Adirondack Mountains

Mountain Family Time

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

NOTE: This post was originally written on February 14th 2012 but for some reason was never posted until March 7th 2013

The only thing better than being in the mountains is being in the mountains with my family.

This trip has been great. We woke up this morning 2 minutes after a pair of deer left the yard, so that was a little disappointing. Just before lunch though, they came back with friends! Six of em less than 25 yards from the front of the camp. Needless to say Delilah was pretty ecstatic.

D and I spent a bit of time this morning playing in the snow. Snow angels, snow balls, falling down, running around, chasing the dogs with piles of snow, all good fun. It was pretty nice to come inside to the stoked up fire and warm up, a lot different than the little camp with just the gas stove.

After naps we headed to Saranac Lake for the end of the carnival fireworks and to check out the ice palace. The plan was to check it out, grab a bite to eat and then watch the fireworks. However; it was way too cold to stay much longer so we headed back to camp with about an hour and a half until the fireworks display. Next time we’ll probably come after dinner so we’re there just before the slideshow/fireworks.

 

A Successful Trip to the Mountains

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IMG_1176NOTE: This post is old, it was originally written on February 14th 2012 but for some reason never posted until March 7th 2013

Our first family trip to the mountains has been a success so far. Rachel still has a week before she goes back to work so we’re in the mountains taking advantage and spending a long weekend with the family. The ride up was relatively uneventful although it did take us an extra hour and a half tiger going, and the trip itself took an extra hour due to required stops. All to be expected with an infant and a toddler dragging along so I call that a success!

It sure is nice having a lot more space at camp. We wouldn’t have been able to do it with both kids, both dogs, both of us and my father in the little cabin. Now we have a bedroom to spread out in and the kids have a living room and dining room to spread out in. I put it that way because Delilah’s at the age where that’s essentially how it go’s.

We mostly just spent the day relaxing in the cabin in the woods. Dad and I picked up a bit of wood in the morning, and even managed to kill a porcupine in one of the traps he has set around diamond. He’s trapped 7 so far in the past week. Not too shabby.

After naps we took a quick trip down the road to see some family. Was good to catch up with cousins and let Delilah play. She had a blast running around playing with the cars, trains, animals, miniature babies and other toys. Her favorite parts were a sort of red light/green light game she played with her cousins, as well as the typical dance party she likes to throw these days.

Tonight the sky is so clear the temperature is gonna drop most likely to below zero. This is by far my favorite time of the year to be in the mountains. With the snow on the trees and such clear skies you don’t even need a flashlight outside. It’s beautiful and usually makes for great riding conditions in the morning.

Delilah seems to like the snow almost as much as Rachel and I do. Every time the snow starts to fall she exclaims “I see the snow! So pretty!” and a little piece of me smiles.

I can’t wait for more trips like this. I feel so lucky we have a place to go to anytime we like. I look forward to when Reece can run around an enjoy it as much as Delilah does now.

The Addition is Open!

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We’re really making progress now.

Drywall is up, paint is on, electric is in, stove is working, wall is open, furniture is moved, cabinets are in, siding is up and stained, bedroom doors are stained, floors have been stained.

Lots more to do though.

  • Tongue and groove wood wallboard needs to go up in the living room.
  • Window and door trim needs to be installed.
  • Bedroom doors need to be hung.
  • Some insulation needs to be hung.
  • An attic staircase needs to be built and installed.
  • The water system needs to be figured out.
  • Remove compost toilet.
  • Permanently install the cabinets including sink.
  • Build an indoor/outdoor wood box.

The great news is though, the furniture is partially in and the addition has been opened to the old camp so now there’s space!

Can’t wait to get back up there and enjoy it.

A Week Long Adventure in the Mountains

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Zemanta Related Posts Thumbnaila few days (What do you want, we’re a lot busier now…) A month and 1/2 ago, we spent the week at camp. It was intended to be a 50/50 split of vacation and work and that’s just about what it was.

We were able to get the rooms framed in and prepped for electric and insulation. Now the real work can begin. Looks like we might just be able to make it usable this winter after all.

On the vacation side of things we had some fun.

    • Delilah spent some time playing in the stream
    • Took lots of four-wheeler rides (and Delilah got hooked)
    • Spent some time at the beach at Higley Flow State Park
    • Went geocaching and found a really nice new spot very close by along the Raquette River
    • Took Delilah on her first mountain climb up Arab Mountain
    • Went out for Ice Cream
    • Played on the playground (where Delilah learned her new love of old-school metal slides)
    • Ate lots of great grilled food (including lots of corn)
    • Built Delilah a house out of a large cardboard box

All in all it was a great week. Love getting to spend some quality time with our family.

UPDATE: Since this post was written a month and 1/2 ago and just posted today… more progress has been made on the camp. The insulation and electric work is complete, all corners/windows have been framed with rough cut (and painted) 2×4’s and the siding is going up.

Camp in the Winter

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailThere’s nothing more welcoming than a warm and cozy cabin at 21 below in the mountains.

We’ve only made it to camp once this winter so far for a few reasons but the weekend we spent there was a beautiful (cold) one. The second night the moon was shining so bright it was casting daylight like shadows. The next morning we woke up to -21° which was easily explained by the clear skies and bright moon.

Even in the brisk -21° degrees and the middle of 4ft of snow, the camp always offers a nice warm zone of comfort, and sights like these are some of the top reasons I love being in the mountains in the winter.

Saranac Ice Palace

~ randyaa ~ 4 Comments

The 2010 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is about to kick off and I was planning on stopping by. My parents visited the Ice Castle last year and I never got the chance so it was on the list for this year. You can see a Time Lapse of the build from last year below:

They started building the one for this year this past week and you can watch the progress on the Webcam below (updated every few seconds):

Ice Palace Webcam

With all the rain and the warm temperatures… It doesn’t look good for the palace, but here’s hoping it only slowed the process and didn’t kill it.

Hope I get to see it this year.

Our First Climb – Crane Mountain

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In 2005 we climbed our first mountain (Crane Mountain) together. I had climbed a few in the past but this was our first together.  We were spending a week in the Lake George area and what better way to explore the region than from above?

ladderWhile not the tallest mountain we’ve climbed, it was pretty intense with several incredibly steep rocky sections.  One of the steepest sections even had a ladder, which was good because being our first mountain together… we didn’t exactly have scaling equipment.

As is always the truth in the Adirondacks, the views from the top were simply amazing.  It was on this climb that we really learned how rewarding such a strenuous hike can be.  On our way back down we passed by a little pond and it was so hot  we were going to take a dip.  However; when we took a closer look we realized it was infested with leaches.  Nice!

It was really a good choice for our first Mountain Climb.  The trail wasn’t that long, but intense, and the views were stunning.

We might go back some day, maybe with the little one.

Crane Mountain will always hold a special place in our memory.

Littl Blue vs Little Blue

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IMG_0598Little Blue Mountain: a mountain in the foothills of Blue Mountain in Indian Lake, NY near Blue Mountain Lake with an elevation of about 2,800 ft.

Littl Blue Mountain: a mountain in South Colton, NY overlooking little blue pond at an elevation of about 1,800 ft.

Easy to confuse the two. Lots of people think Littl Blue is spelled Little Blue and don’t even know there IS another (real) Little Blue Mountain. It’s even spelled wrong on lots of maps.

I had the same problem but always thought it was weird that Little Blue Mountain was so far away from Blue Mountain. Now I know why: it isn’t.

I’ve corrected our posts and tags to reflect the proper spelling. Sorry about the confusion.

Spokane to Glacier

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After a good night’s sleep in the worst hotel of the trip so far (seriously! we had to get maintenance to open our door after we left for 30 minutes for breakfast!) we headed out of Spokane, glad to be on the open road again.

Lake McDonald from Hotel RoomThe trip from Spokane to Glacier National Park was relatively uneventful save the giant bug storm we drove through in Montana.  It seemed bugs the size of your fist were hitting the windshield every 5 seconds or so and they definitely left their mark.

After arriving in Glacier we were greeted with a beautiful view of Lake McDonald from our balcony.

The Lake McDonald Lodge was beautiful, and reminded me of a miniaturized version of  the Old Faithful Inn.  I only wish they had these sorts of places in the Adirondacks.  Come to think of it maybe they could trade.  The Adirondacks could use these sorts of structures and the national parks (or at least the Lake McDonald Lodge) could certainly use some Adirondack furniture.  The chairs at the lodge fit in just fine but they’re crazy uncomfortable.

After dinner we just sort of relaxed and went to bed early, ready to take on the park tomorrow.

The High Peaks Resort

~ randyaa ~ 4 Comments

I’ve been meaning to climb some of the Adirondack High Peaks for a few years.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any grand illusions of becoming a 46er (Although, as a side note, that would be awesome).  I simply enjoy climbing the occasional mountain.  Climbing some of the highest peaks in New York State seems like a good goal.

highpeakshotelroomWith my parents recent purchase of a camp in South Colton, NY I figured I’d use that as a base camp.  I still probably will, although in a few weeks I’ll get to use the High Peaks Resort.  A short time ago they started running the Elevate Your Rate promotion which is basically a deal for 75% (+) off.  They’re featuring one of the High Peaks for 46 minutes for 46 days.  During that time the promotional rate will be the same as the elevation of that featured peak.  For example, our peak was Mount Emmons which has an elevation of  4,020′ which turned out to be a daily price of $40.20 which is pretty darn good.

My experience thus far has been via Twitter and I’m thoroughly Impressed.  There has been a great amount of communication from them and I’ve felt they’re really going the extra mile.  We didn’t get the dates we really wanted (due to availability) and I let them know.  They promptly look into it and got back to me within an hour with an explanation why those dates were blocked out.  They tried to see if there was any room available but unfortunately there was not.  That’s OK, the dates we got work fine anyway, and now we get to go with my friend Anthony and his wife Meg!  I really didn’t expect that kind of service at $40.20/night, and that’s just through twitter.  I’m excited to see what kind of service they offer in person.

We’re definitely looking forward to the trip.