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Adirondack Coast: The Champlain Memorial Lighthouse near the Crown Point State Historic Site and Bridge

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There is something special about having alone time with my daughter. It gets even better now that she branches out beyond the princess -themed play to climb, fish, or catch something. This time we explore searching for new lands.  We may not discover uncharted territory in our Adirondack Coast tour, but we will tread on the lands discovered over 400 years ago by Samuel de Champlain. The Champlain Memorial Lighthouse sits on the edge of what is now the Crown Point Public Campground . It overlooks Vermont and sits surrounded by land that witnessed battles and forts. Originally constructed in 1858, the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse is a statement to the States of New York and Vermont and the Province of Quebec who worked together to reconstruct this monument as a testament to explorer Samuel de Champlain. I wish to see the bronze bust “LaFrance” by Auguste Rodin (best know for sculptures “The Thinker” and “The Kiss”) that is part of the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse and m

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Glory on the summit of Coney Mountain (Tupper Lake Triad)

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Summit of Coney Mt, Tupper Lake Our latest family challenge is to complete the Tupper Lake(TL) Triad . We have hiked Coney Mountain, Goodman Mountain and Mt Arab in the past, but in order to receive a climbing number, badge and decal ($5) we need to climb all three mountains after the Triad Challenge December 2015 opening date. Coney Mountain has always been a family favorite, especially when we lived closer to Tupper Lake. It’s been a few years since my daughter has hiked Coney. So many years in fact, there is a different trail leading to the summit. There is a designated parking area, but we choose to join the few roadside cars and park along Rt. 30. We walk up the gravel path to the register and meet a group signing out. They enthusiastically share their experience of walking along the open crest. The trail is a gradual climb with a 548’ vertical ascent and elevation of 2,280’. We easily follow the blue trail markers leading us in a semi-circle from west to north to

Easy Tupper Lakes Hikes: Tupper Lake Triad's Goodman Mountain (Litchfield Hill)

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At the summit of Goodman Mountain, Tupper Lake  Climbing any one of the three mountains (Goodman, Arab, and Coney) that are part of the Tupper Lake Triad is trophy enough, but it is still fun to complete an Adirondack challenge, and add another patch to the collection. Tupper Lake’s Goodman Mountain 1.5-mile summit brings all the elements of an easy, fast Adirondack hike and still allows us time to visit the nearby Wild Center. The mountain, formerly known at Litchfield Hill, with its elevation of 2,178’ and vertical ascent of 567’, is a perfect hike for my visiting family of various hiking abilities. With its easy paved beginning to the clear summit view, we are able to bring the whole family.  A bridge crosses over Cold Brook After parking the car at the Lumberjack Spring parking lot, we walk to the kiosk that delves into the history for the name change. There is always so much history attached to the mountains, lakes and trails around the Adirondacks a

FREE Activity: Print out this MOOSE coloring sheet and fun facts

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DID YOU KNOW? Moose are related to deer? The name "moose" is an Algonquin/Native American word meaning twig-eater • A male moose is called a bull • A female moose is called a cow • A baby moose is called a calf • The skin under the moose's neck is called a bell • Moose are herbivores. They eat plants • Moose are one of the largest animals in the Northern Hemisphere • Moose are excellent swimmers • Moose can eat 50-60 lbs of plants in a day!  Enjoy!  © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series , Adirondack Family Time™guidebooks have easy Adirondack family hikes, Adirondack swimming holes, Lake Placid Olympic activities, Adirondack trivia, Adirondack horseback rides, Adirondack snowshoe family trails and more. Look for the Adirondack family guidebook online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the next Adirondack Family Activities™ guide.

Adirondack Farmers Markets

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Looking forward to that favorite farm vendor? Here is a list of Adirondack Farmers' Markets.  Just click on the day you wish to attend and prepare to be amazed with the fresh produce these farmers have been growing just for you. Please check out Adirodack Harvest for farm stands, CSAs, and new rules and regulations!  Enjoy the harvest!      Farmers Market Monday Farmers Market Tuesday  Farmers' Market Wednesday Farmers' Market Thursday Farmers' Market Friday Farmers' Market Saturday Farmers' Market Sunday

Arts and Crafts: Tissue Paper Window Star Art

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It has been a long winter and any signs of spring seem to be still buried under three feet of Adirondack snow. If you are also looking out the window and want to bring some color and freshness to your house, try these delightful window star art projects. Remember arts and crafts are not just for kids, but for adults, too! I am a devout purchaser of craft books, Pinterest  and crafting with friends. My children are very patient with my struggles to try to make something affordable as well as beautiful. Tutorial for Tissue Paper Window Stars Materials: tissue paper, colored wax paper or any paper that is translucent, glue and tape  Cut tissue paper into rectangles. Fold eight rectangles in half length-wise. Open back up. Fold each corner in to meet the center fold line. Crease the corners.

FREE Activity: Learn to Tie A Bowline: Print out this KNOT TYING worksheet and fun facts

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Print out this KNOT TYING worksheet and fun facts Learn to Tie Knots: Bowline I always learned to tie a bowline with the "bunny around the tree" method. It seems to be a time honored system as now that is how my Adirondack kids have learned to tie this handy bowline knot. Enjoy! "THE BUNNY COMES OUT OF THE HOLE , GOES AROUND THE TREE AND GOES INTO THE HOLE" FUN FACTS:  1) The bowline has been used for over 400 years. It forms a xed loop at the end of a rope. 2) USES: hanging something around a tree like a hammock, pulling something up, lowering a package down 3) The short end (BUNNY) is called the working end while the long end (TREE) is called the standing end. 4) This knot won’t come undone while under stress but is still easy to undo. *WARNINGS: KNOTS ARE NEVER TO BE TIED AROUND PEOPLE OR ANIMALS AND ONLY USED WITH PARENTAL SUPERVISION Look for more family-friendly ideas on AdirondackFamilyTime.com © Diane and Tyler

Challenge Accepted! Saranac Lake 6er: Adirondack Hikes: Ampersand, Baker, Scarface, St. Regis, Haystack, McKenzie

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#280 Saranac Lake 6er on the summit of Haystack, after summiting McKenzie. #MountainMonday Challenge Accepted!  Saranac Lake 6er  View from Scarface- Saranac Lake 6er I’m slowly working on becoming an High Peaks 46er. I’m a 25er, though I admire all my friends that have climbed all 46 Adirondack peaks over 4,000’ including my husband, my in-laws and my daughter’s “fairy godmother."  I tend to go back to climb the peaks I enjoy like Wright, Algonquin and Marcy. I realize there are many different ways to appreciate the outdoors and one is to embrace the challenge of climbing the peaks.  Summit of Ampersand, a Saranac Lake 6er The Saranac Lake 6er program provides a different sort of test. The Village of Saranac Lake initiated the program to introduce people to the area’s lesser-known peaks. I was surprised when my daughter came home interested in becoming a 6er. My family have climbed the six peaks (St. Regis, Baker Mt, Scarface, McKenzie,

Craft: Build a Toad House

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Are you overrun with toads?  Give them a home of their own. Here is a quick  Toad House  to make those warty creatures have a comfortable place of their own. Recycle old or broken terra cotta pots and get that toad settled in. Remember that toads can eat upwards of 1,000 insects in a day. They also eat grubs, slugs and bugs! © Diane Chase, author of  Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities)  available  online  or bookstores/museums.

The History of the Adirondack Fire Towers

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Bald Mountain Fire Tower in Old Forge, NY In the late 1800s and early 1900s, enormous forest fires were threatening residents and landowners. New ways had to be looked at to try to protect and report how these fires could be managed. Two different fires, 1903 and 1908, which damaged over 1 million acres of woodlands, became known as the "Great Fires" leading to an organized system of forest fire management throughout the Adirondacks. The first Adirondack fire tower, made of wood, was built on the summit of Mount Morris (now known as Big Tupper Ski Area) with other towers being constructed over the course of the next five years. There have 120  fire towers  at various locations around New York State with 57 of them within the boundary of the Adirondack Park. The log and wood structures were slowly replaced by steel towers between 1917 and 1930, which could be more easily maintained. A full-time work force from  Forest Rangers  to Fire Observers were organized to manag

Smokey Bear's Connection to World War II and Disney's Bambi

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Smokey the Bear, the iconic American symbol for forest fire prevention, actually was preceded by an earlier fire prevention strategy. President Franklin D. Roosevelt first started a fire prevention campaign when millions of acres of National Forest were being lost due to careless people. The campaign started with Uncle Sam and took a r eligious turn before tapping into the war movement. When Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and Japanese submarines fired shells exploding a Santa Barbara, California oil field - the war was brought to American soil. With young men and experienced firefighters enlisted in the war and stationed away from the home front, fear grew that these attacks would continue to destroy lives, property and National Forests.  Citizens were encouraged to take a personal interest in fire prevention and organize community prevention efforts. With the success of Disney's 5th animated movie, Bambi, the fire prevention campaign shifts

Why you won’t see a paper poppy craft for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day on Adirondack Family Time

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I’m all for a good craft. My bathroom shelves and corners of every room in my house are filled with scraps of paper, string, and other tidbits waiting to be transformed into a fun afterschool activity. The one thing you won’t find on my website is a craft for a paper poppy for Remembrance Day, Veteran's Day or Memorial Day.  The paper poppy as a symbol for Memorial Day and Veteran's Day is sacred. In my opinion it shouldn’t be lumped into the same type of holiday craft madness as  Valentine’s Day  or  Christmas  (Oh, I have crafts here.   I like cutting and folding paper with the best of you. I like recycling, reusing, and repurposing.) There are so many blogs and websites posting crafts on how to honor veterans by making a paper poppy. I don’t mean to disparage those websites. I feel that the crafter's heart is in the right place. I just feel that the focus is off.  By making your own paper poppy, you aren’t able to connect a child or family member to the

Recipe: Violet Foraging Makes Violet Syrup and Lemonade

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Picking the violets is a sweet job! Springtime means violets and lilacs. I love having an edible landscape. Violets are one flower that brings color to my recipes and with the right violet, they even bring a sweet, sweet scent. In the Adirondack Park where I live, the purple native violets do not give off any scent. Also called blue violets (Viola sororia) these violet flowers and new spring leaves are edible and full of Vitamin C. The flower of the common blue violet (Viola sororia) has five rounded petals and is unscented while the leaves are heart-shaped. These native plants can be tossed in a spring salad adding bright floral interest. The more fragrant English wood violets (Viola ordorata) are what is most commonly used for perfumes and essential oils have naturalized in some places. The purple violets in the Adirondacks are unscented The small white violets have a sweet scent! Though there is one native sweet violet (Viola blanda) in the Adirondacks that does