Spring 2014

We like to take a shorter trip late June, just before the kids are out of school. This year, we took a tour of New York State Parks on the St. Lawrence and in the Adirondacks. We  had a week of great weather and good biking and hiking.
June 17
I love packing the MoHo! It means a new adventure is about to start. We had a nice, easy trip to our first destination: Keewaydin State Park (Site 25), just past Alexandria Bay, NY. It’s a small park (48 sites) with a pool and lots of parking for boat trailers; these parks along the river are all about fishing. After lunch, I strolled the trail through the remnants of the original private estate that once was here in all it’s 19th century glory. It was buggy!

June 18
We travelled only 7 miles to Kring State Park, still on the river. Site 63 may have been the best campsite we’ve ever had for scenery. We were perched high on a hill with a perfect view of the St. Lawrence. We rode our bikes (7 km) and mostly sat in our chairs and enjoyed the sunshine and the river, complete with freighters passing by and a lot of bird action followed by a beautiful sunset.

June 19 and June 20
We left the river and headed into the mountains. It was a nice drive through small towns (we saw a Border Patrol truck near Gouverneur; why?) past rustic, Adirondack-style architecture and lakes and rivers. We stopped at Cranberry Lake Campground. It’s a big park (167 sites) along the shore of a beautiful lake. We picked Site 54 in a wooded loop and enjoyed the quiet.
Next morning, we rode through the park (7 km) and decided to hike (4 miles return) the Bear Mountain Trail. It was a rocky climb but invigorating (hmm…). Unfortunately, the view of the lake from the top was obscured by trees, but it was a major accomplishment. We were tired and returned hoping for beer and peace and quiet. Famous last words. It was the weekend and the four adults and six or seven kids that moved into the site across from us changed the tranquility. It would be time to move on.

June 21
We took Highway 3 further through the mountains, past lots of Lupins, log cabins, 1940’s era Motor Inns, and lots of bicyclists. We arrived at Crown Point Campground located in the shadows of the new bridge that crosses Lake Champlain between New York and Vermont. Another beautiful sunny day for exploring the adjoining Champlain Memorial Lighthouse (the beautiful sculptures are by Rodin) and the State Historic Site with the remains of Fort St. Frederic and Fort Crown Point (battlefield during the French and Indian War).

June 22
Another sunny morning! We drove away from the rustic scenery into the more Colonial structures north along the lake to the Ausable Point Campground. Here we found a sandy beach and “two solitudes”: Quebec campers (LOTS of them) in the campsites along the beach and New Yorkers (well, a very small number of them and us) in the more wooded sites. We rode out to the adjoining Wildlife Management Area and on to Route 9 (with wide bike lanes; NY is great for biking) for 15 km. It was a beautiful ride with Colonial homes, sailboats on the lake, and a view of the mountains.

June 23
Another gorgeous day. We headed back to the St. Lawrence after a final drive through the Adirondacks.
Finally an interesting business: Pet Cemetery and Wood & Pellet Stoves!
We pulled in to Robert Moses State Park (Site 226) and settled in. We took a 20 km bike ride through the park and to the nearby Eisenhower Lock and watched a freighter go through. We also rode to the Moses-Saunders Power Dam (between Massena, NY and Cornwall, ON).  And, for Linda and Denny, there was yet ANOTHER War of 1812 reminder!

June 24
We had intended to stay another day, but it stormed and rained all night and we woke to more rain, so we headed out. We stopped in Gananoque and ALMOST bought a new MoHo (we stayed firm on our offer) and got home safely after a great Spring Trip!