July 6, 2019
Chain of Lakes
Boonville to Raquette Lake
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Jackie’s avg speed: 10.0
Scott’s avg speed: 11.0
Weather: 65-70 degrees, extreme humidity, rain
Breakfast prep - boiling water in one kettle for coffee, tea, and oatmeal - was a snap in the man cave kitchen. The Montana bears were pedaling away at 07:18. Even at that early hour and relatively cool temps, the humidity was oppressive. I was soaked with sweat in 15 minutes, after tackling two short steep slopes on Moose River Road. Luckily, not many cars were on the road on a Saturday at that hour.
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As we approached the next turn in our queue sheet, I heard what I thought was an interstate highway, with noisy traffic in both directions. Yikes! It was our road, Highway 28. As it turned out, Highway 28 has a nice wide shoulder. I made peace with the speeding cars and established a good pace to Thendara, the next town. There we picked up a bicycle path that took us into Old Forge.
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Old Forge is located at the westernmost point of the Fulton Chain of Lakes, comprising eight lakes altogether. A dam on the Moose River created the series which are named First Lake, Second Lake, and so on, up to Eighth Lake, the last before the natural Raquette Lake. The lakes are named after the inventor of the steamboat, Robert Fulton, who envisioned an Adirondack canal. They are popular recreation areas both for local residents and tourists who visit the Adirondacks for to experience country life outside the city.
Stysh had recommended The Whisk Café in Old Forge for its pastries, so we steered through the column of slow moving tourist traffic and stopped for tea, a cinnamon roll, and chocolate croissant. After solitary pedaling on the road, it was kind of nice to be in a tourist throng. A family with college age kids asked us about the ride, where we were from, what we did, etc. So we put in a pitch for the Foreign Service. The son was headed for college in Heidelberg or Berlin, because public colleges in Germany charge no tuition. Maybe he’ll take the Foreign Service exam after he graduates. He was intrigued by our pitch.
The route then took us on North Shore Road, which is narrow, winding, and undulating, but newly paved. Many drivers were local and skillfully maneuvered around us before turning into their driveways. In a few minutes, the humidity turned into rain, which made us pedal faster to get to the next town, Inlet, 12 miles away. We made it there in under an hour and went straight to the Pedals and Petals bike shop where Scott was to get new brake pads, new pedals, and adjustments to his shifter. It had been slipping a bit since the mechanic in Ironwood, Michigan had installed the new transmission.
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Lunch was a cheeseburger and loaded quesadilla at the Tamarack Café down the road a couple blocks. During our lunch break, the mechanic finished the repairs. He gave us some tips about things to see in the towns ahead. The rain that had been coming down steadily since we arrived had finally stopped when we got back in the saddle.
In 10 more miles we arrived in Raquette Lake, about 15:45. We picked up the key to the room at the bar and dropped our bags. Our room was over the bar area and opened to the smoker hang-out in the rear of the bar.
Stysh had told us we must do the three-hour tour of the lake aboard the WW Durant, where a chef would prepare a delicious four course meal. We got two of the last three seats and had to clean up quick to be on the boat by 17:30.
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The sun reappeared as we were sitting on deck enjoying a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (my go-to, introduced to me by my daughter-in-law Medha), and a Coors Light. The captain recited some of the history of the lake. It takes its name from the French word, “raquette,” which means snowshoes. These were allegedly left behind by a group of Tories who had worn them to the lake in 1776 and then abandoned them on shore when the snow melted in a sudden thaw. The lake is the biggest natural lake in the Adirondacks, with 99 miles of shoreline, plenty big for a relaxed boat tour featuring good food and interesting conversation.
Our table mates included a welder and her carpenter husband, in their early 40s, who live about 90 minutes away by car in the small town of Poland. On our other side were two couples in their 30s, from towns nearby, enjoying a night out away from their kids. The welder had a timely story to share. She has more work than she can handle, because kids out of high school have no interest in learning a trade, they all want to get jobs in the high tech industry. She has a devoted and established clientele and would like to train a new generation to develop their own expertise, if anyone showed an interest. As if to illustrate her point, the other two guys at our table design software and manage a university website. Recent articles also make the point that young people find more prestige in high tech and steer away from jobs requiring skilled labor.
The Durant got back to the dock just after sundown, which was our cue to settle in for the night. We opened the windows wide to coax in the elusive cool night air. The bar crowd was happy. I wished I had brought ear plugs.
Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 2,529 miles (4,070 km)
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