We finally got a day without rain so we decided to take a drive over to the Adirondacks Park area. Our first stop was going to be the Whiteface Mountain peak, via the Whiteface Veteran’s Memorial Highway. However, as we pulled up to the entrance we found the mountain top covered with thick clouds. The cost for us to travel the Highway was $23. Considering this, and the zero visibility, we turned around and headed to Saranac Lake.

We found a nice coffee shop, Origin Coffee, and I was able to spend a little time updating our blog. Afterwards we browsed the shops and found a perfect hat for Charlie!

Saranac Lake, NY

Great Coffee Cafe

We then headed over to Lake Placid. What a beautiful area. If we ever make our way back to this area we’d probably look for a campground closer to this area, or Keene Valley, which we also liked. We found a restaurant on the outskirts of town, across from the lake and grabbed a late lunch. As we drove out of town we passed the Olympic Ski Jump. Seeing it in person gave me a whole new perspective of the sport. It is amazingly tall and steep.

Lake Placid, NY

Olympic Ski Jump

Just outside of Keene Valley we stopped and decided to hike up a mountain. The hike turned out to be fairly aggressive, with steep slopes over many rocks. It was late in the afternoon so we limited the hike to a couple of hours, which got us back to the car by dusk. As we hiked up the mountain we were rewarded with gorgeous views. There are so many hiking trails in this area. We’d love to spend a summer here hiking all 46 Adirondack peaks.

After a long day of sightseeing and hiking we headed back to Westport. Before we got back to the campground though we decided to stop by the waterfront. There is a small Marina there, with a nice outdoor restaurant. Next to that is a local beach. From there, I was able to get a few good shots of the lake. What a gorgeous evening.

The campground is just a few minutes away from the marina. On the way there you pass an old school house. It is the oldest school in Essex County, built in 1816 of native limestone, last used in 1916.

From the schoolhouse parking lot we were able to watch a beautiful sunset over the mountains, across fields of flowers.

Needless to say, we were exhausted when we got back to the RV!