The total Trike ride was just short of 500 miles. The first day got us to Cassville (near Utica) where my brother lives. Utica is situated in the Mohawk Valley and is the seat of Oneida County. Like many industrial towns and cities in the northeastern Rust Belt, Utica has seen continuous reduction in manufacturing activity during the past several decades. It is sad to see a beautiful area with open space and clean air be suffering economically.
The next morning the four us headed for the Adirondack Mountains with our first stop at Caroga Lake. There are extensive park systems throughout the state of New York, but Adirondack Park, with six million acres (half of which is private), is the largest by far. In fact it is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States, greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined. The park is dotted with lakes, rivers, streams and mountain peaks, forty-six of which are more than 4,000 feet high.
The next stop was Saratoga Springs. It was a perfect summer day to walk the streets and stroll through the park. The spring has a couple of fountains and the water has a heavy iron taste but the Irish Nachos at Gaffney’s were superb. There are many things to do in Saratoga Springs but we had more than a hundred miles ahead of us as we rode south and then west back to Cassville.
Riding back home to Lake Wallenpaupack the next day through rural New York and Pennsylvania was a treat. There had been a lot of wind and a minor sprinkle the prior day but the ride back was blue sky and warm. The scenery included a lot of great views, mountains, hills, rivers, streams, and farms. When it comes to road signs in this part of the world, there are all the normal ones for curves or hills but also some signs you don’t see in Manhattan — tractor crossing, horse and buggy, and cows. There are also signs that property owners display — "Guns", "Taxidermist", "Elk Meat". Most of the small towns in central New York state have American Flags on every other utility pole. Central New York is a very nice part of the world.
