Road Trip: Adirondacks

keith, kingston and i set off on a two week adventure early this september. the first week we spent road tripping, camping, hiking and enjoying the views of beautiful lake george and adirodack mountains. we decided on hearthstone point campground to use as home base. the campground is located on a beautiful tree covered piece of land on the lake that was donated to the state. the amenities were on the shabby side, but the campground itself made up for it. the water front picnic area, beach and old grand hidden staircases on the grounds kept our little one happily exploring. our site happen to workout nicely. it was set off the road, a low stonewall and sloping hills created a nice clear boundary for kingston to play and ride his bike. here is the first half of our family trip in photos.

keith and i were not sure about taking the long ride to the wild center, but so glad we did. the wild center lived up to its name. there wild walk takes you thirty feet above ground level along the tree tops. it has swinging bridges, a human size spider web, a replica of a huge bald eagles nest and plenty of places to watch and listen to the nature below. there is also ground level nature paths and the center's main building has the most interesting exhibits in a dreamy setting. in the lobby kingston observed a porcupine enjoying a snack on an open table with her keeper and otters chasing their pray at the otter falls. all the animals that reside in the center are rescues. i can't say enough about our experience. 

kingston hiked on his own most of this trip. i wasn't quite prepared for this, but i didn't want to crush his enthusiasm. we frequently talked about staying on the trail and spotting trail markings as we walked. it quickly became a fun game. he was a natural at finding the next marker. he even hiked his first summit up sleeping beauty. however, he had to have a time out at the top for not wanting to stay away from the edge. he quickly realized there would be no negotiating and mom and dad meant business. the trails around lake george were fun and the views were great. but, those high peaks were calling our name. they will have to wait until our little cub gets bigger.

kingston finally got his ride on the minne-ha-ha. he waited all week to hear her steam calliope play and watch the big red paddle wheel push her around the lake. he had spotted her on the lake the day we arrived, but the next few sailings were cancelled so we had to wait until the next weekend. it was a perfect ending to our time in adirondacks. the following morning we packed up camp and drove south to saratoga spring's train station to ride the rails up to montreal via amtrak. our montreal journal entry will be up soon!