June 22, 2023
Out of the Mountains at Last
Raquette Lake to Boonville
Short of having a 25 mph tailwind, today could not have been better. But let’s start with last night…
I stayed at a hotel that was above a bar/restaurant. The building dated to the 1920s and the rooms hadn’t been updated. I felt like I was sleeping in a room in my grandparent’s house in Freehold, New Jersey. Not coincidentally that house was built in the early 1900s.
There was a long steep staircase with a handrail on the left to the second floor. It occurred to me that back in the day there might have been some sportin’ women up yonder.
I humped my gear up in several trips. The Mule was left for last. I hefted it up there without incident but my lower back was screaming at me once I set it down.
I took a couple of Advil and sat down on the squeaky double bed to let the medicine do its thing. In addition to the bed, my room had a small nightstand, a dresser, and an old wooden desk chair. The two windows were stuck open and only partially screened, with a gap at the bottom. The bathroom was shared with the room across the hall which was vacant for the night. The toilet was manufactured by Gerber, a manufacturer that I’ve not heard of. The sink, faucet, and claw foot bathtub looked just like Grandpop’s house. I was beginning to think there might be a nook with a treadle sewing machine or a Victrola with a stack of 78s next to it down the hall.
After cleaning myself up and stuffing towels in the window gaps, I had dinner in the bar. The Italian wedding soup and chicken Caesar wrap weren’t very good but the Labatt Blue made up for it.
In the morning, after a hearty breakfast of two frosted cherry pop tarts, I hauled all my stuff back down the stairway of certain death. I waited for the sportin’ woman to give me assistance but she must have been sleeping in. I hefted The Mule and thankfully made an effortless, uneventful descent.
As I was loading my bike, a woman popped out of the restaurant kitchen and offered to sell me coffee and fresh baked goods. She’s a retired school teacher who makes some money baking. Her coffee was fine, but her blueberry muffin, fresh from the oven, was truly superb.
The restaurant stopped serving breakfast last week because they can’t find any help. Later, I tried to buy chamois cream (for bicycle butt) at an outdoors shop in Old Forge. The very busy owner said they don’t have a bicycle person on staff anymore to buy bike merchandise. He can’t find anyone who will work. He blamed the labor problem on Air B&B which he said is crowding out housing in the area.
Before leaving town I read a few of the many historical signs. Raquette Lake used to be quite the place with a railroad station and another hotel. They both burned down many years ago. It turns out Theodore Roosevelt summered nearby a Sagamore Hill. (I didn’t go see it; touring times are limited.)
Leaving Raquette Lake I turned onto NYS Highway 28, a two-lane highway with broad paved shoulders. Mostly the pavement is in very good shape but here and there I encountered problems. Longitudinal cracks can grab a tire at the edge between the main road and shoulder. Fresh loose asphalt stones from this morning’s sloppy patch jobs stuck to my tires and went spinning annoyingly up into my fenders.
As I suspected, the ride was a gradual downhill, mostly about one percent grade. With perfect weather it took very little effort to spin along at 12 mph. From time to time, I had to negotiate a brief climb but granny served me well.
At ten miles, the town of Inlet offered nothing so I kept cruising. I missed a turn, staying on Highway 28 on the north side of a lake. No worries, the road rejoined the route at west end of the lake at the town of Old Forge. I’d been here before with my family and kids. In peak summer season, it’s a mobbed tourist magnet. We saw people feeding wild black bears on the side of the road and could only wonder how they (the people) had escaped the laws of natural selection.
As I rolled into town a Jeep with bikes on a rear rack went by. The rearmost bike had flopped over and was being dragged by the end of its handlebar. I veered behind the jeep and started yelling and waving maniacally. The driver clued in and stopped, saving the bike from an unpleasant demise.
I stopped at a diner for second breakfast: gravy and biscuits (the menu had it backwards) with a side of home fries, and coffee. I struck up a conversation with two Kiwis who were in the area for the summer. They wanted to know where to go. Niagara Falls, Ithaca gorges, New York City, Boston, and Newport all made the list. Montreal would have been good had I thought of it.
After stopping at a drug store for toothpaste and bug spray (which I hope not to get mixed up) I cruised down Highway 28 through Thendara. At 30 miles I came fast down a hill to a bridge over the Moose River. I hit the brakes when I saw the bridge had an open steel deck. These give The Mule and me the heebie jeebies. The Mule and I walked across the deck. At the far end, the steel deck had a few missing pieces which could have swallowed my front tire and sent me flying.
I took a right on Moose Lake Road and pedaled along the river under a leafy canopy. Bicycle bliss.
The road had a couple of minor climbs made a bit harder by my daydreaming. (Oops. A hill! Hello, granny.)
As I descended into Boonville, my destination for the day, a family of geese walked across the road in front of me. One adult goose led the way followed by several goslings. Another adult goose pulled up the rear. I stopped and fumbled for my phone. By the time I had it in my hands the line had moved to the roadside. I did get a picture but it doesn’t capture the “Make way for goslings ” moment.
I cruised around Boonville. This place used to be home to an Ethan Allen furniture plant but that was years ago. It still has plenty of businesses but most of the infrastructure is old. Boonville is famous for getting ludicrous amounts of snowfall each winter.
I bought lunch at a cafe in town (it was not very good) then I rode to my motel just outside town. It’s a lovely looking place conveniently close to a dairy with an ice cream parlor. I was tempted to try the wine ice cream but settled for my usual cookie dough.
The motel is surprisingly nice. Clean. Modern. Lots of comfy chairs in the lobby. A massive lawn dotted with Adirondack chairs. And, from the looks of it, a pretty good free breakfast tomorrow.
I walked back to town for a dinner: salad, spaghetti and meatballs (the menu said “meatball” but I was served two), and a Labatt.
On the way back I met up with another bike tourist staying at the motel. He’s credit-card touring (minimal gear) and did 100 miles into the wind today and looked knackered.
Tomorrow I plan to ride to Lake Ontario. Rain is forecast for the afternoon and the ensuing five days.
Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 1,702 miles (2,739 km)
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