A Mouse in the House

We have had an unfortunate wildlife encounter. No, we didn't run over a moose. One night about a week ago we heard a scratching sound from somewhere near the rear of the coach. Dorcas thought it was a mouse in the coach. I was in denial and disagreed. I thought the sound was coming from outside, perhaps branches or leaves brushing the side or top of the coach. Our fears were confirmed however when we found tangible signs of a mouse. Under the galley sink he had nibbled on some apples and potatoes and in a drawer he had shredded some dish towels and a pot holder. There were also some more disgusting signs. Dang. He was apparently settling in for the winter and building a nest. Having had mouse invasions in our previous coach and our travel trailer, I was prepared with mouse traps already on-board. I set up traps under the sink and in the towel drawer. Since we knew he liked apples, that was our bait of choice. It turns out this particular rodent was a worthy adversary. For several nights in a row, he took the bait in both traps, but never sprung either one. Then last night I heard the trap spring under the galley sink. Yes! When I looked, there he was. Unfortunately, he wasn't dead. He wasn't even injured. It seems that he had sprung the trap, but the wire snapper had missed him entirely. He was sitting on the trap munching on the bait looking at me. I looked at him, he looked at me. I blinked, he blinked. Before I could whack him, he scurried away. Dang. Now he was probably trap-wary, and we would never catch him. However, we were persistent and continued to set the traps. Sometime this evening Mr. Mouse's luck ran out. He got nailed in the towel drawer. I just hope his family is not on board. We are keeping the traps out, just in case.

Arrival in New Hampshire

This morning we broke camp and drove the Veteran's Memorial Highway to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. The summit offers excellent views of Lake Placid and the High Peaks. On a clear day one can see Montreal, Quebec. Unfortunately, today was not a clear day. There were no clouds, but there was a thick haze. Still a great view.

We have now left New York and the Adirondacks behind. It's nearly impossible to get from Wilmington NY to Vermont. That pesky Lake Champlain gets in the way. We could cross on one of several ferries, but they charge by the foot. With the coach and the Element, including about 4 feet of canoe sticking off the rear, we are about 60' stem to stern. The toll would have cost almost 80 bucks. Our other options were to 1) use the bridge 30 miles to the north at Champlain, or 2) use the bridge 30 miles to the south at Port Henry. The ferry would be the quickest route, but, hey, we're retired. We're in no hurry. We used the Port Henry bridge. We zipped across Vermont in no time. Tonight we are camped at Apple Hill Campground, a private campground in Bethlehem, NH, north and west of the White Mountain National Forest. For the first time in two weeks we have external electrical power and are doing some laundry and running the heat pumps, the microwave and the stereo. We will probably stay here 3-4 nights and hike in the WMNF, before heading to Maine.

Quote of the Week

"You're playing worse and worse every day and right now you're playing like it's next month."

"You know, Willie Wonka said it best: we are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of dreams. "

Herb Brooks, coach of the gold medal 1980 Men's Olympic hockey team.

Olympic Venues, Lake Placid

Today we returned to Lake Placid and toured some Olympic venues. Lake Placid hosted the third winter Olympic games in 1932 and the 13th winter Olympic games in 1980. The Olympic Sports Complex hosts the skating events and is near downtown. We toured the Olympic museum there, which had a number of very interesting exhibits. One exhibit had a continuous, uncut televised showing of the 1980 USA vs. USSR men's hockey match aka "The Miracle On Ice". We didn't watch the whole match. Later we toured the Olympic Jumping Complex. We rode the elevator to the top of the 120 meter jump, which had thrilling views of the countryside around Lake Placid. We also watched future Olympic hopefuls honing their skills at freestyle jumping. The skiers would slide down a plastic coated ramp, launch off the end, do flips and twists, and land in a swimming pool. It was very entertaining.

When we returned to our campground, the weekend crowd had departed and the place was nearly empty. There were only about eight sites occupied in the 54 site campground. That's one of the good things about camping during the week. It's slack time. Another good thing about being able to stay at the same place for a good while is that you get to know the people running the place. Mike here is a great guy, and climbs a mountain almost every day before work. One of his first duties each morning is to clean out the fire pits. He has been bringing us abandoned firewood from other sites. We don't even have to pilfer it ourselves! We have had a fire every night that we wanted one, and will leave with more wood than we came with. Cool! The only camper who has been here longer than us is Ron. Ron has been camping at Wilmington Notch Campground almost continuously for two years. He says he wants to die here. Technically there is a 14 day limit, but they usually do not enforce the limit except during peak periods. They asked Ron to leave during the busy 4th of July and Labor Day weekends, but he returned shortly thereafter. He will have to leave when the campground closes for the season next month, but will likely be back when it reopens in the spring. Ron wins the contest for the most frequent camper points.

I keep a log of when and where we have stayed in the motor home. Tonight I summed things up: On September 30, the year is 3/4 gone, and we have been in the motorhome for 107 nights this year so far. It will be about three weeks until we get home, and we have some other trips planned before the end of the year, so that number will rise. Additionally, we have spent at least 45 nights in a tent this year: backpacking on the Chatooga in Georgia, canoing the Withlacoochee River (north) in Florida, biking the KATY in Missouri, canoing the Current and Jack's Fork in Missouri, backpacking the "Bob" in Montana and canoing the BWCAW in Minnesota. I think we have earned some serious frequent camper points ourselves!

Oktoberfest

Today we attended Oktoberfest at Whiteface Mountain. If you have never attended an authentic Oktoberfest, the objective is to drink German beer, eat German food and listen to German Music, all to excess. We managed to accomplish all three quite well. Luckily the event was within walking distance of our campsite at Wilmington Notch. Musical headliners were die Schlauberger, said to be "America's #1 German Festival Band" (that must be an impressive honor) and the Schwarzenegger Connection. When we attended the Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia a few months ago, someone said that a little ragtime goes a long way.
The same can be said of traditional German dance festival music, which is a kissing cousin to the polka. In the afternoon we rode the gondola to the summit of Little Whitemface Mountain. The temperature there was in the low 40's with 30-40 mph winds. I'm considering re-thinking my commitment to wearing only short pants for the duration of this trip. From Little Whiteface we had great views of Lake Placid to the west, Lake Champlain to the east and the Adirondack High Peaks to the south.

Mt. Marcy

Today we conquered Mt. Marcy. Mt. Marcy is at EL 5344' and is the highest peak in the state of New York. We approached on the Van Hoevenberg trail from Adirondak Loj. That trail is 7.4 miles to the summit with an elevation gain of about 3300'. A pretty fair day hike. As is typical for most summit trails, the first third is flat, the second third is moderately steep and the final third is the steepest. While it is a long hike, almost 15 miles round trip, it's still not as steep and tough as is Mt. Katahdin up the AT from Katahdin Stream access. The weather was not great, but it could have been worse. The temperature was mild, in the mid-50s at the summit (with +40 mph winds!), but it was overcast and spitting a little drizzle all day. Unfortunately the views from the summit were obscured by fog and clouds. For a while we thought we would be the only ones on the mountain this day, but shortly after leaving the summit, we met two young soldiers, who apparently had trotted up the hill. Show offs! At the trailhead was a pile of rocks with a sign asking hikers to carry a rock to the summit, for use in cairns and trail markers. Dorcas and I, being noble and dedicated to the cause of wilderness preservation, each carried a rock to the summit. I bet the soldiers didn't carry a rock!

After the hike, we were bushed. We headed for town and had pizza and beer at Mr. Mike's Pizza.

Lake Placid and Wilmington Notch, NY

We are camped at Wilmington Notch Campground, at the base of Whiteface Mountain, about 8 miles from Lake Placid. We signed up here for five nights. When we pulled in the lady asked if we were looking for the KOA. Wise ass. I guess they aren't used to seeing the big rigs. On Sunday we will probably head for New Hampshire. Yesterday the temperature rose to very unseasonable 90 degrees. It stormed a bit last night, and, after a day or two of unsettled weather, it should get cooler. Today we are poking around the village of Lake Placid. Lake Placid was the site of the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympic games, and is rich in Olympic history. Except for the Olympic venues and some good bars and restaurants, the village of Lake Placid is basically a shopper's tourist trap. Parking is tight in the village, but we found a metered space where the meter stopped counting down at 1:30 hours. Free parking! We have left the prime paddling area of the Adirondacks and have entered excellent mountain hiking terrain. Tomorrow, if the weather is not too bad, we may hike to the summit of Mt. Marcy, the highest point in New York.

Paddling on the Bog River

Today we paddled on the Bog River, between the villages of Long Lake and Tupper Lake. The Bog Flow is a well known canoe camping area. One can put in at the Lower Low's Dam and paddle a few miles along flat water through Hitchen's Pond to the Upper Low's dam. After a short carry around the dam the river continues to Low's Lake, where there are about 50 established campsites. The ranger reported 95 cars in the parking lot (actually strung out all along the access road) on Saturday night. People were still coming out on Monday morning, but we saw few people after noon. At the upper dam we hiked to the Hitchen's Pond overlook, a high rocky outcrop that has excellent views of Hitchen's Pond and the Bog River. It was a very leisurely and enjoyable day trip.

This area was developed by Augustus Low, who was into about everything, including maple products, lumber and wine. When he built the upper dam in 1907, the state of NY claimed he flooded public land and levied a fine. He disagreed and ignored the fine. The state later re-fined him and he paid the fine under protest. About 60 years later Low's son, Augustus, Jr., filed suit on the the old fine and won. The state returned the amount of the fine with interest. Justice prevails!

Lake Lila

Today we paddled on Lake Lila. Lake Lila is in the William C. Whitney Wilderness area near Little Tupper Lake. It is a camping destination with about 2 dozen established campsites on the lake. To access the lake, one must negotiate a 0.3 mile carry from the parking area. This inconvenience did not stop folks from carrying coolers, folding chairs and the kitchen sink. These folks would never make it in the Boundary Waters, where efficient portaging skills are a must. I suspect that the real canoe campers find more remote areas to visit.

We paddled a mile or two to the far end of the lake against a brisk headwind. There we hiked 1.6 miles to the summit of Mt. Frederica, which had commanding views of the lake. On our return, the wind had shifted (of course!) and we enjoyed an even stronger headwind as we paddled back. On the carry folks were impressed with how I singlehandedly carried the boat, and asked how heavy it was. I told them the secret is a decent yoke and good balance. That and practice. Rookies!

Still in the Adirondacks: Blue Mountain Lake

We are still camped at Lake Eaton. This is a wonderful area. We will likely stay put until Tuesday and then move to Wilmington Notch CG, near Lake Placid in the High Peaks area. The colors are continuing to ripen, but they have not peaked yet. We may see peak colors before leaving the High Peaks.

Today we went back to Blue Mountain Lake. We hiked to the summit of Blue Mountain, a climb of about 1750' over two miles. The summit is at 3759' and there is an abandoned fire tower with excellent views of the area, including Blue Mountain Lake. Our only mistake was to do the hike on a gorgeous Saturday morning. There must have been 300 hikers on the mountain. We're retired! We can do this any day! Why do it on a Saturday? Actually we did it today because we wanted to get back over to Blue Mountain Outfitters, where they were having a demo day for Swift Canoes and Kayaks. Bill Swift, the founder of Swift Canoes was there. I own a Swift Yukon and wanted to meet Bill Swift. They had a lot of kayaks on hand, but very few canoes. Dorcas and I paddled a kevlar Prospector and a few kayaks (but don't tell anyone that!). It was a bit windy on the lake so it was difficult to get a good feel for the boats. The Prospector needs to be paddled on a river anyway to be appreciated. We didn't buy a boat, but Bill said he could bring me a new Yukon when he is in Wilmington in November. I said I'd let him know.

Tupper Lake vs Tupperware?

Yesterday we went back to The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. We spent another 7 hours at the museum. We didn't see it all, but at least we walked through almost every exhibit. If you are ever in this area, I highly recommend this museum.

Today we puttered around Long Lake and drove over to Tupper Lake, "the Crossroads of the Adirondacks". Tupper Lake has the only cell service within a gazillion miles. We called Mom and she asked if that was where they made Tupperware. I don't know, but there is a large factory (kinda rundown now) that says Jarden Plastics Solutions. Hmmmm. We found a really good canoe outfitter at Tupper Lake. We bought some maps and got some good ideas for out-of-the-way ponds to paddle.

Photo of the week

"I washed in hot water and I SHRUNK!"

"And that's the truth!"

Quote of the Week

"Of all sports ever sported, commend me to angling. It is the wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best; the safest, cheapest, and, in all liklihood, the oldest of pastimes."
William T. Porter, 1840s

Blackfies, Mosquitoes, and Punkies: a cosmopolitan police, detailed by Divine Providence to guard the great hunting park of the Republic from the incursions of cockney poachers and murderers of deer in the summer. Long may they wave!"
North Woods Walton Club Toast, 1858

Blue Mountain Lake and Long Lake, NY

We are camped at Lake Eaton, a public NYDEC campground near Long Lake, in the heart of the Adirondacks. Today we visited the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. We were there 7 hours and did not see half of the exhibits. Our admission is good for a second day, so we are going back there again tomorrow. One reason we moved so slowly was I got bogged down looking at all the old canoes and Adirondack guide boats. Recreational canoeing here goes back to at least the 1870s. Canoe heaven.

The weather has been exceptionally pleasant, with daytime highs in the 70s and evening lows in the 40s. The campground here is nearly deserted; we will stay on this site until Sunday, so we won't have to fight the weekend crowds (if any) for a new campsite. We have scavenged enough abandoned firewood from the campground to make fires every night for a month.

Old Forge, NY

We are at Nick's Lake, a public NYDEC campground near Old Forge, NY. This morning we paddled the shoreline of Nick's Lake. The weather was mild and sunny and there are no motorboats allowed. A very pleasant and relaxing paddle. This afternoon we explored the towns of Old Forge and Inlet, along the "Fulton Chain", consisting of First Lake - Eighth Lake. There are deer in every other yard around here. They say bears have been raiding the campground, but we haven't seen any yet. Bear season opened this weekend; everyone has warned us to be careful hiking. I don't think I will wear my black hat and vest.

Tonight is forecast for 29 degrees, but it should warm up in the next few days.

North to the Adirondacks

The Country Coach Nor'Easters fall rally is over. One good thing about hanging around until the bitter end of a rally is that you get a ton of leftover food. Today we will leave the Watkins Glen and the Finger Lakes region and head north towards the Adirondacks. I think we will go first towards Old Forge, on the west end of the park, about 4 hours from here. There are some good paddling and hiking opportunities in that area. After a few days we may move north and east towards the mountains and northern lakes areas.

Last night it got down to 40 degrees. It looks like it will warm up a bit over the next few days, with the highs heading into the mid 70's and lows in the 50s. I don't know what our internet access will be like, but I will post again when I can.

Museums in New York

Yesterday we visited the Corning Museum of Glass. They have glass artifacts dating back 4000 years as well as priceless pieces of glass art. My favorites were the live glass blowing and forming exhibits and the technological glass exhibits, including containers (beer bottles), flat glass and optical glass. They had some hands-on classes, and Dorcas made a $1.00 glass bead for $15.00.

Today we visited Hammondsport at the south end of Keuka Lake. We spent most of the day touring the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. Glenn Curtiss was a motorcycling and aviation pioneer and a contemporary and rival of the Wright Brothers. He set a number of speed and aviation records and is considered to be the "Father of Naval Aviation". This weekend they hosted the annual Seaplane Homecoming, and there were a dozen or more seaplanes at the lake, including the Curtiss seaplane reproduction "America", intending to make it's maiden flight. The original "America" was built with the intention of being the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic, but that effort was stymied by the outbreak of WWI. The reproduced "America" did not fly today, because it's engines could not produce enough power for take-off. It did taxi on the lake for the spectators.

This evening we learned to play "31", a card game I had never played before. Suffice it to say that these old folks (the average age of motorhomers exceeds ours by about 15 years) took advantage of the youngsters.

Trail of the Grape

"Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Leave me alone. Let me go home
I wanna go back and start over"
Tom Paxton

We have found some wonderful cool weather here. Last night it was 46 degrees; today probably didn't get over about 70. It's been a great time to be here. Watkins Glen is at the south end of Seneca Lake, in the heart of New York's Finger Lakes region. It is a perfect wine growing region and there are 36 wineries on Seneca Lake alone. Today we visited five wineries for tastings. And, if that weren't enough, we returned to camp for a wine and cheese party. Wino heaven.

Watkins Glen, NY

We arrived at the KOA in Watkins Glen before noon. I have always had an aversion to camping at a "Kampground", for no particular reason that I could understand. Now I have a tangible reason for my prejudice. Ruth at the office assigned us site B-54, and we went on down to set up camp. When we got to B-54 there was yellow crime scene tape across the site, and the site was full of loose rubble and gravel. It looked like grave robbers had just left. I went back to the office to see what's up, but Ruth was clueless. She called Ray, an outside guy, and he said they had cut a tree and pulled a stump out of the rear of the site and hadn't finished repairing the surface. That's fine, but where do we park the coach? There were no other sites available for the duration of our stay. She had a site we could have for two nights, but we would have to move to another site for the next two nights. Finally Ray said he could fix the site. He would bring in some fresh gravel, spread it and compact it, but it would take about an hour. We really had no choice, so we checked in at the rally HQ while Ray did his thing. Amazingly he had gravel and a roller compacter on the site pretty quickly and was finished in just under an hour. It wasn't perfect, but it'll do. The Country Coach folks running the rally here have had other problems with the KOA and said they won't be coming back here again.

There are 34 coaches at the Country Coach Nor'easters Fall Rally. One must live in New England, MD, DE, PA, NJ or NY to join the Nor'easters chapter. We are one of only three guest coaches, so we are surrounded by Yankees, however, everyone here has been as nice as they can be to us. For a while we were afraid they had assigned us the war zone aka B-54 because we were interlopers from down south, but they assured us that was not the case. Right.

This afternoon we visited the village of Watkins Glen and Watkins Glen State Park. Watkins Glen SP consists of a 1.5 mile run of Glen Creek as it cuts about 600' down through a narrow gorge of ancient sandstone and shale before reaching Seneca Lake. In the early 1900s steps and tunnels were built through the gorge for the tourists. There are a number of spectacular waterfalls and pools. The Village of Watkins Glen was very quaint and unspoiled. It is a very nice area, and we are looking forward to seeing more of it.

Landing in New York

We got away this morning about 10:00 AM. That's about a 40 hour turnaround after returning from Minnesota. A rolling stone gathers no moss. Whatever that means. We stopped for the night about 10:00 PM at the I-81 visitor's center just across the New York state line. It's only about two hours to Watkins Glen, so we should arrive at the Country Coach rally by mid-morning tomorrow. The temperatures have been a bit cooler today; at 10:45 PM it was 59 degrees. We have been in and out of rain all afternoon. I hope we got some back home.