Lake Placid

I had a Perfect Day in Lake Placid, despite the on and off rain all day. Several people warned me that I was in for some rainstorms. Although the rain was less severe than two days ago, it taught me another lesson about camping in the rain. I tried to air out my shoes at night and I placed them under the car. The rain and wind kicked up wet sand and blew into my shoes.

So, with all the rain, I wasn’t able to hike to Indian Head and Rainbow Falls. I hope to come back here sometime in the future and hike the trail.

As I left the KOA campground, there was fog hanging above the river. I saw two guys fishing in the river (father and son) and stopped to get photos. The river narrowed at this point and the father told me it was a good location for trout because food gets churned up right there. It was treacherous walking on the rocks.

A mile up stream was another beautiful location. The water was very placid and flowed over huge rocks. The region has a lot of these views.

When mother nature hands you rain, go for a walk in Lake Placid. Rain doesn’t seem to phase anyone in Lake Placid. As I entered the town, there were many runners and walkers going around the lake. I saw a woman jogging with an open baby carriage. The girl looked to be four and had a big smile on her face. I only saw one couple with umbrellas.

I drove through town and parked away from the center (free parking). I walked around town and yes got wet like everyone else. I embraced my Lake Placid rain moment.

The high school is a massive building set back from the road. There is what appeared to be a light gray track field directly in front of the building reflecting the clouds and building. A woman from Westchester, NY informed me that this was the site of the 1932 Winter Olympics speed skating events.

Right up the street is the 1980s Winter Olympics skating arena. This is where USA beat Russia in hockey, better known as The Miracle On Ice. The arena is under renovation, but you can go in and tour and watch the athletes training. I was told the center is being upgraded as a training center for regional USA and Canadian winter sports athletes. USA Hockey has a shop in the center of town and much of it is for the sale of The Miracle On Ice memorabilia. Walking into town you can see the original 1932 Olympic hall which is currently under renovation.

The town is lined with gift shops and restaurants. Someone left his coffee cup sitting outside one of the gift shops. As he was picking it up, I said to him, “I could use one of those”. He told me about Simply Gourmet down the street. I asked if they made lattes and another woman chimed in behind me, “I just had a latte, it was excellent and the breakfasts are out of this world.” So, I found my way to this interplanetary eatery. The coffee was really good. I sat in the window front seats and watched the world go by.

It continued to rain off and on heavily. I found shelter under the awnings or little sitting places around town. One small enclosed park area was close to the lake with beautiful views. It’s not an area dedicated to one sport. I sometime dropped into a shop to taste something, like chocolate truffles.

Lake placid is very clean and seems to promote an active life style. Tourism is clearly the main business built around the winter olympic history but any sport has its place here. In summer, it is hiking, and water sports (paddle boarding, kayaking, swimming in lakes, canoeing, etc.). In the winter, every winter sport is available.

I didn’t eat at any of the restaurants, but there are cuisines from around the world at various price points.

I drove around the various lakes, ponds and rivers just to get a sense of how much outdoors activity there was. There were many fisherman on the rivers trying to snag a nice rainbow trout. Apparently, there are issues with invasive fish species that are used as bait. There are many breweries in the area including The Great Adirondack Brewing Company downtown.

I went to a grocery story and bought a few supplies including ice. I took a short trip to the ski jumping area. They wanted 25 USD to ride the lift up to the top and look around. I didn’t see anyone actually go up. If they reduced the price to 10 USD, they probably would get more visitors.

I returned to the campground to cook dinner and pack for an early departure. I wanted to make a reservation at a KOA campground in New Hampshire, but the campground I was at had no cell coverage. I had to drive to Wilmington, NY to get coverage.

While I was packing, I decided to get rid of the bag of charcoal I had. Although it was only a five pound bag, It was taking up too much space. I went to my neighbors, Jen and Drew and they accepted the bag. They invited me for a whiskey (Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition). Jen is an entomologist working for the state of Maryland and Drew is a security specialist. Jen shared many hiking stories about her hikes in Montana and Maine. She used to hike alone in the back country (very brave woman). I showed them my camping setting. They made a recommendation for the RiftRafters campground at New River Gorge in West Virginia; a place on my list of things to see. I wish I could have spent more time listening to there stories. They were fun to talk to and full of life.