Adirondack Family Time™

By Diane Chase This WPTZ video  of the flooding shows just some of the damage around the Adirondack High Peaks area.  Here are more pictures as well as a video of the bridge around the Whiteface/Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumps. So much flooding, so much to overcome. Phil Brown with Adirondack Explorer reports on the loss of the Marcy Dam Bridge and devastation to the Adirondack Loj road. Update:  The Cloudsplitter Gondola and Veteran's Memorial Highway are currently closed while damage from Irene is accessed. Please note Route 86 between Lake Placid and Whiteface is also closed at this time. photos are the © of WTPZ.com and only used to direct people to the WTPZ video and warn visitors of the damage of the Routes of 73 and 9 in the Adirondack Park.  Diane Chase is the 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, Keene/Keene Valley which is

Azure Mountain is about 2518 feet in elevation,  with beautiful views of the High Peaks region to the south and east and the St. Lawrence River to the north. Located off the Blue Mountain Rd., take NYS Rte. 458 to the Blue Mountain Rd. and travel approximately 6 miles to the trailhead. The parking lot is to the west. Our friends are going to climb Azure Mountain so we invite ourselves along for the hike. I am told it is an easy mile up . Not to underestimate my abilities but upon hearing the magic words, “one-mile” I am all for it. I can conquer a mountain; rest on top and still return for naptime.

Santa summers in Wilmington Even Santa has a summer home and it’s in Wilmington, New York. Known as the forerunner of the present day theme park, Santa’s Workshop in North Pole NY (Wilmington) opened its doors in 1949. The fantasy village was designed in part by Arto Monaco (the Land of Make Believe fame). Complete with rides, farm animals, Christmas-themed shops, reindeer and an actual frozen North “pole” Santa’s Workshop has seen hundreds of thousands of people pass through its doors.

From the DEC  Hurricane Irene Safety and Cleanup Information  Hiking and Camping Advisory Due to anticipated hazardous weather from Hurricane Irene,   all New York State operated  campgrounds  in the Catskill and Adirondack Park will be closed effective Saturday, 8/27 at 12 noon. All current reservations through Sunday, 8/28 are cancelled.  Please check this website and call ahead for campground status for all reservations beginning Monday, 8/29. Please call 1-800-456-CAMP (1-800-456-2267) for more information. © 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, Keene/Keene Valley which is available online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the second guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities.

By Diane Chase Here is a coupon that allows a free child admission for every full paying adult to Upper Canada Village . To date regular adult admission is $20.95, student (13-18) $19.95, children (5-12) $11.95, children (2-4) $3.95. Every little bit helps. Enjoy!  © 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/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the second guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family Activities.

By Diane Chase One of the Adirondack Fun Facts covered in my guidebook  Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities)   is that Jewelweed (Impatiens capentis) has been used as a treatment for poison ivy for centuries. Jewelweed is commonly known as "Touch-me-Not" or "Silverleaf." Touch Me Not because the tiny seed pods will explode when touched "like fireworks." Children will love to watch the seed pop open and you can know that the plant has other benefits as well. Another common name is Silverleaf. Put the leaf under water and its tiny "hairs" will repeal water, taking on a silver appearance. Take it out and the leaf is dry. Children will love to see this miracle while on the trail. How to identify

By Diane Chase The first and only time we have seen author Joseph Bruchac and his musician son Jesse perform was at the Old Forge Adirondack Storytelling Festival at the McCauley Mountain Chalet. It was a riveting mix of music and Native American storytelling. My children have checked out plenty of Bruchac books from the school library and a few more line our shelves at home. Joseph (Joe) Bruchac has written over 70 books for children and adults as well as poetry, short stories, music and anthologies. The theme throughout is his strong tie to his Abenaki culture.

By Diane Chase We have all heard about the local food movement but what about the local investment movement? What would happen if we invested 1% into a local business rather than sending our money to large corporations or overseas? In the Adirondacks there are plenty of people with great ideas that lack the capital to grow their business. As more and more people attempt to eat locally, can we take it one step further and start investing with that same 50-mile range? Author Amy Cortese writes about investing in businesses 50 miles or less from your home in her book,  Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It."  Some of the greatest examples she found of local stock markets and local investing was in the town of Hardwick, VT where business owners went to local investors to solve cash flow issues when businesses started to grow too fast The  Saranac Lake Community Store  is one such group investment effort and I am sure there are others in the

Dar Williams at the Indian Lake Theater August 12 at 8:00 p.m.  American singer-songwriter Dar Williams visits the Adirondacks to perform this Friday at the Indian Lake Theater in Indian Lake, NY. A favorite among the adult-alternative set, Dar Williams has a unique voice that can dance from lyrical and ethereal to playful and gritty. Her lyrics are funny and sharp while they deal thoughtful insight into life. Williams has been described as a synthesis of the Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez.  Tickets are almost gone, so reserve your seats now by calling (518) 352-7715. $35 (members of Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts) $25/general admission © Diane Chase, author of Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes (Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and High Peaks: Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities with GPS Coordinates  available online or bookstores/museums July 2011. Diane is currently working on the second guidebook in the four-book series of Adirondack Family A

One of the greatest privileges in visiting and living in the Adirondack Park is being able to swim in all the natural swimming holes, pools and ponds. Swimming in ponds and streams can be tricky with small children but not impossible. Being able to go for a refreshing dip in a natural setting is worth a few precautions. Though it is a fun family activity there are a few things to remember before you go. The first rule is to never swim in springtime when the water is at its swiftest from recent snowmelt and mountain runoff. Each year there are incidences where people of all ages believe that they can outwit Mother Nature and battle the strong currents. Even expert swimmers have been known to drown during these rough, unpredicible times.

By Diane Chase My children can spend hours scouring the countryside for grasshoppers... or are they crickets? Well, it would depend on what time of the day it is. Here are just a few quick facts to help tell the difference.

Adirondack Animal Land Adirondack Animal Land is a 80 acre privately owned zoo. Located  3554 State Highway 30, Gloversville, NY 12078. From Lake George take 87 south to Exit 15 and follow Route 29w to 30N, following signs to Adirondack Animal Land.  

By Diane Chase Did you know that Gypsy Moths were introduced in the United States as a failed attempt at creating a silk industry similar to the silkworm? The Gypsy moth was brought from Europe to Massachusetts in 1869 by Leopold Trouvelot in attempt to breed the moths for silk production. A few escaped and now the moths defoliate trees from east to west coasts of the United States. Well, Mother Nature is trying to trip my apple growing by first giving that cute fawn apple leaves to nibble upon and now a bout with tent caterpillars. So what is the difference between the Eastern Tent Caterpillar, Forest Tent Caterpillar and the Gypsy Moth?  Eastern Ten Caterpillar "tent" The Eastern Tent Caterpillar • black heads, light brown body with hairs with a white stripe. • Light stripe down its back bordered with brown and black wavy stripes on either side  There are a series of blue and black dots along the length of the body • Length - about 2 to 2 1/2 inches • The