saugerties - this could be a home run - gold coast of Saugerties and Woodstock, modern home, views and a historic barn.
And not to bury the lead - We worked through a lot of issues, obstacles, hurdles and problems (ie, typical day in construction) to prep 2 homes for the sales closing table Friday of next week, which will bring in over $2m of sales proceeds, a lot of it money I personally took out of the stock market to gamble on the housing market. I’m hoping to turn that $2m into $4m by putting it all to work and even though margins are getting a lot tighter than just 18 months ago, 20% return on money invested in 6 - 8 months is a good return - albeit with a ton of risk and fixed costs attached. You gotta keep things moving in this game, or the cost of money will eat you alive, like the cannibals did to that young Rockefeller kid when he was exploring hard to find islands he should’ve have left alone - just cause you can, doesn’t mean you should.
A barn that came with a property I purchased in Saugerties.
Barn/Garage we are building new in Cochecton coming along nicely.
