One of the perks of my teaching schedule this semester is that I have Fridays off. With warm temperatures and reasonably sunny skies, I set off to hike Buck Mountain on the south-eastern shores of Lake George. The hike was gorgeous. There was a moment when I was hiking through the forest and I noticed all the dead fall leaves gently drifting to the ground. It was a leaf blizzard! I made it to the summit of this 2,000 footer fairly quickly…it probably took about 1.5 hours, but I must admit I really wasn’t watching the time. The visibility wasn’t great, as the clouds were low. We are scheduled for rain all weekend, so the break today was brief. After a hearty snack of water, granola, and a fresh apple, I headed back down.
I did head into Lake George Village briefly. I stopped at Caffé Vero for an excellent Macchiato! The barista and I had to have that lame conversation that Starbucks has forced on all discerning coffee connoisseurs: yes I know what a Macchiato is, of course they make a REAL macchiato, yes, Starbuck’s is awful. It was a delicious cap to an excellent hike. Afterwards, I walked up Canada (main) Street. Lake George has a strange blend of kitschy shops and medium range restaurants. It reminded me a little of Old Orchard Beach in Maine. Bar Harbor certainly feels more upscale than Lake George. However, it also had a really rustic feel too, like some people other than tourists live there. However, it was 4pm on a Friday and a good number of shops were closed for the season. Needless to say I left pretty quickly.
Lastly, I stopped at Scotty’s Diner, one of the best truck stop diners I have ever been to, and a fond memory from my college days. I had the friend chicken, potatoes w/gravy, carrots, and NE clam chowder. It is now 11:54 and I think I am finally digested…all in all, and excellent day!