Today I rode 103.49 miles from Cazenovia to Speculator, NY.
There was 3,702 ft. of elevation gain. I have only 4 more riding days and about
310 miles left to complete the journey.
I witnessed a captivating sunrise and tried to capture it on
celluloid.
I rode past Barneveld this morning. This is the closest that
I will get to home in Lowville, NY. 45 miles north on Route 12 and I would be
home.
The Adirondack Park is a publicly protected, elliptical area
encompassing much of the northeastern lobe of Upstate New York, United States.
It is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the
contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark.
The park covers some 6.1 million acres (2.5×106 ha), a land
area roughly the size of Vermont and greater than the National Parks of
Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains
combined.
As I was riding along route 8 just past Piseco Lake lost in
my own thoughts listening to the “Om Mani Padme Hum” Buddhist chant, a car
pulls up and stops just ahead of me. I slow down and stop. Bud Hall jumped out from
the passenger side to greet me with a big bear hug. Bud, a pharmacist, has been
a great friend and supporter of my crazy adventures over the last 20 years that
I have lived in Lowville, NY. Also seen in the photo is his wife Chris, who
works in the maternity department at the Lewis County General Hospital.
A panoramic view of Lake Pleasant. Lake Pleasant is considered a tourist hub in Hamilton
County. Estimates put the number of summer homes at around three-quarters of
the homes in the area. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the unofficial summer
season, the small town is a busy community, with many activities including a
parade, fireworks, summer musical, camping, nature hiking, water activities, and
historical activities, art show, geocaching, mountain biking and so much more.
Lake Pleasant is also famous for its fall foliage, and winter sport activities.
Janis Bond, a fellow rider from Delaware expressed a desire
to go out on the lake in a canoe as she had never been in a canoe ever before.
I was itching to be out on the water myself. So, we hopped in a canoe and off
we went to the middle of the lake. The wind was blowing hard which made the
waters choppy but no whitecaps. Looking around the shoreline from the water was
very enjoyable, especially the fall colors. To
read Janis’s blog, click here.
Wayne Pierce seen here has also been a friend of mine since
I moved to Lowville 20 years ago. He works as a pharmaceutical representative.
He is the one that got me into bicycling many years ago. He is also the one
that taught me the game of golf. I have truly enjoyed his friendship and was so
happy that he came out to join me for the evening. We had dinner together at the
Melody Lodge.
My happiness knows no bounds now that I am reunited with my
wife Sheree. She plans on accompanying the group for the last 4 days of the
journey to Portland, Maine.
Here is my thought for today. I have been bringing you these
“Wow” moments from across the country. But I realize that I live in the biggest
“Wow” moment all year long. The beauty of Upstate New York is incomparable. Our
fall colors, snowy winter wonderland, spring reawakening, brief but lovely
summers, flora and fauna, lakes, rivers, streams, trails, mountains are a joy
to behold. Why is it that one has to go far and away to realize what one has
left behind? Now that I witness the beauty of the place where I live, I am more
convinced that there is no better place in this big country of ours to live
than Upstate New York. We may not have big “bank balances” but go check our “happiness
balance”. The world needs to gauge people not on the basis of their “net-worth”,
but on the basis of their “self-worth”.
I will be home on Tuesday, October 7th and back
in the office on Thursday, October 9th.