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!

Prospectors

It has been over 30 years since Dave and I have taken the drive up Prospect Mountain, near the southern most part of Lake George. I have no idea why it has taken us so long to return, because it is close by and the views are spectacular.

Lake George Village...

 

Looking North...

Looking South...

We even learned that there used to be a cable railway up to a hotel at the top. It has since been removed and turned into a trail from the base to the summit...

We parked in the lot as far as we could drive, and then took the steep walkway up to the peak this time (there was also a shuttle bus).

Maybe next time we'll work up to taking the entire trail.

Murphy's Law

We hired a 'professional' tree cutter to take down the 60 ft. aging blue spruce tree next to our house. All they had to do was get it on the ground and we would cut it up and bring it into the woods.

"What can go wrong" you ask? It was a perfect landing...on top of our lamp post, which completely exploded! At least they felt bad and charged us about a 5th of what we expected.

The clean up was massive for this tree that had split and grown into two, then further up, grown into three pieces. All the cutting and hauling of the lower branches in 85 degree humid heat was intense (bad timing for this project).

Hercules (the Ford 555) and the New Holland tractor came to the rescue. Herc dragged the tree in three sections out to the woods, and the New Holland helped with the rest of the dirty clean up, including hundreds of sticky pine cones thrown everywhere...until it refused to start. It took about an hour of time investigating as the sun was setting, but it ended up being a simple fix once diagnosed, and the mission was complete at dark. Luckily it wasn't a case of deja vu when Herc stopped running a few years ago while hauling another tree away, and had to have the engine rebuilt....twice.

Later, Dave checked on Craig's List and there was a three light lamp post for sale similar to ours! The base was even the same and will fit right in the same base. Now we just have to stop having more fun in the water to install it. No more worries about the gigantic tree falling on the house, garages, or rehabbed garden shed.

Lazing Along The Schroon River

John and Lynda met us in Horicon to kayak down the Schroon River and back last weekend. We haven't seen much of them this summer, so it was a great way to get caught up on the news.

 

We certainly got lots of exercise too...especially since we were going with the flow on the way down and I lost track of how far we had gone. Thanks goodness the current wasn't strong, since it was a long paddle back.

The guys stopped midway back to take a break and swim in a deep section. Dave anchored the kayaks the way a barge does, with a paddle as a 'spud'.

Hopefully we can do this all again before the summer ends!

The Office

We usually bring a cell phone with us when we go out in the boat, in case we have a problem. It's usually a false sense of security because there isn't always cell coverage where we venture to. A few days ago, we took Moxie down to explore Harris Bay, which is very close to the southern end of Lake George. On the way back, we stopped for a leisurely swim in Log Bay near the base of Black Mountain. Surprisingly I heard the magic wand sound of a text message coming in...I couldn't believe there was service here with the mountain right behind us. I have always thought it was sad that people were on their phones out on the lake, and when I looked around the cove, there were several people either texting or conversing on their devices. Have we become one of THEM? We couldn't resist checking the message. It ended up being a business message which Dave had to answer. So I guess we need to rename Moxie, 'The Office'. Then it became a joke..."Dave is out of The Office so please a message.

 

Then there was the heavy traffic on the commute home.

Next time the phone can come with us, but it will be off!