Gulping Gallons in New York

Gulping Gallons NY Style is done. Either I really missed planned this trip time wise or we are just getting good at doing this stuff. We were actually in by 6:30pm each day and on the first day we arrived at 4:30pm. The new FJR handled flawlessly, but that was expected. We captured 64 locations out of the planned 67. Four locations were there, but did not have a sign on the building to take a picture of; 1 location that was not planned, but we just happen to ride thru. We traveled 1284 miles and according to the on board computer our average miles per gallon was around 41 mpg. That’s with limited inter-states as well. I think out of the 1300 miles, maybe 250 miles were interstate (mainly the MA pike to get out of MA), the rest two lanes highways and a lot of county and country roads. I did notice on this trip, every time we came across one of those deer signs next 5 miles, I pulled back on throttle. I even thought about how I would take evasive action if one of those critters just happened to pop out of the tall grass / grain lines we found ourselves in. We also picked up 2 BBQ places for the Smoke Chasing 2011 tour and 2 National Historic Landmarks in Auburn, NY.

Day 1 consisted mainly of getting out of MA, via the Mass Pike. Our first stop was Stuyvesant Falls, NY and we made our way up to Queensbury, just out side the Adirondack Park

Stuyvesant Falls


This building just grabbed my eye. Art Deco I believe, in Albany



One of many Post Offices we grabbed. This one is Round Lake, NY



Is it Live or Memorex



Grabbed a bite to eat here and snagged a NY BBQ Joint



Neat Ice Cream tin Signs



Hmmm



Erie Canal Lock



Almost done for the day. One more NY BBQ place.



Last pic of the day




Day 2 began as a drizzly day and we headed to Lake Luzerne. Our first road went straight up a mountainside on a nice twisty road, with quite a few switchbacks. Unfortunately the rain kept the speeds down, but this trip, like our others are not about how fast we can cover the route. Next stop was in the tourist trap of Lake George. LG appears to be a lot like all mountain resort / lakeside towns. Lots of neon, motel signs and other similar sites. All of this seemed on the old side from the 50’s versus new and fresh. Not run down, just that old time comfortable times that I remember as a kid. Schroon Lake was probably the first Adirondack town, with Lake Placid at the top as we headed west and south. It was right around here the skies decided to go from sprizting rain to rain, we toned down our speeds, but not our spirits. Our day ended in Lyons Falls, NY at The Edge motel. MeAsWe guessed that their name was because they were on the edge of town. I asked, it was because they were on the edge of the Adirondack’s.

Alot of the day looked like this.



I find beauty in this photos. Lake George





Not too far from where this begins.



To see this up and personal cost about 14.00 Lake Placid Ski Jumps built for the 1980Olympics.



Lake Placid Middle/High School. During the 1980 Olympics the school was issued a liquor license. It is the only school in the country to have this distinction.



Lake Placid Olympic Building. Lake Placid hosted the 1932 and 1980 Olympics




It wasn't until we left the Adirondacks that I finally found the sign I had been looking for



MeAsWe guiding me in for a landing



Day 3 had us heading out on crisp clear morning at 7am heading for Lake Ontario towns and the Finger Lake region. We rode out to the Fingers Lakes last year and I found the roads to be quite straight and boring. This year it was not boring at all. I wouldn’t say they were twisty like the Adirondacks, but more sweeping and rolling hills. We pulled into the Herkimer around 5pm. We rode past the Budget Inn and we both said hmmmm maybe not. We tried the Herkimer Motel, but they wanted a 139 and only had suites available. A call to the Knights Inn in Little Falls found us a more reasonable rate and only 8 miles away. Actually the KI turned out pretty good, since they had a restaurant and bar on site.

I know what I said up there, but his was first thing in the morning so straight not too bad until you get into the swing of things.



A really neat Peace Mural in Watertown NY. The sky kind of makes me think of the 60's



Henderson Harbor, NY. This is the smallest Post Office I have seen and I have seen quite a few.



Into the Finger Lakes region we found this sculpture



I have ate hear once before and had a good meal, so we stopped for lunch. Connie's Diner in Waterloo, NY. Don't forget to stop at the Women's Rights Historical Park right up the street.



In Auburn, NY we stopped at Harriet Tubman's church. Harriet was a major player in the Underground Railroad. This is a National Historic Landmark



In slightly better condition, another Landmark, William Seward House. William was the Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.



I thought this was going to be one really big Neon, but as we got closer it looks as if it was de-neonized. Downtown Auburn, NY



MeAsWe realized that the Knights Inn we were staying at had Little Falls right on their sign, so she went up and got the flag and camera.




Day 4 was the short day. Only a couple of sites to pick up and then 85 miles of Mass Pike to get home. We started out later than the other days, since we should be home easily before 5pm. Coming out of Fly Creek, NY; we passed thru Cooperstown, NY. Of course we had to grab a picture of the Hall of Fame. A lot of today’s ride would be on US 20 as we dart off to towns in ear shot of the route. We passed the Duanesburg Diner, a place we stopped at last year. Arriving in the Albany area, I saw we had routed ourselves right thru the heart of the city. While most times I don’t mind the stop and go. I enjoy seeing the downtown sites and architecture, but ya gotta look up so see the neat stuff. Today I decided we should by pass the city and took the interstate around Albany for our last few stops. As we hung a right on NY 22 I knew we were riding right along the border of MA. Our last official stop was Lebanon Springs Jr Sr High School. No sign on the building so we opted for the Episcopal Church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Passed thru Pittsfield, Lenox and Lee onto the MA pike, home just around 4pm.


Our stop in Cooperstown



Our last stop Lebanon Springs was a bust, no sign on the school. We picked this up instead as a National Register of Historic Places instead.



On the road back home. Thanks for coming along