We awoke to a delicious breakfast cooked by Melinda, Bill’s wife. Then we prepared to depart after the conclusion of the bi-weekly VideoRay management meeting. Since the meeting went a little long we ate lunch and departed around 11:30AM. Our first destination was Whiteface Mountain , where for $20 each we could drive the jeep to the top, take an impressive tunnel and elevator to the summit, and take in impressive views of the surrounding area including Lake Placid.
With his aching knees, Scott took the elevator both up and down. Tom walked down through the 1/5 mile steep trail, and informed Scott he had made the right decision.
Whiteface Mountain is one of 46 Adirondack “High Peaks” that exceed 4,000 ft. Those who climb all 46 can become a member of the Adirondack 46ers Club. Due to improved surveys since the club was formed, four of the peaks were found to be under 4,000 ft and one that was thought to be under is exactly 4,000 ft. The original list is still used as the list of must climbs. While riding in a jeep probably doesn’t qualify us, we figure if they can bend the rules, we can too.
After departing from Whiteface, we went through North Pole, NY and now Scott can claim he has been in two North Poles.
Our overnight stay was at a Boondockers Welcome site – a couple that owns an impressive property on Lake Champlain in Vermont lets people stay there for free – go figure … And they provide power for free as well (though we plan to leave them something.)
We chatted with Fred, the owner, who has his own blog https://jaqall2023.blogspot.com/. You can decide who does it better. In the “It’s a Small World” category, it turns out that Fred went to the same colleges that Tom did, Canton ATC and Clarkson College (now Clarkson University). Tom was at Canton before Fred, but they were both at Clarkson at the same time, graduating in 1980 and 1981 respectively.
Dinner was at the excellent Black Sheep Bistro , which features a big cone of fries with different dipping sauces and a pot of mashed potatoes with every entrée.
Then back to our favorite free campsite, set up Starlink, blog, and bed.