While driving on a beautiful winding road that passed through Sharon Springs, it's ghost town-like appearance with large historic buildings kindled my curiosity, "What was THAT town all about?" Did a u-turn and parked on Main Street. According to historical markers in town, over one hundred years ago, this town was home to several elegant resorts which catered to New York City residents seeking tonic spring waters. Most of those resorts and bath-houses are now forlorn-looking.
Except the old Roseboro Hotel; it got lucky with a new owner who plans to restore it. He kindly took the time to chat with me. His priority right now is to get the restaurant up and running. I wished him well with his immense undertaking.
Back on the road, about an hour or so later in the "north country" of New York, I made a left turn on Main Street, Indian Lake, New York. I got waved over because a Memorial Day Parade was to begin in ten minutes. Folks noted my Texas license plate and told me not to expect a Texas-size parade. And "no", they replied, no horses at this parade. But I still had fun watching and saluting our veterans.
After the parade, I saw this little house with a sign, Indian Lake Museum, and was invited to browse through it by this bearded friendly gentleman, the town's historian. I think everyone in town (1,352 people) knows him; quite a few folks stopped to chat with him.
Inside was an amazingly large collection of tools, clothes, photographs and implements from the turn of the century when "river drivers" ruled the land. They're the men who wore cleats on their boots to literally balance themselves on logs floating down the rivers, using long poles to un-jam all the dangerous log jams.
I had hoped to camp at Mountain Pond north of Paul Smiths, New York, for several days, but black flies were hatching. A state park host told me black flies annoy campers from Memorial Day to July Fourth. Everywhere I walked, a halo of black flies buzzed me, waiting for me to stand still. Some day, I will return with my kayak to Mountain Pond or a similar lake or pond in the Adirondacks. It's an idyllic area to paddle, both flat water and rapids, with views of beautiful mountains. I saw quite a few paddlers brave enough to withstand black flies. And on the road, almost every third camper, SUV and car had a kayak or canoe on its roof.
With Plan A scrapped for camping, I found myself scouting for Plan B. I figured black flies love vegetation, so I looked for concrete and pavement. As I approached Saranac Lake, New York, considered the "capitol of the Adirondacks", I saw a large area of concrete and pavement at the Adirondack Medical Center. I immediately pulled into their huge parking lot, took a front row seat with a view of Lake Colby, and said to myself "It ain't going to get better than this!" You can see La Lair in the front row here . . . .
Northwestern Vermont's mountains are spectacular. I love driving their back-roads slowly; had to frequently pull over as a courtesy to impatient locals.
Around every bend in the road was a red barn and white-washed farmhouse.
Inside was an amazingly large collection of tools, clothes, photographs and implements from the turn of the century when "river drivers" ruled the land. They're the men who wore cleats on their boots to literally balance themselves on logs floating down the rivers, using long poles to un-jam all the dangerous log jams.
I had hoped to camp at Mountain Pond north of Paul Smiths, New York, for several days, but black flies were hatching. A state park host told me black flies annoy campers from Memorial Day to July Fourth. Everywhere I walked, a halo of black flies buzzed me, waiting for me to stand still. Some day, I will return with my kayak to Mountain Pond or a similar lake or pond in the Adirondacks. It's an idyllic area to paddle, both flat water and rapids, with views of beautiful mountains. I saw quite a few paddlers brave enough to withstand black flies. And on the road, almost every third camper, SUV and car had a kayak or canoe on its roof.
After a peaceful and rainy night there, I visited the cafeteria for coffee, only fifty cents per cup. Sausage and sauerkraut were on the menu for dinner for $5.50. Then I drove to town and walked on a river path and downtown, admiring the old buildings and another attempt to bring back an old hotel, the Hotel Saranac. Much as I loved my evening at the Adirondack Medical Center and thinking about one of my favorite meals, sausage and sauerkraut, it was time to hit the road again.
I'm a sucker for ferries, so I boarded a ferry from New York to Vermont to cross Lake Champlain. There are three different ferry crossings over Lake Champlain. I pulled in behind a box truck.
I'm a sucker for ferries, so I boarded a ferry from New York to Vermont to cross Lake Champlain. There are three different ferry crossings over Lake Champlain. I pulled in behind a box truck.
Vermont didn't disappoint with its stereotypes. It is truly a land of covered bridges, red barns, dairy cows and beautiful crop fields. Businesses proudly proclaim their energy comes from processed manure.
With my rooftop AC unit, I had about one foot to spare under this covered bridge.
Northwestern Vermont's mountains are spectacular. I love driving their back-roads slowly; had to frequently pull over as a courtesy to impatient locals.
Around every bend in the road was a red barn and white-washed farmhouse.
Near St. Albans, Vermont, is the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. I parked at a trailhead, unloaded my bike, and rode about eight miles. It was a short ride due to an approaching rain storm.
Since campgrounds are expensive and seasonal in this part of Vermont, I queried my GPS for "hospital" with the hopes I'd find another hospitable accommodation similar to Saranac Lake. The "Northwestern Medical Center" popped up on my GPS. It was only a few blocks from downtown St. Albans. And it didn't disappoint; the cafeteria serves heart-healthy cheap meals, bathrooms are very clean, Wi-Fi is free, and their parking lot is flat and peaceful. I spent two nights there and ate a wonderful $4.50 dinner of hot chicken with bacon and apple bits.
My personal discovery of medical and hospital centers as a great camping spot got me thinking more about it. Someday security may knock on my door and ask me if I'm visiting a relative inside the hospital. La Lair isn't completely "stealth-proof" as an RV because it has a rooftop AC unit. But many non-RV folks don't realize the boxy thing on top of my van is a "low-profile AC unit". Fortunately La Lair has no windows. Since commercial vans are often window-less, La Lair is probably often mistaken as a commercial van. I'm also a solo traveler who goes to sleep at sunset and rises at sunrise. With no interior lights or night-time activity, I don't attract attention in a parking lot where staff and visitors come and go 24/7. Plus, many nurses contract out of state, so an out of state license plate isn't too strange. Hope I haven't let the cat out of the bag. I'd hate to see such a good thing come to an end!
My personal discovery of medical and hospital centers as a great camping spot got me thinking more about it. Someday security may knock on my door and ask me if I'm visiting a relative inside the hospital. La Lair isn't completely "stealth-proof" as an RV because it has a rooftop AC unit. But many non-RV folks don't realize the boxy thing on top of my van is a "low-profile AC unit". Fortunately La Lair has no windows. Since commercial vans are often window-less, La Lair is probably often mistaken as a commercial van. I'm also a solo traveler who goes to sleep at sunset and rises at sunrise. With no interior lights or night-time activity, I don't attract attention in a parking lot where staff and visitors come and go 24/7. Plus, many nurses contract out of state, so an out of state license plate isn't too strange. Hope I haven't let the cat out of the bag. I'd hate to see such a good thing come to an end!
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