Getting ready for the next leg of summer vacation

We are leaving tomorrow morning for Camp Wildwood once again, with our own kids plus Rod's niece and nephew and my niece. Our truck will be full to capacity and the dogs will be a little more squished than usual in the back. The extra kids should be with us for about 5 days or so, before Rod's sister picks them up and brings them home. We are looking forward to a great time. They all polished off the left-overs that we ate tonight, that was awesome!

Here are some photos of when our friends were upstate with us at the end of July. They brought this cool slide with them, as they had also done last year. It makes for a "cool" time. There is also a photo of Brownie doing something she used to do all the time, but hasn't in a while, and that is sit on my chair...

I'll try to blog a few times when I get to the library upstate. We'll be up there for 2 weeks and then we'll be camping at Lake Otsego for a week with friends.

What's new at Camp Wildwood...

Well today is Tuesday, July 21st, and it is cloudy and warmish today. The kids have been having a blast playing at Camp Wildwood, but today they are just starting to get bored after a whole week of fun. They have played volleyball, badminton, rode quads (a lot), went on hikes, today they even walked down the road to the Walker's farm to see the cows. They have played video games, DS games, watched a million Simpsons episodes on DVD, camped in the travel trailer two times, and even helped re-paint some of the trail signs with me. They tried flying the kite, but I don't think that worked out too well, and they have enjoyed my cooking and baking, which is nice to hear. Savannah actually told me "You guys make the bestest food!" Well, that sure made my day. Oh, and yesterday they used up the remainder of the water balloons, for a short, but fun, water balloon fight.

Sheldon's birthday was on the 19th. He had his favorite breakfast (bacon and pancakes), opened presents in the morning, and had his chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling (which ended up being the frosting, I'll explain shortly) after lunch. Then for dinner he had his favorite meal (Banquet fried chicken with macaronin and cheese).

Sheldon's cake was supposed to be 2 layers of chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate frosting. Well, those layers would NOT stay together no matter what I did. I guess the mousse was just too slippery or something. It was beginning to become a disaster as the top cake split into three pieces and slipped off the bottom layer and the mousse all squeezed out from in between. Needless to say I never used mousse as a filling myself, so maybe I just used to much, or maybe it wasn't cold enough. Anyway, I ended up separating the layers and just having two cakes... You see the photo. Tasted great!

Last night we took the kids for ice cream in Richford at this ice cream place that has 24 flavors of soft serve. It is fabulous. I didn't get any, because I've been eating like a pig lately, but I thought for SURE that one of the kids, most likely Savannah, wouldn't eat all their ice cream. Boy was I mistaken...they all polished it off, including Savannah! Oh well! I'll get some this weekend when Tony and Sue are here.

We took the kids to see a movie on a rainy day. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. It was really cute. We bought Savannah some sneakers while we were in town, because all she had were flip-flops. Not exactly conducive to hiking, quadding, etc.

Rod sanded down and repainted the picnic table and fixed the benches and sanded and repainted them too. They look like new! Today he did the same thing to the really old picnic table, and it looks great now too. He even sanded down and repainted the "hood" of his tractor. I've been repainting some of the trail signs that have faded. The kids have helped, so if some of them look like a 5 year old did it, she did!

Tomorrow Sandy is coming to pick up the kids. I anticipate she will stay a day or two and then Tony and Sue are coming with Ray and Joe-Joe for a long weekend. We'll be coming home probably on Tuesday next week. I was quite excited to find out that the local liquor store carries the wine Sue, Tony, and I love, so I ordered two cases last week. Hopefully they will call me to let me know it is in in the next couple of days. This is saving us on having the wine shipped to our homes, plus we are getting a 20% discount on the wine for buying a case! Too cool!

Other than that it is pretty "boring" up here, but that's just the way we like it! We've been seeing deer regularly, although not quite as much as usual, probably because of all the activity with all of us here. Yesterday was like a real summer day for a change; it was actual in the 80's. Today is in the 70's and cloudy and I think it may have just started to rain. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny again. I've been enjoying the outdoors and the scenery with nice sunsets and sunrises (yes I'm still up before the darn sun everyday...). Oh, and my back feels much better, in case you were wondering. I'm now half way done with the third Twilight book. Really a great series! OK, enjoy the photos and I'll blog again when I can!

July 12-16th Camp Wildwood...

On Sunday, July 12th, we drove from Lake Placid to Berkshire. It took us much less time than I thought it would, only about 5 hours. We stopped for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants when we are "on the road", Cracker Barrel. There is one near Albany on route 87. The trip was fast and uneventful, except for our EZPass not reading at one toll, so we had lots of energy when we got to Camp to unpack and get the camper totally "shut down". Even had plenty of time to make dinner and relax.

On Monday, Rod mowed all the trails and the "grass" around the house. It was a pretty cool evening on Sunday night and Monday morning was only in the upper 40's. Brrr. The dogs enjoyed running on the property and going for long walks on Monday morning and Monday night. Rod got the tractor started and took it for a spin as well. He even plowed a bit in plot 4. It's his new toy after all, and he can't wait to use it!

On Tuesday, Rod drove all the way home and went straight to Tony's house to work on his quad. That went smoothly and he brought it back with him on Wednesday, along with his niece and nephew. Steven and Savannah are here with us now and they are having a blast! Steven hasn't gotten off the quad for more than enough time to go to the bathroom or to eat, and other than that he's been riding like crazy. We had S'Mores on Wednesday night and Savannah enjoyed making her own! She was a first-timer.

I really thought the kids would sleep in this morning (Thursday), but they were up (at least Savannah was) before 6 am, but that was due to the thunder storm we were having. She never fell back asleep, so I predict that tonight she will crash early, especially since she has been outside ALL DAY! Right now I am at the library here in Berkshire, just to post this blog, and do some other odds and ends. Tonight we are supposed to have thunderstorms, but it has been nice pretty much all day.

The nights have been very cold. The past few mornings were in the low 40's when I got up. This morning was a bit warmer, in the 50's. It certainly doesn't feel like July most of the time... Sorry I have no photos right now, I didn't have a chance to get any more of them off the camera. Will have some next time...

July 11th Adirondack Visitors Interpretive Center

Today we had a lovely drive to the Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) in Paul Smiths (town). This is like a National Park Visitor Center and has a naturalist on staff and very nice paths for hiking. We decided to hike the woods path which was close to 2 miles. It didn't feel that long, but it certainly was beautiful. You'll see how pretty it was in the photos, but one thing you can't see in the photos was how it smelled. The trees smelled so great in some place, it was just like Christmas. You know, that pine aroma, or in this case, Balsam Fir... Oh I just wanted to bottle it and take it home!

My back was KILLING me today and I could barely walk at first, but it stretched out after a while and it should start getting better now. Why oh why does this happen to my back? Maybe it is sciatica? Who knows, all I can say is my lower back, really my hips, are killing me and I can't bend over or pick up my left leg too far without cringing in pain... It gets better tomorrow and the next day, so don't worry too much about me!

After the Visitors Center we went back to the campsite to get ready for leaving tomorrow. What a bummer that it is almost time to leave, but at least we'll be going on to Camp Wildwood for 2 more relaxing weeks! Yeah!!!

July 10th Ausable Chasm

We finally made it to Ausable Chasm today. It was a beautiful drive, only about 25 miles, and we found it with no problem. This place was the whole reason for even coming up with the idea for this trip. I had seen pictures of it in The Conservationist magazine about 2 years ago, and it looked like a mini-grand canyon. Well, it was really amazing. We hiked the 1.5 miles along the chasm, and also back again taking a different trail. There is one trail along the rim of the chasm and then another path through the woods above the chasm. Both trails were nice, but the views of the chasm were incredible. In one place the chasm is only about 12 feet wide and the water really rushes through that tight area very quickly. We enjoyed several nice views of the waterfalls which reminded us of a mini-Niagara Falls.

Rod had fun studying the trees in the woods because there were very helpful and informative signs showing the name of each tree species. He even took photos to help him remember the tree's names. I enjoyed the trees and also the geology of the area, which of course was caused by several different faults running through the rocks. No one should be surprised to hear that there are faults in the Adirondacks, because, of course, earthquakes are what caused the formation of these mountains...

Enjoy the photos! Somehow my back got all tightened up during this walk today and it is only going to get worse tomorrow... I know this because I am writing this after the fact.

July 9th Whiteface Mountain

The pictures are backwards: The first few are from the gorge, and the last ones are from Whiteface mountain...
Happy Anniversary to us! 15 years, I can't believe it! Today was actually a beautiful and perfect day. We got up "early" and Rod went for a 3.5 mile run. We were out of the campground by 9 am and drove up to Whiteface Mountain on the Veterans Memorial Hwy. It was a beautiful drive with lots of little turnouts to pull over and take in the gorgeous view. Eventually we reached the top of the roadway and were at about 4610 feet. The last part was the walk/hike up to the summit. Stupid Audra was unprepared. Yes, the "hiker" in the family was wearing flip flops. Oh was I yelling at myself in my head! If one of my children had been wearing flip flops they wouldn't have heard the end of it from me. So, I took my ankle's lives in my hands and made it up to the top at 4867 feet. The view was great but it was still a bit "foggy" up there. We hung around the top for a while enjoying the cold air and the misty views before taking the elevator back down again. I didn't want to risk it on the way back down.

Once we got into the elevator we were taught some interesting facts by the elevator operator. For example, it took 22 boxcars full of dynamite to blast away the 400 foot tunnel and the elevator shaft through the granite mountain to make way for the elevator! Wow! The roadway is a memorial to World War I veterans and was built in the midst of the Great Depression. All pretty cool stuff!

After driving down the mountain in 1st gear to save the brakes, we stopped back at the campground to obtain my sneakers and then we drove to High Falls Gorge, about 5 minutes down the road from the campground. The day was really getting nice now and the gorge was really interesting with tons of waterfall views. This gorge was cut into the anorthoclase rock and even through the basalt by the Ausable River. The pictures say it all, so check them out! At the gorge you can also hike through the forest, which we did. The kids were in front of us the whole time and I noticed such a difference since the '06 trip. We didn't have to hold anyone's hand or help anyone, or wait for any "tired" children... They are growing up too fast!

After returning to the campground, having (for Sheldon a tortuous)lunch we (finally) headed to the pool and sat there for hours (some of us were swimming the whole time (Sheldon)). It was great! Then we showered (at least the grownups did) and headed on a short hike through the campground to the Ausable River and another waterfall that is right at the campground. Brianna was really wondering why mom was hiking with her purse, but she found out why when we crossed the highway and had dinner at the Hungry Trout restaurant for our anniversary. It was a nice place and we had a delicious meal. We haven't been really out to eat in "forever" so it was quite a treat. We even had dessert! Yum. That one meal cost more than half of what it is costing us to camp here for the entire week! Kind of funny, huh?

Tomorrow we are hoping for good weather again and are planning to drive over to Ausable Chasm which looks to be about 25 miles from here...

July 8th Lake Placid

Today the weather somewhat cooperated. It was cool and cloudy and we had some light rain on and off, but no downpours. We ended up going to Lake Placid and checking out the Winter Olympic Museum. We also walked Main Street in Lake Placid which was actually quite nice. We learned a lot about the Olympic Games from the museum and purchased a few souvenirs on Main Street.

We thought it was interesting that in front of the Olympic Center there is a pile of snow. Of course we had to take pictures with the snow. We watched some figure skaters practicing in the arena before going into the museum. As we walked along Main Street we found a store that had all sorts of "rustic" furniture and accessories. Very cool, but very expensive! We were daydreaming about some of the pieces and only ended up buying some stickers for the back of our camper.

We wanted to go the the top of Whiteface Mountain, but the summit was covered in clouds again, so what was the point? We will try that again tomorrow, because the sun is actually supposed to be out tomorrow! The sun peaked out during dinner tonight, and Rod and I went for a bike ride around the campsite and we walked down to the Ausable River from the campsite. We also found that there is a restaurant within walking distance of the campsite, with a trail that practically leads there, so that is where we are going to go eat dinner tomorrow night for our anniversary.

The kids went to see another movie tonight in the main hall and Sheldon rode his bike and made a new friend this afternoon. Brianna hasn't met any girls her age here. Hopefully tomorrow and Friday more campers will arrive for the weekend and maybe there will be someone for her to hang out with. She did talk to Nina for a while today, but she forgot to call her back. I'm sure they will talk again tomorrow.

Praying for the sun to come out tomorrow so we can go to the top of Whiteface Mountain and also go to the High Falls Gorge and then spend time at the POOL!

Cold and Rainy, time for some comments

The above photo is from The Wild Center yesterday. Sheldon was watching the otters swim, and he was really enjoying it. He said that he want to swim like an otter next time he goes in the swimming pool (if it ever warms up).
Well, today is starting off and promises to be another cold and rainy day. Hopefully we'll go to the Oympic Museum in Lake Placid. Time for some comments about this campsite. We are staying at the KOA Whiteface Mountain/Lake Placid. This place is huge and very nice. We have stayed at quite a few campgrounds in our travels and several KOAs. This one is one of the nicest and it is quite huge! The area is beautiful and the whole campsite is shaded by towering pine trees. The sites are level and the hookups are great. Even the Wi-fi is strong. Most campsites you can barely get a signal if you are too far from the main office building, but here we are really good to go.

So far the Adirondacks are everything I thought they'd be. I wish it was sunny and warm, but that is out of anyone's control. I'm sure Brianna wishes she brought more long pants. Now she is going to have to wear (heaven forfend) slightly dirty pants! Oh my goodness, what will she do with a smudge of dirt on her pants while we are camping... Even Sheldon is not to thrilled to have to wear the same pants a third time. I remember wearing the same outfit for like four days in a row when I would spend summers up at the cabin (aka Camp Casey). I guess I was just a gross, dirty little child.

Anyway, it's after 8 am, and of course I've been up since like 5:30 and everyone else is still asleep. It's peaceful though, maybe that's why I get up so early. Or it could just be that my sweet labs can't wait to go for their morning walk! Shadow is being really good. The last time we camped with her she barked an awful lot (last year) and the year before she was just a nightmare, chewing up half the trailer when we weren't watching her. As a matter of fact we had to buy a muzzle for her back then because she was destoying everything in site. She really has calmed down, and I think she is better-behaved than Brownie now. Brownie is usually the one who starts the barking by making a little growl or half and bark at some passer-by; then Shadow starts in, and she is LOUD. But we can't really complain. We leave during the day, and shut the trailer up, put the radio on, and I'm pretty certain that the dogs just sleep.

Well, that's enough rambling for now. I will post more tonight after we've actually done something...

July 7th: The Wild Center

Today was a very rainy day with lots of "scattered" thunderstorms. There were several heavy downpours throughout the day, but we planned for this and headed indoors for today. We found a museum called The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, which is about 40 miles from where we are camping. We drove through Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, both beautiful towns, and then through about 20 miles of Adirondack forest to get to Tupper Lake where this natural history of the Adirondack museum is located. It was just great! The building is very well designed and is a "green" building. The exibits were unique and highly interactive and it wasn't too crowded. We went to a talk about getting birds to visit and stay in your backyard year round and we loved the glacier exhibit. Sheldon especially liked the river otters and I enjoyed the short hike outside to around the ponds. Rodney really thought the green roof (with actual plants growing on it) was cool, and Brianna liked the solar panel that was hooked up to a fountain. When you covered up part of the panel, the fountain slowed down, and then sped up again once it was uncovered.

Even though we hardly saw the sun and it was only around 60 degrees all day, we made the best of it. Brianna went to the movie tonight at 7 pm here at the campground. They played "27 Dresses". Sheldon wasn't really into that movie, so he and I played a game of "Sorry". Please note that I beat him 2 games to 1.

Tomorrow we plan on going either to Lake Placid to the Olympic Museum or to Whiteface mountain to drive up to the summit if the weather is clear. It is supposed to be chilly and may rain again tomorrow. GRRRRR. We also want to go to the High Falls Gorge which is quite close and is supposed to be a great hike with excellent views of lots of waterfalls. We're waiting for the nicest days to go to Ausable Chasm and we also want to go to the Adirondack Park visitor's center.

Enjoy the photos!