New England - part V

Notice: Time - includes short stops at traffic lights, studying the map, etc.

After a short shower, I entered the state of New York. At the information office, I found out that the highest mountain was about 80 miles away. I had enough time, so I changed direction from south to northwest. By noon, I entered the Adirondacks. I took a short break in the beautiful Keene Valley. Traffic was getting heavier because it was still tourist season here. By sunset, the clouds were clearing and Mt. Marcy became visible. The weather was supposed to be nice the next day.

All night, my tent was bathed in moonlight. I think I bought a good sleeping bag. I was not cold, but I was not exactly warm either. With the first rays of sunshine, I got up. I was shocked to see my bike covered in ice. The tent was covered in ice too. Later, I was told that the temperature had dropped to just 26 F.

At Indian Falls, another guy and I climbed down a rock to take pictures of the waterfalls. We talked only a little. He was there with his girlfriend. When I met them again later, I asked if I could see their map. We started talking again, and suddenly the girl said: "Řekni mu, že je to jen 7 mil." I could not believe my ears. Here, so far north in the USA and far from the places usually visited by Europeans, I met Libor and Jitka from my own country. I spent the rest of the day with them.

Several times, I was greeted by people who had seen me on the road the day before. I also met a young guy here, Bill Burrell. After he found out what I was doing here, he invited me to visit his studio.

It was a sunny day, and I set my speed record - 39 miles per hour - on a seven-mile downhill ride to Keene Valley. I went swimming in Schroon Lake, but the water was already very cold, so I stayed in only as long as necessary. By evening, I reached the tourist resort of Lake George. Here you can find Fort William Henry, the setting for part of the novel The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.

The gates of Fort William Henry opened at 10:00, and I was able to go inside. After the visit, I travelled along bike paths following Route 9 and its various branches towards NYC. These cycling paths run along the Hudson River. After stopping at the public library in Glens Falls, where a kind man working in the city park looked after my bike, I went to visit my new friend Bill and his studio. Jitka and Libor arrived later that evening.

We all visited Bill's friend Christopher Pierce together. We also went canoeing on the Batten Kill River. Bill showed us a place that had been used by hippies in the 1960s.

About three miles before Saratoga Springs, I stopped to ask for some drinking water. The lady asked me where I was from,... her father was of Slovak descent - second generation. The night was supposed to be rainy, so I stayed overnight at their place.

Shortly before noon, I left for Saratoga Springs - a small town famous for its spa. The town was once a popular resort for wealthy New Yorkers. I continued along Route 9 to Albany - the capital of New York State. The road had four lanes, but the wide shoulder was marked as a bike lane. It had just one problem - a few miles before Albany, the wide shoulder disappeared and I had to continue in the same lane as the cars. I was lucky that it was 5 p.m. and most of the traffic was going in the opposite direction.