Day 41: Speculator to Ticonderoga NY

I had a very enjoyable morning of easy pedaling as we made our way through the beautiful Adirondacks.  As predicted, temperatures were in the low 30's with moderate northerly winds.  I used my full kit of cold weather cycling gear and it turned out to be almost perfect.  It consists of 4 layers plus a warm cycling hat that covers my ears.  I had expected to remove some layers as the day went on, but I never did - temps stayed in the 40's and the northerly headwinds persisted.  I remained comfortable by adjusting the zippers at the the neckline of my two outer layers.

I had planned to take it easy for the 30 miles after lunch, but a big climb required substantial effort and then as we turned north at Hague for the final 10 miles along the western shore of Lake George the headwinds increased to 15-20mph.  It was still a nice ride, but I would have liked to leave more fuel in the tank for tomorrow's big day of climbing.

The town of Ticonderoga sits between the north end of Lake George and the south end of Lake Champlain.  Because of this strategic position, the area played an important role in the French and Indian War of the 1750's and again in the Revolutionary War.  Fort Ticonderoga, which was built by the French in the 1750's is a popular tourist attraction, but I didn't feel like taking another bike ride to go see it.

There are now only 3 days of riding left, but in the spirit of taking it one day at a time, I am only thinking about tomorrow.  With 6500 feet of climbing it is the second biggest climbing day of the trip.  We begin the day with a short ferry ride across the lake to enter Vermont and then begin our day of climbing.  The big 5 mile climb to cross the Green Mountains at Brandon Gap begins at mile 26.  Temperatures in the 40's and a moderate easterly headwind are forecast - but no rain. It will be a challenging day, but since I like to climb, I expect it to be a good day.

Steve