We would have loved to spend another day or two in historic Philly, but because of the severe weather & loss of electricity we had to move on. Bypassing the flooding NYC, and in desperate need for nature, we drove to upstate New York (which apparently means anything other than the Big City!) On our way to Herkimer, New York, we saw first hand a small portion of Irene's destruction.
Here we were stopped while crews cleaned up fallen trees & power lines... with no option to turn our house around, we patiently waited:)
We first drove to Syracuse to take care of a few necessities; a haircut for Jim, grocery shopping, container shopping to organize my messy kitchen cupboards, and bike shopping to replace the one Alayna out grew. We only had an hour to our next campsite in Herkimer, but learned that I-90 had been closed due to flooding just past the exit we needed. Unfortunately this meant major back-up... the final 2 miles took us 2 1/2 hours!
From Herkimer we took a daytrip to Old Forge in the Central Adirondack Mountains. What a gem! We shopped around the cutest mountain town and hiked what Alayna called "the most fun trail EVER!" The trail on Bald Mountain was completely natural. We traversed large rocks and boulders, using tree roots throughout to help us climb the steep terrain 2 miles to the top. We were thankful for the markers that showed we were on the right path...
The peak was complete with an old fire tower that gave amazing views in every direction.
We worked up an appetite, so stopped at a joint we'd never see at home...
couldn't resist pizza and clams... mmm...
Even more delicious though, were Jim's famous ribs he smoked for us on one of our rainy days in.
We love stopping at produce stands along the way and scored big at an Amish roadside market. This is what creative Alayna did to our two little yellow watermelons:
While in the area, we had hoped to tour the Remington Gun factory, but learned that they are no longer giving tours. Instead, Jim spent a morning in Cooperstown touring the baseball hall of fame.
After Herkimer, we drove north to Lake Placid in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Absolutely stunning.
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| Passed lots of these signs, but have yet to actually see one:( |
We had to start our visit in Lake Placid with an Olympic tour. At the jumping complex we watched kids practicing at the freestyle pool,
rode the chairlift alongside the jumping hills,
& rode the 26 story elevator to the top of the K120 tower to see (with butterflies in our stomachs) the olympic ski jumper's perspective.
We also visited the Olympic Sports Complex, site of the 1932 & 1980 bobsled track as well as the newer combination track, now used for practicing & competing bobsled, luge & skeleton. We were able to walk the 1 mile combination track, getting a close up view of the height they take on the turns.
It wasn't enough for Jim, Natalie & Alayna to just walk the track, so the three took a ride with a professional driver & brakeman on a wheeled bobsled down the original olympic track!
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| Feeling the Olympic spirit! |
We also walked through the Olympic museum and watched skaters practicing in the rink famous for the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's "Miracle on Ice".
We loved browsing through Lake Placid's quaint shops
and couldn't resist the "maple ice cream" sign in Emma's store window...
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| Maple soft serve drizzled with pure maple syrup & topped with wet walnuts |
One of our favorite finds in New York was a trail on the Sentinel Range that camp neighbors told us about. The Pitch-off trail by the Cascade Lakes was a 2 mile hike up a rugged path that led us up 1,450 feet. Lots of rock climbing, a short path by a sheer drop off and a gorgeous waterfall view in the distance.
As usual, the summit was the highlight.
High Falls Gorge was a beautiful sight, too. Though not as strenuous, the views were breathtaking.
It was also one of the many areas we could see destruction from Hurricane Irene. Water had risen 25 feet in the gorge!
We had found an interesting restaurant on our drive in to town & knew we'd have to try it before leaving.
Tail O' the Pup BBQ Lobster & Clam Bake offered outdoor-only seating on row after row of picnic tables. Wouldn't find this at home! We loved the live music, outdoor pool table,
& oh-my-goodness, good food.
We also had fun just hanging out for downtime at our campsite...
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| Alayna & her new bike |
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| Putt-putting at our KOA |
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| Trying out the KOA ropes course |
Before leaving, we wanted to take the Cloudsplitter Gondola to the summit of Little Whiteface Mountain. Unfortunately, our last day was rainy
and left us with only this for a view at the top...
We absolutely loved our visit to New York. Having been to New York City, we couldn't believe how vastly different the northern part of the state is. The huge trees, mountains & streams, scenic drives... we'll definitely return to the Adirondacks.
And I finally figured out how to add a map to each blog! I'll be sure to pinpoint places we visited in each state to show a visual of how much (or little!) of each state we cover.
On to Vermont!
A) Syracuse
B) Herkimer
C) Old Forge
D) Cooperstown
E) Lake Placid
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