Last Tuesday, on my way down from the summit of Mount Marcy, I came across a sight I hope to never see again. Right next to the trail register at Marcy Dam was a white Jeep Cherokee, parked as if that were a trailhead lot. Perplexed, I assumed that this vehicle belonged to a ranger, though ...
A million years ago it seems, before quarantine, my husband was asked about guiding a hiking group to a specific spot in the Adirondack Park. The people had noticed a particular view from an Instagram account and only wanted to go to that location to replicate that photo. After numerous ...
Since the coronavirus lockdown began last March, the Harrietstown town board has been holding Zoom meetings. The majestic town hall was entirely shut down in the early stages of the pandemic, but now the town offices are all fully staffed and operating by appointment. The merged town and ...
Tomatillos (toe-mah-TEE-ohs) are the lesser known, tangy cousin of the tomato. These small fruits (a little bigger than a cherry tomato) enclosed in loose, papery, brown or green husks are to the tomato what the lime is to the orange. Though a warm-weather crop, they can grow in our ...
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety previously reported that 40% of all automobile crashes involve tailgating — or, more formally, following too closely. What driver hasn’t been annoyed by the driver behind riding right on his/her tail? Answer: no one! But the flip side is how ...
I’m in the middle of reading a great book on the Great Migration of Black Americans out of the South and into the North and West, a movement of about 6 million people that lasted from early in the 20th century, starting during World War I, right up into the 1970s. The book is called “The ...
Well, I got everything ask-backward last week. The headline was about Orville Paye’s junkyard under a photo of his Gold Mine on the Bloomingdale Road. Now I want to talk a bit more about the Gold Mine, not the junkyard, but wait — I know, the photo today is about the junkyard. The Gold ...
Dear citizens of North Elba and Lake Placid: What a busy and beautiful summer it has been. In spite of the lack of our Canadian friends and neighbors — as well as our major event clientele including participants and fans of the Lake Placid Horse Shows, lacrosse, Ironman and marathons — ...
The Saranac Lake Free Library is very happy to announce that we will begin limited hours of “In-Person Browsing” browsing of books, audio books and DVDs at the library starting Tuesday, Sept. 29. The staff at the SLFL missed you all very much, and we are excited to see our patrons inside ...
I heard my first urban legend when I was 13, told to me by my pal Mike Newman. It was a classic — the $150 Corvette. He said the Corvette, only a year old and in almost pristine condition, was for sale in Poughkeepsie for $150. “I don’t get it,” I said. “Why would anyone sell a ...
Traumatic events affect us all in one way or another, even when they do not happen directly to us. An obvious example is the current COVID-19 pandemic. It has resulted in the deaths and severe illness of many people, causing great trauma for their families and friends. Additionally, dealing ...
Following his brush with death (as recounted in last week’s article) Pete Tanzini appeared to have settled down. He married his second wife Gussy, and they settled into their new home at the end of Olive Street. A couple of years later, however, Pete became the proud owner of a giant ...
“Maggie’s Room” is the nickname used by the staff at the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage in Saranac Lake for the former private quarters of Mrs. Margaret Isabella Balfour Stevenson, also known as “Maggie.” In this room, which overlooks a bend in the Saranac River, Margaret wrote ...
It’s starting to feel very much like fall around here. Days are getting shorter, leaves are changing color, temperatures are cooler (some of us have already seen a frost or two, even a freeze), air conditioners are silent, pumpkin-spiced food and beverages are available at several coffee ...
In the beginning of September, the news that the AuSable Club will pilot access restrictions to Adirondack Mountain Reserve land this coming Columbus Day weekend evoked some frustration in the wilderness recreation community. This action will see yet-unspecified restrictions to hiker traffic ...
Bravo to Carter Rowley, whose Sept. 18 letter on democratic socialism was spot on. Once again, we need to explain what “social” and “socialism” mean in MODERN DEMOCRACIES to people who think Democrats and progressives will turn America into a new USSR. Reading and hearing this ...
The trees are turning; the winds are picking up; change is in the air. The autumn equinox is almost here, and fall is upon us. The past week brought not one but four nights below freezing. The tender harvest — tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, eggplant, beans — had to be gathered ...
It is that time of year when I have to choose which plants live or die. It’s a yearly decision that I don’t take lightly. I have mostly potted or hanging plants because my dog, voles, mice, chipmunks, a woodchuck and rabbit decided years ago that I shouldn’t grow annuals directly into ...
While reading Mr. Hibbard’s Guest Commentary published by this periodical on Sept. 15, I felt compelled to answer his question: Why does the Black Lives Matter movement have an outsize reaction to the murder of Black Americans over those of other races? The key focuses of the Black Lives ...
A column last month discussed how centerline and edge line markings on our highways make driving easier and safer. That article explained the requirements that mandated pavement markings, where they were optional and where they were not recommended without a compelling engineering reason for ...