Stowe to Littleton August 18, 202

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Stowe to Littleton

August 18, 2022

There was a huge tropical depression off the coast which was threatening to bring heavy rains in land.  This put a lot of pressure on everyone to get down the road before the down pour started.  I had bunked into the Commodore Hotel with my friend Ed W last night. What this meant was that luggage was being loaded out at the campground and the hotel luggage second, so we stood there watching the campers ride past us as we stood waiting on the luggage van to arrive.

There was no organized breakfast this morning so I had picked up a couple of granola bars and coffee from the room worked just fine for a quick breakfast.   With luggage loaded I was down the road in good time.  It wasn’t far before the first turn took us off the main highway and down a back road. About a mile later the big grinder hills started, some of which topped 13%.  I passed three riders who were walking.  Thankful for the 34 by 34 gearing on my bike.

About half way up the first hill was Jim from South Carolina. He looked just terrible. I stopped to see if he was ok.  He said he was even though he didn’t look it.  Later on I would find out that he was taken to the hospital with pneumonia. After pumping him full of antibiotics he was released but has gone home. So close to finishing and now he is out. OUCH!   

At picnic mother duck had brought here brood of ducklings up to catch some food from the riders. They were so cute.

When I got into Littleton I headed strat down to Chutters which has the longest candy bar in the world or at least that is what the sign says.  I had been dreaming about getting $20 worth of licorice all day   and they have the best licorice.  I was so dispointed to find that they are closed on Wednesday.

The school where we were staying is at the top of a 16% grade. What a grind!.  I hurried to set my tent across the street in the yard of some friendly neighbors.  I have set my tent there every year when I have done C2C.   As we were on our own for supper, a  few of the riders were heading downtown, and I tagged along.  Ade the English fireman was there and I insisted on buying pizza.  It was great!  John picked up some beer as we were not on school grounds and back at camp we had a few beer before the rain started.

The day turned out to 74 miles with 5300 feet of climbing.

I was so glad to get in and set up before the rain started.  

Terry

 

 

Plattsburgh to Stowe August 16, 2022

Plattsburgh to Stowe

August 16, 2022

Today’s ride was the last of the big climbs. We were routed over Smuggler’s Notch.  While not the big climbs of out west it was eight miles of some pretty steep climb.

From our very nice dorm in Suny University we headed over to breakfast in the university cafeteria.  There I feasted on French toast with strawberries and whipped cream with a bunch of nice crispy bacon.  From there I rolled off towards Stowe.

It wasn’t far before I was at the ferry which took us across Lake Champlain.  As I approached the ferry I could see a bunch of cars headed towards us, so I knew the ferry was unloading, so I jumped on the pedals.  I was the last to load.  The ferry ride was about 20 minutes. It was a beautiful ride as the sun was just coming up and glinting off the water.  The lake is surrounded by huge estate homes.

First water came up at mile 19 and from there things started to get really hilly.  There was no way that you could power down the one side and fly up the next hill.  It was drop it into the lowest gear and grind it out.  The morning had started out quite cool so I had on leggings and arm warmers, but now that the sun was out it was getting hot.

Picnic was at the 43 mile mark and from there we had the 8 mile climb to the summit of Smugglers Notch.  At picnic Bob reminded me that in 2018 it was pouring rain and freezing and we sagged.  However today was sunny and warm, almost perfect conditions.   No excuses for sagging today.

The first part of the climb wasn’t too bad with no more than 8% pitches and even a few level spots to catch your breath. Once I got to within about 3 miles of the summit the road became much narrower and steeper.  It was also in a very dense forest, which meant no great views of how far you had climbed but I was very glad of the shade.  The sun was full on and it was close to 85F. The last 3 miles actually only took about 30 minutes as I was able to maintain a speed of about 6 mph even though the road was around 12% thanks to the 1:1 drive on my Look bike. 

The summit was kind of a disappointment as there was no sign or anything else the road just suddenly drops away from you and then there is a sign saying that the next ½ mile is 16% down.   In fact from there all the way to Stowe is downhill.   Once on the Stowe side of the notch the sky changed from bright blue sky to nasty threatening clouds.

When I was about a mile out I caught the first few drops of a cloud burst.   Fortuitously there was an ice cream shop right there.  I whipped in and had an ice cream and waited out the rain.  By the time the rain was over the ice cream was gone as well.

Tonight I am in the Commodore Hotel sharing a room with Ed W.  It is really great! Thanks Ed.

Terry  

 

Lake Placid to Platttsburgh August 15, 2022

Lake Placid to Platttsburgh

August 15, 2022

This morning breakfast was being held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Lake Placid.  This was the official tour hotel. It was $400/night and I can see why it was a really swanky place. Of course I had to cycle up to it which was no small feat as the road up to the hotel was over 16%.  Once again I am glad for the 34 tooth rear cassette.  It was well worth the climb as the breakfast buffet was totally over the top.  Made to order omelets, tons of bacon, fresh pancakes, French toast with strawberries and whipped cream, and tons of great pastries.

After breakfast I rolled out with Ed W and Aussie Bob.  I think this is only about the third or four time Ed has been on his bike. The first 13 miles of the route were all downhill. Not really steep but a good 3-5%  so you could get going pretty fast.  As the sun was quite low there were a lot of sun and shady spots on the road making it hard to determine the road condition, so I was doing a lot of braking.  Ed and Bob promptly dropped me as they were just flying down the road. 

They were stopped at first water which was 18.2 miles and I caught them there.  Right after first water we crossed a covered wooden bridge.  It was really neat.  The road after the covered bridge was a very winding country road which had no traffic what so ever.  The three of us were rolling along chatting until some sectional rider came past us and Ed jumped on his wheel and rode off and left Bob and I.

Just before picnic we came to the Ausable Chasm.  It is a totally amazing chasm. The river we have been following all morning turns suddenly it has cut this 300 Ft deep chasm.  There is a huge bridge across the chasm, but the chasm itself is all fenced off and you have to pay a fee to take a guided tour. 

When Bob and I rolled into picnic Ed was there but he was getting ready to take off.  I wasn’t going to miss picnic so Ed took off with his new best friend.  There was some talk of riding straight down the highway into Plattsburgh as it was only 8 miles from picnic and the route was 20 miles.  However as it was a beautiful riding day I said I was riding the route and Bob agreed. 

The rest of the route wasn’t quite as nice as the first half but it wasn’t a hard route and we had all morning to get in.  About half we into town we caught up with Ken T. 

Bob and I rolled in about 1:00 PM and the luggage wasn’t unloaded so Bob and Ken wanted coffee and they rode off.  I needed to do some photo printing so I went up to Walgreen’s.  Got the last three pictures printed and rolled back.

Tonight we are staying in the Suny Plattsburgh University dorm. It is a very nice facility. 

What a beautiful day sunny and warm with just a hint of a breeze under brilliant blue sky with puffy white clouds.  The ride was only 58 miles and although there was 2200 feet of climb we lost 1558 feet of elevation. 

Terry 

 

Rest day Lake Placid NY August 14, 2022

Rest day Lake Placid NY

August 14, 2022

Even though today was a rest day there was still a lot on the “to be done list”.  The first order of business was to get the photo album finished, finding an ATM, get a little shopping done, which included buying myself a new t-shirt as my old Hawaiian shirt didn’t make it to the end, and cleaning the bike.

As the collage was finished yesterday I was able to put all of the remaining pictures into the album. The pictures were sorted so that the best photo of each rider was reserved for the album.  Duplicate photos were used in the collage. The photos of riders who are still on the ride, I have had each rider sign.  Then there are sectional riders who have left the ride and then there are the remaining photos of the rides.  The only thing left to do is print the photo of Greg in front of his van with the bikes on top which I took yesterday.  Having done this by 11:50 Am I headed downtown to hit an ATM, do my shopping and meet Bob for lunch.

Downtown chores accomplished it was back to the motel for bike cleaning.  I picked up a few beers to help with the task on the way home.  In a shady section of the motel lot Bob, Ken and I cleaned bikes told stories, and drank the beer. Being a beautiful afternoon it was great.

The tour jerseys which Bob has been coordinating have arrived and he is going to hand the out at supper tonight.  My thanks to Bob for looking after this. The jerseys look great and I will wear it proudly.

Tomorrow is the start of the last and shortest of all the segments. It is only 410 miles long.  It is hard to believe that the tour is almost over.

Terry 

 

Watertown to Star Lake August 12, 2022

 

Watertown to Star Lake

August 12, 2022

Yesterday Ken T went down on his bike and fortunately he was not seriously injured.  However he did wind up with a 6 inch diameter road rash on right hip and a nasty bang on his right elbow.  I was not sure if he was going to ride or not this morning, so I was pleased to see him dressed for riding this morning.  I wanted to make sure that everything was going to be alright so I offered to pull him along. Ken took me up on the offer so we rolled out together.

It wasn’t a particularly long day at only 63 miles however there were quite a few nasty steep stretches.  The best way to beat the nasty steep stretches was to stay on the main highway.  It is a state bike route and is very nicely paved with 12 foot wide shoulders.  The traffic is exceedingly light so it is a great  choice.  Off we went down highway 3 but what we didn’t realize was that there was a hwy 3a.  Highway 3 took us south down to Carthage long a large lake formed by a dam.  This ultimately added 4 miles to picnic.

The route along the lake was absolutely stunning.  The sun was reflecting off the lake and it was so pretty.  The town of Carthage was founded in the early 1800’s to take advantage of the logging industry and the water power from the dam.  However most of the industries seem to be closed and the town is looking kind of tired.  The former wealth of the town is reflected in the large number huge Victorian homes and beautiful parks. The homes are in need of paint and some TLC.  At one point we rode past huge old brick factory which must have been a half mile long all shuttered. Across the street was a half mile of now very shabby row houses. All 15 feet wide and 2 stories high.

The last few miles into picnic Ken was getting pretty slow on even the slightest grades and I noticed his head was down.  So when we rolled into picnic and the sag wagon was there I encouraged Ken to get in. It didn’t take a lot of convincing.  It was really the right choice.

With only 20 miles to go down the main highway I headed off. There was no way I was taking any of the back roads on the official route.  When I rolled in there was only a couple of other riders everyone else had gone on into town.  Greg had not arrived with the luggage yet.

I rolled down to the Dollar store which is only 0.3 miles away and found that you could buy a set of three spoons for $1.00 and a pint of ice cream for $2.50.  It was delicious.

The school is being renovated and it a total disaster. Canada Geese have taken over the yard, which Bob and I chased.   What a gong show. I have always said that Star Lake is the worst stop on the tour. All in I wound up with 61 miles and 2785 feet of climb.

Terry

Mexico to Watertown NY. August 11, 2022

Mexico to Watertown NY.

August 11, 2022

Today we got to sleep in.  I had doubted that I would really get to sleep in as the tents were quite crowded the campsite. For sure there would be zippers flying and people moving around early.  One of the chronic early risers, who is one of the floor floppers had set his tent quite close to me so I thought for sure he would be up at 4:00 am making noise.  I was quite surprized that the first thing I heard was my alarm which gave me an additional 45 minutes of sleep. 

It was 5.5 miles down to breakfast which was in this quaint little restaurant.  It was also something Greg had to arrange at the last minute.  However it was excellent.  Lots of crisp bacon and excellent cornbread muffins.

I rolled out with Aussie Bob and we were making good time when a third rider came up behind me.  I couldn’t see who it was as Bob was between us.  I tried to drop the Klingon off but couldn’t, so I started to Earnie him and drop him off the front.  I got all the way down to about 12 mph when first water came up.  As we pulled into water I found out that it was Ed W.   The three of us had a good laugh at dropping people off the front.

Picnic was at 38 mph and came up pretty quickly.   It was in a beautiful waterfront park right on Lake Ontario. Sackett’s Harbour was an important harbour for US forces in the war of 1812.  It has a good natural harbour and was a major ship building point.  Unfortunately things didn’t work out so well for them.  As part of special activities in the park you could get shot out of a cannon.  It was a blast.   

With only 15 miles into camp the three of us stopped at Tim Hortons and had a donut and coffee.  We still arrived too early and had to help unload luggage. 

Tom R was first in to the school and spotted a washing machine and dryer in the custodians work shop area.  Bob was planning to head down to the laundry and I had given him my stuff.  Tom motioned us into the work shop area and the three of us quickly and quietly dumped our stuff into the washing machine.  When the custodian came around we overheard her telling her team I want this door closed so that no one else uses my machine.  Tom and I sent Aussie Bob in to use his Australian accent on her thinking that would work.  Bob came out smiling and she even put it into the dryer for him. 

What a fun day.  Getting to ride with Ed, having a Tim Hortons coffee and donut, getting our laundry done, getting the tent dried out, and having a great conversation with my friend Mike from Colorado. 

Strava says it was 54.28 miles and 1831 feet of climb.

Terry 

 

Seneca Falls to Mexico NY Aug 10, 2022

Seneca Falls to Mexico NY

Aug 10, 2022

Originally we were supposed to go to Oswego however the accommodations cancelled two days before we arrived so as you can imagine Greg W was scrambling to find a place for us to land.  A tall order when you are looking for lodgings for 100 people.  What was finally found was the Jellystone Campground in Mexico NY.   Population of about a half a dozen and we were 4 miles out of town.  It was also 20 miles further than originally scheduled.  I was ok because I had taken the short cut the day before and now an 83 mile day was fine. 

The day started off quite damp and humid.  The tent was soaked with dew.  While not anything new it just means that I roll the fly up separate from the tent and put it in a plastic bag.  Everything else just feels damp.  Sleeping bag is the worst as it is just clammy.  It isn’t helped by the fact that we haven’t seen the sun this week.  It looked like another day of dodging the rain squalls.

As I headed down the road I realized how much good yesterday’s short cut had done for me. Instead of feeling draggy with dead legs, I felt strong and energized.  I left breakfast about the middle of the crowd and before I knew it I was passing people one after another.  Even groups  who were normally faster than me were falling by the way side.  It is really emerging to come up and bark at a rider as you pass them.

As I approached first water I had caught our English fireman who is one of the fastest here.  Barking loudly I scared him.  It was great. 

About 5 miles out of picnic it started misting and I thought It is going to rain so I stopped and put on my rain coat.   Sure enough just as I zipped up my coat is started to rain.  However as the rain saw that I had fooled it, the rain stopped about 0.5 miles later.

When we were about 8 miles out of camp I got within about 500 yards of the English fireman but couldn’t close on him.   Then Kevin came out and said Let’s get him, jump on.  Kevin can really turn on the power, and before I knew it we were at 25 mph.  We flew pass our English fireman with the barking just flying, scaring him twice in one day. 

For supper we were shuttled into the Oswego University cafeteria.  What a meal! On the menu was NY steaks. They were done perfectly.  They were so good that I went back and got a second one.  Best meal on the tour.

On the way back to camp a couple of us told Matt who was driving that we need to make a pit stop at a gas station.  Matt pulled in so that we could use the washroom.  I came out with a 30 pack of Bud.  Back at camp where we were having riders meeting those who wanted a beer got one.  It was a real treat for the group.

Tomorrow is a really short day so we get to sleep in 45 minutes.  Yahoo.

Happy Birthday to Agnes.

Terry  

 

Geneseo to Seneca Falls NY August 9, 2022

Geneseo to Seneca Falls NY

August 9, 2022

Last night we had two down pours, one about 10:00 Pm which lasted about 30 minutes and then one at about 3:30 which lasted about 5 minutes.  After the down pours the rain would taper off to a light rain.  I was kind of worried that would continue throughout the day as there is a lot of humidity in the system and the forecast was for rain throughout the day.   

The official route was for 95 miles with 5000 feet of climb.  However, there was a short cut which, we had done in 2018 that cut the distance down to 60 miles and 1500 feet of climb. So I quickly did a Garmin route.  It didn’t take long before there was quite a group who were looking to take the short cut. 

I had trouble finding the start point on the Garmin and I had to look on Google to get oriented and then when I looked down I see that my cycling computer had quit.  So therwere a few miles of riding along hoping that we were on the right track.  Just as we found the track Ken T had a flat so four of us stopped and four continued on.  It wasn’t but 5 miles further on that I had a flat.  As I put my spare tube in I realized that the valve stem was too short.  Fortunately, one of the other riders had a tube with a longer stem and he had shallow rims, so we traded tube.  Talk about lucky I have been riding around with this spare tube for at least three weeks.

Once we turned east on Hwy 20 which would take us all the way into Seneca Falls we had a fabulous tail wind.   You could drift along at between 15-18 mph soft pedaling the bike. 

At the 35-mile mark we stopped for coffee and there were the other four who had gone ahead.  One of them had talked to owner and she remembered us from 2014m and brought out a large bowl of fresh peaches for us.  They were so ripe and sweet. They were just perfect.

After coffee sailing along was so much fun. The day was heavily overcast but there wasn’t a drop of rain and the tail wind made the ride totally effortless.

We stopped and had lunch in Geneva, and I went into a bike shop and got a long-stemmed tube. Lunch was in this really quaint old-time diner, which was just 6 miles from the finish line.  On the way In Tom R found a little fellow and put him on my bike trunk.  I think he looks quite cute.

We rolled in first and were rewarded with the opportunity to help unload luggage.

What a great day!.  It was so relaxing. It was like a day off.

Terry