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Showing posts from 2015

Adirondack Family Time Guidebook for the Champlain Valley: Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga

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By Diane Chase Here is the cover for the 2nd Adirondack Family Time™ guidebook. This guide for the Adirondack Champlain Valley and other Adirondack Family Time guides can be found at Barnes and Nobles , Amazon and a local book store near you! This guidebook for the Champlain Valley from Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga covers the towns of Plattsburgh, Ausable Forks, Elizabethtown, Keeseville, Willsboro, Essex, Westport, Port Henry, Crown Point and Ticonderoga. The four-season guide has  over 300 activities 58   easy hikes  and walks 33 swimming areas and waterfalls 30 museums 46 playgrounds/parks 75 trivia questions 15 inside or nature games  40 ice cream parlors and bakeries with sleigh rides, snow shoe trails, farmers markets, performing arts and more © Diane Chase, author of Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities) for the towns of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Jay/Upper Jay, Wilmington, Keen

Craft: Five Ways to Make Reindeer Food (magical)

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We don't leave just cookies and milk out for Santa. We want to make sure the reindeer have enough energy to travel around the world in one crazy night. We are always looking for ways to get Santa's reindeer off the roof and into our backyard. Honestly, I believe that the reindeer are a bit intimidated by all of the wild deer. One way to bring the reindeer a little closer would be to set off some of their favorite foods. Since reindeer are similar to regular deer, we made a mix that would be good for the reindeer, birds and whitetail deer. Please make sure you sprinkle reindeer food only on your own property because it will attract other wildlife such as birds and larger mammals. Also check on your area regulations on domesticated animals or wildlife, including Santa's reindeer. First to make sure you don't put out items for animals that kill, choke or harm them in any way. That includes processed sugars, glitter or plastics. Reindeer Food Recipe

Craft: How to Make a Felt or paperclip Ice Skate Ornament

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My daughter was home sick today so she helped me make our latest Christmas felt ornament. We created two versions, one out of wool felt and the other out of paper. The felt version is a bit complicated, but not so challenging that my 11-year-old with a stomach bug couldn't complete it. The paper version is a great option for younger children who can use scissors and glue. Parents may still want to lend a hand, because it's fun to make together!

Recycle Christmas Holiday Lights, Batteries, Cars and Electronics for Charity or Trade-in!

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I use 'holiday lights" all year long. It isn't any wonder that I have to replace those strings of lights with regularity. One pesky missing light and the whole string makes my house look like it has a black eye. If you have noticed, similar " The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" that  " there's a  light  on this  tree  that won't  light  on one side." please DO NOT just throw away your strands of lights.  Below are some places near and far that recycle lights. Some even offer a discount on the next string of holiday lights. Now doesn't that put you in the holiday spirit!  As we start decorating for the holidays you also may take notice if your string of twinkle lights are no longer working, please don't throw the lights in the trash. Look for places that can reuse and recycle!  HOLIDAYLED , out of Elms Grove, WI, recycles old Christmas lights and gives you a 15% discount on your next order. You do have to pay for shipping.  Ac

Craft: Angel, Star, Tree and Snowman Paper Chain

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How to make a paper chain: Materials : paper*, scissors, pen/pencil, Adirondack Family Time Christmas Template The paper can be as heavy or fancy as you wish. I used the comics as it was colorful and we could dig out something from our recycle bin. Kids of all ages can do this indoor activity. I made the template a bit large so that little hands could help with cutting. This is a good exercise for eye-hand coordination.

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Mount Van Hoevenberg (Lake Placid)

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Mt Van Hoevenberg  Distance  = 2-2-miles Vertical ascent = 799' Elevation = 2, 940'  Hiking the Adirondack High Peaks isn't always an option, but hitting the trail for a beautiful day hike can always be squeezed into our agenda  When my children were younger we looked for those hikes where they could finish on their own with a feeling of accomplishment   The children are now able to take longer and longer hikes. For me it is with great pride and slight sadness that my daughter no longer requests the baby carrier.    She enjoys being on the trail and boosts my own confidence by elevating me to superhero status. If she feels lost, I find her. If she cries, I heal her. I open my backpack and provide her with ointments to sooth her ills and snacks to appease her hunger.               I am attempting to extend our trips with the eventual goal being a backpacking trip into the woods. Not like our first camping trip where I spent more time on the road th

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Mt Gilligan (New Russia) Elizabethtown NY

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View of Rocky Peak Ridge from Mt Gilligan, New Russia, NY We are a family that is always on the go. I don’t over schedule my children, but they are involved, active kids. Though we may be going in different directions a lot of the time, one activity that always gives us a positive attitude adjustment is to get outside. Since we are such a busy family, we’ve always migrated to those shorter hikes that we can squeeze in on our way to another activity. (I also find these shorter hikes are a great way to see a beautiful view and still be back in time to have a nice dinner or take in a show.)  Adirondack Family Time: Champlain Valley Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga:58 easy hikes, 33 swimming holes, 300 seasonal activities, snowshoe/ski trails, maps trivia and more!  Mount Gilligan in New Russia (near Elizabethtown, NY) is just one of 58 easy hikes around the Adirondack Champlain Valley from my second Adirondack Family Time guidebooks. With an elevation of 1,421’ and a vertical ascen

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Frederica Mountain (Lake Lila) Tupper Lake NY

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An easy hike or walk along the access road to Lake Lila Exploring Lake Lila: The William C. Whitney Wilderness Area Everyone that I know who has spent any time at the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area comes back expounding about the beauty of Lake Lila. With all the autumn colors nearing peak, it is our turn to explore the lake named for William Seward Webb’s wife, Lila Vanderbilt Webb. The drive into the Lake Lila is beautiful and a bit isolated. We are fortunate to arrive at a time of year when it’s not the height of camping season. There are a few cars in the parking area, but I’m told that if the Lake Lila parking area hits its 30-car capacity, people must drive back out the 5.6-mile dirt road to park on Sabattis Rd., or come back another time. Lake Lila Rd. is bordered by private land and parking is only available at the parking area. The trail register is located right at the parking area. There is a Canoe Access Trail (0.3-miles) available for an easy walk right to

Lake Placid Easy Short Hikes: Henry's Woods Trail- A Community Preserve

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Henry Woods gazebo offers trail map and covered seating near the parking area Henry's Woods Trails in Lake Placid (NY) is one of my favorite places to take family and friends for a short easy hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski. It is also the place where I go to walk my dog, trail run and just relax. Henry's Woods is a great place for all level hiker and its the perfect place for people of all ages and abilities. There is one main trail loop with three offshoots from it. It is truly a great community preserve. The Connector Trail:   (green marker) is 0.3-mile Loop trail: (darker green marker) 2.0-miles The Loop trail has moderate elevation gain for this maintained community preserve.  Plateau trail : (yellow marker) .09 miles The Plateau trail is accessed via the Loop trail. At the junction between the Connector trail and Loop trail bear left onto the Loop trail. At about 0.5-mile, turn right at the yellow marker for the first access to the Plat

Backyard Birdfeeder Watch November - April

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Project Feeder Watch is a winter-long bird feeder watch program involving nature centers, individuals, backyards and other organizations. Join in the fun and help  Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada track bird movements. Scientists relay on people of all skill levels to participate to help them track data of winter bird populations and long-term trends.     There is a fee involved ($18/nonmembers, $15/members) Kits are shipped between October and February. The current season is  November 14, 2015  through April 8, 2016 New project participants  receive a bird-identification poster, bird-feeding information, and instructional materials.   New and renewing participants  receive a calendar, a tally sheet, and paper forms.  Just count the birds that come to your feeder. You report only the highest number of each species you see in view at one time.  This is a fun winter projects for all families. It brings nature to your window, strengthens observat

Eight (8) Easy Short Walks and Hikes near Lake Placid and Wilmington (NY) that a three-year-old (3) could do!

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Wilmington (NY) Cobble Lookout (Ledge) I was recently emailed about Adirondack (ADK) hikes to do with a three-year-old kid and wanted to share my suggestions with you! Keep in mind any of the suggestions below are good for people of all ages and abilities. Even if you used to climb the Adirondack High Peaks or still do, but just don't have the time. Enjoy! These are just 8 of the 33 easy short hikes available in my guidebook, Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks: A four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities (with GPS coordinates.) .  1) Wilmington Flume . There are a lot of new bike trails and walking trails all along and around. Be careful there is poison ivy along the trail somewhere. There are warnings posted. There are a variety of options that vary from about one-mile. The Flume is located off of Route 86, west side of bridge on Route 86 (past Hungry Trout Restaurant) 2)  Wilmington's Cobble  Lookout (Ledge): This trail is about a 1.4-mile RT hike.

The Essex County Cheese Tour: Sampling Adirondack Cheeses Straight From the Farm (Tour) I

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I’ve made my own yogurt for years and recently started experimenting with fermented food. I’m now struggling to produce Kefir without a grainy taste. I just can’t seem to get the balance right. With a cupboard full of sourdough starter and ginger beer plant grains, my pantry looks like a science experiment. With everything else bubbling and brewing, the one product I have no desire to make is cheese. With the amount of dairy my family consumes, making cheese might require an actual cow and we don’t have the space. I’d rather keep things simple and get my beautiful artisan cheese from local Adirondack farms. This Sunday, Oct 11, three creameries have bonded together to once again host The Essex County NY Cheese Tour . The self-guided tours are open from 10 am – 4 pm with farm rambles, free samples and other entertainments.

Easy, Short Lake Placid Hikes: A Walk Around Lake Placid's Mirror Lake

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By Diane Chase I have heard the walk around Lake Placid's Mirror Lake referred to as "the fitness trail." Though it is a nice 2.7-mile walk, there are no fitness stations along the easily recognizable red-bricked sidewalk. The level pathway is certainly a hub of activity around Lake Placid all year long.  There are plenty of on street parking spots, but we choose to leave a car at Parkside Drive, near the south end of the lake adjacent to the pubic playground, tennis courts and the public beach. I f I'm motivated I could do a few pull-ups on the monkey bars to constitute the complete fitness angle. We’ll create our own fitness trail.   We park the car near the playground and look out onto Mirror Lake and reminisce about the frosty winter toboggan runs. Now a dock is out at the public beach and some people are even brave enough to take a dip. That water is too cold for me.  Keep in mind that the Mirror Lake Public Beach is closed to swimmers when there is no

Lake Placid (NY) Whiteface Memorial Veterans' Highway

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There is a 360Āŗ view at the summit of Whiteface Mountain, including this view of Lake Placid.  The last time my car climbed Whiteface Mountain, the 5th highest peak in the Adirondacks,  I was with a friend who had climbed not only all 46 High Peaks but also many other mountains around the world. The view had been socked in and we were to meet a large group congregating at the summit to celebrate three new 46ers . Visibility was zero that day at the summit and I spent my time making sure my children didn’t plunge off the slippery slope into the clouds.   Whiteface Memorial Veterans Highway Toll Road winds around for 5 miles before reaching the summit.  Years later and my car has managed to do twice what I haven’t accomplished once, it climbed to the summit of the 4,867' tall Whiteface Mountain.  This time I check the Whiteface website to make sure my visitors and I are going to be able to see the 360-degree Adirondack panorama. It states 70 miles of visibility.

Easy Short Lake Placid Adirondack Hikes: ADK Loj Heart Lake's Mt Jo

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Mt Jo is an easy hike for all members of the family The Adirondack Mountain Club's (ADK)  Heart Lake's Mt Jo Elevation  = 2,876 ft  Vertical ascent = 700’ Distance - 1.2-miles to the summit My son’s class had a field trip to the Adirondack Loj’s Heart Lake area near Lake Placid to climb Mt Jo. He has been eager to share his newly found information with the rest of the family so he will lead us on this 2.3-mile roundtrip journey.  This is #11/33 easy short hikes from Adirondack Family Time Tri-Lakes and High Peaks: Four Season Guide to Over 300 Activities (with GPS Coordinates) The ADK Heart Lake Nature Museum is near the trail entrance to Mt.Jo We arrive late in the afternoon and with no parking attendant we scour the car for the $1.50 parking charge.  (Parking is $10/day for nonmembers, $5/day for members and $2.50 for entry after 1:00 p.m.)  We are held to the honor system. I first park at the upper lot only to have my son inform me that

Fall/Autumn Fun Facts: Apple Fruit Trivia Questions

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Where to pick apples in the Adirondacks? Click here! Apple Facts and Trivia Questions: Did you know apples are called pome fruits? They are part of the sub-family Pomoideae (pom-oy-dee-ee) that has a core made up of an ovary (the seeds) surrounded by an enlarged hypanthium (a cup shaped, tube structure)   • What type of plant do apples grow on?  • How many apples does it take to make one gallon of apple cider? • What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice? •  How old does an apple tree have to be before it starts bearing fruit? • Apples are a member of the rose family. What other fruits are part of the rose family? • Apple vary in shade from what three colors?  • How many varieties of apples are grown in the United States? • By what other name was the pioneer nurseryman John Chapman known by and why? Click the link for the answers

REVIEW: PENDRAGON THEATRE’S ARCADIA SHINES!

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Clare Paulson as Thomasina Coverly and Miles River Willow as Septimus Hodge in Arcadia “ Forget this world and all its troubles and if possible its multitudinous Charlatans—every thing in short but the Enchantress of Numbers .”  ~Charles Babbage, 1833 What:   Arcadia , by Tom Stoppard, is a conundrum set in two time periods where the past and future collide when scholars at an old English estate try to prove theories by piecing together the past.  Where : Pendragon Theatre , 15 Brandy Brook Ave, Saranac Lake, 518-891-1854,  Advanced tickets price:  $30/adult, $25/senior, $15/student with ID, $20/matinee At Door ticket price : $35/adult/senior, $25/student, $20/matinee When:   Saranac Lake: August 26,27 28 at 8 pm Tyler Nye as Valentine Coverly and Shamus Hunter McCarty as Bernard Nightingale in Arcadia (Saranac Lake) There are only three chances left to see Pendragon Theatre’s performance of  Arcadia  and it shouldn’t be missed. This high-energy comic drama by

Lake Placid (NY) Inside Activity: Climbing the Walls at The Climbery

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By Diane Chase (Adirondack Family Time) We are always looking for Lake Placid inside activities that do not revolve around watching television. My children have complete understanding of how the TV remote works so my husband and I feel they do not require additional experience. Since my kids are climbing up the walls, really the door frames, we felt it is the perfect time to try the High Peaks Cyclery indoor climbing room. Appropriately named “The Climbery,” High Peaks Cyclery has cordoned off an upstairs room, near the yoga studio, dedicated to the practice and perfection of rock climbing.  We are all novices, unless we can count my daughter’s habit of hanging from the molding. We are told her particular parlor trick will come in handy but will not be the same experience. We sign a waiver and decide to rent shoes along with the 2 hours fee in hopes that the tight fitting climbing shoes will help us grip the rock handles.  The room is heavily padded but we are still require

A Drive or Hike up Lake George (NY) Prospect Mountain

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The view of Lake George from Prospect Mountain Driving to and past Lake George on Route I-87 I’ve often wondered where the footbridge crossing over the Northway leads. There are always signs or flags hanging over or people waving as we pass underneath. After being able to spend a day in Lake George, we discover the footbridge is one start to Prospect Mountain. We’ve been told the 1.5-mile trail is steep and can be difficult. We are only wearing sneakers but decide it is worth the attempt if to only cross the footbridge. I am terrified. My children skip across as if huge trucks were not speeding beneath their feet. They gesture to the drivers to beep their horns. They finally look back, realize I am not following and come back to retrieve me.  The path is relatively steep and follows the old Incline Railway that had been used for guests to reach the once thriving Prospect Mountain Inn. The Inn was destroyed by fire, twice. Now all that remains are pictures, a partial firep

Lake Placid (NY) Fun Center Boots and Birdies: Ropes Course, EuroBungy, Mining and Mini-Golf

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Boots and Birdies Lake Placid mining sluice Though my kids enjoy our outdoor hiking adventures, they like to spend just as much time exploring all the various activities in our area. Recently a friend asked if I knew of any ropes courses around. We’ve been to a large ropes course in Bolton Landing and a few private courses attached to summer camps, but we hadn’t tried the Ropes Adventure Challenge Course at Lake Placid, New York's Boots and Birdies. Booties and Birdies is not just a cowboy themed, 18-hole mini-golf course, but a facility with a variety of activities that can entertain a wide range of ages and abilities. When we park in their lot my daughter gives the Eurobungy a look of longing and is torn between the ropes course and the trampoline bungy. 18-hole mini golf course at Boots and Birdies, Lake Placid Though there are options to save some money with a bungy/ropes course package or multiple tokens, it’s just the ropes course for my little monkey.   I’