Archive-URL: http://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.asp?Filename=touring.9702.0793.eml
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 12:03:03 -0500
From: Cary Weitzman <mrgrumpy(AT)interlog.com>
Subject: Re: Seeking route info for NY to Ottawa

>1)Heading North up New York state: Does anyone know how bike
>      friendly  New York  Rte 22  is going north from Millerton to
>      Ticonderoga New York? What about the same route between
>      Ticonderoga going North to Plattsburg?

As part of a trip last year I rode on 22 from Port Kent to Plattsburg and
then took 374 from Plattsburg to Chateaugay, 11 to Malone and 37 to
Ogdensburg.

22 from Port Kent to Plattsburgh was very bike friendly (as were most of
the roads in northeast NY I travelled on) very little traffic, wide paved
shoulders, and gently rolling to flat (nice views of the lake and Vermont
too).

>2)From Plattsburg to Cornwall I'd plan to take Routes 374, Rte
>      24, and Route 37. Anyone have any experience on these roads
>      and/or know of any alternatives? Does this route skirt the
>      worst of the Catskills?

I needed local help to find 374, the obvious access is via 87 (no bikes
allowed) but everyone in the area seemed to know the non-expressway route
so no real problem there.

374 is a very nice ride, but long and lonely, a 1 car every half hour or so
kind of road. Most of the way is through the top northeast corner of
Adirondack State Park, there were only a few stores to stop at the entire
day, make sure you have enough water.

There's only 1 real climb, but it's significant, at the west end of
Dannemora. Someone dropped a small mountain in the way, and the road just
goes straight over it. I'm not sure of the grade, but I found myself
walking the first 1/4 mile (the first time I walked in two weeks of riding
in Vermont). Urging you on is the knowledge that right behind you is the
Clinton County Facility for the Criminally Insane (Max A security). As I
was walking, I met a guard out for a training ride who was happy to meet
another cyclist and shared a number of stories with me that I'd rather not
have heard :^)

At the top of the mountain is a cold, high pressure natural spring as a
reward for your efforts. The descent is straight and fast and there's a
nice beach at the lake at the bottom to stop and have lunch at. The rest of
the ride is rolling, but climbs slowly to Lyon Mountain and then descends
slowly to the St. Lawrence Valley.

I'm not sure why I stayed on 374 to Chateaugay rather than take 24 to
Malone, probably because at that point I had been descending slowly for an
hour or two past little lakes and rivers dotted with vacation cottages and
wasn't ready for it to end. If I do it again I'll probably take 24,
Chateaugay died a long time ago and someone just forgot to take it off the
map. 11 wasn't that pleasant of a ride, too busy, lots of trucks.

37 west from Malone was flat, fast, not that busy, and a good ride. The
road will get wide and busy right before the bridge to Cornwall.

All in all, it was an enjoyable route.

Have a good time.

Cary