The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Adirondacks Fall Foliage 2019

October 7th to October 18th

Ride Director: Tom Leever
Ride Co-Director: Julie Leever
Report by: Charles Feerick

Located in upstate NY, the Adirondacks Park is one of the crown jewels of eastern North America.  The Park is renowned for its many beautiful lakes and mountain vistas, particularly its “High Peaks” which attract many hikers and backpackers to the area.  In the autumn, the Park is other-worldly redolent with the yellows, oranges, purples and reds of the foliage. The canopy of color and the mostly quiet country roads made for a stunning tour. 

Given the mountain roads, this ride is not for the inexperienced cyclist. In keeping with the 3B rating, one needed to be prepared to handle several challenging climbs and descents. A great aspect was that no matter where one decided to take a breather, there was always a beautiful or interesting place to pull over and relax. For example, on one long plummet along a scenic highway adjacent to Whiteface Mountain, we pulled over at North Pole, NY. This small hamlet consists of a well-photographed Post Office, and Santa’s Workshop which according to the elves working there is the oldest theme park in the U.S. dating back to 1949.

Another interesting diversion was Fort Ticonderoga, a National Historic Landmark.  This well-maintained fort was built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain and was of strategic importance during the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and again during the War of 1812.  Throughout the fort were several docents dressed in period attire who told us about the life and hardships of the soldiers who were posted there.  On several adjacent mountain tops were batteries of cannons that protected the fort from enemy ships. Although not “on the cue sheet”, several of us decided to ascend Mount Defiance to visit one of these sites. In so doing we added over 1000 feet of steep climbing to what eventually turned out to be a very arduous day, but that’s just the kind of trip this was … it was difficult to hold oneself back!     

Our accommodations were in keeping with the Adirondack motif, i.e. lake front cabins, quaint inns, and rustic lodges.  In many ways it was a refreshing step back in time. On many mornings we were on our own for breakfast, but overall food (and good beer) was never hard to come by.  The first night on the road we had not yet crossed into NY and we stayed at the historic Middlebury Inn which dates to 1827. Of nearby interest was the stunning marble, granite, and limestone campus of Middlebury College, a private liberal arts college founded in 1800, making it the first operating college in Vermont.     

We all greatly enjoyed our highly experienced ride leaders, Tom and Julie Leever. They run a tight ship, are entertaining, safety conscious, and did not hesitate to go out of their way to ensure we were all comfortable and looked after.  You will be hard pressed to find stronger advocates for the BAC than Tom and Julie.     

In closing, it was a wonderful trip and exceeded our expectations.  It certainly didn’t hurt that the weather was kind to us, and the foliage cooperated and went along with the script. Most importantly, we all made many new and lasting friends whom we look forward to riding with on future BACs adventures. And a big thank you again to Tom and Julie for their leadership, patience, friendship and efforts in making this such a memorable ride!