Turns out, possibly due to the rain this year, the camping area is a swamp
The grounds keeper told us he wanted to throw some dirt fill in the areas, but once the cat tails start, it's officially a swamp, and they aren't allowed to touch it
It rained our first night, so, instead of making dinner, we used it as an excuse to go out looking for a dry place to eat. Fortunately for us, the bridge to Vermont is right there, so we crossed, and found a small town with some delicious flat bread (okay, "pizza"). We were happy: The food was good, and I got to color in another state!
The weather was great the next morning, so we had a look around and found a covered fishing pier, and a monument to Champlain himself. (Far as I am aware, there is no pressure to remove this guy from favored monument status.)
We went on to Fort Ticonderoga, which Shelly thinks is just like Old Fort Niagara, but which I know is much much different. For one thing, Fort Ticonderoga is privately run. Also, it played a smaller role in the War of 1812. Anyway, we started with a boat trip on the Carillon (named for the French name for the fort), which was a nice trip up and down that part of the lake while docent gave us an oral history of the fort and the area around it
When we arrived at the fort proper they greeted us with a band, and shot at Vermont in celebration
The next day, we explored the Eastern Adirondacks. We went to Ausable Chasm, but were disappointed to find it is a tourist trap, and wanted $38 for the two of us to have the privilege to hike their trails. We said "no" but did take a free walk upstream from the Chasm
Same problem when we got to High Falls Gorge: They wanted $20 for two to hike. I told Shelly we can find nice hikes with waterfalls closer to home (our Summer home in Endicott NY). (One is Buttermilk Falls, described in another folder.) Anyway, in the Adirondacks we did explore Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. (Lake Placid, of course, hosted the Winter Olympics back in 1980.)
When growing up, my family would spend two weeks a year in (the Western) Adirondacks. It's a great place to relax with a family, with plenty of (free) hiking and some good boating opportunities if you happen to own one, especially if you are camping on a lake. My advice is to watch out for private enterprises up there--often charging very high prices for little value!
Tom
