Date: 2007-07-25
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Miles today: 0.0

7-23-07Tupper Lake, NY54 miles today2637 easterly miles6722 total milesIt was another 2 pot morning for my Starbuck's. :-)) We weren't in any hurry because we had a short day planned.We ate breakfast at the motel restaurant, then finished packing and rode across the street to a Dunkin Donuts and bought a half dozen donuts to pack out.We got onto Rt 68 and were instantly out of the traffic and on a nice country road with good shoulders.It was in the 50's, but it felt a little humid this morning. The sun was out and it warmed up quickly.This is a beautiful part of NY. We were just on the outside edge of the Adirondaks and it didn't take long before we entered them.It really felt strange to have hills and winding roads again. We ended up climbing a total of over 3000 feet today. That's the most climbing we've done in 1 day since way back in Glacier, MT.We stopped at Colton and had a soda while we ate our donuts.We turned south on Rt 56 and rode that all the way to Rt 3. It was another road with a beautiful, wide shoulder. Very enjoyable to ride on after having no shoulders in Canada.When we turned onto Rt 3, we had an even nicer shoulder to ride on.We stopped at a small store and sat inside to drink another soda.Clouds had formed and blocked out the sun. It was only about 80 degrees, but with full sun shining on us earlier, it felt pretty warm. We were happy to see those clouds.We only had another 15 miles from there to the end of our riding day.I could feel my legs had been getting a workout from the hills. It always amazes me just how quickly you can lose fitness when you're not doing something everyday. My legs felt good and strong until I hit these hills. Ha!! :-))We rolled into Tupper Lake. We passed by the first motel near the lake and rode up another hill and found a nice room.I am still having a hard time believing that this ride is almost over. Mrs Gorp has only about another 70 miles and she'll be home and done with this adventure. :-((I know she's getting anxious to get home. She said she just knows that Larry hasn't pulled any weeds all summer, so she's got lots to do.I'm even getting anxious to get to Maine and finish this part of the adventure. I wasn't sure how much I would be looking forward to walking the Trail after riding a bike so long, but I am getting very excited to get started walking south. :-))We walked about a mile to a pizza restaurant for dinner. That was Mrs Gorp's idea. She said something about seeing if I still knew how to walk because I was going to be doing a lot of walking soon.I wonder what she's talking about?? :-))Another great day on Stumpy's version of the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail. :-))7-24-07Wallingford, Vt42 miles today2679 easterly miles6765 total milesWe left the motel and started looking for an open restaurant to eat breakfast. We knew if we didn't find something here in Tupper Lake, NY that it would be another hour or more before we'd be eating.We did find a small place just before the end of town and had a good breakfast, then headed east out of town.We had to ride through about 4 miles of road construction. The road was gravel for much of that, but we just rode slow and when we reached the end of the construction, we had nice shoulders to ride on again and the traffic wasn't bad at all.We both were really enjoying the feel of the New England woods again. I don't think NY is considered part of New England, but the Adirondaks seem the same as the rest of the forests up here.We got to a small store and Mrs Gorp called Larry to let him know where we were. He said he could come out and meet us along the road later in the afternoon, so she gave him the route we would be on.We rode on and turned onto a few different roads. The Adventure Cycling map for this area was wrong on one of it's turns that it listed.We made the turn according to the map, but it just didn't feel right to me, so we turned around and started heading in the opposite direction.That turned out to be a good decision because we were only on the road about 5 minutes before Larry pulled up.It sure seemed strange to see a familiar face out here. It kind of brought more reality that this adventure is almost over for Mrs Gorp.We talked a while and decided that since we were so close to Mrs Gorp and Larry's home, we would spend the night there and come back out tomorrow and finish riding to Middlebury, VT. That's where Mrs Gorp wants to officially end her adventure....right where she bought her bike earlier this year.Larry had bought a couple roof mounted bike racks for his car, so we loaded the bikes on top and headed for Wallingford, VT.I had never used a roof mounted Thule bike rack before, but they really work nicely.Larry's car had air conditioning and it goes uphill really easy, so I was enjoying the ride. :-))We stopped and Mrs Gorp bought 3 nice steaks, fresh corn on the cob, and fixin's for a salad for dinner.It's been 116 days since she has cooked anything...and she did a great job!! :-))It also seemed strange to see her come downstairs after her shower. I had seen her in the same clothes now for 116 days and now she was wearing something different. She looked....umm, almost civilized. ;-))I think we were all tired. I went downstairs about 8:30pm to say goodnight to her and Larry, but they had already retired for the night.That was OK with me because I felt worn out too.Another great day on the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail. :-))7-25-07Wallingford, VT21 miles today2700 eastery miles6786 total milesI was still groggy at 5am when I smelled coffee and bacon. I was somehow able to get myself out of bed and walk downstairs from the 3rd floor to get a cup of coffee.Mrs Gorp seemed all excited and wanted to get going before it got too hot.Today will be the end of her adventure. It will be the beginning of the rest of my adventure for the year.We ate breakfast and after packing up to ride without our panniers, we all headed back towards Ticonderoga, NY.Larry dropped us off and was going to meet us at the bike shop in Middlebury, VT in a few hours.We rode on, kind of slow.It's a great joy to see Mrs Gorp finish today, but it's also a sad time because we have become good friends...I mean, she even sticks my clothes in the wash with hers when there's a laundromat close by. :-))We stopped for some pictures in front of the Fort Ticonderoga sign, then rode on towards the ferry that will take us into VT.Larry had decided to drive to the ferry and cross with us, so when we got there, we flagged down the ferry captain. He was on the VT side of Lake Champlain.Larry drove onto the ferry and we rode our bikes. We were the only ones on it other than the captain and the hand.This is the oldest ferry boat crossing in the USA.We got to VT and took the normal pictures in front of the welcome sign.Larry drove on to Middlebury and we rode the bikes.The roads deteriorated some, but there wasn't much traffic, so it wasn't bad.I even got up to 39mph on one downhill. It's been quite a while since I got moving that fast on the bike. :-))We stopped in Shoreham for a couple danish and I had to have some Green Mountain coffee, now that I'm in VT.It's good stuff, but still 3rd on my list of coffee that Dman wanted me to try.We rode on and really enjoyed the VT farmlands in this area. We even saw a large group of female riders on a guided 5 day bike tour of VT.The traffic started picking up as we got closer to Middlebury.We rode right up to the bike store that Mrs Gorp bought her bike from in January and she asked the guy if he remembered her.He did, then she said she had just finished her ride and wanted to sell her bike. :-))Larry and I walked away while those two talked. When she came back, she said that the bike store was going to sell her '07 low mileage touring bike. :-))She wants a bike that rides better than the aluminum frame does.We loaded up the bikes and drove back to Wallingford.MRS GORP IS DONE!!!!! :-(( :-)) :-((I'm happy for her, but sad to lose her as a riding partner for the rest of this trip.We stopped and bought 6 lobsters on the way back to their home for a celebration dinner. That made me happy that she's done. Ha!! ;-))We had those lobsters, a baked potato and more farm fresh corn on the cob for dinner. Umm, umm, good!!I went upstairs to shower after we cleaned everything up.When I walked back downstairs, Mrs Gorp asked me what time 18:30 was. I told her it was 6:30pm, then asked why.She said Lone Wolf had just posted on Whiteblaze that he and Gypsy were in Wallingford.We got ready and drove to town to see if we could find them. We figured if they weren't there, we could walk up to Minerva Hinchey Shelter on the AT and probably find them sleeping in there. Ha!! ;-))We didn't have to do that though, because they were standing on the side of the road hitching a ride.Mrs Gorp invited them to spend the night at her house, so we all headed back.Poor Larry. He goes from an empty house for 116 days, to a house full of hiker trash. :-))We all stayed up and talked till way past my bedtime.It was a great day!! Mrs Gorp finished riding almost 6,800 miles on her bicycle. She arranged to sell her bike after we cleaned it up today. (She had lots of mud still on it from Havre, MT) We ate lobster to celebrate....and we ran in Gypsy and Lone Wolf, a couple of good Trail friends.Note; Chief added a few more photos too...and still has more to add.Another great day on the Northern Tier Bicycle Trail. :-))