Saturday, June 29

Today we woke up late at 9:00AM. We managed to get around quickly and rolled out of camp at about 9:45AM. We drove about 5 miles to our first stop which was the hike up “Bald Mountain.” This 2 mile hike was a little strenuous at times but nothing like the “Grouse Grind” of last summer. At the top of the climb there is a fire tower that dates back to the early 1900s. It has recently been restored and you are allowed to climb to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower you have a panoramic view of the “Chain of Lakes” through the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY. The weather was overcast and grey but you could still a long ways and take in some breathtaking scenery. After the hike we headed north to Lake Placid. Here we started out by pulling over and having lunch on the side of the road. We then found a couple of spots to park in the downtown area right in front of Lake Placid HS. We ventured into the Olympic Center which is home to two ice rinks, one from the 1932 Olympics and one from the site of the “Miracle on Ice” hockey game, USA vs. Russia in 1980. There was a large figure skating event for really young girls going on in both arenas. We then ventured for a stroll in downtown Lake Placid. We walked in and out of a few shops before we headed out to drive the Whiteface Mountain Memorial Road. We got to the toll booth to find out that there was zero visibility at the top and that it would not be worth the $30+ to drive to the top. From there we went back to High Falls Gorage area to find out that they were closing in 15 minutes and that this was not an option for us either. We called 4 different campgrounds to try to find a spot to stay for the evening all for them to tell is they were full. While we sat there trying to figure out what to do, one of them called us back and said that they did have a spot. We then ventured to the Iroquis Campground in Peru, NY. We are only a few miles away from Lake Champlain. Rachel and Jason went to the Recereation Hall at 7pm to play Bingo much to Jake and Brooke's laughter. We had a good time playing Bingo for only $4 total. Unfortunately we did not win though Jason was close in the last game...the big one! We then retied to the RV to play games with the kids. We are looking forward to our ferry ride with the RV across Lake Champlain and eventually to the Ben and Jerry's factory in Waterbury, VT.