The run down the Mohawk valley was the most beautiful of any since leaving the Yellowstone park. Notwithstanding the fact that the valley is the great highway of commerce and travel, the beauty of the place does not seem so greatly disturbed. At the point in the valley I stopped for a few minutes to take in the scene from the main highway on the north side; a trolley line was at one side of the road connecting two neighboring cities, just below was the great four-track N.Y.C.R.R., while across on the other side of the valley was its sister road, the double-track H.R.R.R. Down the center winds the beautiful Mohawk, and by its side the Erie canal. The canal is rather prosaic, 'tis true, but still the water is clear, not in the least rolly and to me the old canal was an interesting part of the pictures; interesting as being a part of the old order of things, which has survived and stands side by side with the new; mule power standing in contrast to steam and electric transit lines. Looking back in imagination over a period of seventy years I could see that canal, "Gov. Clinton's big ditch," the only outlet of travel to the west, and when our grandparents put their belongings on the swift canal boat - swift in comparison with ox teams and unbroken roads - and journeyed with many misgivings toward the Ohio valley, "the great west," the great northwest of the present had not even obtained recognition as "a desert of shifting sand."
The transportation scene has changed considerably in the last century. The trolley line between cities has vanished, replaced with state highways connecting each town with all adjacent towns. The New York Central Railroad has been gobbled up by Conrail, which runs several trains per hour along the north side of the Mohawk. The Erie Canal still uses the main channel of the river for its right-of-way, but there is very little commercial traffic (I have seen none) and only the most patient recreational boater will use it. On the south bank, the Hudson River Railroad tracks have long been in disuse, and for a very short section west of Canojaharie, a bike trail has been built. The main addition to what Babcock saw is the New York State Throughway, my old friend I-90, which carries a steady stream of car and trucks both ways through the corridor. It is, nonetheless, still a beautiful spot, where it is possible to sit by the roadside high above the river, and look out over huge vistas and see nothing but deciduous forest and farm fields.
The weather cleared out for me today and I was treated to the first fall day, with temperatures cool, the air was dry and clear, and the west wind was brisk. I think the bad weather is not over for me, but this day was enough for me to forget the previous two days of rain.
I stopped in the town of Ballston Spa for some help trying to find a room in Mechanicville, on the Hudson River, but was able to determine that there was not a room to be had there, and so I went up to Saratoga Springs, and had a pleasant stay there. It is quite a large resort town, with a huge performing arts center, a magnificent seasonal horseracing track, Skidmore College, and a spa which has drawn tourists for centuries. But things were rather quiet, as it was between the summer season and the fall foliage.
Mr. Babcock stumbled into Saratoga at its most bustling, as I will describe in the next few days.
85 easy miles today. The wind makes all the difference.
Departing from the canal, and Babcock's route, to visit relatives in Vermont. I will catch up with him (and Turner) in Massachusetts.
Dennis