A Walk in the Rain

Last night, we managed to find an abandoned lawn maintenance shed behind an abandoned Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, NY.  We set up the tent inside the shed, and waited for the rain predicted to fall during the evening.

We woke up this morning dry after spending the night in a tent in an abandoned garden shed in Carlisle, NY.

The weather prediction seemed to be in our favor.  There was a small chance of a thunderstorm starting at eight in the morning and a small chance of light rain after that until around eleven.  The weather was warm, and during the tent breakdown activities, I actually saw some blue skies. We headed down the road at about fifteen after seven.

Four miles into the trip, the thunderstorm hit.  We were across the US-20 from the Sharon Springs Garage, a Mahindra Tractor, Implement, and Off-road Vehicle dealer, and Dad needed to use the restroom anyway.  We popped across the highway, and I dropped my pack under their awning to wait out the rain.

Dad finished his business inside, and we both waited and watched the rain.  We watched, and we watched, and we watched. We talked to Jeff and Zach about the Roxor off-road vehicle based on the Jeep CJ3 design offered by Mahindra.  We talked about the international nature of the tractor trade globally. We ate a Clif bar and some Fritos. Still, the rain fell.

Eventually, we decided that there was no such thing as bad weather….only inappropriate clothing.  We threw on our rain jackets and pants and hit the trail.

Pictures were sparse because of the rain, but this sign tells the story of the rainy farm valleys beginning to show the first signs of spring under the gentle drumming of a warm spring rain.

US Highway 20 - Scenic Byway….all the way to Oregon.

We made our tent mile destination with time to spare.  We were soaked from top to bottom, but in relatively good spirits.  Tomorrow, we've got a good weather forecast for perfect walking weather so we're going to try to put up a twenty mile day.

Life on the road is not always ideal, but time after time, we're finding that the trail brings just what we need.

More Trail Angels on the March to Syracuse

Another long day where we covered almost seventeen miles from our campsite at the Duanesburg NY Airport to an undisclosed location near Carlisle, NY.  

Trail Angels: Bonnie, Susan, Brianna, Jeremiah, and Alec….We couldn't do it without you!

Once again, it is the people we met that have made all the steps worth it.  The lovely people on top met us with most welcome and cold bottles of water at the top of a two and a half mile hill coming up out of the valley at Sloansville, NY.  Brianna's brother Vince had bailed Dad out of an awkward restroom situation earlier, and he'd called ahead to his sister to make sure they were watching out for us. They did!  Incredible!

The ladies in the bottom of the photo met us outside the Esperance, NY Town Hall and later chased us down on our way out of town to get a photo and delivered some homemade Scott Shortbread.  I saved mine till the top of the previously mentioned hill, and then let the buttery sweetness just melt in my mouth and rejuvenate me as advertised. Thank you Susan and Bonnie. You made a challenging afternoon  a great deal more enjoyable.

I'm so grateful that I'm getting the opportunity to experience the people who have gone out of their way to make a couple strangers feel welcome!

Trail Angels and Magic West of Albany, NY

Today was such a great day.  We left Albany, NY and covered just a little less than nineteen miles on our trek to our camping spot at the Duanesburg, NY Airport.  Don’t worry….it’s a grass strip municipal airport, and I think we have permission to camp there. More on that later, but we have the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 3 set up well off the grass landing strip and apron, so I think we’re safe from any incoming flights.

Big Agnes at the Duanesburg, NY Airport….the best camping spot we’ve had to date.

The reason we’re at the airport is we met some great folks at the Chuck Wagon Diner in Altamont, NY who called ahead and secured permission for us to use a small strip of grass for our nightly accommodations.  If you ever find yourself on US-20 between Altamont and Duanesburg, NY you MUST stop and visit the Chuck Wagon Diner.

Chuck Wagon Diner...Old School Diner that’s run with love, great coffee, and great food in between Altamont and Duanesburg, NY.

We came into the diner fifteen minutes before closing and left fifteen minutes after closing with five new friends and a place to stay at the Duanesburg Airport.  True trail angels hang out at this place. The diner itself was transported to New York from Detroit, Michigan and restored with love. The sign came from California, and is also restored to its full functional glory.  This is the kind of spiritual place that Neil Gaiman described so eloquently in his novel American Gods.  Go.  Visit.  It will be magical, and you won’t regret the trip.  I walked over two hundred and twenty miles to get to the diner, and every step leading up to the experience was worth it.

We also met Elliott, another true trail angel at Cumberland Farms (a convenience store and gas station) between Altamont and Guilderland (no, not the sworn enemy of Florin from Princess Bride), NY.  He encouraged our trip, gave us his phone number, and told us to call if we needed anything between here and Syracuse. This walk is restoring my faith in humanity, my faith in the greatness of America, and mostly my faith in the wonderful people who are sharing our journey.  We are well and truly blessed.