“The sun’ll come out/Tomorrow/Bet your bottom dollar/That tomorrow there’ll be sun.”

Yup! Annie was right. There were clear skies today (Friday) for a 35-mile ride from the Great Pines Lodge east of Old Forge, NY, to Boonville. On Thursday night, I discovered that a fastener connecting my rear pannier rack to the bike was missing, and it seemed like a good idea to get this addressed right away. So, I got another late start this morning, this time for a trip back to the bike shop in Inlet. I’m sorry to say I didn’t get the name of the gentleman who helped me at Pedals and Petals–he was the same guy who helped me with tire pressure and mounting a new rear taillight the day before. He kindly gave me a new fastener and made sure all the others were tight. No charge.

As I’ve mentioned before, the slower pace of a bike (especially my pace!) draws the eye to things like historical markers that otherwise would be lost in the blur from a car window. Along the top of the Fulton Chain of Lakes east of Old Forge, I noticed this marker for a train wreck 110 years ago.

I passed this marker on the west side of Old Forge and wondered how this forest fire 120 years ago and its impact on the surrounding community compare to some of this summer’s fires in Canada and elsewhere.

This Old Red Schoolhouse, circa 1876, was on a beautiful stretch of the Moose River Road, tucked in the woods along the (you guessed it) Moose River near McKeever, NY.

Here is the Black River, west of McKeever:

I don’t want anyone to think that I only admire water rushing over rocks. This placid pool near Old Forge was I think quite lovely:

As were these shallow backwaters of the Moose River:

I’ve got over 40 miles planned for my route tomorrow (Saturday), and more rain is predicted. But I’m sure there’s another tomorrow ahead with more clear skies–you’ve got to enjoy those when you can!