Day 61. Schroon Lake
75 miles 4,537 feet
I left early with my jacket on because it was 49 degrees. Last night when putting my sunglasses away they broke for no apparent reason so I started the day without sunglasses, squinting into the sun. I encountered many deer while following the chain of lakes that constitutes this part of the Adirondacks. And most importantly, there was no coffee in Inset at 6:30 when I left—that had to wait until Blue Mountain Lake, over 20 miles further! It was a beautiful ride with clear blue skies.
When I did stop at a coffee shop, I met lots of interesting people. It is a very different crowd than in the rural restaurant coffee klatch. I struck up a conversation with a man who educated me on the Adirondack Park: It is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. Yet it is not a national park—New York supports it and its protection is in the New York constitution. It's a mixture of state and privately owned lands with conservation easements.
And it is beautiful. My route today traversed one section covering chain lakes, forest, and many streams. This beauty is the result of efforts of New York to keep it that way. (The traverse was not easy: my altitude gain for the day was the 3rd highest of my trip, more than the day in which I climbed Logan Pass in Glacier.)
In the afternoon it clouded and then started to rain as the remnants of Hurricane Debby have reached New York. The rain was gentle, warm, and with very little wind so biking in it was actually pleasant. The forecast is for rain through the night which, as in Camelot, won't bother me. I found a restaurant on my route to my motel and picked up takeout food to avoid retracing my route to get dinner.
Along the way I passed through Newcomb and saw many references to Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was vacationing in Newcomb and climbed Mt. Marcy. About this time President McKinley was shot and wounded and later died from infection. Roosevelt was tracked down and took the oath of office with a small group. So Newcomb and the Adirondacks were prominent in US history for this reason also.
I have 7 biking days remaining, roughly 460 miles. But this will be a difficult final week. Fortunately I'll spend time with my sister Judy and her family beginning in 3 days.
I left early with my jacket on because it was 49 degrees. Last night when putting my sunglasses away they broke for no apparent reason so I started the day without sunglasses, squinting into the sun. I encountered many deer while following the chain of lakes that constitutes this part of the Adirondacks. And most importantly, there was no coffee in Inset at 6:30 when I left—that had to wait until Blue Mountain Lake, over 20 miles further! It was a beautiful ride with clear blue skies.
When I did stop at a coffee shop, I met lots of interesting people. It is a very different crowd than in the rural restaurant coffee klatch. I struck up a conversation with a man who educated me on the Adirondack Park: It is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. Yet it is not a national park—New York supports it and its protection is in the New York constitution. It's a mixture of state and privately owned lands with conservation easements.
And it is beautiful. My route today traversed one section covering chain lakes, forest, and many streams. This beauty is the result of efforts of New York to keep it that way. (The traverse was not easy: my altitude gain for the day was the 3rd highest of my trip, more than the day in which I climbed Logan Pass in Glacier.)
In the afternoon it clouded and then started to rain as the remnants of Hurricane Debby have reached New York. The rain was gentle, warm, and with very little wind so biking in it was actually pleasant. The forecast is for rain through the night which, as in Camelot, won't bother me. I found a restaurant on my route to my motel and picked up takeout food to avoid retracing my route to get dinner.
Along the way I passed through Newcomb and saw many references to Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was vacationing in Newcomb and climbed Mt. Marcy. About this time President McKinley was shot and wounded and later died from infection. Roosevelt was tracked down and took the oath of office with a small group. So Newcomb and the Adirondacks were prominent in US history for this reason also.
I have 7 biking days remaining, roughly 460 miles. But this will be a difficult final week. Fortunately I'll spend time with my sister Judy and her family beginning in 3 days.
Morning scenes while biking
Great coffee shop for food and conversation
These trucks are everywhere and the reason I can have raw tuna in the heartland.
This scene includes a fir, a beech, and an apple tree.
This apparently injured cedar waxwing was sitting in the bike lane on the edge of traffic. It was breathing and I hope it recovers. While biking I see hundreds of birds and animals that did not.
Even as early as August 8, it seems to me there is color change in the edges of these leaves.
