July 10-14 Lake George, NY

“The sky loves lakes rather than oceans because it finds the opportunity to watch itself in the crystal clear mirrors of the lakes!” -Mehmet Murat Ildan

This week we celebrated our 42nd anniversary with a trip to the Adirondacks. We visited Lake George, which is located in the southeastern portion of the park. It sits on the lake of the same name, which is one of the most pristine bodies of water in the world. We stayed at the Fort William Henry Hotel, which is located on a bluff at the head of the lake. The view from our room was fantastic. The original hotel was built in 1855.

The view from our room.

The town of Lake George.

We took our bikes with us, so one morning we did part of the Warren County Bikeway.

We spent a relaxing three days taking in the sights around the lake. One afternoon we went on a cruise up the lake to the islands in the area known as the narrows. This would be a wonderful place to spend the summer on our boat...if we could actually get it here. The water is so amazingly clear and there are over 200 islands scattered throughout the lake. We fell in love with the lake, but not so much for the town. The town is cute, but it's so touristy, from the shops to the restaurants. We drove over to Bolton one afternoon and decided that's where we would stay if we come back.

Watching the water as we waited for our cruise on Luc de Saint Sacrement.

Some of the steamships on Lake George. Steamboats arrived on the lake in 1817. The 190 foot long Lac du Saint Sacrement is the largest cruise ship on the inland waters of New York State.

Just a few photos of what we saw. Lake George is 32 miles long, 3 miles wide at its widest point, and reaches depths of nearly 200 feet. It's the birthplace of the American vacation.

The Sagamore Resort. One of the most exclusive resorts on the lake. Built in 1883.

On our second full day we did a hike to Shelving Rock Falls. It was a beautiful hike that started in the hills above the lake. Once we reached the top of the falls we made our way down to the creek and followed it till we got back to the lake.

The beginning of the Shelving Rock Falls trail.

Above the falls.

The top of the falls.

Walking to the bottom of the falls.

Shelving Rock Falls.

Following the creek to the lake.

The lake.

Look at this beautiful water. I didn't get to swim, but oh how I wanted to.

This water snake was sunny himself near the edge of the lake. He was an unwelcome site.

A few of the fungus we saw along the trail.

42 years ago...boy does time fly.