Day 52. Amsterdam to Lake George, NY

 THE HUDSON, RAIN

We started on the early side, (7:45) for us, as rain was predicted later in the afternoon. Steep descent (10%) into Amsterdam (our hotel was south of the river) and a steep ascent out (12%) followed by a long easy climb for a few miles and then a 10 mile run down at 1 to 2%. Just a slight change in grade makes a huge difference; on our long downhill we were doing a steady 16 - 18 mph with little effort.

We arrived in Saratoga Springs about 10:45 and after wandering around and wasting a bit of time had a light second breakfast at Starbucks. The good local coffee shops/bakeries had long lines. Saratoga is a horse racing mecca. From late June through Labor Day horse races occur almost daily. I expect a lot of money changes hands. The town was packed today and exudes wealth. George and I were here in late October a few years ago with the Ancient Mariners RC, our rowing club in Seattle, for the Head of the Fish Regatta. Main Street was much less crowded then. (This pic does not capture the crowds well.)

Main St

Hotel on Main St

Eventually off again, hoping to beat the rain. Shortly what should appear in Glens Falls but the Hudson River! Sorry about the two amigos getting in the way of the river. (Neither George nor I have met a camera that we can smile for, just ask Nancy & Ellen!)

Shortly after this pic the rain hit. We cycled the last 10 miles or so in a good solid rain. However, we were on bike trail almost all the way from Saratoga to Lake George and it was not cold so the rain ride was not bad.

We arrived at Lake George, in Warren County, wet but happy to be here. 

We wanted to scout out the town a bit at supper, but it was raining hard. After a brief walking perusal of options we ended up at a Mediterranean restaurant which was quite good. While there I received a couple of texts asking what is going on with my Garmin tracker, the blue dot tracks my progress across the map, or not!

I have named the RidewithGPS voice Alice and my Garmin, Ralph. They had another hissy fit this morning and would not talk.  Ralph’s tracking was probably a result of him having a temper tantrum. Maybe Alice & Ralph will have a better day tomorrow, but based upon the the last 8 weeks I am not particularly encouraged.

By the numbers:
Dist - 60.3 miles
Elev Gain - 2,350 ft
Elev Loss - 2,300 ft
Moving Time 5:03

Total to Date 3,467  miles
Remaining 298 miles