Notes From Lake George - II

A nice thing about visiting Lake George after Labor Day is the absence of throngs of people. Suddenly, all the motels - and there are scores of them - have vacancies. Just a few days ago and throughout the summer, available rooms would have been non-existent. There's a huge variety of lodging - rustic log cabins, motels - a few chains but mostly not, fancier hotels and resorts. With the exception of a lovely park in the center of town and a public beach on the outskirts, the motel industry and private homeowners own the town's shoreline. In fact, most of the lake's shoreline, up and down its length, is privately owned. If you want to sit on the lake's edge and take in the sublime scenery, you'll mostly have to do it by paying for the opportunity. There are a couple of public, state campgrounds and boat launches but, by and large, George's shores have, sadly, been privatized.


'50's style, retro neon motel signs line Lake George Villages main street - Canada Street.

Erik, as I've mentioned, had to go to work each day of our week-long vacation. So Dani, Stacey and I went for a stroll along the public access to the lake. Shepard Park is a lovely place to sit and rest one's eyes on the beauty of the water and mountains surrounding it. A lakefront promenade allows a walk along the lakefront or a swim at a small town beach. Restaurants and shopping arcades are there as well.


Dani and Stacey enjoying Adirondack chairs in Shepard Park, Lake George Village.


The promenade is a lovely place to sit and gaze at the beauty of Lake George.


Stacey begat Dani who begat Ethan who...


Just the two of us.


My beautiful daughter and beautiful mountains.

.......

When Eric returned that evening we ventured into town for dinner. We had been cooking at home earlier in the week and this was our "night out." You get spoiled living in New York City. The cuisine upstate ain't haute. On top of that is the tourist trap atmosphere of the town. That leads to high prices and low quality. But we were pleasantly surprised by decent Italian fare at a place called the Sicilian Spaghetti House & Pizzeria. We sat outside on the front porch and had a grand old time.


Erik and Dani on the front porch of our vacation house.


Beautiful, purple hot rod parked out front of the Spaghetti House.


Waiting in line at the restaurant.

We expected the Village to be quiet and peaceful on our post-Labor Day visit, and it was, earlier in the week. But unbeknownst to us, the village was hosting the Adirondack Car Show the following weekend. Beginning on Thursday, hundreds, then thousands, of vintage cars and souped-up hot rods descended on the tiny town. We thought this would be cool until we realized that a prime component of this show was the noise engendered by the modified engines and exhausts. Add to the din a plethora of acrid fumes and it was another assault on the natural beautfy of the lake. That was my view anyway, obviously not shared by the thousands of spectators who filled up the town's motels all over again. They sat in beach chairs spread out on the sidewalks watching as the cars took over the town.


People brought their lounge chairs out to the curb to watch the old cars cruising on Canada Street. A real happening!


Many of the cars were modified. Others, merely restored to their original beauty.


Two cars cruzin' down Canada.


Fans line the porches of local restaurants and bars to watch the show in the street out front.


Stacey stands by her Mercury convertible.


Surfside Motel and friend.


Now that's a beauty.

Notes From Lake George

I have always loved Lake George. Ever since my friend Matt Berkelhammer introduced me to the "queen of American lakes" back in the late 60's, I've had a love affair with this spectacular body of water, surrounded by the towering, green Adirondack mountains.

We two Matts would drive up the NY State Thruway to Albany and then beyond, using the Adirondack Northway. We'd exit at Lake George Village, a honky-tonk town of motels and cheezy attractions and quickly head up the western shore for about 10 miles to the less developed, tiny hamlet of Bolton Landing. There, we would stock up on provisions at the grocery, rent a canoe at the Lamb Brothers boat yard and paddle out into the Narrows, a section of the 32-mile long lake that was studded with islands. Out on an island, one could pick one's own campsite complete with its own dock, a platform for pitching your tent and even its own outhouse. Signs would inform you that "Lake George is drinking water." That's how pure and pristine it was - and take heed, you should take care to keep it that way.

What fabulous, natural beauty! I was so impressed with its cool, clear water and the tall, dark, evergreen-covered mountains rising from its shores. I've never forgotten those trips to this most beautiful of alpine lakes. So it was with great excitement that I looked forward to a trip to Lake George that Stacey and I had planned for just after Labor Day. We rented a house and Dani and Erik were joining us for a week at Lake George.


Dani and Erik, hanging out in our Lake George rental house.


On a bike ride the first morning, I snapped this view of a cloud-laden lake looking north from Lake George Village.

It seems that humans have always done battle with Nature. Thus, does Lake George bristle with a history that goes back to the earliest machinations of the Europeans who occupied the "new" world and claimed vast areas for the kings and queens on the other side of the ocean. Overpowering the native inhabitants, and then using them as warriors to aid their own armies, the French and the English fought each other for control of Canada and the colonies to the south. The waterways of New York and Vermont were filled with warships of both countries as battles ensued between the warring parties. Today's Lake George has dozens of wrecks of 18th century ships, laid waste during those contests. Later on, the American revolutionaries fought the British in numerous battles on Lake George.


Lake George is a history buff's paradise, witness as it was to many fierce battles between the French, English and American revolutionaries. The small sign in rear reads: "Warship Row. Here on March 17 the British fleet of 300 warships (bateaux and sloops) was burned by the French raiders."

.......

We've had a fun time hanging out with Dani and Erik. During the day, unfortunately, Erik, who was to be off this week, has been called back to work, training for a new job. But that's only a half-hour away so he's back to the vacation house quickly for dinner and board games each evening. Dani has two months to go before giving birth and making us grandparents. This was a week away from home and a chance to just relax with family in a beautiful surrounding.


Dani at T minus two months. Checking email at Lake George.


Stacey, preparing dinner for the hungry hordes.

I brought my bike with me. Stacey left hers home, naturally wanting to stay and spend time with Dani. On my first morning out the roads were empty. This was the day after the Labor Day weekend and what was mobbed yesterday with eager tourists was empty today. Many sShops were now closed for the season, motel after motel advertised vacancies and the lake returned to a more natural and quiet status.

Lake George Village, as I stated earlier, is a town built on tourism. But what used to be grand and eloquent at the turn of the 19th to 20th century, has devolved into garish and noisy in the 21st. Also, downright weird. There are Frankenstein Wax Museums, Wild West Villages, miniature golf courses, water-slide amusement parks, endless gift stores whose windows are filled with chazerai and t-shirts emblazoned with vulgar statements, a giant Kon Tiki night club where one can see "Polynesian shows," and so on. What all this has to do with the natural beauty of America's "Queen of Lakes" is anybody's guess, but there it is and here they come! It seems that yesteryear's assaults on nature have taken on other forms today.


The House of Frankenstein (taken by photographer, Weinstein.)


After Labor Day, Lake George Village becomes a peaceful ghost-town. Here, a few straggling visitors take in the lake's magnificent beauty.

Tooling around on my bike the first day, I discovered that the local politicos have done some good things. Eager to attract tourism, which is the bedrock of the local economy, they've constructed a network of beautiful bike paths. So, on the second day of our visit, I decided to bike on one that takes you from the lake some 10 miles south to the old Hudson River paper-mill town of Glens Falls.

It seems that in the old days, before the advent of the automobile, folks would take the train from New York City. At first, they would transfer in Glens Falls to a stage coach that would take them the rest of the way to the Lake. There, they would board steamships that plied the waters of Lake George, delivering their human cargo to various, elegant hotels that dotted its shores. Later, around 1882, an additional rail spur, belonging to the Delaware and Hudson line, was built to take passengers directly to the steamboat terminals at the southern end of the lake. What an elegant way to travel!

Ultimately, the car won out and the train line was abandoned in 1958. But to think that in its heyday, five trains a day made the trip between the big city and the lake during the height of the summer. One could board a train at Grand Central and be relaxing at Lake George by day's end. Nice.

The bike path follows the route that the D&H train used to take and is a good illustration, once again of the contrast between the natural beauty and the trashy attractions that have beome a hallmark of the locality surrounding the lake.


Santa in August. Yep, at the Magic Forest on Route 9.


What's that I see there? Santa and a gingerbread house!


And if that's not Uncle Sam standing there amidst the mountains, why then, I'll be a monkey's uncle. (There are monkeys there as well! Um, not native to the area though.)


And then there's beauty...the bike path seen from my handlebars.


The path crosses a wetlands filled with beautiful colors - a precursor to the autumn season about to explode.

This bike path is quite beautiful. And quiet. I'm taking my time, reading the various signs that have been erected to inform the rider of the history of the area: There's Bloody Pond, so named because some 200 French and Indian bodies were disposed in it during one of the many battles that ensued in the 1750's. And here, it says, was an interurban trolley that once made its runs between Glens Falls and other outlying towns. Trolleys, it's said, were once so ubiquitous that you could make your way from NYC to Albany by switching from one line to another. Thanks, GM!

Finally, I arrive at my destination: Glens Falls, a very pretty town with fabulous old architecture. Look magazine, in 1944, gave the town national recognition, dubbing it "Hometown USA." I want to peruse the back streets and photograph some of the old buildings but Stacey and Dani have taken the car and are meeting me on the main street (Glen Street) at an antiques store. I've got to meet them - no time for photos. So more, perhaps, tomorrow. See you then?


A sample of Glens Falls charming old buildings: the Home For Aged Ladies on Ridge Street.

We Sleep in a Lighthouse in the Hudson!

In late July -- kindly pardon the lateness of this post -- Peter and Lori and Stacey and I journeyed upstate New York. We were on another of Lori's exciting adventures (see - Lorraine's Magical Mystery Tour photos on my Smugmug site).

Where to now? To the pretty Hudson River hamlet of Saugerties, NY. The town lies at the junction of the Esopus Creek and the Hudson and is the location of a beautiful, red brick lighthouse built in 1869. Once upon a time, the Hudson was a major thruway for freight, carrying products from the midwest bound for the great city at its mouth. Barges plied its waters coming from, or bound for, the Great Lakes (via the Erie Canal) and the St. Lawrence River. To navigate its channels and treacherous shallows, 18 lighthouses guided the boats to safe destinations.

Today, only seven lighthouses remain, the need for them having been obviated by modern technology. The Saugerties Lighthouse had so deteriorated that it was practically nothing more than a pile of crumbling bricks and was about to be demolished when it was rescued by friends, presevationists and admirers. Lucky for us, it has been renovated to its former glory and serves as a delightful B&B for those who want to spend a night in paradise - it is on the point of a peninsula that juts half way out out into a pristine section of the Hudson, north of Kingston.

Occasionally, and surprisingly, a giant barge still passes by, on its way upstate or to the city, but most of the time the water is disturbed only by a few passing kayaks, canoes or motor boats out for a ride. One can even swim on a small beach formed on the lee side of the peninsula where the water is calm and protected from the strong currents in the channel that lies beyond.


Lori beckons us to enter the half-mile trek down a sandy path to reach the lighthouse.


Peter carries the goodies for our overnight stay.

Part of the path can be submerged during times of very high tides so guests are urged to arrive with that in mind. We parked our car in a lot next to a Coast Guard station on the outskirts of town and unloaded our clothes and food. Breakfast would be served by the lightkeeper but dinner would be cooked by us, using the B&B's facilities. Off we started, down a lush and sandy trail, walking for about a half-a-mile until we suddenly came upon our destination.


The trail leads through wetlands and tall river grass. Here, the last few steps before...


There it is! A beautiful, brick lighthouse, built in 1869, and it was all ours for the night!

It was a hot and sticky day and even being situated out on the Hudson did little to cool us. So after unpacking, we decided to take a dip in the river, something that people couldn't even imagine doing just a few years ago. But times have changed and the water is cleaner. Though a bit murky, the bottom was sandy and firm and the water cool and refreshing.

There are only two rooms so we had the entire house to ourselves. They were charming -- furnished in the period of the early 20th century. It was very cozy and we felt right at home.


Lori and Peter's room with the Esopus as a backdrop.


Our room looked out on the Hudson.

Lori told us we could ascend to the actual light tower and showed us the way through a door on our landing. Inside was a rickety stairway and then a ladder that took us up to the tower with a view of the river and the surrounding countryside. Beautiful! The Catskills were in the distance meeting a big, blue sky overhead filled with a scattering of a few dark clouds. On one side, looking west, the Esopus flowing down from Saugerties and the hills beyond, into the Hudson. On the other side, the mighty river itself, as far as you could see in either direction.


We climbed a rickety stairway and ladder to get up to the light tower.


Today's light is for decorative purposes only, technology having made lighthouses superfluous. In its early years oil lanterns and reflecting mirrors sent light beams out to warn the ships.


The lighthouse bell, from Troy, NY, manufactured in 1902.


Looking west to the Catskills and the town of Saugerties up the Esopus Creek.


Stacey, Peter, the flag and the Hudson.


Looking north up the river, we spy some people taking a swim on the lighthouse beach. The grounds are open to the public as part of a Hudson River park but the lighthouse is reserved for guests of the B&B.


Peter heads back down through the hatch as Stacey guides him.

Later, as the sun set over the Hudson, we watched a family of ducks, momma teaching her babies how to beg for food from the guests up above on the lighthouse deck. It was very peaceful, sitting there sipping our cocktails (we came equipped), a light breeze zipping over the river and the golden light playing on the ripples and the banks.


"Momma will show you how to beg for bread from that guy with the camera up there."


Old Sol was setting on the Hudson while we watched a duck family paddle by us at dusk.


An incredible location for a B&B, no?


A late-day dip in the Hudson when suddenly a huge barge slips by, heading north...to where?


Lori poses in front of "our" lighthouse.


A very peaceful end to our first day on the Hudson.


The sun dips down behind some Catskill peaks and the river reflects the last light of the day.

We cooked our dinner, using the lighthouse's barbecue on the deck outside but dined inside by candlelight in the 1920's vintage kitchen. Entertainment was provided by our mp-3 player and portable speakers. After, we ventured out again to see a black river flowing softly in the nighttime darkness while overhead a blanket of stars filled a clear sky. We drifted off to sleep with windows open and the sound of the river lapping on the shoreline below.

..........

The next morning we were served breakfast by the lightkeeper/innkeeper, Patrick. Then we explored the grounds a bit more before packing up and leaving before the high tide which might make the path a bit squishy.


Breakfast is almost ready - Patrick, our innkeeper, was a good cook as well.


Peter discourses on various topics as we enjoyed our breakfast.


The Saugerties lighthouse - built in 1869!


Lori and Peter - a nice looking couple, aren't they?


The peninsula is covered with tall grass and lush wetlands.

The rest of our second day was spent perusing the antique shops of the surrounding area. Saugerties has become a center for that activity. It's a sweet little river town with lots of historic architecture and some new, exciting restaurants and shops. We dined in a place that's been garnering lots of attention: Miss Lucy's and we were very satisfied with the food and service.

After our early dinner, we climbed back into our car for a gentle ride back to the city, a few hours south. It was a quite unique and enjoyable couple of days. The lighthouse is very popular and it's not easy to book a reservation there. Ours was on two weekdays which made it somewhat easier. If you love the Hudson, consider a stay at the Saugerties Lighthouse. It's peaceful, beautiful and historic. What more could you want for a relaxing trip away from the busy city?