September 8
Today we started with a drive a little ways up Route 9 North to check out Bolton Landing in case we wanted to go out for a fancy dinner at the Chateau for our anniversary. We got a nice cup of coffee at a coffee shop, but decided that we really didn't want a fancy dinner.
We took the Mohican Steamboat for a 2.5 hour ride up Lake George which is 32 miles long. It has over 120 islands, only some of which are privately owned. NY State owns and has forever preserved the rest. Quite a few are designated as "camping islands." They have little docks, designated campsites and an outhouse. Some islands have only one site. It looks very cool and we saw quite a few people camping. Other islands are for picnics only. And, one bay is for overnight boat campers.
The Adirondack State Park is the largest state park in the country with 6,000,000 acres.
During the late 1800s, the area became a place for the likes of the Astors and Rockefellers. 2,000 resorts were on the lake, accessible only by boat. Only one such grand hotel still exists-the Sagamore.
The Sagamore, relic of times past
The largest lake-front property still in private hands belongs to the Paulist priests and it has also been used for over 100 years as a retreat.
We also passed Wiawaka Women's Resort, a resort that grew out of the women's movement and opened in 1903, mainly to give poor, mostly immigrant women an affordable vacation. Most were employed in the garment industry in Troy and Cohoes, NY. Wiawaka means "The Great Spirit of Woman" in Abenaki. The resort is still open to women of all incomes and offers workshops and classes. The resort is open to women with disabilities, women who are economically disadvantaged, victims of abuse and women in transition. It is also open to any other women and they are charged on a sliding scale according to income.
Afterwards, we came back to our hotel and had another picnic on our porch. This time we had corn on the cob (microwaved), tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese.
What a lovely day!
The Mohican
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| One of the camping islands |
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