Ticonderoga

Not quite so wet today. We left our very spacious accommodations with the skies overcast; we'd been out an hour or so when we had to pull over to put on rain jackets. The riding was good, though, and the rain not nearly like yesterday. It rained for about an hour, but not so hard, and by the time we made a stop (about 10:30) it had stopped. We switched lenses in our glasses several times, since the clouds didn't really let up, but the temperature was perfect for riding, about 70. Such a contrast to the last three trips when we weren't surprised to see the temps go over 100. As we rode today, we were reminded of why we fell in love with this area, our climbs were gradual and with wide vistas. The whole world smelled piney, and the water that either crashed past us or pooled into beautiful lakes had the amber color that it gets from the tannin (think "tea") from the pine trees. Altogether an Adirondack day. We thought about all the things that make this area unique: unlike most mountainous regions where snowfall is heavy, the roofs aren't particularly steep. We passed many signs advertising guide boats for sale. I'd almost forgotten about those unique vessels: they are like a very wide canoe, but are rowed instead of being paddled. I have been thinking about buying an Adirondack pack basket this time around, though I haven't a clue how I'll get it home! Our original destination for the day was a town called Hague, about 50 miles from Lake Luzerne. When we arrived and looked around, the one motel had no one at the office. It did not look promising, so we decided to roll on to Ticonderoga. But first: two pieces of wild berry pie at the Hague Market, the longest continuously operating store in the Adirondacks, as the owner proudly told us. We were back in small-town America, in a store that sold basic groceries, tools, had a deli, and of all things-a guitar shop. Actually, a rather full-service music store if you incuded the Steinway and banjos upstairs. Turns out the owner used to be a neighbor of Pete Seeger's, and they jammed together. We were wishing our friend John had been there; he may have found a guitar or two to add to his ciollection. The ten miles to Ticonderoga were rolling, but with no hills we couldn't handle. At the first intersection of America's Most Historical Town (it said so right on the sign!) we found not one but three motels, all staffed. A quick comparison of rates brought us to the Stone House Motor Lodge. They allowed us to register, even without a motor. After cleaning up (us and the bike), we struck out for a restaurant and hit the jackpot with Gino's. Bob had lasagna and I enjoyed mussels with marinara sauce, excellent. Cannoli finished us off and a short walk to our "motor lodge" later we are relaxing and looking forward to a good night's sleep.