Lake George, NY

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I think I mentioned that I saw the booth for Lake George at the AAA Marketplace and even when I told them I was from the area, they pressed the brochures and materials into my hands. I wouldn’t want their gift to go to waste so I decided to go through the information and see what I thought of the area if I looked at it through a tourist’s eyes. By the time I finished I was ready to book my next vacation in the Adirondacks!

Let me go over some of the points that caught my attention and that would make me plan a vacation in my old stomping grounds.

First of all, Lake George is beautiful no matter what time of year you go. Having spent approximately 1/3 of my life in the area I can attest to that. So the first thing the brochures addressed was the lake. 32 miles long it is always sparkling, clear and clean , a spring -fed lake. In the summer cruise boats ply the lake. In the winter there’s ice skating and ice fishing and a Winter Carnival.

When I was growing up the Ticonderoga was the largest boat and sailed the whole length of the lake. As I recall it was a full day trip. The Mohican was a smaller boat and only cruised the southern portion from the piers in Lake George Village to just north of Bolton Landing, stopping at the Sagamore/ Green Island after it’s turn around. That’s certainly changed. The original “Ti “ & Mohican have long since retired but there are new boats including a paddlewheeler. The last I knew the Mohican II, listed on the National Register of Historic Places ,was still conducting narrated tours along the shoreline.

One of the things that I don’t remember doing as a “kid” is white water rafting on the Hudson River. That and slow-tubing or lazy river tubing are new offerings, or at least new to me…not that I never went “tubing”. I seem to remember “tubing” on the Schroon River and Trout Lake. We always seemed to have a big old patched inner tube around somewhere. Now there are commercial Tubing companies Like Adirondack Tubing Adventures and Tubby Tubes.

Another attraction that sounds familiar but I can’t picture is Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. Located in neighboring Pottersville. The brochure describes it as ranging from easy walking tours to challenging cave crawls. I would definitely go there again. I’m sure I went as a child but like I said, I just can’t visualize it. Be nice to refresh my childhood memory or see it through adult eyes.

The Hot Air Balloon Festival in September is something that is has been added since I lived in the area. It’s been over 30 years since I lived there so I would expect that things would change! Now, I am not a “ballooner”, I’ve never been up in one but I would love to attend this event just for the opportunities to take pictures of the colorful balloons.

History buffs or maybe even ghost hunters can’t skip the forts. There are forts everywhere in the area. The Syfi channel’s Ghost Hunters Series has even done a couple of shows there. One in Fort Ticonderoga and I believe one in Fort William Henry. In fact there’s a tour called Spirits of History Ghost Tours that runs from Memorial Day to Mid-October. Even Fort Edward on the Hudson River get’s into the act. There you can find the Old Fort House Museum, one of the oldest frame buildings in upstate New York.

There are trails and mountains everywhere for the hikers or if you prefer the water sports, boating, water skiing, freshwater scuba diving, para-sailing or just hanging on the Million Dollar Beach at the end of the lake. If you do decide to hike, be sure to summit Prospect Mountain. Not a hiker? No problem as you can reach the top by taking a 10 minute drive up the Prospect Mountain Veteran’s Memorial Highway. Once on top you can experience the 100-mile-view of the surrounding mountains.

The Great Escape was called Storytown when I was a kid but it’s grown up and now is a Six-Flags Theme Park.

And the places to stay…well, everything from rustic campgrounds to RV parks to cabins or motels to a hotel on an island reminiscent of the great hotels of the 50’s & 60’s like was featured in the movie “Dirty Dancing”. I worked with the photographer at the Sagamore as a teenager. I remember them announcing cha cha lessons on the veranda! I know there have been many renovations done to the Sagamore but I expect it is still the showcase Hotel on the Lake.

I mustn’t forget to mention that Lake George becomes the motorcycle capital of the east for a weekend every summer when the Americade, the world’s largest motorcycle rally, comes to town.

　There’s so much more I could tell you about the area but I think you might enjoy finding out for yourself.

Roaming Around Marshfield

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Leaving the Sanctuary, I hopped back on RT 139 and headed toward the coast. One of my friends had suggested I check out the Marshfield coast and beach area for photo opportunities.

It was getting late so I stopped for lunch at Gerard’s Turkey farm. Just a quick Turkey sandwich and back on the road. When I pulled up along the sea wall it was apparent that I wasn’t the only person who was enjoying a lunch or snack in their car while watching the surf.

Once I finished my lunch I hopped out and took the stairs down to the water. Sea gulls soared over head and waves crested and crashed . The colors were amazing. Another gentleman called down to me about how pretty it was today! He had a point and shoot and was trying to capture the view as well. My guess is that his pictures will be just as good as mine. Point and Shoots do a great job for this type of photography as I learned when I took one to Hawaii.

Here on the water the breeze was brisk and had a cold edge to it. I climbed back up and decided to drive around a little bit to see what else might be in the area. I found the Green Harbor Marina and a quaint little stone church.

I headed back to the sea wall as it was approaching sunset and I thought I might get a good picture. Unfortunately the sea wall itself blocked the rays from the setting sun putting the water in shadow. Seeing that I sat for awhile just listening to the waves crashing and watching people feed the gulls.

I finally roused myself to head home. It’s times like this that remind me why I love living close to the ocean. I couldn’t have been more relaxed if I’d just come from a $100 spa treatment. It’s the whole experience, the sun, the sounds, the smells. Here in Marshfield the sea smell was crisp and salty. I’ve been some places where rotting sea weed makes the shore stink at low tide but there was none of that here today.

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As I headed into the west I watched the sunset spread soft , muted pastels today…no fiery red sky. A fitting end to a wonderful day.

Back to the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary

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Finally a day off when it isn’t snowing or raining. That’s not to say it’s beach weather but it’s a lot nicer than it’s been. The sun is out and although there is a stiff breeze it isn’t that cold, cutting wind. I have to drive to Plymouth so I think I’ll swing up to Marshfield and see how the sanctuary survived the winter. I intended to get there during the winter but it seemed like there was a winter storm every time I got a day off. So here it is …almost spring…and I’m just getting back here now.

As I pulled in to park I saw that the little garden and bird feeders were still there next to the entrance. I scared a flock of blackbirds but then I think I saw a flash of red. I think they may be red wing blackbirds.

My goal today is to make it to the end of the main trail. A friend of mine asked me if I’d been there yet. He said there are often deer and that you can almost always see a red-tailed hawk or two. I knew it was the wrong time of day for deer to be out in the open but I mainly wanted to see the area.

I started down the path and right off the bat met up with another couple who were really walking fast. I stopped and let them pass ahead of me. I wasn’t looking to run a race. I think I have seen this couple here before, He, like me, takes pictures and she seems to be along for the walk.

I took the right path down by the pond. There were ducks and swans and the ever-present Canadian geese. I passed the otter slide on the left but it didn’t look like it had been used in a long while. I entered the woods and here the path was still covered with snow and ice so I had to step carefully. I took the “Secret” Trail along the boardwalk that led to the meadow where I saw the deer last year. All was quiet, the leafless trees making for a surreal landscape.

Back in the woods I followed the boardwalk until the trail split. I went right this time and took the loop trail which is just what it says…a loop. Back on the boardwalk again I hooked up with the main trail and followed it up to a wooden platform. This must be the Fox hill Observation platform and the end of the trail. I sat there listening and looking out over the varied terrain thinking about what it would look like in a month or two when spring has really “sprung”. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a movement. A large bird was flying low over the landscape. It was too far away for a picture so I just sat and watched. It landed on a fence post and I used my telephoto to get a little better look. I think it was a hawk but I couldn’t tell what kind. Maybe the red-tail I’d been told about?

It didn’t stay there very long before it took off circling higher and higher. It was soon joined by 2 others, the three of them dipping and gliding in a kind of ballet in the sky. I’m not sure how long I watched but eventually I figured I should head back. Other than the 2 people I had met when I started out, I hadn’t seen another soul.

Leaving Fox hill I took the right trail again. This one was marked River Walk. I had started it last visit but had turned around. This time I was determined to walk the whole thing and I’m glad I did.

The Green River was slow and meandering here, it’s smooth surface acting as a mirror for the trees along it’s banks. Not too far in the river made an oxbow and led me around to a pretty wooden bridge. This too was reflected in the calm river waters.

Crossing the bridge led to a board walk over a swampy area and on to another bridge. Once I crossed that bridge I recognized the other end of the River Walk. I was back on the main trail. A bit farther on is a little trail to the right that I remembered from last year. It’s where I got the picture of the buttercups and sunshine. Today it was just dead grass but it still held a surprise. As I headed out of the last bend a hawk took off from the tree right in front of me. I got a good glimpse and then he was behind the tree line.

I moved up to the end of the trees only to see him winging upward to do the same soaring dance I’d seen the other 3 hawks do earlier.

I continued along the main path until I reached the duck blind. I let myself in and probably spent a good 30-45 minutes there watching the geese play on the pond. They were splashing and bobbing like so many little kids playing. They all seemed to be in pairs too.

By now it was definitely time to move on. I still wanted to find the Marshfield beach .

I was impressed by the condition of the trails and the blinds. Everything is groomed and some of the fence posts looked new. If they are, then the Audubon folks have been busy indeed as winter hasn’t even come to an end yet.

　

　

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Grand Canyon Railroad and the AAA Travel Show

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As I wandered on to the 2nd half of the show floor I seemed to be moving into the more local booths, local as in states. I stopped at The Hershey, PA booth and right next to it was Lancaster County, PA, Amish country. And then I saw a big sign…Lake George and I had to stop there. I have to laugh because even after I told them I was from the area, they pressed the brochures into my hands. One of the reps was a young lady who has a store on Main St in Bolton. She knows my mother and brother so I told her to tell them she had seen me.

More local was the Concord Booth manned by reps in colonial dress.

 There was a National Parks booth too where I stopped for a chat.

As I was preparing to leave…if I could find an exit…I saw a booth that I has somehow missed. The Grand Canyon Railroad! There were 2 young ladies manning that booth and it wasn’t crowded so I had a chance to have a nice visit. I told them we had a trip planned in May and would be taking the train and include the Rim tour. They said that was absolutely the way to do it (of course ) but then we discussed some of the other tours in the area. They had both been on the Bottom of the Canyon tour but with another tour company. They had heard of Native American Journey’s but didn’t know it well. They said that going with them would give us more of the perspective of the Native Americans. They also said that some areas of places like Monument Valley are closed unless you have a Native American Guide. I had heard that but it was nice to have confirmation. As I was getting ready to leave they handed me 2 wooden train whistles as a gift. I had mentioned my sister was going on the trip with me and they remembered saying, “here’s one for you and one for your sister.” Very good. I am impressed by things like that. Shows they were really listening to what I was saying.

I left the Grand Canyon booth and went to the third floor so I could get a look out over the show floor.

 Then I headed back down to leave. Easier said than done. I walked around and around and couldn’t find the exit. Finally I asked one of the security guards.

By the way, security was tight. We didn’t have to pass through any screening but the guards all had the little wires in their ears and seemed to be a higher level than the normal “rent -a-cop”. Anyway, they gave me directions that could have been from Peter Pan…First Star on the right etc J they told me to go to Hershey and take a right then a left at New York etc…Pretty funny. Finally I saw a small exit sign.

But you still had to get past all the AAA displays by the exit. I skipped the survey and headed out. I’d had enough of crowds and “hawkers” for one day. All together I was in the show for around 3 hours. You could easily spend all day but I had what I came for and was glad to drive off into the sunset.

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AAA Travel Marketplace

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Every year I read about the AAA Travel Marketplace. It’s touted as THE Travel event of the year. According to it’s advertisements you should come prepared to book your trip as there will be deep discounts and show specials.

Like most shows it always falls on a weekend and like most shows, I end up missing it because of my work schedule but this year I decided to take a day off and check it out. There were a couple of reasons for my decision. One was that I am writing this travel blog and I felt I should be able to offer some comments on the show and the second reason was that I wanted information on Alaska Cruises since that’s the goal for 2012.

I went on Friday because it was easier to get a Friday off work than an Saturday or Sunday. That meant that I missed the public appearance of Wally the Red Sox mascot and the rep from the TSA who was going to speak about the controversial airport screening policy., both things I would have liked to see/hear. Oh well…in a perfect world J Let’s face it, we can’t have everything even if we want to and life is all about choices.

The show opened on Friday at 2pm and was at the Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. I headed over to arrive around 3pm. I pulled up to the Fidelity entrance as indicated on my ticket but the doors were locked. While I looked around several other cars pulled up and soon there was quite a crowd milling around. About the time I was pulling out my cell to call AAA someone else got the same idea. He got through first and informed us that that we had to go to the other side of the stadium complex and enter there. We all loaded back into our cars and caravanned around the complex.

When we got to the other side we saw the parking attendants and signs…AAA parking.

Even so close to opening time the lots were filling up fast. Looking at the number of cars and the distance I was from the doors I chose to lock the DSLR in the trunk and just take the point and shoot. I felt it would be easier to carry and less conspicuous in a crowd.

It was a good choice.

One inside I was directed up the escalator to the 2nd floor. As soon as I walked in I was in Canada land. There were booths for Quebec, New Foundland, Nova Scotia, Montréal, Bay of Fundy and on and on. I was cornered briefly by one of the Canadian reps… bonjour, Com on sa va etc then with brochures and bags I continued on past Ireland, Costa Rica, Bahamas. My head was starting to spin!

Then the crowds began to thin out. There was a large area with desks and computers marked “Reservations” . Apparently this was where you could whip out your checkbook or credit card and take advantage of all the show specials. I gave that area a wide berth. I only wanted information.

And then I saw the Cruise booths. There was Princess, Disney, Linblad ( Nat Geo’s cruise line of choice), Holland America, and more. I started asking about Alaska at the first booth and was immediately told they were all booked up. I moved on to the next and was also told to try again another time…no specials here. When I reached the Holland America booth the rep was more gracious. She gave me brochures and explained how they set up their cruises and excursions. She said they run the most trips to Alaska so very seldom sell out early. She also told me to go to the web site and if I had questions just to call and they would help. She said it was not to0 early to reserve a cruise in 2012. She said a small deposit holds the reservation. Then she looked around and said “You can go though AAA travel agents, but they will charge you a fee”. That is the same thing my friend Julie told me too.

With my cruise information collected and enough reading material for at least a month, I just wandered around the rest of the show. I’ll tell you a little about that in my next post.

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