Here’s to the yahoos whose occasional presence makes their absence all the more endearing. Although not in the same league as the gun toting fool in Yellowstone (whose loud proclamations of keeping his family safe from grizzlies led me to tiptoe on my midnight bathroom run), two nights ago a family done near drove me insane at beautiful Lake Durant State Park which is in the northeast corner of the Adirondacks near Blue Mountain Lake. Their bantering and laughing went on all the way to 2 AM. Supposedly the ranger woke them up the next morning to read them the riot act. And so now we appreciate the quiet more than we ever could have.

Sunset and Blue Mountain

I have been on the road for less than a week now but am already beginning to shed my sedentary self. After the mild disappointment of Geneva-On-The-Lake I am happy to report that the Blue Mountain Lake area (and this campground) exceeds expectations. We had plans to explore more of this area but found ourselves taking the same hike (a moderate trek to the fire tower on Blue Mountain) and swimming in the same lake. From what I can gather, this is a common way to vacation here with people coming to the same place and having the same adventures year after year. Here the pull of the familiar exceeds the lure of the novel.

Before taking our own early respite from the road, we spent a morning in Seneca Falls which definitely inspired the Women’s Rights Movement and, maybe, the film It’s A Wonderful Life. The town gives both their rightful due and make for a good day of walking around. The early Women’s Rights Movement, by the way, concerned itself not only with securing basic property rights (women into the early 20th century were not always allowed to own businesses and home) and the vote, it also sought to end slavery (yeah!) and the sale of alcohol (boo!).
From here we continue our northeast tour of America which will culminate in an Independence Day celebration at Acadia National Park. Happy travels all. Noel

Maybe the bridge that inspired the film