New York's Adirondacks provide an extensive playground

Great Sacandaga Lake

During our usual summertime visits to the Great Sacandaga Lake in the sourthern tip of the Adirondacks (about 50 miles west of Albany, New York), it's often difficult to want to leave the lakehouse compound and go explore the rest of the amazing mountain range. Sitting and staring at the lake or lounging on the boat is just too appetizing to want to leave.

But at the same time, it's often great and recharging to go see new things. Yesterday, we checked out some different mountain-bike trails than the usual ones we ride near Gloversville. These are near Caroga Lake and the trail builders did a pretty phenomenal job, with multiple pump tracks that are extra fun for the kids and some pretty technical trails laced with rocks that lead to a beautiful pond.

But even Caroga Lake, a town you could blink and miss, is not far from our place in Mayfield. In fact, you could probably spend weeks or months just traveling around Fulton County, which contains a whopping 44 lakes, and still find many ways to enjoy yourself.

That said, here are some other items that I either have done and highly recommend or have heard that I really need to do in the Adirondacks: 

I'm told the Enchanted Forest Water Safari as well as the rest of the attractions in the town of Old Forge are can't-miss, especially for families with kids. How we've never been to that yet, I'm not sure, but it's now high on the list. There are also apparently great mountain biking, skiing, and forest hiking in the area.

Adirondack Experience Museum: Everyone says this is a must-see. On Blue Mountain Lake, it offers interactive exhibits, outdoor activities, and stunning lake views.

I love little towns like Northville, which is also close to our compound on Sacandaga. The candy selection at the five-and-dime always makes the trip worthwhile, and I reported back in 2016 on the town's link to The X-Files.

The Saratoga Perfoming Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs can be a magical place to see a concert. The last show I saw there and reviewed was the Drive-by Truckers/Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2018. I had tickets, but the Dead and Company concert got cancelled at the last minute a couple of years ago because John Mayer's father fell ill.

Mountain biking near Caroga Lake

Lake Placid is more than halfway up to Montreal, and therein lies a little bit of the problem. Even when it seems things aren't that far away, in the Adirondacks roads are curvy and nothing is quite as near as it seems. Of course the town is most known for having hosted the 1980 Winter Olympics, with its legendary hockey storyline for the U.S. team. For what it's worth, singer Lana Del Rey and abolishinist John Brown are from Placid. Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake add to the possibilities in the area. And at Saranac Lake, the cure cottages, which were used to treat tuberculosis patients, can be explored.

Slightly closer back towards Sacandaga is Great Camp Sagamore, an historic retreat where the Vanderbilts and other wealthy families spent summers.

Fort Ticonderoga is up on the Vermont border and allows visitors to step back in time to explore the fort, known, according to Wikipedia, for its 

"strategic importance during the 18th-century colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again played an important role during the Revolutionary War. It was strategically placed for the competition over trade routes between the British-controlled Hudson River Valley and the French-controlled Saint Lawrence River Valley. During the Revolutionary War, when the British controlled the fort, it was attacked on May 10, 1775, in the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga by the Green Mountain Boys and other state militia under the command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, who captured it in the surprise attack."

Finally, although the East Coast isn't particularly known for skiing, I would still like to get to Gore Mountain one of these days for a day of runs.

Could a little lake in the Adirondacks have the best fireworks show in America?

Every year, I vacation in upstate New York during the Fourth of July week. Doesn't seem like there would be much of a fireworks show on a lake in the Adirondacks, right?

Well, every year we end up marveling at the display put on by our neighbors (swimming-pool magnates), who entertain people partying at the house, watching from boats in the water, and along the stretching road in front of their house.

And every year I say that this private show seems every bit as big as the fireworks back home in Washington D.C. Sounds preposterous, I know, seeing as D.C. has what is routinely considered the best fireworks in the country alongside the Macy's event in New York City.

I don't know the actual answer, so I'll go on thinking we get the best personalized Fourth of July fireworks show, right up there with big-time shindigs in San Diego, Philadelphia, San Francisco and others listed by USA Today as the "top 10 fireworks cities in the U.S."

July is For Family Fun

July has been filled with some nice family time. The month started off in the Adirondacks at Rachel's grandmother's lake house. The picture to the left is Jackson (wearing devil's horns) and his cousin Julia ganging up on their older cousin Hannah.

We also went to Fairfield, Connecticut last weekend for our cousin Stanton's 60th birthday. The party was on the beach there and we stayed at our cousins James and Ellen's beautiful house in Pound Ridge, New York. This is an area we could really live. It's got the more mountainous feeling area around James and Ellen's place (which Rachel would like) and the beach (which is more my style).

This was also a chance for me to narrow down the number of states I need to get to. Connecticut was a new one for me. So now the list is five: North Dakota, Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, and Rhode Island.

While in Connecticut, we took Jackson to his first amusement park, Rye Playland in Westchester. He gave it thumb's up, as you can see in the photo. And it was a good warmup for me, as the little rollercoaters hopefully got me back into shape for the big ones that are sure to be headed my way as soon as Jackson gets a little taller.