Adirondack Loop - Day 3



 

Speculator



  

Bullhead Mtn.


  

I was rolling down the road by 7:30am. Another sunny day, the wind is in my favor, and my trunk bag is a little lighter because I ate all the cashews.  I used Google Map over breakfast to find a way back onto the route without going through Amsterdam and it's turning out to be a nice ride. Heading NW on Stoner Trail Road, I'm not, but still feeling pretty good. Today takes me north on the west side of the park, back to Tupper Lake, where I started earlier in the week.   The ACA course profile information indicates the first big climb is at about 25k, and then it's pretty much rolling hills for the rest of the day. My lunch stop was the public park on Lake Pleasant in Speculator, a really nice spot. I was pleasantly surprised at how little traffic there was here as it is late August. I suppose it's busier on the weekend.



Route 30





Was rewarded with many awseome views travelling route 30.

 At Long Lake, float planes were moored all along the beach across from the Hotel.



Long Lake



I made sure to resupply at Long Lake as it's about 37k to Tupper Lake with not much more than

a couple of camp sites along the way. The last 15k seemed to be mostly downhill, which was a nice way to finish my tour, and when I got to the route 30 boat launch the truck was there just as I left it. 604k, no punctures or mechanical issues, no bonking or excessive dehydration, and went exploring only once for a relatively small distance. I'll have to up the challenge for my next tour.

In retrospect, I think I brought the right stuff. I didn't miss my flip flops, but I would have used my toque. I'm still looking to acquire the ONE handlebar mounted unit for everything. Maybe it will be an iPhone with a hard case and extra battery. Powdered sports drink was a great idea. It's light, saves money, and easy to pack or carry in your pocket in little packets. My resupply routine when low on water was stop at a Stewart's (gas station/convenience store), fill up my water bottles in the washroom and add sports drink powder, then buy a large sub eat half put the rest in my pocket and go. To view the route profile for day 3 go here... Adirondack Loop - Day 3 Ride Stats

Thanks for the great route ACA. Long live long rides.



Long Lake











Adirondack Loop - Day 2



Lake George



I managed an 8:00am start today after taking full advantage of the free continental breakfast and then reviewing my route information for the next leg of the ride. Shorts and a jersey were quite adequate as it was another warm sunny day. I was riding south along the east shore of Lake George towards Haque with The Green Mountains off in the distance to my left. After a right turn at Graphite Mountain Road the big climb of the day started. It was about 10k of climbing in all, topping out near the ghost town of Graphite.

The Graphite Mtn. Road descent to Brant Lake was a really nice stretch of road but I still had to pay attention. It had a wide paved shoulder and no traffic but there were numerous bear bombs along this stretch. I guess they like to walk along the road at night. Who knew.

I exited the park somewhere near Corinth, continued south through Saratoga Springs, and then west towards Amsterdam. At one point along county road 43 I missed a turn and got off the route. Did a little bit of back and forth and had difficulty reconciling my park map with the route map. Road numbers instead of names etc. This is when a nice navigational unit on my handlebar would have been nice. 

Amsterdam New York was my final destination today. This place made me start humming Bruce Springsteen's "My Home Town". Old houses, muscle cars, abandoned factories. I rode down the highway and got my dinner at Stewart's just as it was getting dark.





Adirondack Loop - Day 1



Whiteface Mtn.



With one week left before going back to work, I had decided to do a long ride while there was still time.  In addition to Bicycle Times , my reading list included - Cycling The Great Divide . From there I found The Adventure Cycling Association's route information for The Adirondack Loop. Six million acres, big hills, and only two and a half hours away by car. My destination was no longer in question. I aim to circumnavigate the park, approximately 600k, and in the spirit of the GDMBR ride solo and self supported. Think I will have to bring an IPOD and some cashews.











It's midweek, the last week of August. My equipment is ready, my body is as ready as it can be, and the weather forecast for The Adirondack Park is looking great. I have my passport, my smartdevice, and some american cash. Time to hit the road.

There was no queue, and I had all my answers lined up, so the Canada to US border crossing went smoothly even with no Nexus card. I was driving south in New York state, letting my TomTom guide me to Highway #68, #56, and then #3.   I don't know if it's because this is Shaker country or not, but for the most part, these roads had a relatively wide paved shoulder. This route is rideable.
I arrived in the village of Tupper Lake around 10:00am, a lttle later than I had hoped for. My destination today was Ticonderoga and it is feasible that, with a wrong turn, or two, I could be cycling a good ten hours or more.  I didn't want to be riding in the dark so I quickly pigged out at McDonalds, and found a place to leave the truck overnite, the route 30 boat launch. After a difficult decision to leave my toque behind I started cycling NE on #3 and within 10 kilometers my flip flops were gone. I didn't like the way they were packed anyway.

 

I rode north and west, circling around the high peaks on the ACA Adirondack Loop route going in a clockwise direction. There were many spectacular views and three big climbs. Make sure your brakes are in good working order for descending The Whiteface Memorial Highway into Wilmington. There are pulloffs for cooling your brakes but if your bike is loaded, disc brakes would be pretty nice for descending a seriously fast stretch like this with a stop sign at the bottom. My lunch stop was the general store in Wilmington, and totally to my surprize I found these great dirt jumps and a large pump track behind the store. I wanted to try out the pump track, and nobody was there, but decided it would not be wise to pummel the touring rig at this point in the ride. I made sure to have enough water and granola bars for the aptly named Giant Mtn. pass on route 73 just east of Keene valley. On this climb I was very glad to have put on my 34 tooth chainwheel. The climb came late in the day after many hills. I Rolled into Ticonderoga just as the sun was dipping below the horizon, found the Super8, and noticed there was a McDonald's a stones throw from my room. Sweet!