Lake George Riverview Campground-Part II

Happy Campers

Roberta, ACR, Doreen, Sue, & Dorothy

Our nightly campfire, weather permitting.
Evening temperatures down to about 64°

Wednesday, Tony drove Roberta, Doreen, and I into the town of Warrensburgh, NY, to shop at Oscar's Smokehouse just 1½ north of our campground and 6½ miles north of Lake George Village. Warrensburgh was established in 1813 and now has a population of around 4,000.  The town boasts the "World's Largest Garage Sale". Since 1979, the annual event has residents and vendors participating in a town-wide garage sale. 

Could not trace the particular episode of
Rachael Ray's show featuring Oscar's.

Oscar's Adirondack Smokehouse is a 3rd generation family owned business. Started in 1943, it provides residents and tourists alike 159 products all produced right on the premises. Two major fires, one in 1945 and on Labor Day weekend, 2009, has not deterred the family from continuing and now includes 24/7 online ordering service.

I walked out with the last container of BBQ pulled pork. The others will enjoy smoked pork chops, cheddar cheese w/bacon, cheddar cheese w/horseradish, and crackers. Another trip is planned Friday for some goodies that will make their way back home.

The new (2010) 9,000 square foot building resulting from the fire of 2009.

An earlier shot from website. When we entered, circles on floor reminded us of
the 6' social distancing positions.

2,000 pounds of maple flavored breakfast
sausage is produced. That's a lot of delicious.

The view as you leave the store. My unverified guess is
the mountains viewed are the Three Sisters

Thursday, my lower level neighbor, Dave stopped by to inquire about Winnie. He and wife, Linda, are contemplating a move up to a motor home. A retired Navy veteran living about 30 miles south, he currently works to help other Naval veterans transition into civilian life. His camping experiences are extensive and shared with me the many picturesque campgrounds right here in the immediate Adirondack area. There are seventeen RV campgrounds withing a 40 mile radius from where I am now. He mentioned one state campground, Watkins Glen, south of Seneca Lake that I'm hoping will be part of the Hudson Islanders future itinerary. 

Paul, the newest member to my Wall of Fame.

He added a nice touch to his visit with me by bringing a pint of a Paradox Pilsner from the Paradox Brewery. Pure Adirondack Craft Beer. "Paradox Pilsner is a cross between a Czech and German style pilsner. Old world pilsner malt and a generous use of noble hops provides a clean, crisp drinking experience". From their website I read that "the foundation of our beer is within the water we use which can only be found in the granite 600 feet below the Adirondack Park. Water that is so pure, it needs no filtering or treatment before we brew it with the best malts and hops we can find. We combine these ingredients with our passion for great beer and the result is “Pure Adirondack.” Located on Route 9 in North Hudson, NY, it's just 35 miles north of our campground.

The predicted rain arrived about 7:30 and washed out our campfire plans giving me the opportunity to catch up on this blog. Our stay has been characterized with periods of threatening weather with some days just overcast and breezy, a few hot but each night temperatures provided a perfect sleeping experience.

Friday, Roberta, Tony, Doreen and I took a ride to The Boathouse for a mid-afternoon lunch. The Boathouse was originally built in 1876 as a part of the Abenin estate, an Adirondack vacation home that was owned by New York Times Publisher Adolph Ochs.  A tad pricey but the luncheon menu and our dockside table made for a perfect afternoon. We each had burgers. Mine was the Calves Pen Burger: 8 oz Angus with a tomato bacon jam, cheddar cheese and garlic aioli. 

Their website video

A very steep downgrade to the restaurant was made easier with a golf cart
provided and pre-med Clemson college bound driver. Very nice young man.

The Minne-Ha-Ha ("laughing waters") happened to sail past as we arrived at our table. This stern wheel steamboat owned and operated by the Lake George Steamboat Company is one of three ships (other two are: Mohican and Ticonderoga) that provide six daily hour long excursions on Lake George. Over the years a seventh excursion as well as a moonlight cruise on Saturday nights have been added. She also has a calliope that play tunes after each trip captured on THIS VIDEO.

At the top of the hill, the sprawling 11 acre Cresthaven Lodges provide luxurious accommodations for vacationers .

Shepard Park is located in the heart of Lake George Village. There's an
amphitheater for free concerts and entertainment. Public restrooms and life guards
on the sandy beach provide visitors a shady place to relax
 while visiting the many nearby shops in the village.

Across the street from the park is DILLIGAF
I visited looking for a Lake George decal for Winnie.
In the comments below, tell me what you think DILLIGAF
stands for. 

To end our afternoon on this last day of our stay, we drove back to Oscar's for some take home goodies. Driving north into Warrensburg it's impossible to miss the massive mural on the wall of VFW Post No 4821 building. It's also the Museum of Local Warrensburg history. It was painted in 1976 by traveling artist Scott LoBaido.  

It’s part of LoBaido’s plan to paint a flag on a VFW or American Legion
post in all 50 states. This view is of the north side of the building.

On the south side of the building the 70-foot-long outdoor mural, entitled "Warrensburgh - A Town in Harmony With its Past," was painted in 1976 by the late Eva S. Cockcroft, a writer, art historian and artist. She painted or directed the painting of more than 30 murals in New York, New Jersey, California, Nicaragua and Berlin.

The left half of the building....

...and the right half.

And so, that concludes my week long stay with some of the Hudson Islanders (8 of us) in the Lake George area. Our next rally will be in Gordonville, PA at the Country Acres Campground. There should be about 10 couples in attendance. Covid-19 precautions are in place and as of this writing, Pennsylvania has not met the metrics set forth by New York State that would mandate self-quarantining for 14 days upon my return on August 23rd.

Meanwhile, prior to my leaving on August 13th, I'll be staying at CPP (Croton Point Park) for the next two weeks. I've camped here since 2014 and enjoy the quiet and the shade. For those of my readers who don't go back that far, this LINK will take you to the "early days." Look to the panel on the right for my days of enjoyment way back when. 
Thanks for stopping by, add comments below. 

Lake George Riverview Campground

JULY 11 TO JULY 18, 2020

The process of preparing my RV for "getting away" is involved but went smoothly having done it for years. Winnie is stored in Cross River, NY, some 19 miles, 30 minutes away. I first have to write a letter of permission to the Board and the Management of my complex to have Winnie parked in a lower lot so I can load perishable and non-perishable items prior to leaving. Next, an accommodating neighbor must drive and drop me off as I do not want my Caddy sitting in the lot while I'm travelling. I'm fortunate to have many on whom I can rely; Thank you Diane F for the drive and thank you Diane W for picking up mail and watering the "monster". Prior to pulling away from the storage area, I turn on the coach batteries and the refrigerator. The refrigerator is powered by 2, dual 100 watt Zamp solar panels on the roof with a controller for the dual RV batteries. And, finally there remains the transporting of all I'll need from my apartment down to the lower lot via my Caddy. Thanks to checklists I've prepared, the first trip loads the non-perishable food items and supplies. On the day I leave, a second trip brings the perishables for both the freezer and frig. The desired temperatures for frig/freezer is reached in about a half hour. After planning my meals for the trip, the checklist also serves as my shopping list for the last minute shopping that may be required. For this trip I'll get to the NY Thruway via Routes 9 and I-84 with a stop in Cold Spring for a fill up with diesel. 
A check with the website indicated:

We here at King Phillips and Lake George Riverview Campgrounds are striving to make your stay with us as fun and relaxing as ever.  Of course we are all experiencing some temporary changes to our normal lives as we get through this pandemic.  Although the virus isn’t prevalent here in Lake George we are aiming to keep it safe for everyone and thus we have made some temporary changes that include:

Face masks to be worn by guests and employees when at the store or on another campers site.

All gathering spaces are still closed.

Social distancing must be observed at all times.

We all hope to return to normal very soon!  In the mean time let’s all be safe and do what we can to protect ourselves and our most vulnerable.  

At last Winnie and I are away from home. I made good time as traffic was light and weather was overcast.
The campground borders the Schroon River, a 67.7-mile-long tributary of the Hudson River in the southern Adirondack Mountains of New York, beginning at the confluence of Crowfoot Brook and New Pond Brook near Underwood, and terminating at the Hudson in Warrensburg. Its watershed is entirely within the Adirondack Park.

Sunday was a full day for the adventurous. Pictures are worth a thousand words. ~~ Fred Bernard.

No current to speak of for tubing

Even kayaking provides a most relaxing experience

Some views of my surroundings.

Very spacious sites and well maintained.

Ray and Sue down on the lower level right along the river.

Winnie on site K-17

Next door, Roberta on K-16 and
Tony/Doreen on K-15. John and Nina behind
on K-14

This "upper level" built up and reinforced with smooth boulders
probably taken right from the river bed.

Yes, too far back and over you go.

Ray and 

Sue getting their early morning steps

Before some afternoon tubing, the group enjoyed some of Ray's "from scratch" clam chowder.

Sue

John looking better behind the mask, don't you think?

With his hydroxychloroquine cocktail, Tony needs no mask.

Something to go along with the clam chowder soup.

And with the soup, Roberta enjoys a glass or two (or was it three?) of Prosecco with a.....

.....shot of Aperol.   

Aperol is a classic Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian (an herb), rhubarb, and cinchona (a root that has a bitter, somewhat effervescent taste that is also used in tonic water), among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue, which is why it is often popular during the summer. Its name comes from the French slang word for aperitif, which is apero.

Tony, Doreen and Roberta getting ready
to join Sue.

Will the breezes blow the rubber tubes off into space?

Nope, didn't happen.

  

At the end...photos taken by Nina in front of them....

....and a photo by me 100' away from my campsite.

Thank you, Nina, another cautious young lady.

Time to turn on the AC.
Outdoor? 90; Indoor? 95°

After dinner, John presented two of his digitized Super 8 DVDs. This time, their 1978 RV trip to Alaska; an amazing and memorable adventure for both of them. What a difference 42 years makes when we view glaciers no longer there or having receded miles from their original glacier terminus; their children and cousins now adults and other vehicles and motor homes of those days gone by. Very striking. Thank you, John and Nina.

Monday. Today was a repeat of yesterday. The intrepid group took to the river further upstream. When they returned to the campsites, they were informed of the power outage throughout the campground and the village. Fortunately, it lasted about thirty minutes and allowed Doreen to microwave her baked ziti and Sue to continue her contribution of chicken, zucchini and broccoli in her crock pot. Accompanied by Bob (with two Os) and Dorothy, dinner had a time out until the (click link) torrential downpour passed over.

Enough reading for one sitting. To be continued.....