Final Event of the Season

The Antique Truck and Tractor Show marks the end of our season in Upstate New York. This year's show was the best we have ever been to. Dave brought up the Farmall, the Cyclops (which gets tons of attention), the Town & Country tricycle, my Shelby bicycle, and the 1953 Garden Aid.

Here are a few of the many diverse vehicles on display:

A pristine fleet of fuel trucks...

The "Hose Wagon"

 

 There was a large array of fire engines in attendance:

 

This antique fire truck was gorgeous and not a detail was left out or unpolished.

Civil Defense Rescue Vehicle:

I would love to have this cute little Bantam!

 

An airport snowplow.

This tow truck can tow just about anything.

The truck was nice, but no one was looking at it much because the Hodaka Super Rat that was in it was drawing everyone's attention. Dave used to sell and work on these, and he could find no faults in this awesome rebuild of a classic dirt bike.

  

The queen of the show is always Cousin Chuck's Ultra Van. Recently we watched the Pickers' show and someone in NH had one that Mike and Frank wanted to buy. The owner said that his was one of only two in the Northeast. Chuck's must be the other one!

To top off a fun-filled weekend, Dave's photo appeared in the local newspaper (Marc Schultz photographer). It was taken on Sunday when he brought up the David Bradley and was towing the"Jolly Trolley" with friend Noah helping him steer!

Now that's going out on a high note!

Hiking To A New Horizon

Fall in the Adirondack Mountains is a fantastic time to go hiking. We decided to venture up the 2 1/2 mile trail to the top of Black Mountain, which is the highest peak on Lake George at 2641 feet.

 

Luckily the trail starts about halfway up the mountain, because it ended up being quite a climb. The first half mile was an easy walk on a fire road, and we kept thinking, "This is too easy." and "I wonder when we actually start going up?" This concerned me too, because the further we walked on even ground, the steeper the actual climb had to be. Finally we entered what looked like an old creek bed with lots of rocks, heading up. Challenging, but not insurmountable, and we stopped to catch our breath a few times. Towards the end, when it seemed to go on and on, Dave kept hearing me say, "You've got to be kidding" as we approached each bend in the trail and there was yet another rocky climb upward. However, when we reached the summit, the view was spectacular! "WOW!" Definitely an OMG moment...

I couldn't go near the edge because of my fear of heights, but Dave did, even in the windy conditions...

This is the communication tower on top of the old fire tower. 

It was run by solar and wind power. The wind generator sounded like a helicopter was landing.

The woods that we hiked through to get here. The leaves haven't changed much yet.

This is a very popular hike, but we were lucky to have this vista all to ourselves.

As we departed downhill, another couple was just arriving and we had to laugh because we could hear them having their OMG moment and exclaiming about the view after their long trek. On the way back down we passed several other people on their way up, and when I checked the log-in book, found out they were from Manhattan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and California. It was quite an adventure and amazing that we actually made it...especially Dave, who was limping at the end. 5 miles is a long way for him to go on flat ground, let alone on rugged terrain. He was feeling that old injury, but any temporary pains either of us had were certainly well worth it!

Just Another Beautiful Day

It was an exceptionally beautiful day kayaking on Eagle Lake today. We had lunch down at the beach and the loons were calling, along with an Osprey diving down to grab a fish jumping out of the flat calm water. The lake was clearer than we have seen it in a long time, although there was plenty of milfoil growing. Dave said it was like snorkeling the whole way and we saw quite a few large fish, including a pike (I really had to think about where I was because it sure looked like a barracuda!).

Picture perfect...

There certainly won't be too many more days like this.

The Way It Was...On The Water

Lake George has always been known for its spectacular wooden boats. We seem to see less and less of them in the boathouses though. However, this past weekend paid tribute to the Gold Cup Races from yesteryear by re-creating the races held in Bolton Landing in 1935. Thirty boats signed up to attend with some dating back to the early 1900s (some were original and some were replicas). The Sagamore Hotel and the Adirondack Mountains made quite the backdrop for this monumental event.

 

Dave and I went down in Moxie on Friday, and there weren't very many spectators yet, so we able to see the boats up close.

Saturday was a whole different story and the turnout was tremendous. Unfortunately it was windy and several of the boats couldn't go out to do the demonstration heats. Many did though, and it was exciting watching and hearing them fly through the waves.

Seeing and hearing Miss Detroit start up and take off from the dock was one of the highlights. We also witnessed this same boat start in Clayton in the boat museum's huge boathouse.

 

Juno with its Packard engine. 

These narrow boats just slice through the water.

How do they make the wood round? It looks more like a piece of furniture, as do all the boats. The upkeep must be tedious and expensive, but the end result is worth it.

We have been told that this was a once in a lifetime event, so we were definitely glad we didn't miss it!

The Way It Was

About 40 years ago, Dave and his friends use to rally in the motorcycle shop's parking lot to go to Neba Roast Beef and hang out with the other car enthusiasts. It was time to relive those days the other evening when several of the same people met at the shop with their cars to go to Guptills last cruise-in of the season. Wendy had her '34 Ford, Burt had has '66 Chevy C-10, Greg had his '69 El Camino, Jim had his '90 Miata, and Dave had his '39 Plymouth.

Definitely a deja vu moment and they all thought they were 18 years old again!

Ready For Anything...

At the new Million Dollar Beach and boat launch ramp in Lake George Village. It is a spectacular facility but should be renamed 8 Million Dollar Beach, because that's what we were just told that it cost!

What a beautiful day on the water exploring the south end of the lake. You would never have known it was the middle of September with the 84 degree sunny weather. We're going to make the most of this week, that's for sure.

Fun For All

Clark's Trading Post was fun for not only the kids, but the grown-ups too. Hey, we were probably the oldest ones there, but young at heart.

For those who grew up near the Lake George area, it was like a small version of the old Storytown. Besides the Segways, Dave and Len got totally soaked on the Anaconda water flume, that was totally blacked out inside.

There were lots of antique displays including, firetrucks, old engines, rare motorcycles, gasoline pumps, and a famous horse carrying Moxie Mobile!

 

Clark's started out as a bear rehabilitation facility but gradually grew bigger and diversified. The oldest bear that they had in their history was 40 years old. This was amazing considering they told us that bears only live about 5 years in the wild. One of the bears they had at one time was named Moxie too!

 

There were many other displays and shows including the crooked house, circus show, and gift shops. Last but not least was the steam train ride.

The engineer lovingly takes care of all the maintenance and runs the train.

Heading into the covered bridge. As you can see, this is a popular ride.

Here comes trouble! The Wolfman chased the train, shooting off his gun. Everyone was told to yell, "Scram you old goat!" The kids loved it.

What a great afternoon with the family in the beautiful White Mountains. Click HERE for the link to this fun attraction.

Backyard Hiking

Sue and Len have the greatest hiking trails pretty much right in their backyard...or at least right up the road from them. Len and Olive (their sweet boxer mix rescued dog), Dave and I took a walk up the power lines one morning. First we went through the woods and followed a stone fence from an old community that used to be on the mountain, of which only a foundation of a building remains. Once we got to the top of the mountain, the view over a lake that I can't pronounce LOL, was beautiful.

What a good way to start the day!

Two Wheelin' - A Different Way

We spent the weekend with my sister and brother-in-law Sue and Len, along with their family. We ended up at a place called Clark's Trading Post in Lincoln, New Hampshire. I will elaborate more on the fun we had there in another post, but the hit of the day was the Segway tour that Dave, Len and nephew Mark went on. None of them had ever been on one before, so it was a new experience for all three. First came the introduction and driving instructions.

Notice the racoon tail helmets they were required to wear! It all fit into the scheme of things to come.

Off they go..

The highlight of the 45 minute tour was meeting the famous Wolfman at his 'unobtainium' mine. The Wolfman's main purpose is to chase down the steam train, but he also meets up with the Segway tours. The guys practice being mean like him...

More soon about Clark's, but until then, has anyone seen any Segways for sale on Craig's List? Not surprisingly, Dave is hooked on them!