Yesterday's rain continued through the CTEC dinner and closing meeting last night. Today dawned dry and bright, with a few clouds. Chilly, comfortable temperature later. My bike shoes were still completely soaked, but it didn't bother me much. Another rider said he dries shoes by stuffing them with newspaper. But I don't know where we would have gotten newspaper at the campground. The route was entirely on pavement, only a little of it annoying. We rode next to the Mohawk River most of the way. The whole Mohawk Valley is beautiful. The highlight of this leg was Cohoes Falls. I took photos of the falls and the power plant, which I'm told generates more power than the Niagra Falls plant. The rest stop was on Peebles Island. The history of the island is moderately interesting. Indigenous people lived there for who knows how long. A small boat from Henry Hudson's ship landed the first Europeans in 1609. Then on to Albany via the excellent Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hake Trail and, finally, the Albany Skyway, a converted freeway ramp that now provides pleasant access to the Hudson waterfront from downtown Albany. The baggage trucks had arrived, so I picked up my bags and put them in the van, which was parked in the Quackenbush Garage for the duration of the tour. I locked up the bike on the van's rack, and went back down to the finish line to get some lunch. There was live music. I had a much more enjoyable CTEC this time! I've long regretted missing two days of CTEC in 2023. This time, I managed my nutrition, sleep, and stress better. And my new Surly Straggler gravel bike was a joy to ride. So it was an even better experience! I'm looking forward to joining CTHV in two weeks. That's Cycle the Hudson Valley, from Albany to Brooklyn, 200 miles in 5 days. Also organized by Parks & Trails New York.