Day 10: NYC to Niagara Falls

July 3, 2014

We woke up this morning in Little Falls, NY.  “Little” is a relative term and, in this case, distinguishes the town’s diminutive falls on the Mohawk River from the Big Falls near the end of the Erie Canal in Cohoes, which we visited three days ago.

The Mohawk River as we rode out of Little Falls:  

For comparison, this is Big Falls in Cohoes, NY from Day 7 of our ride:

Little Falls is a charming small town with over 200 years of history in a dramatic natural setting, but in my children’s memories, it will forever be the place where they first saw the movie “Earth to Echo.”  Eiko and I really should have put them to bed at a reasonable hour last night after a long day of bike riding, but we chose to give them a movie as a treat.  Bike adventures shouldn’t only be about cycling...

It was hot and muggy as we pedaled out of town, but in the afternoon a summer thunderstorm cooled the air and darkened the skies.  Soon heavy raindrops began thumping down on us, as we rode about 37 miles to Rome, NY. 

A friend recently asked me, “What do you do when you’re cycling all day, and a rainstorm moves in?”  My answer: “You get wet!”  There’s no reason to stress out about getting rained on while cycling.  Eventually, the rain ends and, if you’re still riding, the wind dries you off.  It is prudent to ride slower than usual when the road is wet, because the brakes don’t stop the bikes as quickly.  You should also make sure your clothing is packed in watertight bags.  And a rain jacket is a good idea, so that you don’t get chilled.

Of course, if we see lightening, we get off the road and wait until it passes.  We did that for about 30 minutes today, then rolled back out into the wetness.  Saya’s response to the rain?  She cheered and said, “Yay!  Now I don’t have to take a bath tonight.”

And here she is wearing a stylin' Cleverhood rain cape:

At one point during the ride, Saya said, “Daddy, I can’t decide which I like better: Halloween or Christmas.  I love candy and meeting new people, but I also love presents and spending time with my family.”

Another time, we cycled by some ducks, and I told Saya the story of “The Ugly Duckling,” concluding, “We are all beautiful inside.”  Saya said, “Eww.  No we aren’t.  Inside is all blood and guts and stuff.”  Fair point…