A Rialta Kind of Adventure: Into the Adirondacks

Closing ceremony parade of warriors

Our route away from Niagara led us along the south edge of Lake Ontario. On a whim we turned into a little town called Olcott, where we were delighted to find a big festival in full swing. The 13th Annual Niagara Co. Celtic Heritage Festival was still rocking along, even under cloudy skies late on a Sunday afternoon. We wandered through the vendor booths filled with everything a Celtic warrior or maiden needs: kilts, plaids and lovely wovens, leather accessories, chain mail, steel helmets, weapons of all sorts, Welsh biscuits as well as the usual kettle corn, fish and chips, little girl tutus, fried flatbread and beer, lots of beer! As you can imagine, most of the people were dressed in their best Celtic wear. Some were very proper in their clan plaid and knee socks, toting bagpipes while others were dressed in their best fur and steel warrior wear and heavily armed. It was a wonderful assortment of people, all having a lovely time while pretending to be ancient Celts and drinking lots of beer.

Love those bagpipes!

As is our usual pattern, we approached the stage just as the darling little girl Irish dancing troop finished their performance. We never seem to get there in time to see the kids dance. This has happened to us numerous times. The next and final performance was a rocking Irish group that was best enjoyed from a distance. They were very good but too loud for my old ears. We were happier sitting out by one of two large bonfires by the beer tent. During the band's break the officials and attendees held their closing ceremony consisting of a short parade of the costumed folks and 3 bagpipe bands. We felt a little out of place in our sandals, shorts and shirts but people were kind to us anyway, one very drunk fellow entertained us with rambling accounts of his drunken wanderings around the countryside. I didn't understand much of it but nodded agreeably at the appropriate times. The timing of the rain was about perfect, just as most of the vendors were getting their wares stowed away the wind and rain arrived. We decided to stay where we parked for the night and were lucky to even have WIFI. It was a blustery night and we awoke to see whitecaps and big waves on the lake.

He wanted to sign up just for the sword.

The main goal of the next day was to find a shower! This we accomplished with a short visit to Golden Hills SP which had a very nice facility and lots of hot water. You really learn to appreciate a nice shower when you only get them a few times per week. One of those terrible hardships of the trail. Stopped for some shopping and internet in Rochester then moved along to Watertown for the night. We found a nice dark trailhead parking lot on the Black River Trail and settled in for the night. The next morning I explored the trail and ended up walking 3.5 mi. to the next trailhead where Thayer met me in the rig. It was a lovely walk up a pretty river flowing over limestone ledges.

We continued driving up into Adirondack Park, one of the largest parks in the nation. It is a mostly a NY state park but is interspersed with private lands and administered by a variety of agencies. We are finding that to be quite common out here in the east. It is a mountainous(by eastern standards) area covered with beautiful 2nd growth forests, lovely lakes and ponds, historic towns, and winding roads. We stopped at the Paul Smith's Visitor Information Center(VIC) where I saw a video and learned more about the park. They have miles of nice trails and varied and interesting ecosystems represented in the park. The Paul Smith's College is an interesting mix of educational opportunities. You can study natural resources, forestry, ecology, fisheries, environmental studies or.....business, cooking and hospitality. It has a very famous culinary school, go figure. Actually, these students practice what they learn in local tourist accommodations while the science students have thousands of acres of forest to practice theirs. I guess it does make sense.

Bog walk

The Adirondacks have a colorful history of farming, trapping, logging, and mining which has shaped the land and the towns. Logging and mining took its toll on the woods and mountains but the mining is gone and the forestry practices are more intelligent, working toward sustainable logging. The forests appear to be making a wonderful comeback after the park was basically denuded. Its most interesting industry, we discovered, was the 70 years that it was place to go for the "cure."

First tuberculosis research facility in the world!

In the 1880's a doctor named Edward Trudeau, who had contracted tuberculosis, came to the town of Saranac to spend his final days. In those days TB was a death sentence. Turns out that the fresh air, good food and exercise cured him! In 1884 he established the first cure center for TB patients in Saranac. His theory was that rest, fresh air, good, high calorie food, exercise and a positive outlook could cure many people afflicted with the disease. By this point in history, germs were finally acknowledged as the cause of this terrible disease, a big change from the genetics theory. In 1894 Dr. Trudeau established the first research facility in the world to study the disease and research treatment options. The patients, lodged in "care cottages" spent a great deal of their time outdoors, year round, on porches built into each facility. In winter they were bundled in blankets and fur and hot water bottles called stone pigs. Being outdoors prevented the spread of the disease. They were fed a high calorie diet to help their bodies battle the disease, children were employed to be "tray boys" who ferried the heavy trays up and down hills and stairs to the care cottages. Exercise was encouraged if patients were able and even those who could not were kept busy with crafts and hobbies to lift their spirits. One man built a Ham radio and fixed people's clocks and watches for them. By 1920 there were at least 166 care cottages in Saranac and thousands of people were treated every year. Other facilities in the Adirondacks sprang up and many support industries flourished along with them. "The Cure" was the main industry in the Adirondacks until 1954 when antibiotics were developed which cured the disease.

Saranac River in Saranac, NY

Tourism is now the main industry in the area but the cure industry left a legacy in Adirondack Park that remains today. A world famous research institute, two colleges, and a regional hospital still call the area home. There is a very interesting museum in the old research laboratory built by Dr. Trudeau. The museum is a non-profit organization that receives much of its funding from the Trudeau family (including Gary Trudeau, cartoonist) and the families of patients who were cured by the good doctor. The town of Saranac is filled with restored and historic buildings and houses, all unique and architecturally beautiful. Every winter they have a large winter festival, complete with the construction of a large ice castle on the frozen river. This event dates back to the cure days when the festival was held to brighten the winter days and cheer everybody up by getting them outside!

Ski jumping towers! EEK!

Traveling another 12 miles down the road (we try not to overdo it) we stopped in Lake Placid, site of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Games. We toured the 3 skating rinks, saw the one where the young US team beat the highly favored Russians in the "Miracle on Ice!" for the gold medal. We also saw the speed skating oval where Eric Heiden made history by winning 5 gold medals and setting 4 Olympic records. On our way out of town we spotted the incredibly tall ski jumping towers. They looked absolutely terrifying. Lake Placid is still a very happening little town that hosts events year round. Again, another place where we really should spend more time.

We then drove down out of the mountains to the flatlands, crossed the border and pressed on to our boonddocking hosts located about 30 miles west of Quebec. We arrived after dark, visited briefly, ate dinner and went to bed. In the morning we were delighted to find ourselves perched on a hill about 1/2 mile away from and 150 feet above the St. Lawrence River. It is a wonderful view of the big river. We puttered around all morning then rode our bikes to a couple of small towns nearby, Donnaconna and Cap Sante. There were many beautiful little stone homes(is anyone getting tired of me mentioning these yet?) and old quirky neighborhoods. We talked to a woman who had just made 100 apple pies for the tart festival this weekend. Maybe we should stay put for a few days....hmmm. One steep little road took us right down to the water, more nice houses and a boat ramp. We are excited about the planned trip to Old Quebec tomorrow!