Utica

I was awakened by a light rain around 5 this morning. I only use a rainfly over my hammock if I think its going to rain. To me, it didn’t look like rain but I guess I was wrong! I hate being woke up getting rained on. Luckily it was a only a light rain and the pine trees I was under protected me from most of it. I was able to pack up my sleeping bag and hammock without them getting wet. I made coffee and sat under the trees while it slowly became daylight. Before I left I crossed over the canal to use the dumpster and fill my water bottles for the day. On that side a family was car camping. Mom, Dad and 3 young kids. The father was awake, actually it looked like he hadn’t slept. Holding his back and grimacing, he asked how are you supposed to sleep on a foam mat? We talked a bit about camping and he asked if I was on a bike. I explained a little bit about my trip. I was anxious to get going so I gave him the condensed version. He insisted that I write down his phone number in case I needed anything within the next 100 miles. People are so nice, this has happened many times this trip. I have at least 20 numbers from people I have met very ybriefly who give me their phone number and usually a town name down the road that is as far as there willing to drive to help me should I need it.

The rain quit until about 11 then got pretty serious. At a gas station after leaving Rome I stopped mostly because I saw 2 cyclist. They are from Vermont and came to ride the Erie Canal towards Buffalo. We exchanged contact information and reading their blog tonight they had wrote the rain missed them completely. We had a nice chat I enjoyed talking with them. They have done quite a bit of touring. Karen crossed the country on the Northern Tier route a couple years ago.

I found another puffball mushroom today! I thought on this trip I would find more mushrooms and other wild edibles then I do. New York does have tons of wild apple trees which always make a nice snack.

Also I saw a shrub or bush that I’m not familiar with at all. The mosquitos were too bad to spend much time trying to identify it. I hastily took some pics, maybe one of you can tell me what it is and if its edible. It was loaded with fruit .

In Rome I explored Fort Stanwix a little.

Also in Rome it was time for a big decision. For weeks I have been vacilitateing between turning North here and heading straight through the Adirondack mountains to Plattsburgh or to continue on the canal until Albany and then take the Empire Trail to Plattsburgh.

I guess last night my bike made the decision for me. I have decided to continue on to Albany. If I have trouble with the weakend seatstay I will be better off along well established bike routes. There is lots of bike shops and Warm Shower host along the trail in the event of a catastrophic seatstay failure.

Rome was a cool town. My only complaint with it was it smelled of sausage,eggs and bacon! I think every house was cooking something delicious smelling and it permeated the air causing me some serious hunger pangs. I got to the Mohawk River and ate a cliff bar and an apple with peanut butter.

I rode through here in 2019 and got lost several times. This time I did not have any trouble. But the signs are still just as confusing. One symbol means right turn one means left. Or is the left one blacked out? Also if you look close on the right of the black symbol is an old faded one saying go straight.

It started raining seriously around the time I left Rome. I quit early today just before Utica. I read and napped the afternoon away.