Ah yes, my good weather karma hath abandoned me! I managed to get packed up this morning in a break from the rain, but as I was leaving the campground, I had to stop and put my rain jacket on. I was hopeful when, just a few miles later, I was able to take my jacket off. Sadly, it didn't last long. And, aiyiyi, did the rain ever come down!
Before long, I was soaked. Even with my rainjacket (I didn't bother with the shorts), I could feel the rain dripping down my back. My feet were squishing in water. I was squeezing water out of my gloves. My face was bathed in rain. My glasses, covered with rain, fogged up when I would be climbing, but would clear when I would descend.
While there were some good climbs today, the descents were equally as long. Except that the climbs slowed me down, making me spend more time in the rain, I kind of preferred them because, on the descents, the rain pelted me.
I passed the boundary of Adirondack Park, thus ending my time there. While I'm sure it is a beautiful place, I really didn't get a good look at the mountains. I will remember the great people I met there.
I passed through a couple of towns that had no services. At one point, the route directed me to a packed dirt road. I was a little worried it would be a mud bog, but it was fine. It was just a bit over a mile. By then the rain had stopped, and the sun even came out! I did stop at Paradox Lake just to take a picture of a lake with some blue sky!
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| A little dirt road |
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| Paradox Lake and blue sky! |
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| Eagle Lake |
With 5 miles to go until Ticonderoga, I had the longest climb so far. It wasn't terribly steep, just kind of long. At the top, I had a nice view down to the valley.
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| Ready for 2 miles of downhill! |
The descent was two miles (I'm pretty sure the climb wasn't nearly that long). As I came into Ticonderoga, I spied a Subway. Since I'd hadn't had much to eat, I stopped for some lunch. Just before I got there, a group of about 12 girls from Southwoods Camp (I'd passed it on my way) getting a break from "Camp" food. I talked to a couple of the staff while waiting in line. They had seen me riding. One gal said she wanted to do a bike ride like I was doing (she also said she needed to get a bike first--baby steps).
While I was eating my lunch, I called the Best Western and reserved a room for the night. I had decided last night I would stay in Ticonderoga tonight. After the last couple of days and nights of rain, I really needed to dry out, and do a whole mess of laundry. The Best Western was really close. This is my second hotel stay. I don't really count the hostel in Cleveland as it was cheaper than several of the campgrounds I've stayed in.
I've just returned from dinner in the restaurant here at the hotel. I asked the people at the table next to me if Fort Ticonderoga was worth a visit. They said it most definitely is. Now I have a bit of a conundrum. It doesn't open until 9:30. To just do even part of the Fort, it takes several hours. Do I stay another night here, and then spend the day at Fort Ticonderoga? The only downside is the cost of another night. Even if I was trying to stay on schedule, I'm a day ahead now. I think I'll do it! Vermont will have to wait another day.
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