Rob picked me up at 7 am and we drove north. About two and a half hours later, we arrived in Ticonderoga. I had emailed the town clerk prior and she suggested parking in the lot off Tower Avenue. When we arrived, I called Tonya and told her the car details and how long we would be gone. She wished us luck. 

  We took Airport Road out of town, saw the local police officer trying to nab speeders and told him of our plans. The hills started right away. As the town thinned out into farmland, the trail intersected with  Route 22/9 and would occasionally break away to add a hill. We would sometimes see the lake. Route 22 had a steady flow of cars and trucks. There wasn’t much of a shoulder. Combined with the heat, humidity and my flat-lander legs, it was a rough day.

  We stopped at Port Henry for lunch and ate at Gene’s. We opted for hot dogs. Pickins were slim in Port Henry on a Tuesday afternoon. The Michigan, with its sweet tomato, (possibly) meat sauce, is the best bet at Gene’s; it will stay with you all day. There was also a Stewart’s where we rehydrated.

  Rob and I worked our way towards the lake and it cooled off a bit. A couple hours later we arrived in the Westport Lakeside Motel. It was a clean, simple Mom and Pop. Jean hooked us up with a beer, some ice and dinner suggestions. Unfortunately, many places were closed since it was a Tuesday and after Labor Day. We grabbed some decent smash burgers at the Mountain Dog Restaurant. Rob said the margarita was good.

  After dinner, we rode back to the Lakeside and sat by the lake, trying not to nod out. It was an early night, with us crashing by nine, beat up by the sun, heat, humidity and hills. Since we have more of the same tomorrow, we’re hoping for an early start. Ahead of us is a high 87 degrees and a 2053 feet of elevation gain.