ADIRONDACKS & BERKSHIRES
We're off for 6 days in the Adirondacks, the Berkshires, and then on to Hartford, Connecticut.
We touched all the required points for a visit to Saratoga Springs and ventured up to Lake George.
Yaddo Gardens...
Getting ready to take a cruise on Lake George...
Cruising Lake George...
On to Fort Ticonderoga, America's Fort.
The history of Fort Ticonderoga is deeply tied to the geography and lakes that extend between Quebec and New York City. We sailed the 32 miles of Lake Charles. The southern portion of Lake Charles is a 12 mile portage to the Hudson River and, thereby, New York City. The northern portion of Lake Charles is a 4 mile portage to Lake Champlain and, thereby, Quebec.
"Lake Champlain, which forms part of the border between New York and Vermont, and the Hudson River together formed an important travel route that was used by Indians before the arrival of European colonists. The route was relatively free of obstacles to navigation, with only a few portages. One strategically important place on the route lies at a narrows near the southern end of Lake Champlain, where Ticonderoga Creek, known in Colonial times as the La Chute River, enters the lake, carrying water from Lake George. Although the site provides commanding views of the southern extent of Lake Champlain, Mount Defiance, at 853 ft (260 m), and two other hills (Mount Hope and Mount Independence) overlook the area."
We're now in Lake Placid, New York. The leaves are just beginning to change.
Whiteface Mountain was the Olympic mountain for skiing in 1934 and 1980.
In that I was in the mountains of Colorado just one week ago, I can say with certainty that the forests and flora of the Adirondacks are much thicker than found in Colorado. The forests of northern New York are lush.
The Adirondacks were once taller than the Himalayans and rockier and sharper than the American Rockies. Erosion, the strongest force in geology, has brought them lower and has smoothed them down.
We were near the summit and it was in the 40s.
Looking down to Lake Placid.
The road up to the summit of Whiteface Mountain.
The final walk up to the summit.
The skyline of Montreal, Canada was visible on the horizon. It is about 100 miles away.
Today we drove from Lake Placid to Amherst, Massachusetts.
Along the way we stopped at The Mount, the home of Edith Wharton, in Lenox, Massachusetts.
One of the finest thoughts I've ever read...
"In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways."
We left the Berkshire Mountains and settled in an Inn in Amherst, Massachusetts. The following morning our final destination was home but we traveled to Hartford, Connecticut to visit Mark Twain's home.
The final drive back into Manhattan went very well since we were driving into Manhattan while most were driving away. A lesson learned for us.
The next few days are going to be crazy here since The General Assembly of the United Nations is in session and the Pope's in town. The Pope is going to observe Mass in Madison Square Garden which is just one block from our front door. There will gridlock in the streets! We should be all right sine we either walk or we ride the subway. There's lots of excitement in the town right now.
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