September 3, 2013

September 3, 2013 Lake Placid --> Shelburne, VT - 54 miles

Left my "home" at the Alpine Air Motel at approximately 8:30 a.m. and headed downtown for a repeat of breakfast at The Breakfast Club. About halfway through breakfast, a light but steady rain started to fall. All contrary to the weather forecast. This was supposed to be an overcast day, not a rainy day. I took a big sigh and calmly accepted that I might be riding in the rain again. That is another change I can tell about my riding - when it rains I seem to approach it much more calmly and matter of fact instead of with my usual dread. Maybe because I have faced the worst and know it always works out okay. Usually better than okay. A metaphor for our fears in life - what we fear is almost always worse than reality. And we make it worse by procrastination and/or trying to avoid our fears, rather than face them head on. In my own life, the times of greatest triumph and joy have been when I moved in spite of and beyond my fears. Did not allow myself to become paralyzed by fear into inaction and mere existence.

By the time I headed out of town, the rain had slowed to a spit. I stopped briefly at Subway to pick up a veggie delight for lunch in case I was somewhere in the mountains and no place to eat. The first 7 miles were a repeat of the ride out to the bobsled venue on Sunday. At about the 2 mile mark, I started the long, gradual incline I remembered as almost never-ending the first time around. To my delight, I climbed right up without a problem, and found that my legs felt really strong and rested. This bode well for the mountains to follow.

By now the rain had stopped entirely, although there were some rather ominous looking dark clouds in the distance. As I progressed on the High Peaks Scenic Byway, I began to encounter more and more frequent long, steep inclines ringed by mountain views. It was very humid and I was sweating profusely as I pumped up the inclines. However, the reward after reaching each summit was an exhilarating dash down the mountain, sometimes for several miles and at speeds up to 35 mph. In my head, I could hear Randy squealing with delight, as he would often do on these types of downhills. The road conditions were ideal. Flat and smooth with broad shoulders and little traffic. Rivers and streams meandered alongside. To top it all off, I had found atomic fire balls in Lake Placid and this just made the whole experience even more special. I reflected on how different this mountain climbing experience was from last summer on the cross-country ride. Then, I approached the mountains with a certain amount of fear and apprehension, dreading the climbs. They were really hard. Today, I felt physically strong and enjoyed the climbs as well as the downhills. I felt happy.




I was making really good time and approached my destination town of Westport just after lunch. The sun had come out and there were blue skies, albeit with some clouds mixed in. I was having such a good time riding and it was so early I didn't want to stop. So, I just kept going on. By now, I was pretty much out of the mountains and cruising through the countryside on rolling hills.


I started seeing signs for the Essex ferry and decided I might as well go on to Vermont. I met another biker named Harris on the ferry who was out for a day ride. Harris was a retired land surveyor. We had a nice conversation and he pointed out the Green Mountains in the distance and gave me some interesting background information. We talked about biking in Vermont and Canada, and he told me there are some really nice trails near Montreal and Quebec City, which I am hoping Randy is finding. Harris was wearing a VBT (Vermont Bicycle Tours) bike jersey, having taken numerous bike trips with them. Turns out he and his wife had gone on the Tuscany by the Sea tour in Italy - the same tour my family did together for my 50th birthday. He asked about my route from Vermont, and gave me a Vermont state highway map to assist in my planning. We talked about his family and exchanged business cards. The card he gave me was one he has had since the 1960's. Apparently, he had either never given many out, or had had an enormous number of cards printed back then. For some reason, I got a kick out of this and found it amusing. When the ferry docked, Harris and I parted ways as I stopped to eat my veggie delight sub.



I continued my ride and was conscious of a certain "feel" that Vermont had for me. It is hard to describe, since it was more of a feel, but it just felt like a really good vibe. I rode through sprawling farmlands and up and down gentle hills. Clouds were gathering in the distance, but I didn't feel that I needed to take them too seriously. All of a sudden, I saw a sign alongside the road for "Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations" in front of a large white house with a red barn-looking building behind it. I fairly leapt off my bike to stop and take a picture. I had interviewed with Sojourn last year for a possible position as one of their bike tour leaders in California. I found the stairs up to the top of the red barn and went in to say hi and check out the operation. The woman who had interviewed me, named Michelle, was not there. But I had a nice visit with the other Sojourn folks. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to connect a name with the location of an organization I routinely receive information from.



I proceeded on and decided to stop at a little grocery store/deli for something cold to drink and to look for a place to stay in Shelburne for the night. As I was sitting on a bench checking out TripAdvisor, a woman came up and asked if I was the biker, having seen my loaded bike leaned up against the building. We had a delightful conversation over a variety of topics. Barbara and her husband had done a bike tour in Germany, and she routinely rides with folks on a weekly basis in Vermont. Turns out she is a horse massage therapist, so I told her all about my sister Donna and her horse. Barbara told me about her horse. We talked about my current ride, and I gave her my business card. She told me about a friend she had known with ALS and I again marveled that just about everyone I meet on this trip has had some experience with a loved one or acquaintance that has suffered from this devastating disease. She inquired as to how she might make a donation, and I told her there was a tab to click on my bike blog that would direct her to the ALS Association if she was interested. I was enjoying the conversation so much that I hated to see her go.

Unfortunately, I had taken so long between stopping for lunch at the ferry, stopping at Sojourn, and visiting with Barbara at the convenience store, that very dark clouds had rolled in and a storm was brewing. I optimistically thought if I hurried I would be able to ride the remaining 7 miles to Shelburne before the storm struck. I was wrong. About 5 miles outside Shelburne I was hit by a deluge and was immediately drenched. I pedaled through the rain another 5 miles before finding one of those locally owned reasonable motels where I got a room for the night. Called the T-Bird Motor Inn, it was somewhat of a throwback to the 60's style motel, except that it had this huge 45" HD TV. Great for viewing the "So You Think You Can Dance" Final. The room was very clean and spacious, and I felt comfortable and happy.

By the time I got everything cleaned up and took a hot bath, the rain had stopped and I was able to walk down the road to a little Italian restaurant for some pasta primavera. After returning to my room, I spent some time looking at a route for the next several days. Then got an email from Randy that he anticipated getting to Bar Harbor around September 11, which just happens to coincide with the date I planned on getting there. So, looks like we might hook up again for the "finale" of the Tour of the Leaves ride. That would be fun.

Tomorrow I am meeting with my new friend Ron and heading to Burlington for the day.