Wandering America
June 2008
Scenes From Around the Adirondacks    The Battle of Lake George The Lake George area is steeped in historical facts relating to the founding of our country. Some of this country's most significant battles were fought on these grounds - first between the French and Indians (the French and Indian Wars), next the French and Indians against the British (the French and Indian War [American title] or the Seven Years' War [British title]), and lastly the British against the Americans with the Indians as allies to both of them (the Revolutionary War). The historic novel "The Last of the Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper was based on the events that took place in and around Lake George when the French and Indians were battling the British (the French and Indian War or Seven Years' War). (Note: It is important to keep our wars straight - Oh my, history can be confusing at times.) The British Governors had met in Virginia in the spring of 1755 to strategize on how to force the French out of North America with one of the campaigns being to move against the French along the Lake George / Lake Champlain corridor. Sir William Johnson was dispatched to Lake Saint Sacrement, which he renamed Lake George, along with 1500 troops made up of both British and Indians. On September 8, 1755 the Battle of Lake George took place on the southern end of Lake George.  The day began with the British forces, under the leadership of Col. Ephraim Williams, heading south from Fort Lake George to rout out the French who were positioned at Fort Lymann (renamed Fort Edwards). French General Baron Dieskau, learning of the movement from his scouts, sent troops north and positioned them along Military Road just south of Fort George in order to ambush the British. This First Engagement, known as The Bloody Morning Scout, was over by 10:00 o'clock in the morning. It ended with both King Hendrick, the Indian War Chief, and Col. Williams dead and the British forces retreating to Fort Lake George. Col. Williams was buried on the battlefield right next to a rock and a memorial has been erected to mark his grave.    The Second Engagement began about noon time at the site of the British lines at Fort Lake George. A heated battle raged on until around 5:00 when the British provincials rushed over their barricades chasing after the retreating French forces winning the Battle of Lake George. Baron Dieskau, who was desperately wounded, was left behind by his men. He was taken to the fort where a cot was set up for him in Sir William Johnson's own tent. Johnson, in keeping with the customs of the day, treated Dieskau with the utmost civility, even bringing him to his own home in Albany to convalesce. Several years later Baron Dieskau died in France from the effects of his wounds.  Later that day, after the bulk of the fighting was over, some two to three hundred Colonials, on their way to reinforce the British garrison at Lake George, ambushed a group of French and Indians just south of the present day Village. A brief but deadly engagement took place on the edge of a small pond. After the battle was over the Colonials threw the bodies of the dead French and Indian troops into the pond which turned the water blood red, hence, the pond became known as Bloody Pond. Thus the one day Battle of Lake George ended with the first significant win over the French forces by the British Provincials, however, almost two years later the French returned to defeat the British at Fort William Henry on August 8, 1757 which resulted in the fort being burned to the ground (see June 2007 Part I for history regarding Fort William Henry and Fort Ticonderoga).  Just a couple of footnotes. Colonel Williams was unmarried and childless at the time of his death at the age of 40. Being fairly wealthy he bequeathed his estate in his will for the founding of a free school in a town in western Massachusetts to be named after him; therefore, Williams College was founded in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Further, on September 17, 2005 a monument was erected in Battlefield Park in recognition of "all Native Peoples Past, Present, and Future". It bares the inscription from the from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy; "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the seventh generation."  Visitors from the West heading East When we lived and worked in Maine Judy's best friend was Peggy Evringham whom she has continued to stay in contact with. Several years ago Peggy's husband Mike semi-retired and they bought a Winnebago Adventurer motorhome in which to do some "camping". Both Mike and Peggy have family in California so it just made sense to travel throughout the United States and do some sightseeing as they made their way west from Maine to California (and back again). Mike keeps a record of their journeys in his blog, "Maineiacs in Motion."  Last June, while we were workamping here at Lake George Escape, they stopped by for a visit. That was the first time that I had met Mike and we hit it off so well that they decided to stop by again this year. Even though it was only for a couple of nights we still enjoyed the visit and look forward to seeing them again and again and again in the future. As we continue to say, it's people that make our lives rich - whether they be new friends that we meet along the way or old friends from our past. We genuinely enjoyed the time we got to spend with Mike and Peggy. A Day at Six Flags Great Escape One of the benefits of working at Lake George Escape is free tickets and passes to some of the local attractions. We got tickets to The Great Escape last year and again this year as well. This year we went with Mike and Tammy who were part of the Fun and Games Department last year but are the managers of the Guests Services Department this year.  The Great Escape opened in 1954 as Storytown USA as a Mother Goose themed asmusement park and changed its name to The Great Escape in 1983. The park was purchased in 1996 by Six Flags who continues to operate it today. The park is divided into six different theme areas: Fest Area with the more modern rides; Ghostown with an old western town and four of the "scariest" roller coaster rides; International Villiage and Storytown where most of the shops reside; Luney Toones National Park which is where the kiddie rides are located; North Woods Picnic Grove which is for large group picnics and is where the haunted house can be found each fall; and Slashwater Kingdom where the water slides and wave pool are located. The main feature, in my mind, is the Comet rollercoaster. It was built in 1927 as the Cyclone at the Crystal Beach amusement park near Niagara Falls and its name was changed to the Comet in 1947 after it had been rebuilt. It was purchased by The Great Escape in 1989 and resumed service there in 1993. "Roller coaster enthusiasts recognize it as one of the best wooden roller coasters in North America because of its historical significance, elements of hills and drops, and terrific "air" time giving riders the sensation of floating out of their seats. The coaster operates two trains, one red and one blue, each one capable of carrying twenty four riders in four cars in three rows, two across." The Comet is 95 feet tall with an 87 foot drop with speeds of up to 55 MPH and the ride lasts for 2 minutes (the longest two minutes of your life).   Judy's favorite ride is the Raging River which is a round boat that holds six people and travels through a chute that simulates white water rapids. It is a fun ride and you will get wet (in some cases soaked).  Needless to say, there are numerous other rides throughout the park, some more gentle than others.  One
of the newest rides at The Great Escape is the Tornado which is a water
ride that dumps you out of shute into a funnel and then washes you
"down the drain" into a pool below. Oh boy, that water is
coooooold!!!!
   Kayaking the Schroon River
We spent the last part of the month kayaking on the Schroon River. Lake George Escape rents canoes, kayaks, row boats, and electric boats which we workampers get to use for free. I have been trying to get Judy to go canoeing with me but it just wasn't her cup of tea so I talked her into trying a kayak. "Hey Mikey, she likes it!" So we spent several days on the river trying different kayaks and paddles. We have both decided that we like the Sit-On-Top kayaks best and will continue to seek out our favorite one (we have narrowed it down to six with five left to take out for a "test drive"). Here's a couple of pictures of Judy engaging in her new hobby. As you can see these kayaks are lacking in design and utility but we are having fun with them anyhow.   The
Schroon River is absolutely a gorgeous pristine river that provides us with
miles and miles of kayaking opportunities. Here are a few more
shots of this scenic and gentle flowing river.
    Until next time - Drive Safely, Have Fun, and God Bless. Previous Travelogue or Next Travelogue |