Beer on a Barge and Walking the Hudson

We were planning to go to a little festival in the hamlet of Spencertown, NY today. Rain came and while it does a darn fine job of turning everything the most verdantly green ever, it has a habit of thwarting outdoor festival plans. The festival is moved to next weekend, so Mr. Husband came up with a very quick and easy alternative plan. He surprised me. I'm the planner. I'm the one. It now appears that my position as Adventure Planning Family Go Supervisor may be in jeopardy. Ok, hardly, but he did a super job.

There is this trail that runs alongside I-787 from Watervliet, NY to downtown Albany. "What is that damn trail?" I think nearly every day that I travel on I-787. You can see it while you are stuck in your stupid car on your way to your important job. You can see it while racing home at night from picking up kid(s) from school--it mocks you as you scramble your brain with thoughts of what to make for dinner. I think about it so much that my mind is walking along it and happy instead of driving when I am driving. But I have had yet to go to there physically.

Today, all of this changed. Boom. Just like that. Mr. Husband not only suggested it but he also made it happen by demonstrating some expert family-organizational skills. I didn't push. He actioned the plan. We walked about 2-4 miles on the Mohawk Hudson Bike-Hike Trail. For those fond of maps, you can see the entire trail, of which we did a very small portion, here. We started out by locating 4th Avenue in Watervliet. When you get to 4th Avenue, head toward the river to run into the trail head. You'll go under a creepy little concrete structure and you'll think "bridge!" and then you'll think maybe it's not a bridge. I think it's a bridge of some sort.

For a day that threatened rain and killed festival opportunities, it was a gloriously sunny day with big, fluffy clouds and a sweet breeze to keep the air from ever getting stuffy. I dressed my daughter and I in pants and long sleeves. I was too conservative, but we were never uncomfortable. Because, like, you care about that kind of point. To the trail!

It's so well-maintained! Like every park or trail we've ever encountered in The Capital Region. I am always amazed at the lack of litter. It makes me think that the people around here really care about the place in which they live. I like that. I will join them. I will care, too.

We walked and walked with the Hudson River on our left and the very loud highway on our right. Loud? Yes. Disturbing? Only for as long as it takes to learn to tune it out. And to remember that this gorgeous walk is beside a busy highway, which is often a place overlooked, abandoned, and filled with trash. Rejoice! Walking trail with a canopy-of-birds cacophony and waving leaves that tickle the air. Great use of land, Capital Region. Well done.

We walked way past Green Bridge that leads to Troy, NY. This bridge is probably not called Green Bridge, but I can't figure it out online and we didn't do a good job documenting during the hike. I didn't know I would start a blog until about an hour and a half after this photo was taken. I will do a better job or fire myself. Right now, I am totally on probation. Trust.

The trail just goes on and on and on. All the way to downtown Albany. There are picnic tables and benches along the way in little spots of beauty. There are bikers going back and forth and alerting you to "on your left" to let you get out of their way. Share the path! There are kids learning to ride their bikes. There are happy families everywhere and couples making the most of their weekend.

There is plenty of room for everyone. And it's so convenient to Latham, NY folks. It's right there! Instead of dreaming about not being in your car, you can head here. In fact, I will now think about stopping here on the way home from work instead of racing home to throw a meal together. We can make better use of our time by being active and outdoors instead of fighting with our toddler to "please take another bite." She will totally appreciate a grilled-cheese-on-the-go than having to sit still at the dinner table (she is fond of falling off our high bar chairs).

We could have walked for hours. But there are no bathrooms on the trail. That's normal. So we turned back after mile marker four. We were headed to a hidden gem we discovered off the Watervliet-Troy exit when we thought we were at the parking lot trail head.

We parked our car, and looked for the trail head. But all we did was loop around some utility house under a bridge. Instead, we spied beer on the water! What? We both were questioning if we were seeing what we thought we were seeing. Like a fantastical mirage in the desert, we are seeing what we think is a barge bar on the Hudson! It is! It is! The Rusty Anchor is a barge bar restaurant on the Watervliet side of the Hudson.

We walked the gangplank from shore to the barge to inspect the draft beer list. It was not the best, but it was not awful. They had Davidson's IPA and Shipyard Summer Ale. We could stay. Our daughter sat in her stroller as it was close to naptime and watched the ducks and birds on the water. She was so entertained she forgot she had an iPad (a public restaurant must-have for parents who like each other, like to talk to each other, and want a bit of romance between being-a-parent-all-the-time time). We enjoyed the sun and the breeze off the water. We watched boats. We felt like we had a bit of the good life.

The food was ok, too! The fries were fresh, and the server was so kind and totally didn't forget anything. The menu is standard bar food, but they have steamed shrimp and some other seafoody options. Not bad for a stumble-upon restaurant on the water. We loved it. We totally took the stress of the week, put it in a pint glass, and we drank it up.

This nugget may become our spot. The easiest way to get outside, take a fantastic walk, and then reward yourself. Thank you, Capital Region for being awesome!