Jacob Friend
This morning we had the same excitement that an elementary schooler feels when waking up on a field trip day. Today’s special destination was the Enchanted Forest Water Safari in Old Forge. The best field trips are the ones with a long drive, plenty of time to watch movies on the bus with friends while anticipation builds. We had 75 miles on the saddle for our minds to dream up the perfect afternoon in the water park filled with water slides, lazy rivers, and pool games.
Our newfound motivation had our butts in the saddle by 7:15am, our earliest start time in recent memory. While we typically embrace spontaneity in our days, today we decided that our only breaks would be for water, bathroom, sunscreen, or lunch. No side quests. The water park waits for nobody. Luckily, New York’s north country had the perfect scenery to distract our minds from how tired our bodies were. Hop clover, orange daylilies, fern, and brown knapweed were some of the unique flowers and plants that painted the side of roads with fun colors. With rolling hills and sun rays breaking through the morning clouds, there was a lot to appreciate during this morning’s ride.
Morning ride views out of Richland, NY
The morning grind came to an end after 4 hours on the road and 46 miles of progress. To save time during our lunch break, we researched a spot that would serve delicious food in a timely manner. We decided on Boonville’s Broadway Cafe and Bakery where we saw only one other party waiting to be served and three chefs in the kitchen; the perfect chef-to-patron ratio for our needs. While waiting for our food, a chef approached us and asked if we were touring cross country. In exchange for our best biking stories, the chef told us the story about the founding of the bakery. We were amazed to learn that her 14-year-old son at the time, with a passion for baking, opened the location with the help of his parents. Four years later, the now 18-year-old restauranteur is serving some of the best breakfast and lunch food we’ve come across all trip.
Lunch at the Broadway Cafe and Bakery
However, our stuffed bellies did not make the final 30 mile sprint any easier. We huffed and puffed while traversing the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, desperate that the water park would soon spawn on the horizon.
By 3:45pm, we had climbed 4,500 feet through 75 miles. Our bodies were wrecked. None of it mattered. We made it to the promised land.
Mike from Sodus Point (who we met yesterday) was kind enough to put us in touch with his friend, also named Mike, in Old Forge. When we arrived at the water park, Old Forge Mike greeted us warmly and congratulated us on our ride. Though we had only met him a few minutes ago, he treated us like long-time friends and purchased all of us day passes to the legendary Enchanted Forest Water Safari. Mike and Mike, we sincerely thank you both for your kind hearts and goodwill. It’s unexpected friends that we make, like you, that make this trip so memorable and fun.
Enchanted Forest Water Safari (“where the fun never ends!”)
Time to play 😈. With all of our excitement, it took us a few minutes to pinch ourselves and come up with a gameplan for the afternoon. A massive green slide greeted us by the entrance, so we agreed to start there and figure out the rest afterwards. Once we climbed 100 feet to the top of the green slide, aka The Shadow, we could see the entire safari and all of its rides. While waiting our turn, we plotted our strategic path to hit each slide and maximize fun.
First, of course, The Shadow. This first ride delivered sharp turns, occasional waterboarding, and a great introduction for what was to come at the park. Next up, Mamba Strike. This ride places you in an enclosed capsule and shoots you into a free fall. As we screamed for our lives, we also drank 1 full gulp of the Water Safari juice. So fun (and yummy) that we had to do it twice! Then, we hit the Serengeti Stampede. Switching up the vibe, this slide has 4 racing lanes with each slide winding around in different directions. The formal rules of racing state that the last one down is a rotten egg. We boarded our foam racing mats and rushed to the bottom in our best aerodynamic positions. Brian 1st, Michael 2nd, Me 3rd, Usher 4th. Stinky Usher 😔. Afterwards, we hit The Curse of the Silverback. This slide allows you to ride on a two-person tube for maximum chaos as you’re launched into an enormous bowl where you wall ride and hang on for dear life. Michael and I rode together, then Usher and Brian. Afterwards, to get the upper body moving, we took a break from slides and went to Lake Nakuru (a different section of the pool) where 3 parallel ropes connect two platforms with water in the middle. We held a competition to see who could make it across the pool first without letting go of the ropes. In the first race, Brian beat Michael, and in the second, Usher beat me. The Amazon ride was our last new slide of the day. We split into pairs and took a large tube through a jungle while trying to spin our rafts as fast as possible. Finally, we floated in the wave pool for about 2 minutes where I thought about how gross the water was.
The drops into Mamba Strike
That was a lot of playing after a lot of pedaling. We were left feeling exhausted and famished. And just when we thought we had it all, my Dad surprised me with a message: “Vemo'd some loot. Feel free to treat your guys. Racoons are no bueno.” The best day ever continues! Mike from Sodus Point recommended we hit Slickers Adirondack Tavern and try out what he claimed to be the world’s best French dip sandwiches. We happily ordered our second restaurant meals of the day and caught up on highlights from stage 6 of Le Tour de France while waiting. In terms of what we think about the tour, we know Pogačar is a beast, but we’re hoping for a close competition in the General Classification race—not a blowout. I would rate my French dip sandwich an 8.7/10, very impressed. All of us devoured our plates then set our sights for the ice cream shop a couple blocks away.
Tour de France and French dip at Slickers
At this point, we had more than conquered the day, and our only remaining priority was to find a campsite and get some sleep. We ended up at the Old Forge Camping Resort, which felt like a continuation of the party we experienced at the Water Safari. Kids were biking with their friends, adults were grilling out, and golf carts spun laps while blasting Toby Keith. It was quite the spectacle, but things cooled down by our 10pm bedtime. Sweet dreams 😴.