Mountains + Trees + Lakes = Adirondacks

We have planted ourselves in Ticonderoga for three nights so we can spend time exploring the region. The day started out quite cloudy, so much so that in some places we thought it would be sure to rain - but it never did. At least it was cool and comfortable riding.

We rode up the western shore of Lake Champlain through Crown Point and Port Henry to the town of Westport, then turned west on route 9N to Keene, where we stopped for brunch at the Cedars Run Diner.

Here we met a Harley Davidson rider from Florida, making a return to Lake Placid thirty years to the week after he first visited the region. There were also two cyclists pedalling through the Adirondacks who had only recently completed a 9 month world tour that took them to Australia in March this year, and two ladies just happy to chat to a couple of travellers.

We found ourselves amongst the mountains at last. These are entirely covered with trees - except for the sheer rock faces where nothing can get a foothold to grow. The other thing that is so striking are the lakes. They are everywhere. Resorts where people can enjoy picnics, swimming, fishing, jet skiing etc. Waterfront homes hidden in the bushland with private jetties. A pleasant place for a summer vacation.

A little further down the road we came to Lake Placid, host city of the 1980 Winter Olympics. As we approached the town the first thing we saw were the two towering ski jumps. Further into the town were other rather large buildings that were Olympic venues.

Without stopping in Lake Placid we continued on to Saranac Lake, a town we thought prettier and more relaxed for not having hosted the Winter Olympics. From there our ride took us south on Route 3 until we arrived at the junction of Route 30 which took us on a loop back to Saranac Lake around a series of picturesque lakes. Part way around the loop our GPS took us on a beatifully winding and really enjoyable route that emptied out on route 3. We had travelled Route 3 already, so rather than continue, we rode back to Route 30 (with a BIG grin. on my face) and thence into Saranac Lake.

We stopped at a cafe for lemonades and a piece of peanut slice before returning to Lake Placid. Riding throught the town a second time we saw the town from a different perspective, but it still seemed to be trying too hard to play to tourists. (We see ourselves as travellers, not tourists. Amongst other things this means we don't care for souvenirs or T-shirts...)

From Lake Placid we turned northeast through the Wilmington Notch, a gap between two mountains so narrow it could barely accommodate the Ausable River and the road at the same time. In the town of Jay, 5 miles further down the road, we stopped for fuel and a break at the last covered bridge in the Adirondacks. It is no longer open to vehicular traffic, but we were able to walk across it.

Continuing through the town of Au Sable Forks (note the different spelling to the river) we soon arrived in Keeseville. A few miles north on Route 9 we stopped at Ausable Chasm, a spectacular gorge best viewed from the road bridge.

This was the last highlight of today's journey, so we turned south and headed back to Ticonderoga on NY Route 9. This paralleled I-87 to Elizabethtown, before our GPS took us down the back roads (the shortest route) to Ticonderoga. The roads were great either way. Some twisted and turned, others went up and down like a roller coaster at the same time. Fortunately the trees gave us a shady ride when the sun came out.