Making Family Memories in the Adirondacks

July 24 - 27, 2015
Albany & Lake Champlain, NY

Family selfie at Ausable Marsh

Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of spending some quality time with my dad, Steve, and stepmom, Lucia, who live in upstate New York in the highly scenic, green and lush Adirondack Mountains.  Their spacious A-frame home sits directly on the shores of Lake Champlain and boasts stunning lake views.  And we were fortunate enough to be going for a visit!  While still a bit of a trek from New York City, due to the challenges of renting a car and getting in and out of the city, it is much more do-able now that we are living in the same state and we were excited to be making the trip.

We escaped the hustle and bustle of Manhattan on a scorcher of a Friday afternoon, deciding to split the trip in two on the way there.  Getting out of the city in an Uber car and then out of Newark after renting a car at Newark Liberty airport was hectic and a bit stressful in the afternoon traffic but eventually we found ourselves on a pleasant drive up I-87 through the pretty Hudson River Valley.  We approached downtown Albany in the waning afternoon light, nearing dusk, after a brief rain shower. 

Albany skyline, featuring The Egg

In addition to being a bit more relaxing, spending the night in Albany gave us a good opportunity to explore the sprawling Empire State Plaza, situated beneath the shadow of the grand, castle-like New York State Capitol Building, and home of the uniquely shaped performing arts space, simply dubbed The Egg. 

New York State Capitol Building (side-view), overlooking Empire State Plaza

The Egg

Following our brief exploration of the civic plaza, we had a fairly decent meal at The City Beer Hall, a German beer hall-style brew pub housed in a historic-looking building in downtown Albany that had obviously been re-purposed (but from what we could not decipher, based on the interesting multi-level interior, complete with mezzanine).  

The City Beer Hall in downtown Albany

Scott's pulled pork sandwich and fries were a bit more exciting than my (mostly) gluten-free taco trio of pork belly, salmon and mushroom and fried avocado (one of each, not all on one taco!) and the service was attentive and pleasant - we weren't in NYC anymore!

On Saturday morning, we checked out of the Ramada Plaza in Albany (never to return - I don't recommend that particular establishment) and enjoyed the scenic 2-1/2 hour drive to the Port Douglas/Keeseville area, located directly across the lake from Burlington, VT.  We arrived at my dad and stepmom's just before noon, and, as luck would not have it, just as the sun went behind the clouds.  But even with the sun hidden away, the view from Lucia and Steve's deck is magnificent and always a treat to behold.  

Enjoying the view from the deck

Although it threatened rain at various points over the weekend, we saw only a few drops on occasion.  All-in-all, we were graced with some pretty nice weather during our visit, allowing us to enjoy a tour of the lake on Steve and Lucia's boat as well as a driving tour of the area with interesting stop-offs at Ausable Marsh and Ausable Chasm.  

Good times out on the lake!

Picturesque Ausable Chasm

The spaces in between our outings were filled with taking in the lovely, serene lake views from the deck, and lots of storytelling and laughter, over Steve's delicious strawberry margaritas, his simple, yet tasty homemade dinners on the grill and plenty of good wine.

Early Monday afternoon, it was time to climb back into our silver Nissan Versa (that reminded us both of our beloved old Honda Fit...sigh!) for the long drive back to the city.  But at least we were able to do so with thoughts of all the fond memories we created over the past two days.  And with any luck, we'll be back before too long!  

More photos:

The Egg, looking a little alien spaceship-like at dusk

Our state capitol building

The over-sized reflecting pools in Empire State Plaza are quite stunning

The Egg and its reflection

Reflecting pool at Empire State Plaza

Kinetic sculpture in Empire State Plaza, at dusk

The New York State Capitol Building, side-view

The First Mate awaits his Captain and passengers

Out on Lake Champlain

View of Steve & Lucia's house, nestled among the trees, from the water

Enjoying the ride!

Looking across Lake Champlain to Vermont

Scott takes care of a little boat maintenance on the fly

Love, love, love this gorgeous view from the deck!

We ♥ Lake Champlain!

Enjoying the beauty and tranquility at Ausable Marsh, which provides an unspoiled habitat for numerous bird species. Not far from this viewing platform, we stopped on the road to watch a pair of osprey parents with a fledgling in their nest.

And then this happened!

View of Ausable Chasm from the bridge 

At Ausable Chasm - too bad we were standing directly in front of the falls, blocking the beautiful view!

A refreshing dip in the lake was a must after a hot afternoon of touring

Stand-up paddle boarders and kayakers, taking advantage of the calm, late-afternoon waters

Early evening calm on the lake

So hard to say goodbye!!  Enjoying a final morning coffee, just steps from the water's edge, in the same spot where we saw the cutest little wild ferret at close range just the day before.