The weather was great in Rochester as Keith and i cruised around the suburbs doing stuff like going to a great sausage specialty shop and a yoga class with Carla, that was good for my ankle. After Yoga Keith whipped up a 5 star seafood extraviganza meal (no exaggeration, he is a top chef) as I enjoyed playing with his kids, who know how to have fun like they're supposed to (without TV/computer). There was salmon, mussles w/sausage, shrimp in some sort of asian stock, potatoes cooked in duck fat, veggies, wow.... It was amazing, I took pictures.
The next day I was charged up and ready to roll, especially after a killer breakfast of duck fat homefries, bacon and eggs. The weather was great that morning as i pedaled east along lake Ontario, often with a tailwind. One especially picturesque village on the lake is called Pultneyville. At noon the clouds rolled in and by 1 it was raining, but still warm. As the afternoon progressed it rained harder and got colder. When the rain eased for a bit i set up camp in some fir trees 10 miles east of Rome NY. Apparently the fly on my tent needs a new waterproof coating. It was 40F and i was wet. Wool clothes and synthetic sleeping bag kept me warm enough to sleep okay.
I woke up and it was still wet so i packed up fast and got breakfast in Rome. Riding warmed me up except my feet which i warmed in the diner and i dried my shoes and booties by filling them with newspapers. As I approached the adirondacks it started snowing and my powertap started dropping a lot of data which inspired me to stop at a bike shop to buy a cheap cyclocomputer.
The guy at the shop directed me to the local diner where I met Donna and Jim from Utica eating lunch. They had seen me riding a ways back and we talked for a while. They suggested a motel they were going to that was cheap at Racquette lake and called to make me a reservation. It wasn't quite as far as i wanted to get that day (sub 100 miles) but a chance to dry out my tent and sleeping bag would be ideal. It turned out to be the right thing to do, the next morning it was 32F and there were still wet snowflakes falling as i sat at the picnic table outside the motel making breakfast on my omnifuel. It would have been a cold cold night in a wet tent.
Early on my ride there was snow on the ground but the storm eased as i approached Tupper lake where I had a mission: retrieve the Shun santuko I bought for Addie last year that was stolen by some punk from tupper lake. Its an very high quality japaneese chef knife. As I rolled into town i asked a guy who was out for a walk with his wife where the locals eat on a sunday. I figured from there i could ask people where this guy might live and at least check in the phone book. Then I told him i was trying to find so and so, he said, "i work for the post office, he lives at ........." and gave me directions to his house. I was psyched, thanked the man, and charged up the road at 300+ watts which had me calmed down by the time i reached the house a couple miles later.
His dad answered the door, i explained that his son might have a knife that i bought my friend as a gift, they went and got him, he came downstairs and gave me the knife. I thanked him and left, it was that easy, I was pumped, riding thru the crappy weather payed off. It probably took me a total of 20 minutes between talking with the postman and talking at the house. Then I rode the rest of the way to Paul Smith (Addies college) and gave her her knife back, woo hoo!!!!
I must say routes 28 and 30 thru the middle of the Adirondacks disappointingly flat! And the hills that there were were quite easy. I think the mountains in this part (couldn't see them, clouds) are quite spread out and the roads weave thru and connect lakes. I bet the best place to ride out here is rt 73 and the Keene NY area that I drove with Chloe a couple months ago. That section looked amazing in the clouds it must be even better in the sun. We even found an "orchard hill" road in Keene (NY) that day! Someday I hope to see this place on a sunny day, the Adirondacks look spectacular from Vermont looking across lake Champlain. And perhaps tomorrow it will be nice when i ride to Montreal to find the Holiday inn. Okay, its time for me to go to Addies chef class and EAT :)
day 10 116.4 miles in 8:11 at 160avwatts, 4612kj
day 11 estimated 82 miles in 6:20 (powertap dropped data)
day 12 74.8 miles in 5:26
day 13 off
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