Wandering America
June 2007 - Part II
Prospect Mountain Mike and Peggy Everingham from Topsham, Maine joined us at Lake George Escape for a few days. They were completing the seventh week of their "Take A Break" tour (they own a home in Topsham but do extended RV trips in their motorhome).  The next day we decided to drive up Prospect Mountain but the day was warm and hazy which restricted the visibility. "On a clear day you can see forever," well at least to the Green Mountains in Vermont (looking east) and to the skyline of Albany (looking south). That was not to be the case on this day as it was not a "clear day". We could hardly see Lake George Village below let alone the Green Mountains or Albany's skyline. You can see Lake George, which is also referred to as the "Queen of Americas Lakes", and Lake George Village in the photos below. Lake George Village is sandwiched between Lake George and Prospect Mountain. Also, I forgot to mention in our earlier travelogue that Lake George, being higher up in the Adirondack Mountains, actually flows north through the LaChute River into Lake Champlain.     As we approached the top of the mountain there is a parking lot from which we could either walk to the summit or take the shuttle bus. Being a hot, humid day we opted for the shuttle bus ride up and decided to walk back down. The bus driver told us that fall is the best time to get clear views from the mountain - I bet it is absolutely beautiful with the fall foliage.  Prospect Mountain was the home to the Prospect Mountain House Hotel which was erected by Dr. James Ferguson in the 1877. Many of the guests went there for health reasons - tuberculosis or hay fever. It was accessible by horse drawn carriage up until 1895 when the incline railway was opened. Rumors that the hotel would become a gambling casino prompted George Foster Peabody, who had acquired the mountain in 1904, to give it to New York State to be developed for public use in 1923. The hotel hotel was destroyed by fire in 1932 so all that remains today is some of the foundation and remnants of the old incline railway.   Before they left, Mike and Peggy wanted to take us out to dinner. Peggy chose J. T. Kelly's Pub and Grill which is a steak house in Lake George Village. We had a great time with a good meal, thanks guys. We look forward to seeing Mike and Peggy again while we are "Wandering America". Schroon Lake We took a day trip to Schroon Lake and the Town of Schroon. This is another beautiful quaint little village in the Adirondacks located along side of a pristine lake with majestic views. The town has a park with a beach and two public boat launches on Schoon Lake. We enjoyed walking around the park and taking some pictures from the public dock.   While in the park we came across Poppy's Copper-Top which is known for their kettle-corn but also serves hot dogs, hamburgers, and funnel cakes. We must live a very sheltered life because we had never heard of funnel cakes before; a treat that is popular in the south, so we were told. A type of bread dough is fried in a circular ring known as a funnel which makes it look somewhat like a cake when it is done, hence the name funnel cake. Then it is sprinkled (or in this case, doused) with powdered sugar and eaten while it is still hot, this is definitely not on our "heart Smart" diet. We had eaten breakfast about an hour earlier and were not hungry but we had to give it a try it anyway. It was most definitely sweet tasting a little like a sugared plain doughnut, too sweet for my liking but we, like little pigs, ate it all in spite of the fact.   Schroon Lake is also home to the Word of Life Bible Institute and Word of Life Camp. When we lived in Maine our children attended the Word of Life youth group at one of our local churches. They went to a Teens Involved week at the Word of Life Camp which was a competition for Bible drill teams, musical talent, and other various competitions. We had never been to the camp so it was an opportunity for us to see first hand what our children experienced back in the 1990's. Word of Life has a Bible Institute and several camps around the lake. The Island, which can be seen from the village, is where the Teens Involved week is held. The Ranch is where the pre-teens enjoy their week at camp.     This was the Teens Involved week and they were very busy shuttling kids back and forth from the Island so we didn't get to go over, maybe next time.   They also have a campground and an Inn on the lake. The Inn is located just outside the village and we spent some time walking the grounds. It was sooooooo peaceful that we just sat down in their lawn chairs enjoyed the majestic view over the lake (it wouldn't have taken much to fall fast asleep for a mid afternoon's nap).  Friends Along the Way I've said it before and will say it again, the best part of this lifestyle is the people you meet along the way. We had a pot luck dinner with our fellow workampers at Lake George Escape RV Resort. These are great people to know and a lot of fun to be around. We work hard and put in a lot of hours for retired people, but when you get to work and play along side fellow RVers like these it makes it all worth while. Rallys are another way of enjoying this lifestyle. There is just something about getting together with people who have the same interest whether it be RVing, motorcycling, skiing, snowmobiling, four wheeling, hunting, fishing, or whatever. We have some fellow RVers who are holding a rally at America's Best Campground in Branson, Missouri in June of 2008 (RV-Dreams Journal). They have over 75 rigs signed up at this time and will probably have 100 before next April which is the cut off date for registering. What a great time that will be meeting new people and making new friends, so we are reviewing our travel plans to determine whether we will attend. We, also, have our friends back at MeCosta Pines Campground in Morley, Michigan who we will visit again in the fall. While we were in Alabama last year we made a lot of other RVing friends that we have kept in touch with via email and will be seeing them again when we return to Rainbow Plantation where we have leased a site to use as our home base. Further, there are all of the other friends we have made along the way and we look forward to seeing them again as we are Wandering America. And lastly, let us not forget to mention the friends that we have made over the Internet through various websites of which we have never met in person but hope to as we continue to travel. This is a great lifestyle for people who love to travel and make new friends - friends is such a nice warm sounding word and one can never have too many of them. Next month our son Marc, his wife Amie, and our two grand daughters will visit for the fourth. We'll also be visiting Lake Placid and continue to seek out nearby treasures to share with you. |