August 18 Day 79 Fultonville 63 miles 5:45 riding

Lots of people talk to us about our ride. Most of them seem to get into the spirit. The locktender came back to us with a gift of Erie Canal souvenir pencils and a little history of the canal.

We saw the home of General Herkimer, the "Hero of Oriskany". Oriskany was one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War - the general died of wounds. It was a turning point in the war, we are informed. I don't think I ever heard about the battle before. I'll have to look it up when I get home.

More good riding along towpaths and rail-trails. The terrain is getting rockier.

The armaments industry was one of the first in the Northeast. It's still there. The Remington folks have some advice for us.

It's always a problem to find a motel on Saturday night. This Saturday night, the problem is the Saratoga racetrack. Big spenders stay in Saratoga. Penny-ante players drive to Amsterdam, where we intended to stay, filling the motels. We have to continue on to Fultonville. Drivers are roaring around a dirt track across the river in Fonda until ten o'clock. We hit a new low for dining in Fultonville. We do our best not to eat in chains, but we are cornered into eating at the TravelAmerica truckstop all-you-can-eat buffet. Mac-and-cheese was probably the healthiest item at the buffet. To add insult, for the first time in my short life, I qualifed for the senior discount. At least the waitress carded us. With Roy, it was just a formality.