Eileen recently completed her kayak/paddling expedition across the entire Northwest Passage and her daughter invited me to a "Welcome Home" celebration for her in Potsdam. Of course, I was very happy to have a chance to see her after more than four months! Since the party wasn't until the evening, I took my time getting ready this morning. In fact, I didn't pack until I woke up but was still ready to leave by 0800. As I was leaving home, I stopped for gas fillup at Irving in West Lebanon (0830) because I knew the prices would be much higher in Vermont and New York. After that, I got on I-89 and drove all the way to the Burlington area (listened to audiobooks on the way). The weather was OK and I thought about stopping for a hike. More of a priority, though, I wanted to try out the Lake Champlain Ferry (from Grand Isle to Cumberland Head) and ended up heading straight there. I arrived at 1030 and didn't have to wait long to drive onto the boat - we departed shortly afterwards. Immediately after that, I received a call so stayed in the car for the first half of the crossing. The wind was pretty strong so the water was very rough. Towards the end of the 15 minute ride, I got out of my car and explored the decks (it was a rather simple boat). After we docked on the New York side, I didn't follow the other cars. Instead, I hugged the coast of Cumberland Head and located the windy shoreline of Cumberland Bay. There were LOTS of people windsurfing and para-surfing! At one point, I walked near the beach and took photos/videos of them. At the same location, there was also a sign that described the lore around "Champy" (purported sea monster in the area; I didn't see him). I was getting ready to drive into Plattsburgh but then saw a larger beach area to the northwest. As a result, I drove over to Cumberland Bay State Park and watched the surfers some more. After that, I got on NY-314 and then used US-9 to reach Plattsburgh. Thought maybe I'd find something interesting to do in town but never did. Instead, I started planning my route towards the Ausable Chasm. When I figured out that US-9 had some closures on the way south (Google Maps kept wanting me to get on I-87), I backtracked to Gus' Red Hots Restaurant for lunch. At the "diner bar", I had the Michigan Red Hot (hot dog with chili) and the Lunch Special (grilled tuna sandwich and hamburger mac soup). Everything was delicious! I was done eating by 1130 and then got on the Interstate, which I used to reach NY-9N. I next drove through Keesville and made my way to US-9. From there, I located the bridge (one lane closed) for the Chasm (1220). There was a some commercialism there ($20 to enter the park) but, since it looked like rain, I walked all around the area nearby instead. There were good photo opportunities in several places; with foliage at peak colors, the whole experience was great! I walked around along the edge of the gorge on both sides and marveled at the awesome power of the water. The place looked like it would be an even more fun place to visit during the Summer - lots of adventure activities. It started raining just as I got back in my car (1250). Regardless, what a perfect break on a pretty Fall day! From the Chasm, I had a hard time setting up a straight line route to Potsdam. Each suggestion from Google Maps suggested long routes (but faster speeds) north and south of the area where I wanted to go. In the end, I used a paper map - besides, I didn't have wireless signal anyway... I drove west again on US-9, NY-9N, Silver Lake Road (near Au Sable Forks). After that, I drove through Black Brook and Hawkeye. Because the bridge (across the Saranac River) was out on County Road 4, I had to use County Road 1 to go all the way to NY-3. Then I was able to head west again and rejoin the route I'd wanted to use (County Road 26). This winding, rough road took me across a mountain ride (near Loon Lake) to NY-30. After crossing that highway, I took County Road 14 to St. Regis Falls. Next, I used NY-458 and NY-11B to Potsdam. I arrived at my hotel (the Potsdam Inn) just after 1500 and checked into my room. After reading for a little bit, I walked over to the nearby Walmart and walked around in their parking lot. At 1630, I returned to my room and got ready for Eileen's party. Once I felt prepared, I drove to Robin's house (near Sanfordville) and arrived at 1710. Eileen arrived a bit later and everyone cheered for her. Her parents had driven up to see her (a surprise) and there were probably 40 other well-wishers and fans there. Robin (and some pot-luck friends) had made a great spread (I added some wine I'd brought from Montview Vineyard). I reacquainted myself with many of Eileen's friends I hadn't seen since 2018 but was otherwise unsure about many of the names/faces. At one point, I ended up in a conversation with Eileen's parents (George and Joan) and they didn't realize we hadn't seen each other since 1991. But I played the role of a good "friend of Eileen you've never met before" well and they never seemed to suspect anything. Eileen made a speech at one point, we had some champagne, Aviva played the guitar, Heidi showed off an amazing cake she'd made and the party went well past it's scheduled end time (1900). I had a few chances to meet up with Eileen through the night but she was definitely the star of the show, with lots of people who wanted to ask questions about her Northwest Passage Expedition. I did get to say goodbye to her when I was leaving (2000) and she asked me to meet her and her family/friends for breakfast in the morning (I agreed). After that, I drove back to my hotel, where I spent the rest of the evening reading. Bed was at 2300. Very glad I could be here for Eileen's special party!
