Day 2 Somewhere between Saranac Lake & Tupper Lake
Trip Start
Aug 18, 2008
1
3
15
Trip End
Aug 23, 2008
Tupper Lake,
New York,
United States
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Last night the storm threatened and went away several times and then really nailed us. It rained long and hard with wicked loud thunder and lightening until about 7:30 this morning.
Emily slept pretty well but a good night's sleep eluded me between the storm, Dave's snoring and the cold. Dave says he didn't sleep well because he was scrunched up against the tent wall which caused him to get a bit wet. We had to have all our gear in with us because of the storm. Now I beg to differ on whether he slept well or not because of the snoring. Oh, and apparently we have leaky rain fly seams!
We got a late start this morning between lack of sleep, cold, rain and the need for showers - we needed showers!! I think we left around 11. For those of you wondering, we didn't get chocolate chip cookies this morning but we did have zucchini bread for breakfast. Our hope was to make it to Tupper Lake but we are camping tonight somewhere between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. We had about a 12 mile hard climb to Lake Placid. When you are in an entry if you click on the Enlarge Map button, you can really see the route we have taken and how far we have to go. We're somewhere on Route 3. Ha ha.
Route 3 is really beautiful and has great shoulders to ride on. We can go miles without seeing anyone. Unfortunately 4:15 to 5:30 is rush hour and the cars are not nice to us--they zoom by us really fast and close.
We ate lunch at a real restaurant today and we were ravenous! All three of us have the hots for Alesya, our Eastern European waitress (okay maybe it's just me). We had trouble with the camp stove at breakfast and it's really old (almost as old as someone I know) plus Emily's helmet decided to have a nervous breakdown so shopping was on the list of things to do while we were we were actually near civilization. Check out the Emily and her helmet picture - make sure you click on it to read all about that adventure.
We've talked to some other bikers in the area and it sounds like if we ever get out of the Adirondacks we'll be golden. I guess a 30-mile day in the Dacks is like a 60-mile ride. We're hoping once we get past Tupper Lake we'll be out of the worst of it. If any of you know differently, please don't burst my bubble. We think we went 25-30 miles today. If we ever get back to civilization we'll be better able to figure out how far we have gone.
From yesterday's experience we decided to stop earlier today so we set up camp around 6:30. We are in the middle of nowhere and haven't a clue where we are. We found a turnoff with a trail into the woods and have a beautiful, secluded spot all to ourselves. Another farmstand vegetable stew was on the menu for dinner. Dave and I kept losing our focus on campsite prep because they are all kinds of neat fungi around here and we kept getting sidetracked and taking pictures of them. Gonzo from the Muppet Show would be in heaven.
Oh, did I mention we ate lunch 6 or 7 times today? We got to the top of one hill and I stopped everyone and said LUNCH. On another lunch break I think Emily told a joke and then proceeded to laugh for the next ten minutes over it - Dave and I just laughed because she was so funny. I think we are all just a bit over-tired.
Our hope is to get an early start tomorrow and if the route after Tupper Lake is flatter (maybe some downhills???) we'll get in a real 60 mile day.
Hope you are enjoying following us on our adventure..
Cold
Comments
You guys are funny!
I am living vicariously through you guys on this trip. I keep laughing out loud at your stories. Keep safe and keep us laughing. My leg muscles ache every time I think of you.
Pookie