OT: Off to the Adirondacks for a week

[bigbore442001]

The wife and I debated on where to go and came up with a mutual decision to take a week off and head to the North Country of the Adirondacks. We're both looking forward to the time off and obtaining some relaxation from the day to day drudgery.

Not to be too forward, I'd appreciate any tips or insights regarding Lake Placid, Saranac Lakes as well as Old Forge. I figure we'll check those areas out and take in one day of fishing.

[Pete44ru]

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Sorry, I can't help much that far North - we usually vacation about 60 miles South of there, between Fort William Henry & Fort Ticonderoga, somtimes taking the lake cruise (Lake Champlain).

IIRC, there's a Germanic population up thereabouts - so mayhaps you can run down some good victuals .........

I honey-mooned in the area, but wasn't sight-seeing very much at the time (almost 48 years ago).

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[Treeman72]

I went to college for four years near Saranac Lake and Lake Placid: Beautiful country up there. What kind of information do you need for the area?

Lower St. Regis Lake was great for perch, pike, and small mouth. Black Pond and Ausable River are famous for trout. The Ausable Chasm is a very nice hike, but are there any mountains you'd want to hike? Restaurant information?

College was the best time if my life up there.

[bigbore442001]

Thanks for the replies.

Treeman, I would appreciate any information regarding any sort of tourist attractions for the wife as well as any sort of off the beaten path curiosities.

As an example, I was doing some net searching and there is some sort of film festival in Lake Placid this coming weekend. I know my wife will like that. I want to make sure we see the Adirondack museaums as well as take a ride down to Old Forge and check out the big hardware store and some outdoor shops like the Blue Line.

So anything that is a bit off beat or unknown would help.

[Treeman72]

Outdoors shops. Mountainman Outdoor Supply co of Old Forge. Blueline in Saranac Lake. Don't recall the name, but there is a nice one in Keene Valley.

Mountainman does kayak treks I believe on the Moose River. Visit Grizzle T's or the Rusty Nail in Saranac Lake for nice, modest tavern environments. There is the ADK Scenic Railroad in Old Forge.

Museums ..... the ADK Museum in Blue Mountain Lake and the Wild Center of Tupper Lake are must see attractions. The list goes on. So much to see and do. What is your level of physical fitness for hiking?

[bigbore442001]

Outdoors shops. Mountainman Outdoor Supply co of Old Forge. Blueline in Saranac Lake. Don't recall the name, but there is a nice one in Keene Valley.

Mountainman does kayak treks I believe on the Moose River. Visit Grizzle T's or the Rusty Nail in Saranac Lake for nice, modest tavern environments. There is the ADK Scenic Railroad in Old Forge.

Museums ..... the ADK Museum in Blue Mountain Lake and the Wild Center of Tupper Lake are must see attractions. The list goes on. So much to see and do. What is your level of physical fitness for hiking?

Thanks. That is some insider info I need. Physical level may be a moot point. My wife isn't a outdoorsy hiker type. But a short walk isn't too bad. I did some searching for different things that she will like. Myself, I'd like to take a canoe into the wilds and hunt with the muzzleloading rifle. Set up the Kifaru Tipi, drink green tea and do my best to take a bear and or deer during that early October season but I know it would be a solo trip. My wife's idea of roughing it is Holiday Inn for a lack of a better term. I know that she will like the Wild Center as well as the ADK museum in Blue Lake.

I will have to check out Keene Valley and definitely take a lot of pictures.

[Treeman72]

Another must-see thing...drive through the high peaks region out of Lake Placid. I do not recall the highway number, but it is the best half-hour drive I've ever done. I'll try to figure out the road on a map.

It's routes 73 and 86. 73 goes to Keene Valley, and it's very beautiful and leads to a good mountaineering shop. 86 is a nice, scenic drive as well.

[bigbore442001]

We took a little later than I planned this morning. The ride across Massachusetts and into Upstate New York wasn't bad and we arrived safely.

One negative is that around North Hudson NY the rain started to come in. It seems that when we took exit 30 to the High Peaks area of the 'Daks, the clouds and rain enveloped the area.

We stopped off at an outdoor store called the Mountaineer in Keene Valley. Nice place with nice prices. My wife is a very frugal person and was shocked at the cost of some things. I loved her comment about how nice, a $90 shirt made in China. I did ask if she could buy me the Adirondack Guide boat on the wall for Christmas. It is only 16,000.

One thing I can say about this area is that it appears rugged. The topography has a lot of verticle rise and fall to it. I suspect it also influences the weather. From what I understand it will clear up starting tomorrow.

Hopefully I will have some good images to post and get some inside information on the hunting and shooting situation here. I have always been intrigued by the region and I suspect I shall buy a book or two on it. Statistically, the deer hunting is very poor. The deer population is low due to mature forests and severe winters. But you can get a true wilderness experience and there seems to be a tradition of canoeing into an area to hunt. Doubtful the wife will do that for a week with me.

One other tidbit, I checked the Maine fish and game website. No moose permits for anyone in our family.

[1894]

Bug spray . Just a wild guess , but , if it warms up a bit the black flies [b]and[/b] mosquito s will be out in abundance.
For the areas you want to venture out into in the future , http://www.hiketheadirondacks.com/ are a good set of books . Mostly hiking oriented , but cover a lot of the 3.5 million acres of state park hunting and fishing area