Southeast MA to Lake George NY
Wed, Sept 11, 2019
(~ 265 miles)

The New England Riders weekend trip getaways are always something special. Aside from a few local day rides with Charlotte, I hadn’t gotten out for much local riding this summer, due to various obligations. Char had been very busy at work all year, and we were both looking forward to having a few days away from day-to-day life, to see our NER friends and ride the great roads in the Adirondacks. We’d ridden part of the region before, particularly during the NER Lake Placid trip in 2016, and were looking forward to exploring from our new home base in the town of Lake George, New York.

NER’s lead organizer, Ed Conde, always does a superb job planning and building up anticipation to the trips he leads, with frequent tidbits posted in the Facebook groups. For this trip, he stresses the historical angle of the region, highlighting many of the nearby attractions related to the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. Char and I can geek out on history with the best of them, so we decided to make sure we took time to explore this aspect a bit. The fall trips are scheduled to fall after Labor Day but prior to the peak foliage season, to get better hotel rates and lower traffic volume. That means the fall color hasn’t fully arrived, even in the northern reaches of the northeast states, though we do see the beginnings of color from time to time.

After dropping our pup off at boarding, we mounted the ST for the trip north. Char wanted to just sit back and enjoy the scenery and brisk pace from the pillion seat this weekend, which is fine by me.

We slabbed our way to Lancaster MA where we picked up the suggested route Ed had created for the journey to Lake George. The weather was fully cooperative, sunny and clear, as we skirted Fitchburg through Lunenburg and Townsend, picking up NH 124 to Jaffrey. We continued looping up to the north onto NH 123, and pulled over in Stoddard NH for a stretch break, next to a scenic little pond.

Route 123 took us several more miles when we spotted a nice river scene out of the corner of our eye near Drewsville, where the Cold River crosses under the road while dropping down severely in elevation. We pulled a uey and parked to snap a few photos (which don’t do it justice) looking down through a tight gorge with high granite walls. Somewhere to go back and explore one day.

We made the crossing of the Connecticut River into Bellows Falls and picked up VT 121 west, stopping to snap photos of the Hall Bridge, spanning the Saxons River, along the way. It’s an unwritten rule of covered bridges that, when time allows, you have to ride across, turn around and come back. It’s usually interesting to enjoy the historic architecture and and lighting from inside the structure.

Route 121 eventually took us to our scheduled lunch stop at the Grafton Village Store, a traditional yet modernized general store and deli with a delicious-looking (and tasting!) assortment of homemade baked desserts.

Another group of NER riders were just packing up to continue along the route and we exchanged greetings before they cruised away. Char and I ordered our sandwiches, snagged a couple of cookies, and headed out side to the shaded outdoor eating area next to the store, with metal tables spread out under a pretty grove of young birch trees. It was warm out but comfortable, and we enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the small village and chatted about what we might do over the next few days.

The panini-style sandwiches were delicious and the cookies even better. Sated, we set off once again, ready to enjoy a couple more hours on the roads of Vermont and New York. Routes 35 and 103 brought us to East Wallingford, where we took a turn into La-la Land, courtesy of Garmin. Rather than keeping us westbound, following VT 140 on nice curvy roads, the GPS kept us on route 103 to North Clarendon, then US-7 and US-4 before heading back south on VT 30 to regain the route in Poultney – all told, some 5-10 miles completely out of our way.

We enjoyed the riding south on 30 past Lake St. Catherine State Park, before turning west to cross into New York. NY 149 brought us most of the remaining distance to our destination, with a brief stop on NY 40 for fuel, where we ran into fellow NERds Nancy and Phil, also on their way to the gathering. A final side trip onto NY 9L in Queenstown allowed us to skirt the southern shore of Lake George and take in a wonderful view overlooking the lake from the Top of the World Golf Course.

We cruised the last few miles to the Windgate hotel in Lake George, where we joined the many bikes and riders in the parking lot, greeting old friends and some new faces. The loosely arranged “group” dining spot for the night was a gourmet place several miles away, requiring a short ride or a taxi/rideshare. Char and I decided to walk down into town on our own, to stretch our legs after the day’s ride and do a bit of exploring of the Battlefield Park and the main drag. It turned out being a nice way to get familiar with the immediate area.

I had read there were some old fort remains almost adjacent to the hotel, so we picked our way down a couple local streets and crossed the park border, walking along the paved park path and reading whatever signs we came across with historical information. The fort was mostly a big earthenwork, now covered with grass and with no clear sightlines to the lake through the trees. We’d done our due diligence (?!)  “preparing” for the trip by watching Last of the Mohicans the previous week, so we tried piecing together some of the historical references from that movie with what we were seeing before us.

We made it down to the lake shore and enjoyed the scenery. There were actually people swimming in the lake, despite the autumn chill and cold water. We were intrigued by one informational sign that referenced an odd type of ship called the “land tortoise”. Apparently, a few of these vessels are still intact on the bottom of Lake George and available for exploration by scuba divers. We must return some day with our dive gear!

We set off toward downtown along the scenic walking path they have there, taking in the big steamships that bring tourists around the lake.

This detailed carved wooden sculpture depicting cooperation between Europeans and native Americans paddling a large canoe begged for a photo, so Char decided to pitch in and help the fellas out.

The main street was relatively subdued, it being a Wednesday night, but the restaurants were still doing business as we tried to pick a place to eat. We walked down the entire length of the main drag, as far as the Courtyard Marriott, observing all the shops and attractions that keep this get-away town humming throughout the busy season and during the Americade rally.

We turned back and, running out of daylight, decided to dine at the 163 Taproom, where many NER riders, early to the scene, had eaten the previous night. The pub had a nice selection of local craft beers and the waiter patiently allowed us several small taster cups to decide which brews to settle on with our meal.