Lake Placid was interesting. Of course, it was the site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and a lot of Olympic training is still conducted there. As I rounded a turn about 2 miles from Lake Placid, I came upon this:
These are the two towers built for ski jumping during the 1980 Olympics. One is a 120-meter (394 feet) tower and the other is 90 meters (295 feet). The distance refers to the "ideal" jump distance that would result under perfect conditions. It's also the distance against which the jumpers are scored. I got to go up the ski lift to the base of the towers and then up the elevator to the top of the 120-meter tower, some 250 feet above the base. Here is a view of the slope and the towers from the bottom:
They actually practice jumping during the summer from the 90-meter tower on the left. What you see is a synthetic surface they jump on.
This picture was taken from the ski lift going up the hill. What you're seeing is the landing area for the 90-meter jump. You can appreciate how steep it is.
This is a view from the bottom of the two towers.
And, once you make it to the Olympics, this is the view you'll have from the starting gate.
Here are a couple views from the top of the 120-meter tower:
This was the 90-meter tower from the top of the 120-meter tower:
And, as I left, off to my left were some kids training for free-style jumping. They jumped off the hill, did a 360, and landed in a big pool. Look closely and you can see the jumper:
I left Lake Placid and headed on over to Watertown for the night. Tomorrow, it's cross-country to Batavia, NY for the night.
Miles today: 295
Total: 5,730