DAY IN THE LIFE AT ASCUTNEY STATE PARK

June 28^th:   Left Burlington VT and headed over to Mt Ascutney State park where we will be spending the summer.  The drive over was fantastic.  Just love those mountains.  Ascutney is located in Windsor, Vermont near the New Hampshire border.

Windsor is an old Vermont town chartered on July 6, 1761.    It is considered the birthplace of Vermont where the state constitution was signed.  Windsor was the first capital until 1805 when Montpelier became the official capital.  The Connecticut River runs right along Windsor, VT. 

What I learned today:   Monadnock

Mount Ascutney is considered a monadnock, an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain.  It rises over 3,000' from the Connecticut Valley and  shares geological history more closely related to the White Mountains of NH than the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Mount Ascutney State Park was one of the first Vermont State Parks built between 1935 and 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  The original stonework is all of Ascutney granite. 

 Mark and Lucy live here.  It's original stonework from CCC days.  Beautiful work.

The mountain trail is possibly America’s first organized mountain-hiking trail cut through the forests in 1825.  Apparently they never heard of “switchbacks” and the trails in the NE go straight up!

In 1909 James P. Taylor (not the singer) had the inspiration for the creation of Vermont’s Long Trail eventually spawning both Green Mountain Club and the idea for the Appalachian Trail.

Mt Ascutney SP campground is a small park of about 50 sites including leantos which are really cool.  It is somewhat under-utilized compared to some of the other Vermont State Parks but is a beautiful park.

Included in the park is a toll road which climbs to the top of Ascutney; 3.7 miles. It is a very steep mountain rising 3,144’ from 500’ at the base.  Is has an average grade of 12% with some as steep as 19%.  Foot races, bicycle races and car races are held on this road to the top of the mountain.

It is the premiere hang gliding site in New England.  The granite outcrops serve as launching points for hang gliders. Some hang gliders fly from Mt Ascutney to nearby states; one actually reached the coastline in New Hampshire.

Looking down on the Connecticut River Valey.

We drove up to the top with the Ranger to ensure no hikers were still out before closing the road at 8 o’clock.  The views from the  top were phenomenal.  We overlooked the Connecticut Valley with the Connecticut River running under an old covered bridge.

Coming back down a bobcat crossed in front of us.  The Ranger was particularly excited as bobcat sightings are extremely rare. 

NO POINSONOUS SNAKES IN VERMONT …… JUST PROCUPINES!

Also saw a porcupine along the side of the road.  This is something we need to be careful of when hiking with Billy.  Dogs who have hiked off leash get to chasing these critters and come out of the brush covered in porcupine quills.  That’s gotta hurt.  Fortunately Billy doesn’t hike off leash so we’ll control where he goes.

Settled in to our new home for the summer . 

Vermont is very green and I don’t mean just the mountains.  Recycling is big in this state with deposits paid on all glass products.  The campground has recycle bins as large as garbage bins for glass, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic (other), plastic bottles.  There are Co-Ops everywhere and many farm markets where you can purchase fresh vegetables and healthy meat.  I am really looking forward to finding those markets.

June 29^th

This place is heaven for Billy.  We walked down to meet Mark and Lucy, the Rangers, and met Gus their dog.  Gus is a male Annie (my Grand-Dog).   At first when Gus came over to Billy, Billy felt threatened and did is usual mean bark like he was snapping.  However after about a minute of posturing they started playing.  

We let Billy off the leash and the two dogs ran and ran and played in the big yard down by the entrance.  While we talked with Mark to learn about the summer, the dogs played and played until their tongues hung out.  There is an open area down one of the trails we can take Billy to and let him run and catch the ball without a leash so he’s going to have a great summer.  The only thing he’s missing is water.  There is no lake or river here.

Mark and Lucy are great.  They are a young couple who love this area.  During the winter Mark teaches skiing at Okemo Mountain.  They mountain bike, hike, do all the wonderful things that are so bountiful in this area.  It would seem our jobs are whatever it is we want to do.  Nothing set, just pick a project!  Dave has a dam in mind.  I’m looking to hang out at the entrance.  Stay tuned.

Drove down to Claremont, NH to go grocery shopping.  The grocery store in Claremont is no more than 17 minutes from the campground.  The New Hampshire border is less than five minutes.  New Hampshire has neither an income tax nor a sales tax so we’ll probably be there shopping.  Need new tires for the Caddy and figure that’s a good place to get some.   Gas prices up here are around $3.35/gallon.  Best we’ve seen so far.  It’s that way both in Vermont and New Hampshire.

STAY TUNED!

VERMONT - HOME AGAIN

The trip from Lake Placid to Burlington VT was beautiful as anticipated.  View after view after view passed us by as we headed down to Lake Champlain.  We chose the Essex NY – Charlotte (shar lot with emphasis on the lot) VT  ferry because it was the longer than the Plattsburg crossing and less expensive than the Port Kent to Burlington Ferry which was an hour long.  Our crossing was 25 minutes and I had high hopes of taking magnificent pictures.

We arrived at the Essex NY Ferry around noon  just as the Ferry arrived from Vermont and the cars unloaded.  Already the cars were lining up to get onto the Ferry.  It was a tight squeeze just to get up to the toll booth.  We didn’t move much forward from the toll booth and I could see a line of cars behind us out to the street and around the corner.  Our 60+ feet was taking up lots of room. 

Finally we were ready to board this ferry.  There were three rows across the ferry and we were on the inside row up against the pilot house.  The guys who were directing us on realized how wide we were and checked us on the side.  

We were so close to the cars next to us I could not get the MH door open.  The driver of the car beside us was not in her car when we pulled up.  When she came back she had to climb across the passenger seat to get to the driver’s seat.

JAMMED IN TIGHT.  LEAVING ESSEX NY

ESSEX NEW YORK

LEAVING NEW YORK - HEADING FOR VERMONT

VERMONT ... GREEN MOUNTAINS .. BEAUTIFUL

So….all my pictures had to be taken from the window in the MH.

It was a beautiful ride over.  The Adirondacks to the back and the Green Mountains to the front.  Sailboats dotted the water all around.  

SAILBOATS AND MOUNTAINS .... NO BETTER COMBINATION!!!!!

VERMONT OFF IN THE DISTANCE

MUST BE SAILBOAT RACES GOING ON!!!

Disembarked at Charlotte VT south of Shelburne and wound our way out to Route 7N to Colchester. 

SAILBOATS MOORED IN CHARLOTTE HARBOR

DRIVING OFF THE FERRY WAS NO SIMPLE TASK!

US 7 - BURLINGTON - RUTLAND .... ALL FAMILIAR PLACES FROM A LONG AGO PAST

                                  LOOKING DOWN ON CHARLOTTE VT HARBOR

It was a wonder to see these mountains again.  You’d think one mountain would begin to look like another, but it felt different being in Vermont.  We passed the Shelburne Museum and The Vermont Teddy Bear factory.  Picked up I89 and made our way north of Burlington to Colchester.

We’re staying at Lone Pine Campground.  At first glance it seemed crowded but once we got into our site we realized there is a lot of room between sites.  No privacy but big shady elm trees and wide open grass.  There is a section of the park that is seasonal with many park models and RV’s with wooden decks and beautiful gardens.  It is really well done here.  Some of these seasonals have gazebos and lawn furniture that is better than what I have (of course that wouldn’t be a stretch).  Anyway, it’s about $3460 for May 1 – October 15^th and if you want to store you RV it’s $175 for the rest of the year (not per month).  If you have a park model and leave it on the site, the city of Colchester will tax it. There are many Floridians here; some spend their time at the Villages and some down the west coast.  It’s a large park and very pretty.....

…and just a mile down the road is Lake Champlain with Mallett Bay to keep your boats.  Lots and lots and lots of sailboats.  We took a drive down that way and it was breathtaking.  Unfortunately the weather was settling in and I couldn’t get great pictures of the water and surrounding mountains.  

ACROSS MALLETT BAY TO THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS

Monday we woke to rain so we headed down to Burlington to pick up some coffee beans.  I identified a coffee roaster before we got here so knew where to go. 

Burlington is the home of University of Vermont (UVM), St Michaels College and Champlain College.  It has always been (when I was a child) and still is, an interesting, intriguing place.  In 2007 the city was named one of the top four “places to watch” in the US by AARP.  This was based on what is perceived as ideal for older residents; new urbanism, smart growth, mixed-use development and easy-living standards.  I’m sure it helps that it is surrounded by an academic atmosphere with lots of enrichment going on.

Burlington sits on Lake Champlain and we drove along the Burlington waterfront but couldn’t find decent parking so continued until we found a restaurant on the water to have lunch.  They had Ipswich Clams on the menu so I had no problem ordering my lunch.  Dave has to stay away from Ipswich clams as they make him deathly ill.  We watched the Ferry come into Burlington and were so glad we didn’t pick that one.  We would have had to drive the MH towing the car clear through downtown Burlington past UVM and St Michaels College to get to I-89.  It wouldn’t have been as pleasant as coming up Route 7.

From lunch we headed out of town to Walmart to replace our toaster and get some motor oil.  It was still drizzling and getting colder.  Went through the University of Vermont campus and by St Michaels College and Champlain College.  Got to Walmart and you would have thought they were giving something away!  It was packed.   What else to do on a rainy Monday!

Tuesday we woke to more rain, coming down harder, and temperatures a lot cooler.  We’re sitting near 60 degrees …. But don’t despair (altho I am) it’s going to be 90 by the weekend …. Oh joy! 

Today we drove over to Waterbury to the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.  It was raining and cold all the way over and the clouds were hanging low on the mountains.  Got to Ben & Jerry’s and the parking lot was packed.   What else do you do on a rainy Tuesday!

The story of Ben & Jerry is quite interesting.  It is a Vermont story.  They opened their first ice cream shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington.  It was very popular.  They went on the road across the country in a van like the one above dishing out their ice cream across the states.  On their way home it caught fire in the mid-west.  They went public in a true Vermont way ... offering stock to Vermont residents.  Their dairy comes from a dairy co-op in St Albans and this co-op pledges not to use any hormones or other ugly stuff.  Other ingredients are from Fair Trade areas.  

You know why they only sell their ice cream in pints???  Their ice cream is very creamy and this determined that opening the container four times is enough to keep it fresh.  Ice cream in the larger containers tend to crystallize as they get partially thawed and refrozen.  I agree with this.  I have thrown out more ice cream because it was crystallized and crunchy.  Pints work for me.

We took the tour which was GREAT.  Had a sample of ice cream which was GREAT … and bought a bumper sticker for the MH “If it’s not fun why do it?”  Ain’t that the truth.

IS YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR HERE??

We headed up Rte 100 to Stowe Vermont and stopped at Champlain Chocolate Factory, and Cabot Creamery.  Vermont is a large dairy state.  Those Cabot cheeses in the grocery store ….. the ones that say Vermont Cheese … are made in Cabot Vt.  This was a Cabot outlet and the cheeses are GREAT.  Many, many more cheddars than you’ll ever see in Publix.  Picked up Adirondacks Cheddar and Private Stock which is very sharp and exceptionally good.  We’ll have a Cabot near us in Windsor VT so can restock before leaving.  


Another place I need to find is Crowley Cheese which will be in southern Vermont.  My father would stop on our way home to Connecticut at the Crowley Cheese store and buy pounds of this cheddar. He'd cut it up and freeze it because you could not buy it outside VT.  I remember it as being a very sharp Vermont cheddar.  

Kept driving up 100 and then swung around Rte 15 circling around Smugler’s Notch bringing back old skiing memories.  Of course you couldn’t see the tops of the mountains but just knowing they were there was enough! 

Smugler’s Notch has its own piece of history.  It got its name for…wait for it ….. smuggling!  The Embargo Act of 1807 prohibited Americans from trading with Great Britain and Canada to keep us from being dragged into the Napoleonic Wars.  The British bypassed the embargo by importing products to Canada and smuggling them down mountain trails through Smugglers Notch.  Many residents continued illegal trade with Canada carrying goods and livestock through the notch.

The geology of the notch is remote and dotted with caves used as hideaways.  The War of 1812 slowed the smuggling down. 

Speaking of War of 1812……we won't be seeing any bicentennial celebrations ..... it was unpopular in Vermont.  Apparently New England did not provide militia units or financial support.  Vermont voted for the Federalist party opposing the war.  However, 5000 troops were stationed in Burlington on Lake Champlain outnumbering the residents.  Some soldiers were quartered in the main building at the University of Vermont.

Smugglers Notch was later used as the Underground Railroad when fugitive slaves used the notch as an escape route to Canada.    I have a photograph of the house my mother grew up in.  Written on the back of the photograph is a statement that says  under that house was a tunnel used by the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.  I’ll be going by that house that I loved so much and spent so much time in with my Grandparents.  I never knew there was a tunnel under there anywhere!

The notch was improved to accommodate autos providing in 1922 a route for liquor to be brought in from Canada during prohibition.  The caves were perfect for storing alcohol at near room temperatures.

….and you wonder why I love history…….

We came through the town of Morrisville and saw Noyes House Museum.  

Noyes is my grandfather's name and they settled in Vermont in the 1600's.  I'll have to see if Carlos Noyes is a distant relative.  


Our last stop before getting back to the MH was the Vermont Maple Outlet to see if their maple syrup was less than the last three places we saw it.  Shooo enuf.....we got a half gallon of maple syrup for.....$29.99.  That is $5 less than anywhere else!   Also had a maple sundae ....maple creamee ice cream with maple syrup topping.    Of course I got a small box of maple sugar candy.   I'M IN PARADISE!!!!

LIQUID GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday is our last day in the Burlington VT area and it was another day of promised rain with laden skies.  However, we decided to explore the Lake Champlain island area of Grand Isle.  Grand Isle is a strip of land surrounded by Lake Champlain the goes to the top of Lake Champlain to Canada.    We could have taken the Ferry from NY to Grand Isle or driven to the top and over the Rouse Point Bridge down to Burlington.  The island is 14 miles long and 3 miles wide and about 45 mintues from Burlington and 1 1/2 hours from Montreal.

A LITTLE HISTORY...

NY gained this land in 1764 assigning it to Albany County.  March 1772 Albany County was partitioned to create Charlotte County and it remained this way until Vermont’s independence from New York and Britain. 

September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the Revolutionary War.  Vermont’s border with Quebec province was established at 45 degrees north latitude explaining why Grand Isle has no dry-land connection to the rest of the US.

New York still unhappy about relinquishment of its land to Vermont asked US Congress to arbitrate.   March 1788 Congress ruled against NY.  Vermont petitioned for statehood and was admitted March 4, 1791.

Originally the towns of Grand Isle, North Hero and South Hero were granted to Ethan Allen, Samuel Herrick and 363 other Revolutionary War veterans as a single town known as Two Heros. 

In 1798 Two Heros was divided into North Hero (entire north island), Middle Hero and South Hero but in 1810 Middle Hero was given complete autonomy renamed Grand Isle which, ironically, was what the French originally called the whole island.

 GRAND ISLE STATE PARK

While heading north we saw Grand Island State Park and decided to take a look see.  I had seen this State Park when I was applying for host jobs but they already had their hosts for the summer.  

We drove in and explained that we were hosting at Mt Ascutney and wanted to take a look around and spent some time with the hosts to see what we were to expect.

Grand Isle State Park is the most visited campground in the state park system. (I love it’s not Mt Ascutney!)  It has 4,150’  of Lake Champlain shoreline.  Canadian border is just up the street and the Ferry from NY comes into Grand Isle.

This campground is fantastic.  It is dry camping as in all the State Parks, but you can get an MH or Trailer in here.  The campsites are mowed grass, very private as they keep the grass high with wildflowers between the sites and situate the sites at angles so you can’t see other sites.  

 The Vermont State Park has leantos.  It was thinking lean-to's like on the Appalachian Trail but these are great.  The sites are very large so you can add tents or screen rooms; extend tarp off the roof....it's your choice for a camping retreat.  

One whole loop of Leantos sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Champlain.  

This is the view looking from the leanto.  Islands dot this area which is probably why it's Champlain Island area.

These are the restrooms and they all have beautiful gardens.  Apparently a volunteer comes in once a week and maintains all the gardens throughout the campground.

The host area has a very large campsite area located near the restrooms.

You can play football in the host campsite....it goes from this garden past the 5th wheel.

The campground has a boat ramp and a swimming area.  I can see spending a summer here.

We headed back to Colchester to get laundry done and get ready for our summer move to Mt Ascutney State Park.  

Traveling around has been lots of fun but I'm looking forward to settling in one place for a while.  I'll probably get ansty in about a month but we can to anything for 60 days.

Apparently fall colors set in mid-September so we'll be here to see it all!!!!!!   I love being in Vermont and am looking forward to the rest of the summer.  I'll be dragging Dave to my childhood spots and hopefully finding some cousins I haven't seen for 15-20 years.  He's such a trooper.  Willing to go anywhere I think up.  Couldn't have a better companion!

This is home ..... where my ancestors come from.  Both my Father's family and my Mother's family settled in Vermont in the 1600's and 1700's so I'll be looking for that cemetery my mother took me to when I was 12 years old and traced my Grandfather's family back before the Revolutionary War by reading the gravestones.  Yes, I'm a DAR!

My heart is in the south.  It's where my family and friends are.  

The south is important to me .  

Vermont is where my history lies.  It is important to me.  

I think it's going to be a GREAT summer.

ADIRONDACKS

THOUSAND ISLANDS TO THE ADIRONDACKS

JUNE 20th

We pulled out of KOA Thousand Islands around 10AM and it was already 80 degrees.  It would be a GREAT day to be on the water and the waters, on both sides of the campground, were calm with soft breezes blowing.  Yes, only place to be is on the water.

We headed to Wilmington NY home of Whiteface Mountain which is 10 miles north of Lake Placid.  Our route took us on SR 3 starting as the Seaway Trail and turning into the Olympic Trail in honor of the Lake Placid Olympics which I remember well because I was living in the Berkshires…and I have no idea why I didn’t make my way up to Lake Placid except that I was a young, haggard mother and probably had neither the time nor the money!!!!

On our way we went through Watertown which is the home of Fort Drum.  Watertown was settled in 1800 by pioneers from New Hampshire as part of the large migration into New York from New England drawn by the Black River cascading through the town.  The city is known as the birthplace of the Five and Dime, the safety pin and Little Trees air fresheners. 

As an aside, my ancestors on my Father’s side  had very large dairy farms in Rutland, Vermont and in the early 1800’s (50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed) they migrated west to Aurora NY in the Finger Lakes as part of the westward movement. 

When I think of westward, I think of “out west”, but New York after the Rev War was “out west”.  

Further aside ….. it was this westward movement that continued west to Kentucky where they brought their farming, seeds and distilling skills creating a rich, rich bourbon history. 

Gotta love how the threads of the tapestry comes together!

 The Olympic Trail travels east to west for 170 miles from Lake Ontario to Lake Champlain passing through the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Park.  Man….is it beautiful up here!

The Adirondack Mountains are sometimes included in with the Appalachian Mountains but are more related geologically to the plateau of the Canadian Shield similar to the Laurentian mountains in Canada.  They are separated from the Green Mountains of Vermont by Lake Champlain and Lake George.  Interestingly enough the Adirondack Park is the largest protected area in the contiguous US and is larger than…..Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Canyon and Great Smokie Mountains COMBINED.  It consists of 6.1 million acres (9,375 square miles) and is the size of Vermont.

Indian Insults .....

The word “Adirondack” is a Native American expression applied to the Algonquians by the Iroquois intended to be a derogatory name  meaning, “The Ones Who Eat Bark”.  Those Indians had their way with insults!

Although the Iroquois and Algonquians never settled in this area, Samuel de Champlain sailed up the Saint Lawrence and Riviere des Iroquois near what became Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in 1609.  He was the first European to encounter the Adirondacks and imagine the sight before him.  By 1642 the Jesuit missionaries and French trappers were in the region.

Spiritual Renewal

During the 1800’s the mountainous areas were viewed as forbidding but James Fenimore Cooper, Thoreau and Emerson transformed the view to a more positive term as a source of spiritual renewal.  I believe today the mountains are a source of spiritual renewal. 

Part of Coooper’s 1826 The Last of the Mohicans: a Narrative of 1757 is set in the Adirondacks, although the movie was filmed in Western North Carolina at Hooker Falls (just down Cascade Lake where we spent the last two summers) and Chimney Rock.  I guess filmmakers must have seen a resemblance between WNC and Adirondacks.  It’s definitely there.  Same spiritual renewal.

Bless the Environmentalists!

Logging and other ventures threatened the Adirondacks.  In 1894 environmentalists amended the State Constitution to protect this area.  Article VII, Section 7 (renumbered in 1938 Article XIV, Section 1) reads:

The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.

Over the years this amendment has been unsuccessfully challenged by industries preserving a beautiful piece of land for future generations.

And aren’t we glad they did!  

We continued  climbing, climbing into the Adirondacks and coming down into Lake Placid was breathtaking …. Not only for the views of the surrounding mountains …. but also for the near takedown of a side view mirror on a utility truck parked croaked as we came through downtown Lake Placid almost sideswiping it off!  My head was on the dashboard, eyes closed.  Little did I know I was blocking Dave’s view of the side mirror! 

Our campground is ten miles north of Lake Placid Village on the way to White Face Mountain.  It’s a cool 95 degrees and hotter than hell!  Go figure!

WHITE BIRCH

Trip down memory lane!!

Every summer for six years I went to overnight camp for the Month of July.  My brother went to overnight camp the last two weeks in June and the first two weeks in July.  For our “only child” two weeks, we spent them with our grandparents in Vermont.  My parents really had summer figured out.  Essentially they  had the month of June and July to themselves.  By August my brother and I missed each other so much we didn’t have one fight! 

So, for six years I celebrated Christmas in July.  To this day when July 25th comes around I think it’s a holiday.    We drew names for our recipients of our Christmas gifts and they had to be made from local resources.

Now you’re probably wondering why I’m boring you with details of my childhood … but this is my blog and it’s becoming my historical journey.  The one item that was always packed in our trunks along with shorts, swimsuits, towels, etc is an autograph book.  It was important to obtain everyone’s name & address before camp ended.  

So……the perfect Christmas gift and the one I made every year for six years was an autograph book using paper from my stationary supply and making a cover out of birch bark.  Of course we had to find downed trees because stripping bark from a tree isn’t healthy for the tree.  As soon as I saw these trees, I was once again at Ayapoo creating my Christmas in July gift.

June 21st brought hot temps again.  It was almost 80 when I took Billy for his mid-morning walk. Last night we walked him down the trail to the K9 Doggie park that all these KOA's have.  HE LOVES THEM!  However, after chasing the ball for about fifteen minutes he was panting with his tongue hanging out.  Ninety degrees here actually feels hotter than in Florida.  There was not a breath of air moving.  It was like breathing in a dryer.

This morning I walked Billy around the campground and we passed a trail that led to the K9 Doggie Park.  He yanked me over to that trail, got down close to the ground and crawled along pulling me to the trail.  I told him we'd come back tonight but it took some convincing him to stop yanking.  Amazing how he knew that trail.  Normally he doesn't yank on the leash.

We all piled into the car and took a ride heading, at first, to the summit of White Face Mountain.... that is until we got to the toll and they wanted $16 for us to go up.  Decided we'd been to the tops of mountains before and they were higher than 4,867 feet so we would find our own views.

And views and views and views we did find.  However, for most of them, by the time Dave stopped the car the view was completely out of view!  Many of these roads don't have shoulders and everyone up here is in such a hurry.  So, I found this one......looking out onto Saranac River.  

We swooped down around to the Village of Saranac and then back through Lake Placid.  The temperatures were climbing into the 90's by this point so decided to come back to town when it's cooler - tomorrow or Saturday.

Coming back up SR 3 we pulled into White Face Mountain ski area.  How different a ski area looks in the summer!

I love the colorful chairlifts.  In my days of skiing, the chairlifts were all black or silver.

I noticed from Niagara to Adirondacks, the fire hydrants have these tall posts to that they can be found in the snow!

A look back at White Face Mountain.  

A mountain isn't complete without a mountain stream...Ausable River at Whiteface Mountain.

June 22, 2012

We had originally planned on going  to Plattburgh to hike the Ausable Chasm but dogs are not allowed in the Chasm.  They weren’t allowed in the Watkins Glen Gorge either.  So, we hung out in Lake Placid as the weather changed from hot to mild and visited the Olympic sites.

We parked in a parking lot and paid the meter to walk around the Olympic sights.

Wandered around the buildings and went inside to see what was up.   Opened doors and peaked in and lo and behold we found the skating rink.

Lessons are scheduled throughout the week and it's used by professional and Olympic skaters for practice.


Dave was disappointed that he didn't bring his skates!  There was a store across the street that rented skates but he felt the blades would not be the kind he was used to.


Oh well, guess I won't be witnessing his skating prowess!

Watched the skaters practice for a while then wandered outside to see what else there was to see.  1980 was a long time ago and the building is basically it.  Dave still wouldn't give up on the skating and decided he needed to go through the Athletes Entrance .... but had trouble opening the door!

All this work required lunch......before going into a town we research breweries as those are the places we like to eat.  Lake Placid did not disappoint.  There were two breweries to choose from and the deciding factor was parking!  The Village of Lake Placid is lined with stores and a few hotels with on-street parking making the two lane street fairly narrow.   I cannot even imagine this village during the winter Olympics. 

Ended up at Lake Placid brewery on Mirror Lake.  We started out with a sampler of their six beers, all of which were very good, narrowed down our choices and had great pub sandwiches and beer for lunch.    The weather was going from hot to cool with some rain in between so we headed back to the MH late in the afternoon. 

This evening we walked down to the Ausable River to hike the first half of a gorge.  The Ausable River or Au Sable River runs through the Adirondack Mountains past Lake Placid and Au Sable Forks into Lake Champlain.  This river is known for its spectacular gorges, cascading falls,  Ausable Chasm and one of the best eastern trout rivers in the USA.  The river is 94 miles long and runs the perimeter of the KOA Campground.

Heights are not my friend so this is as close to the edge as I was going to go!

Although we descended to this end of the trail we were at the top of the gorge as the river runs down from White Face Mountain.  The trail was very rough, rocky and rooty as well as steep in places.  At first I was descending with Billy on a leash and my camera on my shoulder.  It didn’t go well and handed Billy off to Dave so I could keep my balance.  Billy is part “goat” and loves to hike these trails.  He’d love the water if we can get down to it.  Apparently this trail eventually descends to the River so we may check it again out tomorrow.

 I am truly feeling my age.  Ten years ago I would have been climbing all over these boulders probably climbing down to the river over the ledges.  Now I look for the easiest path to get me where I want to be.  I wonder how that guy got down there!

June 23, 2012 - Woke up to much cooler temperatures and they felt great.  Heard some rumbles of thunder but couldn't pinpoint where the storms were so headed out to see some of the Olympic venues.

We headed up to Mt Van Hoevenberg to see the Sports Complex.  On the way up, we passed the Olympic Jumping Center where ski jumpers launch from a 90-120 (393.44’) meter tower to jump the length of a football field.   

Training and competition for Nordic ski jumping takes place year round thanks to a plastic mat out-run on the 90m jump. The Freestyle Aerial Training Center is located to the right of the base of the jump towers. Aerialists can train in the summer months by jumping into a 750,000 gallon pool.   You can see these jumps from all of the surrounding area.

Rain was closing in on us, clouds forming around the mountain peaks.  By the time we got up to Mt Van Hoevenberg the rain was close. 

Mt Van Hoevenberg is the home of the Olympic Bobsled Run.  

This venue was used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and Goodwill Games in 2000.    The Bobsled track built in 1930 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is used for training and recreation.

Used by German team in the 1930's

The original Bobsled Track is a “natural” track carved out of the mountain following the mountain’s curves.  It was designed longer, steeper with sharper curves than European runs allowing for steadier driving and faster speeds.

The bobsled track has a lip added to the sides to keep the sledders from flying off the track into the woods.  Apparently that is what happened during the 1930 Olympics.

Live and learn!

All the tracks end with an up-hill run to slow these sleds down.

The combination track was completed in 2000 to host bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions for the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games.  It was in 2000 the German team  surveyed the track declaring it was too dangerous and returned to Germany.

It takes fourteen days to get the Combination Track ready.  Under the track are refrigeration pipes, starting from the top a fine mist is sprayed down the track.   After layers and layers of this fine mist are hardened, the track is scraped and carved to create the curves.  All of this is done by hand.

Somehow I thought the podium was larger!

We decided to take a bus tour to the top and forego the Bobsled Ride.  As we stood there, the thunder started and the rain came!  By the time we got to the top of the Combination Track is was POURING, thundering and lightening.  It’s always more intense on top of a mountain. 

The track is enclosed which keeps the refrigeration inside.

Even through the rain, you can see the ski jump towers in the distance.

LOOKING DOWN FROM THE START LINE.

FROM HERE THE PUSHER HAS JUMPED INTO THE SLED!

These tracks are used throughout the winter hosting numerous competitions.  Imagine how beautiful all this is in the snow!

Normally we would have been able to walk down the track but with the rain we rode back down.  At the bottom of the track it started to hail so we were glad we didn’t opt for a bobsled ride!  The bus driver was nice enough to drive us to our car and we only managed to get slightly soaked!

So ends our time in Lake Placid and the Adirondacks.  We are heading to Vermont tomorrow via Ferry across Lake Champlain.  Our traveling days are closing and soon we'll be settled into our summer home at Mount Ascutney where we will be hosting for July and August.

Tonight the KOA is providing us with a pot roast dinner.  Apparently this is done on Sunday nights but mis-information was provided to some campers that dinner was Saturday night.  So......they came around last night with an invitation for the dinner since we are checking out Sunday and that they would be delivering it to our camp sight around 6PM.   Works for me!

LIFE IS GOOD!