Kraus Grafik Services

This past Tuesday some friends and I journeyed north to the heart of the New York Adirondacks, north of Saranac Lake, to ride a challenging but beautiful 30.8 mile gravel road route. The Kushaqua and Sable Highlands areas are sparsely settled and laced with old logging roads in this northern reach of the Adirondack State Park.

Eight of us started into the forest on very rough gravel roads, laced with baby-head rocks and leading into the heart of the woods. We didn’t see much wildlife, but there were black flies galore and some fur-filled, fresh-looking s**t that I assume was from a bear. There were also flocks of tiger swallowtail butterflies that would gather on moist spots in the road, and you never knew when you might suddenly be enveloped by a cloud of yellow wings fleeing your bike.

The first half of the route was very rough and included a climb of almost five miles, then as we began the second half the climb over Loon Lake Mountain loomed ahead. But after that we enjoyed over 14 miles that all trended downhill, and we eventually were riding along the shore of Mud Pond, source of the Saranac River. By this point my pauses for photo had left me dropped by everyone except Gary, who kindly stayed with me, riding along the river until we finally reached the cars to find everyone else had already left! So, we headed back into town for a celebratory beer and lunch. Another great day on the bike! (Photos with Panasonic Lumix ZS200D and iPhone 15 Pro.) (Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55318525)