Age: 61.
Birthplace: Cortland.
Residence: Saranac Lake.
Occupation: Owner of the bicycle shop Human Power Planet Earth in Saranac Lake.
Accomplishments: Competed in biathlon, cycling, motocross, Nordic skiing, and ice and inline speed skating. Ran speed-skating races, including national and North American championships, at the Olympic Oval in Lake Placid. Helped reintroduce speed skating to the Empire State Winter Games.
Favorite outing: “I try to ski the Whiteface toll road every October or shortly thereafter for my first cross-country outing of the season. I ride my bike twenty miles from Saranac Lake through Franklin Falls to the tollbooth, change clothing, put on my skis, and head up five miles to the Whiteface Castle. Eat lunch, enjoy the view, and then ski down and hop back on the bike (after strapping my skis and poles to the bike’s top tube). Cruise on home dreaming about spaghetti and meatballs. A perfect day!”
Favorite view: “From the top of Baker Mountain. It is the first place I saw all the lakes splayed out about my hometown. I never get tired of that view.”
Memorable wildlife experience: “When I moved here in 1987 my friend Danny Wood took me on my first back-road ride out past Wilmington. While descending on, yes, Black Bear Road, I saw a large animal crossing the road. My instantaneous thought (coming from central New York) was ‘don’t hit that cow!’ But it was all black and walked with a dainty, articulated paw action. I skidded sideways and shot behind it. It snorted and ran into the woods. I had seen my first bear!”
Why I live in the Adirondacks: “For the skiing. And the skating, the cycling, the paddling. I love the small-town life and the friends I have made. But I moved here to ski and hope to do that the rest of my life.”
If I were in charge of the Park: “I would have ice-skating paths on the lakes and through the woods in Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Long Lake, and other hamlets as well as at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Nordic center. It would be great for locals and visitors alike.”
