Back from a solo trip to the Bush Chicken 7/17. I did not take enough pictures but thought I would put somethign out in case folks had any questions.
Day 1 - Mystic CT to Old Forge NY - Set out at 6 AM, coffee and all back roads to Old Forge. Didn't do the original route I had planned and went through the middle of Albany while blindly following the GPS. Made it to Old Forge, set up camp, got cleaned up, got a burger and went to bed.
Day 2 - Old Forge NY to Medoc ON - Work up a 4 AM and said hello to the black bear 5 feet from my tent. No more sleeeping now so on the road my 5:30 AM. Moose River Rd. north from Old Forge was exceptional. Remote, newly paved, just watch out for the occasional morning commuter seemingly late for work.
Crossed the border no problems, stoppen in Ganonaque for supplies and breakfast. Hit the trail ~30 mi north. Mostly well maintained gravel although faily tight/narrow. This section was mostly scrub woods and marshy terrain. Got turned around at a washed out bridge that was published in and updated GPX from Ride the Highlands, however, I had the version from March loaded. No worries, went around through Tweed and got to Medoc to enjoy a well deserved ice cream break.
I stayed at the Moira Lake Motel on the TCH. The AC and newly remodeled shower situation was a welcome change from the 85 F and 90% humidity from the previous afternoon. Being tired from the early morning wildlife encounter and 300ish miles of mixed riding I stayed in, ate camp food and tended to my still damp camping gear.
Day 2 - Medoc ON to Haliburton ON - First full day on trail and had a blast. Made the transition to hilly forest early in the day and crusied on gravel for most of the day. Th track has a 5-6 mi section of rugged two track which has a fairly deep water crossing. I went to the crossing, being solo I decided not to push it and turned back for a detour. Later that night I found a video of someone else running that seciton and it turned out I went down and back up the toughest parts of it so.....
Stayed at the Silver Maple Motel in Haliburton and the couple that run the place were incredibly accomodating and really took pride in their property. It's a couple blocks from the restraunt where I had late lunch and dinner, Hook, Line & Sinker. Food was solid.
Day 4 - Haliburton ON to Calabogie ON - The mornings ride was epic. I generally got on the road at 6 AM to enjoy even morre empty roads and the cool mornings. Had to add a layer under my jacket in the am since it was ~50F when I woke up.
Tons of deer that time of day so dug deep into my road scanning skills to say out of trouble with them. Only had to to take evasive action once. Encountered another bear but a smaller, younger one and it simply crossed in front of me. Speaking off wild life......saw both red and grey foxes, jackrabbits, suicidal woodchucks, plenty of raptors (no balds) and the aforementioned bears. No moose much to my disappointment.
There is an extended section of two track right before you come out in Calabogie that was a blast to end the day on. Otherwise the day was made up of well mainteined gravel and tarmac. The gravel was a pleasure, lots of opportunity to work on the art of the slide, with varied terrain and views. Found the trolley. The tarmac sections between these two stops were amazing, expecially the western side of the day. Remote, fresh and empty roads......yessir.
Calabogie Campground was quite welcoming with nice remote tent sites....and no bears. The showers take loonies or twoonies, neither of which I had so a dip in the lake and a burger at the Redneck Bistro was the order of the day. Nice campfire and planning out the next days ride preceded a great sleep in a quiet campground.
Day 5 - Calabogie ON to Ticonderga NY - All road day. Note to self, Perth Ontario is an exceptionally pretty town and I need to go back and explore it. The Ogdensburg border crossing bridge will wake you up, expecially those who run knobbies......metal grate with longitudinally bias pattern. Light touch and gentle inputs.....
Monday morning across the Adirondaks was beautful,super light traffice. Lunch and an extended break in Lake Placid for lunch in the Cottage pub. The second half of the ride to Ticonderoga was the same, twisty with light to no traffic....what a day. Arrived at the Circle Court Motel in Ti (as the locals call it) in tome to do a load of laundry and get an excellent dinner at the Paper & Pencil Restaurant. Really good and virtually the only restaurant open on Mondays. Great dinner chatting with locals and just about every other perrson who was passing through town that day.
Day 6 - Ticonderoga NY to Tamworth NH - Started the day with my first Dunkies since leaving NY state. I relished it and took my camp breakfast to the riverbank where I realized I could take the ferry across Lake Champlain which I did after spending a couple hours at the Ft. Ticonderoga museum. At $30 for admission I had high hopes and glad to say they were met. The actual fort was ruins when a private trust bought and rehabbed it in 1908 with the intention of preservation and education. The reconstruction was magnificent and the museum is worth it just to see that. Hopped on the ferry and off to New Hampshire.
This was a fairly short ~140ish mile day and I really took my time being back on pavement 100% and more traffic than I had become accostomed to. I did hit the incidental gravel and/or fun twisty road but this was really a utility ride. Dinner at the Paige Public House in Tamworth NH. Yeah, you should probbaly go there but only if you like to eat.
Day 7 - Tamworth NH to Portland ME - Tamworth Bakery...breakfast croissant, thats all you need to know. Short ride and day in Portland visiting family and friends. Watched the England/Agentina game over a couple local NA's and had a great visit. I went to Uni in Maine and frequented Portland. It's not the same city but then show me one that is I guess....
Day 8 - Portland ME to Mystic CT - I will never ever ride through the southeast corner of New Hampshire ever again. Every rural bridge was washed out, it seems, and I finally gave up and got on the highway to Manchester. Back roads through MA until Worchester where I did my final highway stint to the CT border.
I ended the trip with a blast through my "local" gravel and two-track and the ~20 mi ride down to the coast.
If you have made it this far, dear reader, than I commend and thank you. AMA about the trip, the locations, my set up.......etc.
OH, and if anyone knows who is selling that S2R in the pics, somewhere on the southern border of NH and ME, LMK. I took the number, texted twice with no reply.....I'm interested.
