Part 2 my Adirondack vacation

The Adirondack region was one of the last areas of the northeastern United States to be explored; the headwaters of the Hudson River near Lake Tear of the Clouds on the slopes of Mount Marcy were not discovered until more than fifty years after the discovery of the headwaters of the Columbia River in the Canadian Rockies. Although a few sportsmen had shown some interest earlier, the publication of William H. H. Murray‘s Adventures in the Wilderness; Or Camp-Life in the Adirondacks in 1869 started a flood of tourists to the area, leading to a rash of hotel building and the development of stage coach lines. Thomas Clark Durant, who had helped to build the Union Pacific railroad, acquired a large tract of central Adirondack land and built a railroad from fashionable Saratoga Springs to North Creek. By 1875 there were more than two hundred hotels in the Adirondacks, some of them with several hundred rooms; the most famous was Paul Smith’s Hotel

it was essential to make a living .. and farming the earth was almost impossible besides honey and maple syrup , they raised sheep  and of course logging

things were mighty tough back in the day.. still loggers have a difficult job even today

Raquette lake trail

The Great Camp tradition has analogs in the western United States, especially in the Rocky Mountains. Closely tied to the dude ranch tradition, elaborate private lodges and cabins owned by groups of wealthy Easterners were constructed in the wilderness. Often families originated from New York or Chicago, and traveled by train to spend long periods in summer in the high country. Some lodges in the West were built by railroad interests, who were able to pick the best land while surveying potential railroad routes.The early Great Camps started life as simple tent camps, often on land initially leased from hotel owners, as hotel guests sought a more authentic wilderness experience. The tent camps evolved into tent platforms or lean-tos and then into compounds of rustic cabins. Even in the early stages, some of these camps became quite elaborate. In 1883 one of the first families on Upper St. Regis Lake, the Anson Phelps Stokes, would arrive in a “special parlour horse car direct from 42nd street to Ausable for $100.” The party consisted of ten family members and an equal number of servants, “three horses, two dogs, one carriage, five large boxes of tents, three cases of wine, two packages of stovepipe, two stoves, one bale of china, one iron pot, four washstands, one barrel of hardware, four bundles of poles, seventeen cots and seventeen mattresses, four canvas packages, one buckboard, […], twenty-five trunks, thirteen small boxes, one boat, one hamper”, all of which was then transferred to wagons for the 36 mile ride to Paul Smiths, and thence by boat to their island campsite.

the “wheel”house

boards were often laid to cover small ponds, easier access

can you imagine??? i cant!!!

ohh lookie theres me:)…the Big Girl

the last time we went to this museum these steps called the romantic steps were open, and if you look carefully at the top you can see another building. its been shut down. to much to repair 😦

in case you still dot know where i am.. the Olympics were held in the Adirondacks in in 1932 and then again in 1980

an out of the way farm house, not very close to town

a typical cabin. i was surprised to see so much color

the only entertainment

we walked and walked we were as high as we could go at the museum

an idea of where we were, see inlet is wayyyy over in the corner

time to head back to our own “camp”

even the dog spotted me in town

Meet Barb and Mike….yep making friends at the bar.. they live a few towns over from us. nope never saw them b4 in my life

and back at the Marina Motel… this is a family owned place here we have the Husband and the 2 kids.. wife ran to the bakery to buy the morning Danish. which they do every morning BTW.

all kinds of things to do on a rainy day.. there a TV over on the other corner, with cozy furniture

this is their hospitality room, lots to do down here, if you have kids. they are also animal friendly

thank you for stopping by, have a pleasant week-end