Jack and Linda got lost trying to find their way back to our motel. Turns out they had a lovely night in a very nice KOA on a riverbank. Would have been good for us too, but who can tell?
Finally underway, we headed towards the Adirondak mountains. Now this is weird too. The whole area is shown on maps as a Park. There is a sign at the entrance to say Adirondak Park. But apart from having all the street signs in brown and yellow like most parks, there is nothing else to make it look like a park.
There are houses everywhere, all styles from trailers to mansions, all condition from falling down to recently built. There are towns, with city halls and court houses, streets of shops and servos. So what is the park? I do notice it is not stated that it is a State or National Park, just Adirondak Park.
Aside from that, the park is quite pretty with lots of trees that I bet turn lovely colours in autumn. Many lakes, lots with islands in them and many houses on the banks. It would be a lovely place to live or have a holiday house.
Jack collects photos of his bike at border signs. He missed the one entering New York State from Ontario, so we were under orders to stop at the border of Vermont so he could turn around and get one that way. Only it turned out the border crossing was on a river with a ferry. As we approached I was sure the ferry would be waiting impatiently for us to board and no time to get the shot. Turned out we had a few minutes but there was no welcome sign at this particular border crossing.
On the ferry they had a box of local Maple Syrup for sale. I like Maple Syrup. In the USA they have syrup on almost everything, but it is always imitation. The taste is very similar, but a discerning pallette for things sweet will always know the difference. (I must try a blind test one day). In any case, just knowing it is the real thing makes a difference.
So Jack noticed that the maple farm was not too far to the north. North we went. Quite a ways, but we eventually found the farm. They had lots of great foodstuffs as well as the Maple Syrup. We also saw a film of the harvest and production. It is always done in May, when the trees start to produce sap for the spring/summer. We bought maple flavoured frozen yohurts - delicious. We also tasted lots of locally grown and produced jams and spreads. All yummy. Good thing we cannot carry too much.
Then we discovered a pamphlet for the local Ben and Jerry ice cream factory. Plans were immediately changed to take us there.
We got there after a couple of wrong turns, but found it very crowded with busloads of school kids and a long lineup to get near the ice cream counter. The tour of the factory was not for 45 minutes and I had seen threatening clouds outside. We discussed it and decided to try to get local accommodation and return later hopefully after the schoolies were gone. It never happened.
We made it in to town and found not much in the way of reasonably-priced digs but there was one only a few miles away in the next town. On the way there the heavens opened up. We dashed off the freeway and under a bridge to put on wets then braved the elements - wind as well as rain - to the motel. Turned out to be quite nice and had a nice restaurant with well-priced meals. One of the specials was sirloin steak - my pick - and it came out looking great. the cook asked whether I would like to enhance it with Lea&Perrins or destroy it with A-1 sauce. He was delighted when I said it looked so good I would hate to spoil it with sauces. It was a good decision and a great steak.
It is now after 9pm. We are snug in our bedrooms and it is still raining heavily outside. Let's hope it clears up by morning or we are going to have a wet run in to Boston.
Here's pics:
Lots of wild turkeys on the roadside
Quaint stores
Bridge over the Hudson River
Syrup for sale on the ferry
Parked on the ferry
The maple syrup boiler. This machine renders the maple sap down to one fortieth its volume of syrup. I can only imagine the smell and it imagines well.
Strange idea for a hydrant
No comments:
Post a Comment