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and after talking to a couple of locals we decided to head to a local resort. We pulled in and were able to
squeeze our two bikes alongside five Harleys under the breezeway out of the rain. As it turned out, the bikes were owned by a group of guys from Minnesota who were on a two week tour. One of them owned two Harley dealerships in St. Paul and immediately offered Brian a good deal if he wanted to ride a “real” bike.
Wednesday morning was full of
sunshine, and off we went, deciding that we would aim to end up in Lake Placid that afternoon. We headed south on Route 100
bridges bringing us out just north of Burlington. We decided that we would go
as far as Stowe that day. We kept getting sprinkles of rain but nothing major. We hit the first mountain and headed for Smugglers Notch. It was the biggest mountain I have ridden on a bike, and it was thrilling to wind our way to the top, weaving through massive boulders strewn along the roadside. We stopped part way up to walk
around some of those huge chunks of rock and to gaze at the mountainside from where they had fallen or been placed by receding glaciers – pretty awesome! As we started our descent, the
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rain started. It was a little scary meeting cars on the hairpin turns on wet pavement. As we rolled into Stowe, it became a heavy downpour,
to Waitsfield, cutting down through the middle of Vermont and enjoying the beautiful scenery, hills and valleys. We headed West on Route 17.
We were driving through the Mad River Ski area and… surprise! We came upon another mountain. Should we go around or over? We didn’t hesitate. UP we went! The mountain felt as though it
was straight up in a couple of spots, and as we approached the summit, the temperature dropped, the wind kicked up and we drove right into a shroud of clouds. What an adrenalin rush!
All of a sudden we reached
the top and immediately started a brisk descent in second gear with no throttle required. We had to pay attention to the road because the pavement was a little rough in a couple of spots, combined with sharp
switchbacks and loose gravel. It was a blast! We hit bottom and wove our way across rolling foothills to the bottom of Lake Champlain and the border to New York State. As we approached the bridge
crossing the lake, we could see a lighthouse style monument on the left that was in a state park. We went to the gate and they let us in for free when we explained that we wanted to get some photos but not stay or camp. It was a monument to Samuel de
Champlain. You could climb to the top for a great view of the lake. After a brief visit, we followed the road north along the lake. A stop at The Ausable Chasm
was cool (and is now on the list for a real visit for another time). After a late lunch break at the
local family restaurant, we started our approach to Lake Placid. We could see Whiteface Mountain in all its glory. We grabbed a motel room in Lake Placid and headed for a walk downtown to take in the sights and find a place to eat. Health food was not the objective, so we selected a smoke house where the food was excellent – but way too much of it. So we took an after-dinner stroll through the downtown and into the arena where the winter Olympics took place. Next morning over a cup of
coffee at the local Starbucks, we decided that three mountains in three days would be memorable, and since we were here, we should tackle Whiteface. We arrived at the gate to the
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