Day 9 - Glens Falls to Amsterdam, NY - Tot: 377.4 miles

 What an interesting day! It was not meant to be a long day and, as it turned out, we were thankful for that. We started the day with the hunt for a breakfast diner. After several strikeouts - our initial choices closed - we found Sam's Diner, a small community eatery that was perfect. I have found that a good hearty breakfast is more than a necessity for me before riding. 

Outside Sam's in Glens Falls, NY.

We all got back to the motel only find that John had apparently lost his wallet. after check rooms and the van, John called Sam's and was told there was not a wallet inside the restaurant. UGH! Scurrying around, re-checking the room and the van John and Mary left for Sam's Diner in hopes that maybe it was somewhere. When they called, Kelly, the proprietor and head waitress, said she had found it outside where John had taken our photos. What a relief!

With that crises averted, John and I pulled out of the motel and not more than four miles into our ride I had a flat tire. After further investigation I found that not only did my tube have a hole in it, but the glass that punctured the tube had sliced a nice hole in the tire. Thankfully I have repair kits for such problems, but it meant further delay.

Finally, we got underway onto the wonderful ride. Saratoga Springs is a postcard pretty town, beautiful homes, colorful gardens, old style architecture downtown. Saratoga Springs is home to Skidmore College, the Saratoga Race Track, and the National Museum and Hall of Fame for Thoroughbred Horse Racing. Certainly worth a visit.

I arrived in Amsterdam at the hotel in late afternoon at nearly the same time Allane drove up in the truck. Amsterdam, sitting on the Mohawk River, is an old mill town with a lot of personality. Families are out on their porches, children are playing, kicking balls, and riding bikes in the streets. It looked like the old style neighborhoods where people loved and lived in the community. We settled in and began our pursuit for a dinner place. We hit the jackpot! Tucked away in a small working class Italian neighborhood was Russo's Grill. The charm was palpable. We were greeted by Marie, our waitress who didn't hold back in recommending specialities and telling us a bit about this post-WWII restaurant/pub. People were in the bar listening to old Johnny Rivers songs and the obviously having a great time. The food was out of this world. Marie was one of 16 children, all by the same mother and father! Wow! She was as charming in a warm Italian kind of way as she could be. When we left, Marie packaged up our leftovers with the care of a mother wrapping up her children's lunch for school.