Biking from Buffalo to Albany

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Quick Summary of Biking the Empire State Trail Solo from Buffalo to Albany:

Carried by winds blowing from the west, I travelled for four days, biking four hundred miles during a heat wave with afternoon temperatures in the 90’s, almost entirely on the Empire State Trail. On the first day I rode the train to Buffalo and camped. On the second day I got a flat tire. The third day took me on a slight detour to stay with a friend. Along the way I learned a lot about how my body handles the heat on a bike. I also learned a few ideas to make things a little more comfortable for any future trips.

Leg 1: Biking to the train station:

Distance: 22.5 miles
Elapsed Time: 2h:19m:28s
High Temp: 85 degrees F

I biked from my house in Clifton Park to the Rensselaer train station. I gave myself plenty of extra time and I am glad I did because it was a little slower than I might have expected.

I lost some time navigating a detour because the pedestrian walkway that used to provide a ramp up to the big bridge over the Hudson has been lopped off. Prior to reaching that area, I needed to follow a subtle sign pointing to the detour. I backtracked and eventually found the detour sign, but it was a bit of a struggle. The hot weather made this type of struggle extra uncomfortable.

Train to Buffalo:
The information on Amtrak is not super useful but I found this guide to train tickets which I found immensely helpful. It’s a simple process (you just need to pick a train that includes bike service) and when you order a ticket you have the option to include a bike for $20. In my case it seemed like spots could sometimes fill up, but generally as long as you booked a ticket a few days or a week in advance you would have some options as long as you can be flexible if some of the trains don’t have bike slots available. Other times of year may be different. The Amtrak guidance said to show up 30 minutes ahead of time. Which was a good idea just to make sure you are there on time. However there wasn’t actually anything I could do during that 30 minutes because the train arrives right at boarding time, and that’s when you need to scramble to talk to a train conductor to figure out which train to get on. The conductors were amazing and great and thankfully were really looking out for me in ways I needed them to.

In all honesty the bike route itself is desolate, riding alongside the water of the Erie Canal or Mohawk river. The train follows more or less the same route. So it was unfortunately a little disheartening to watch out the window and see 350 miles of murky green bleakness that is your future. It would have been better not to have gotten that preview, and at least feel the thrill of anticipation for surprises that might be coming next. It is in fact very fun and awesome but I found the scenery to be a little repetitive.

I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on my Kindle during the ride, napped, and chatted with the outgoing Panera employee sitting next to me who was traveling to provide training for a newly opening Panera location. Toward the end of the ride I visited the food car and got a basic sandwich and soda. The bathroom on my train car was gross and clogged, but the bathrooms on the other train cars were ok.

Leg 2: Buffalo to Middleport

Distance: 53 miles
Elapsed Time: 6h:16m:49s
High Temp: 88 degrees F

I was tired from the train ride and was not going to feel situated until I got out of the city of Buffalo where things were slow and dense with traffic crossings, navigation, and people. The shame here is that it was difficult to properly enjoy the views of Lake Erie and the Niagara river but I took it in as best I could.

Once I reached Tonawanda I was able to relax a little. Here there were stretches with nice houses and condos, well manicured, with people enjoying the canal by fishing, boating, walking, or just feasting on a back porch with family and friends. The water here was a pleasant almost emerald color. It was here I encountered my first precious drinking fountain.

I stopped at an Arby’s and really enjoyed my fatty/salty beef and cheddar sandwich with curly fries and most importantly a cup filled with ice and water with a little soda which I refilled once and held to my head and neck to slowly cool myself down. I chatted with M on the phone and worried a little about my draining battery and lack of power supply. After I finished my meal I found a nearby pharmacy where I bought a brick for charging my phone and returned to Arby’s to read my Kindle while my phone and GPS watch charged.

After making it fifty-three miles from the train station, I pitched a tent along the canal on the grassy area between the bike path and the row of trees. It was way too hot in the tent with my down sleeping bag. Thankfully the grass was soft and comfy. I removed the rain fly which allowed the wind to cool things down, blowing easily through the screen walls of the tent. For most of the night I kept the sleeping bag to the side and just slept on the floor of the tent. I could see the trees above me. As the night progressed the wind picked up and eventually got out of hand. The giant trees were waving in wide arcs overhead. When the gusts were peaking I could hear branches making loud cracking sounds. I got out and moved the tent further from the trees but eventually realized there was no safe place nearby.

As I was standing next to the canal barefoot in shorts watching the mayhem at 4:30am, I noticed that the wind was blasting toward Albany, which gave me the idea to begin the next leg of the trip now.

Leg 3: Middleport, through Rochester, to Weedsport

Distance: 122 miles
Elapsed Time: 13h:51m:40s
High Temp: 93 degrees F

While it was still dark I packed up my gear and rode the wind effortlessly covering thirty-five miles of gravel pathway before 7:30am. Along the way I passed a tent in a much smarter location, near fields, far away from any trees. I didn't see many downed branches or trees so at least I wasn't actually in any imminent danger but I'm glad to have played it safe.

On this stretch I passed a number of wild cherry trees. I’ve seen wild cherries before that were bright red and not very tasty. These had turned a dark crimson and were wonderfully ripe, and had a taste that was very close to a bing cherry you would buy at the supermarket, but with less meat. Delicious.

I had breakfast at Slayton Place restaurant in Spencerport and picked up a Gatorade at the nearby supermarket.

At noon I stopped in Macedon for a lunch of gas station pizza and Gatorade which I enjoyed. Usually I dislike having excessively salty foods but in the heat with all the sweating, these salty fatty processed foods were absolutely perfection in terms of satisfaction as well as filling my nutritional needs.

At around 1pm in Palmyra I got my only flat of the trip when a small piece of metal embedded itself in my tire. I pulled over to a pleasant spot and patched it and continued on my way. I was worried that the effort of fixing a tire in the heat would cause me trouble with overheating, but by proceeding calmly and coolly there was nothing to worry about.

In the afternoon heat I rode shirtless to stay cool. I rode past a buck standing behind a posted sign that said “Shooting Area”. The buck with his horns is a little difficult to see in the picture but he is there.

For the entire ride I was really impressed to see a lot of people fishing. I was also surprised that I didn’t see a single person swimming on these hot days, even closer to Buffalo where the water looked clean and pleasant.

The clear and imminent danger of record breaking heat and humidity combined with the belief that I can manage it, despite the fact that getting Covid three years ago has left me with a weird heat sensitivity gives the day a sense of purpose. I am here in the moment, where I want to be but rarely find myself.

At 1:15pm in Newark I stopped at McDonalds, bought a soda, and cooled down with ice and A/C while my phone and watch charged. When I locked my bike up I accidentally put pressure on my spokes and caused the wheel to have a nasty little wobble afterward. Planning ahead, I do not want to camp out tonight in this heat. I prepare a plan to stop at a motel in Weedsport for the night.

At 3:30pm I passed an ice cream shop in Glasgow. I locked up my bike and realized there was no indoor seating and I really needed to cool down. So I left and stopped at the nearest gas station instead.

At nearly 7pm I arrived in Weedsport and got a room at the Rodeway Inn and Suites

The manager was super helpful. She provided me with a tablecloth so I could roll my bike into the room without making a mess. Weedsport was incredibly good to me. Such basic and perfect provisions all within an easy walk. I couldn’t have asked for more. I just missed the local Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Company closing at 6, but a Nino's New York Pizzeria served me an amazing Big Mac pizza slice with Big Mac sauce, ground beef, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and sesame seeds, a slice that made my evening.

I wandered down the street and picked up a can of beer to have at the motel room. I ended up falling asleep before finishing it. I woke up at 3am to the sound of loud discussions and someone running in flip flops across the parking lot and fell back to sleep.

I slept really well. Too well, and slept through the continental breakfast which ended at nine. So I crossed the street for an amazing six-dollar toast, eggs, and coffee at Cook’s Village Diner. I contemplate staying another night and just reading a book here in Weedsport. The idea tempts me. It will be hot until eight pm. If I could pay for a half day maybe I would but the idea of renting a room just for the day and not staying overnight doesn’t make sense. I returned to the hotel, packed up my stuff, and checked out. On the way out of the parking lot two separate groups of people were arguing. It was as good a time as any to move on.

Leg 4: Weedsport, through Syracuse, to Clinton

Distance: 94.5 miles
Elapsed Time: 11h:23m:50s
High Temp: 92 degrees F

This was the hottest and most enjoyable day of the trip. Did I say it was hot? It was hot! Signs of heat were everywhere. A fawn lay in muddy swamp water to stay cool. I wish I could tell it that a quarter mile west there is a cool running river that would have been much more comfortable.

A house had a huge industrial fan blowing to keep things cool.

I am tempted to take off my helmet to help stay cool. But the heat has softened my skull into a molten plastic, which I fear will pop like a water balloon at the slightest impact so I keep it on.

In this area a group of women were being escorted by a van, riding the trail, with great enthusiasm. A woman said to me as I rode by, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”, to which I responded with a somewhat skeptical “yeah”. But her saying that helped me to step out of my overheated mood and appreciate the day more.

I came across two awesome pavilions where I stopped. Both of them had a cool breeze flowing through them which was a miracle to behold.

There is a relativity to comfort. Yesterday, at 86 degrees and overcast, it was just kinda consistently hot. Right now it’s 88 degrees and sunny. About half the time there is shade. And the shade feels so nice and makes things pleasant even though it is probably hotter than yesterday. And these moments of respite help to make the sunny portions tolerable as well because of the break. Similarly it is hot as hell standing still even in the shade. As soon as I move just a little bit I feel the breeze of traveling through the muggy air and it feels fantastic relative to standing still. It makes riding a bike an ideal activity in the heat. My head is my radiator. The goal today isn’t to make a lot of progress. The goal is to explore these little oases of comfort while I maintain slight forward motion.

I came across another cool breezy pavilion. They must plan for these in cool breezy spots! It was graced with a drinking fountain/spigot combo that blasted ice cold water. In perfect time for a fill up and cool down. It would have been nice to see more of these, particularly in rural areas, but there has been no such luck. As it is, this spigot is eight miles from the city, where I will have options to get situated soon anyway. But still it was very nice to have.

I figured out my flat pedal quick kit. These are an attachment to my Speedplay clipless lollipop pedals that allow me to ride in sandals when my feet get too hot or sore in cycling shoes. The pedal on one side was staying locked in and the other kept loosening up. It turns out when you push the wire in a little extra it locks into place. Good to know. I previously lost a pedal this way. This is the solution.

A man on the side of the canal is photographing a tiny sunfish flipping in the grass. He turns to his fishing partner and says, “yup! No skunks!”.

I rode through a park that had four benches facing each other in a square of mud. Mud wrestling ring? I can’t think of what else that could be for.

1:47pm, Camillus, 91 degrees. The stone dust pathway has been offdry. Not wet or muddy at all. But it’s not dry. I feel like that provides a nice bit of evaporative cooling to the path that you can feel. Which is missing on the paved path or when the trail becomes very dry.

The ride through Syracuse was awesome but it took a while to navigate through a hundred intersections. Near the State Fairgrounds I enjoyed a banana, pizza, and more Gatorade at the Byrne Dairy.

My heat intolerance is expressing itself as feeling like my head is stuffed with cotton balls. What’s interesting is that I’m noticing my brain works pretty well: thoughts that just flow naturally are flowing. It’s the thoughts that other people need me to have that are buried under a pile of blankets. Like arguing and trying to persuade someone else, thoughts I need to have for someone else. It’s like the part of my brain that is needed for survival instinct is intact but this extra layer struggles a lot when I have brain fog. I wonder if it’s that that processing is the first thing to go because it’s optional? Or maybe this suggests a part of my brain that is affected. Based on the type of thinking I’m struggling with when I have brain fog.

After that I was thankful to find some great views of Onondaga Lake, and a spot with a ladder allowing me to jump in for a quick cooldown.

On Erie Boulevard I was stoked to ride past the Lost Horizon, a concert venue where we went to see some favorite bands play back in high school, and they also hosted a local band that friends were in that we would go see. It’s amazing to see it still standing.

I stopped in a bike shop to see if they could fix my wobbly rim, maybe provide me with a set of brake pads, and fill up my tire with air. They looked at me like I had two heads, “you want to leave your bike here”? I got the impression that nobody there actually fixed bikes who is currently present. He offered to fill my tire with air, which he did, (but didn’t actually add any air so it didn't help). So it was a little disappointing but no biggie, I’d made it this far with a weak rear brake and wobbly rear wheel.

After getting through Syracuse the path is really nicely paved through pleasant parks for a very long stretch.

I don’t want to overstate it but this section was a highlight of the trip.

It was awesome to see a couple of active aquaducts, where a sort of bridge would carry the canal water above a separate waterway, a river, flowing fifteen feet below, without the two mixing. Really fascinating.

Sometimes the canal had reasonably clear water. At other times it was bright green. At some points it was like chocolate milk. Interestingly as I passed by a section that looked like chocolate milk I also smelled the powerful scent of freshly fertilized farm fields which, at least in my mind, made a connection between that and the chocolate milk water.

I arranged plans to stay at D’s. As a kid I would run at night and stop at his house, and he was always gracious to come out and give me a welcoming, pep talk, and a cold drink. To get to his house I left the bike path for a little bit. This area got hit with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. As I rode, there were lots of downed trees and running generators. Teams of bucket trucks were everywhere restoring power lines and clearing trees. Several road closures blocked my passing. In some cases I proceeded anyway, but each time I would arrive to a dozen large trucks working hard and completely blocking passage, so I turned around and had to find an alternate route. At one point there were two ways to go but both of them were closed off. I was so hot and tired, it took some effort to accept that had to continue to backtrack to make an extended reroute. But once I committed to the longer route it wasn’t bad.

Now I’m in Westmoreland. It’s almost 8pm and I haven’t eaten anything but a granola bar in five hours of riding. I stop at a gas station advertising hot dogs. But all they have is one hot dog on a large bank of rollers that looks like it has been there since the Erie Canal ribbon cutting. As hungry as I am, I’m not eating that Slim Jim (as D put it so well).

I ride into Clinton. I’d like to get food before arriving late at D’s. I stop by a deli/grocery and ask the cashier if they are still making sandwiches. “Yeah!” he says. I order a sandwich, and he goes into the back for a minute and comes back with an apologetic look on his face and says the other guy has left and closed up early, so he can’t make a sandwich after all. I ask if there is anything else, but it’s just chips and soda. I see a banana and ask to buy it, and he says, “it’s on the house”. I started to argue, but thanked him and gobbled it down.

The final remaining obstacle (or so I thought) was the climb to D’s which is near the top of a high point in the area. Halfway up I encounter a “Road Closed” sign.

You know this is a hockey town when the road closed signs have a hockey stick logo.

A local man pulls up beside me and convinces me that I can ride through, it will be fine. So against better judgement I ride up the rest of the hill until I find the way truly blocked by many large trucks. So I roll back down the hill and find an alternative long way. It’s not too bad but boy am I beat!

D sees my flashing headlight as I pull into his driveway and he comes out to greet me. We talk, and he has some amazing pulled pork enchiladas that really hit the spot. I shower and have a good night’s sleep.

Leg 5: Clinton, through Utica, to Clifton Park

Distance: 111 miles
Elapsed Time: 12h:57m:34s
High Temp: 92 degrees F

I wake up early and hit the road before 6am, and enjoy a beautiful sunrise as I descend the hill into Utica.

I stop for breakfast in the village of New Hartford. Riding through Utica takes a while, just as all the cities have taken a while. I make a somewhat convoluted but safe route back to the bike path. By the canal I get to see a pair of bald eagles take flight.

There is a 10 mile road section here which includes a bit of a detour which is very well marked.

Starting in Herkimer a few parks on the way have brand new awesome bike pumps.

I finally get to properly fill my tire with air and wouldn’t you know it? The higher pressure actually fixes the wobbly wheel! It was probably at 45 PSI, now it’s up to 70 and working very well.

I’m definitely daunted by the miles I need to cover today to make it home before dark. Between the heat and my sore wrists, feet, and butt, my general enthusiasm has worn down so it takes real effort rather than compulsion to keep a slow but steady pace that will get me there.

At 11am in Little Falls I need to cool down, get some water, and eat food so I take a detour across the bridge into town. I stop at the White Rose Bakery. This place provided me the best hand made chocolate glazed donut (a Long John?) and a delicious slice of tomato pie all for under $2. They don’t have AC and I’m super hot so I proceed to the gas station to spend a little time chilling with a Gatorade before continuing.

On the side of the trail I ride past remnants of an unsuccessful bike journey: a bike with a cart, broken and stashed in the weeds.

I ride past a plant that is bent over into the road. It has been a life mission to find wild asparagus. I have never found it before. I stop and turn around to determine if this is it and sure enough it is. There are actually about 5 plants that I spot. These are growing on the side of a road, downhill from a small lawn that I’m guessing was growing asparagus in the garden at some point, and the seeds washed down to produce these plants.

I pass a Family Dollar where a presumably Amish cart is parked.

M texts me to say she see’s I’m making great progress. I happened to be laying in the grass at the time, but yeah! Overall I am!

I stop by a fresh water spring. A car is there before me. I wait my turn while they fill up a carful of bottles. I actually have water but am enjoying the break. My intention is that when they leave I will blast myself with that ice cold firehose. I stand in the shade for twenty minutes before they start wrapping up. Just as they start to leave, another car pulls in and takes over. I’m too shy to use it for showering with people watching so I just skip it and keep riding.

Once I hit Schenectady County, the path is generous with drinking fountains.

Eventually I get within 5 miles of my house. I’m hot and beat. It’s especially brutal to be riding on intimately familiar roads at about half my normal speed, and having to pull over to take breaks every 2 miles. But I’m so close. And eventually the miles add up and I pull in to see M waiting for me. Trip completed!

A friend of M's asked how much weight I lost during the ride so as soon as I got home I weighed in. I was down 8-10 pounds from my norm. All water weight I assume. It is now two days later and I've gained back 7.5 of those lost pounds.

Lessons Learned:

  • Figure out how to carry water on the bike (not on my back): I felt the most significant discomfort in my feet, butt, and hands. These are all the parts of my body holding up my weight against gravity. And I wore a camelbak with water on my back which was increasing the weight by up to five or ten pounds unnecessarily. There is no reason I couldn’t carry this on the bike somehow.
  • Puncture proofing tires: I got a flat tire which is not uncommon for me lately, and only one flat over four hundred miles seems ok. But someone recommended applying Stan’s sealant to my tires to save me that trouble. And also to use Gatorskins, which are heavier tires but durable. I have typically chosen these in the past so when my tires wear out I will likely switch.
  • At the train station, talk to a train conductor before getting on the train: I started hopping on a train that had a “bike friendly” sticker on it. A train conductor stopped me and said I needed to get on a car much further down. It’s likely that some cars were not going to my destination. And also, a “bike friendly” train car only has space for a single bike so the bike compartment on some cars might already be occupied.
  • Yard sale while riding the train: I was well equipped to carry all my gear while riding. However, for the train ride, I had to remove the main bike bags from my bike. I had not thought about how I was going to carry all that miscellaneous baggage. It was fine, it worked out, but it was a little discombobulating to have a helmet, a couple of large bike bags, and bike shoes all hanging from my little backpack while riding the train. It would be an easy way to lose something like a bike shoe or a bike bag. Just something to be aware of.
  • Know the Buffalo train stops: There are two of them. But when I arrived at the first stop I gathered my stuff and moved to get off the train. Thankfully the train conductor saw me and said he thinks I need to keep going to the next stop. That saved me from a significant setback.
  • Trail Closures: In most places trail closures were a non-issue because detour signage made it clear what alternative to take. However in two places, trail closures messed me up, and neither the detour signage nor the official trail closures page adequately warned of the problem area and lacked sufficient detour signage unless I just missed it.
    • In Albany (on my bike ride from my house to the train station) the pedestrian walkway that used to provide a ramp up to the big bridge over the Hudson has been lopped off. Prior to reaching that area, I needed to follow a subtle sign pointing to the detour. I backtracked and eventually found the detour sign, but it was a bit of a struggle. The hot weather made this type of struggle extra uncomfortable.
    • In Buffalo, the entire beginning of the trail was unavailable “as it undergoes a multi-year renovation to become Ralph Wilson Park”. It’s going to be amazing I’m sure! But it was a rude way to start the trip, with construction everywhere at the start of the trail, with no clear indication of what alternative to take. I came across a confused couple who said we just need to bike through the city. I ended up riding all over the place because there was not a simple alternative that I could find. I found my way eventually but it was not a smooth process. I’m not sure the best route, but skipping the waterfront at the start of the trail and heading directly northwest to 7th street from the Exchange Street train station would have saved me from a lot of early difficulty.
  • Weather: I was keeping a close eye on the heat wave. But I made the mistake of focusing on the weather in Buffalo, which is typically significantly cooler than the rest of the state thanks to being next to Lake Erie. Also, I think I was pretty lucky. If things were shifted by one day I would have been in a wind/tornado/lightning danger zone. I passed through one section of the trail where half of the trees, including very large ones, were freshly downed. This was massive destruction. Incredibly, someone had come through and cleared the trail as indicated by lots of freshly sawed logs on the side of the trail. Additionally, in the Utica area, road closures were everywhere, where downed trees and powerlines were being actively worked on. It was a real maze working my way to my destination around these closures. But clearly the workers restoring infrastructure is far more important that my slight annoyance at having to find various detours.
  • Dealing with glasses: In the heat and with the salt, the sweat, and sunscreen, it was easy for my glasses to get fogged up, dirty, or greasy. Using my synthetic clothing to try and clean them only make things way worse. So at rest stops I would wash them with soap and wipe them with a paper towel. But in between I eventually figured out that I could simply drip some water on them from my Camelbak and shake the water off and let them air dry and they would be nice and clear after that. Best not to touch them.
  • Wrists were sore: I’m not sure I remember this happening before, but my wrists were sore on day one. And day two, three, and four. By the end of the trip my hands were a little numb. Nothing major, but on the last day I was shaking out my hands constantly trying to loosen them up and maintain circulation.
  • Battery: Eventually I got into a good groove with charging my phone. But carrying a battery brick would not have been a bad idea to reduce my dependence on the occasional power outlet at gas stations, etc.
  • Be careful with that bike lock: For a bike lock I’m using a SeatyLock FoldyLock. At a McDonalds I was trying to lock the bike to a post that was too big. I tried to make it work and in doing so, the lock is able to put a ton of leverage on the bike frame itself, or in my case in the spokes of the wheel. I think I put enough pressure on the spokes to put a wobble in my rim. Dumb mistake, and something I need to always be aware of and careful of. It would be all too easy to damage the bike frame or cause other catastrophic failures. 
  • Don’t be an idiot when tired: On the third evening I decided to turn on the red flashing light on the back of my bike. If I were fresh, I would have stopped the bike and turned it on safely. But being tired, I didn’t want to stop the bike. So I tried to one-hand turn around, facing backward while riding on the road and reach my hand back, within an inch of the spokes of the spinning wheel, to try and turn on the light. Well, this was an awkward and tense bit of very dangerous acrobatics for my stiff and exhausted body and my shoulder tweaked terribly. After which I stopped the bike and powered up the light the safe way. But meanwhile I worried I had damaged my shoulder, possibly even dislocated it. Thankfully it recovered and was fine after thirty minutes or so.
  • Food and water sources are scarce: I feel like I covered a lot of ground to have come across so few food options.
    • Water:
      • I laugh now looking back at the pictures I took. Half of them are drinking fountains. In the heat, and in my clear and present need for drinking water, my mind saw such value on those water stops that it needed to be photographed. And I only came across four drinking fountains and one spring over the four hundred miles. One drinking fountain in Tonawanda near Buffalo, one in Reed Webster Park in Camillus, and two in Schenectady county. And one spring between Utica and Albany.
    • Food:
      • Gas stations, restaurants, and stores were practically non-existent except in major cities, and occasionally in small towns, sometimes requiring some planning and detour (like biking a half mile into Little Falls for example). Things worked out. I always got to water when I needed it. I went through some excessively long stretches without food, like on day three I had a banana and two slices of gas station pizza at 1:45pm, then nothing but a melted granola bar from my pack until arriving in Clinton at 8:15pm, at which point I had a banana, and then it was still a few hours before having dinner. Eeek. Thankfully it was fine. But not ideal. And I’m not really sure what I should have done, there really were not good options. And I struggle to imagine packing any kind of lunch in this heat.

What I did well:

  • Survived the heat: There was an immediateness to how I could feel the effects of hydration. The breeze of motion and my sweat contributed to a distinct cooling effect. I needed to steadily sip water to keep that refrigerator running. Meanwhile all that water consumption used a lot of salt or electrolytes so the occasional salty and calorie rich fast food meal, Gatorade, and/or banana was needed. But it was as simple as that. As long as I sweated as I made my own breeze by moving through the air my body kept itself cool. Amazing.
  • Made on the fly adjustments: When the winds threatened to down a tree onto my tent on my first night, noticing that the wind was blasting toward the east and opting to pack up and ride at pre-dawn meant covering a ton of enjoyable miles by the end of the day.
  • The route: New York state has really put a lot of effort into the trail. It is mostly paved, and over the last few years large sections of the trail that used to be gravel is now paved. And right now anyway, the pavement is mostly new and smooth (with a few minor exceptions). Having a watch with navigation capabilities was a big help to help me stay on track even when signage was iffy.
  • Good mental state: In the heat I was aware that the worst thing that could happen would be to find myself in the peak heat of the day, in the sun, annoyed and frustrated, and working hard. For example, if I had to fix a flat. Which happened. I was glad to have thought it through ahead of time. Find a cool and comfortable spot to work. Take it slow, easy, and methodically. Don’t rush, don’t get annoyed, just slowly and peacefully take care of it.
  • Equipment held up: Besides the rear brake pad wearing out and the rear wheel getting a little bent out of shape, the bike and shoes and everything held up well.
  • Didn’t lose anything: Wellll… I did seem to somehow forget a phone charger brick. I purchased a replacement at a pharmacy in Tonawanda so it was quickly resolved. Every item I carried was crucial to the success of the trip. But apart from that, knock on wood, I never left an item behind. On previous bike trips, I have lost a hat. Or left my wallet at a pizzeria. But this trip I held onto my stuff. 

Notes from my pre-planning stage:

I noticed that if I don't take a week off soon it will be a long time between vacations from work, so I brainstormed a list of possible trips I could take. I have wanted to bike the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to Albany (or perhaps even all the way to NYC), primarily because it represents an interesting challenge that is readily available, which led me to do a little research. My main obstacle was figuring out how to take the train from Albany to Buffalo with my bike. Thankfully I found this article that walked me through the process.

The gist of it is that only certain trains provide the carry-on bike service including the "Empire Service" and "Maple Leaf" trains, and I believe such trains are available between Buffalo/Albany/NYC and there is also a train to Burlington available. To order a ticket and purchase the bike option, go to amtrak.com e.g. from Buffalo (Depew Station) to Albany-Rensselaer, add a depart date and click "Find Trains". Select a train option for Empire Service or Maple Leaf, select the seat type, Add to Cart, after which you will see a "Continue" button on the bottom of the page. Clicking Continue will bring you to the "Additional Items" options where you can add the bicycle option. The resulting ticket clearly includes the confidence-inspiring "1 Bicycle" option. The ticket prices vary, but mine was $47 for my ticket plus an extra $20 for the bicycle which seems very reasonable.

I have done enough overnight bike rides to know that I can only carry a small amount of gear which forces me to carry exactly what I need and nothing more. And if the weather gets really cold and rainy I know I'm going to suffer a little. I did run out to REI and buy a better rain jacket. After several recent rainy hikes I have become all too aware that I need something a little heavier duty than the lightweight (and not particularly waterproof) running rain jacket I have been using.

Equipment:

  • A Eureka (Midori Solo) tent
  • EMS down sleeping bag rated to 20 degrees
  • Headlamp
  • Small camelback backpack with 2 pockets and a 3-liter bladder
  • A little sunscreen
  • Bike stuff
    • A tire patch kit
    • 2 spare tubes
    • Multi-tool
    • Bike pump
    • Tire levers
    • Bike bags
    • Bike lights: headlight and two red rear lights
    • Bike lock (FoldyLock)
  • Clothes
    • Bottoms
      • Bike shorts
      • Overshorts with pockets
      • Light synthetic socks (Asics)
      • Light wool socks (from Jos. A. Bank)
      • Wool tights
      • Quick dry pants
      • Light wool gloves
      • Maybe heavier wool gloves if I have the space
      • Light wool hat
      • Baseball Cap
    • Tops
      • Favorite synthetic t-shirt (old Seven Sisters Trail Run shirt)
      • Long sleeve shirt
      • Light wool sweater (from Banana republic outlet)
      • Heavy wool sweater (from J. Crew outlet)
      • Rain jacket (Patagonia TorrentShell 3L)
      • Helmet (Giro)
    • Shoes
      • Bike shoes
      • Sandals
  • Kindle for reading at night
  • A few zip lock bags for carrying leftovers
  • A few granola bars
  • Electronics
    • Phone
    • GPS watch
    • A spare lipstick battery pack primarily for charging watch as needed
    • Chargers

GPX Courses for navigation:

I don’t recommend using mine simply because they may have minor errors or nuances that will be confusing. It is a good process to go through to map out your own route so that you can recall some of the problem areas. Or use the official GPX files.

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