Alpine Lake, Corinth, NY

The view from our site.by day.

Stop number two was at beautiful Alpine Lake RV Resort in Corinth, NY. Corinth is conveniently located close to Saratoga, Lake George, Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs and The Great Sacandaga Lake. We met up with several members of an RV group we belong to called the Hudson Islanders. 

The members in attendance were a combination of long-term, full-time and newbie rv'ers making for a fun gathering of food, fires, games and talks.

Unfortunately for me, the traditional nightly "bonfire" was something I could not totally partake of and enjoy as much as the others. Smoke makes my lungs protest and rebel, so I tried to behave by keeping a distance.

We had many fun nights at our lakeside site and were blessed with beautiful weather until our last day, but we had plenty of time to get out, explore and make many memories.

On our first day, George and I drove the perimeter of The Great Sacandaga Lake and were afforded many photo ops along the way. The Sacandaga is 27 miles long, which makes it only two miles shorter than the more popular Lake George, however, the sights were something to behold.

Our first stop was a visit to a vintage 5-10-and 25 Cent Store in Northville. I included a black and white, as well as a color because it just seemed that it should be viewed as an old time picture. 

Entering the store brought George and me back in time to when you could get ANYTHING you needed in one of those stores. They had clothing, fly swatters, hardware, shovels, make up. candy, toys, dish towels and even pink plastic hair rollers and pink foam hair rollers.  Enlarge the photo to see all the items on the shelves.

We next stopped at a roadside park in the hamlet of Hadley, which had an overlook on the  rapids portion of the Sacandaga River where it joins and empties into the Hudson River. It was a beautiful day and the view was incredible. 

Sacandaga River

A quick U-turn had me exploring an old cemetery dating back to the mid 1800's. I was moved and impressed by all the new American Flags that adorned many of the graves. A closer look showed bronze medallions that held up each flag that had been placed years ago by the local American Legion. I plan to contact the Lake Luzerne branch to make a donation to express my thanks for their continued dedication to our past fallen heroes.

The next bend in the road had us crossing a single-lane bridge that spanned the rapids. It was named the "Bow Bridge" after its "parabolic" design. (Bow - pronounced like "bow wow.") It was rather too easy to get up close and personal around this bridge where the slightest misstep could have had me tumbling down into the rapids. There wasn't a warning sign or barrier on either side of the bridge. George was behind me and visions of all the CSI and Forensic File shows I've watched came rushing into the forefront of my consciousness.  LOL

Thanks to a dear friend of mine who asked me to search for old tea cups, we got to explore the "Village View Variety Shoppe," just prior to its closing its doors for good. The entire building and huge antique collection was up for sale for a measly $150,000. We met the owner and operator who was a personable man who was ready to retire and had been unable to sell the building last year when it was priced at $300k. I couldn't believe someone hadn't scooped this place up, it had an entire side view of the Hudson River. It would have made the perfect location for a restaurant. 

I was able to bargain 11 tea cups that ranged in price from $10 up to $20 for only $5 each. Apparently, I can haggle for other people, but not for myself. It helped him deplete his inventory and allowed me to help out a friend.

The next day we met up with our fellow campers at the Up River Cafe in the center of town in Lake Luzerne. It was located right on the Hudson River and served up some tasty fare. It was a bit chilly on the outdoor porch, but the restaurant provided small blankets at most of the chairs that you could wrap around your shoulders. A very cute gesture.

Hummingbird Moth

Right out in front of the flower-filled front yard of the restaurant, I was able to view my first Hummingbird Moth. I had never seen this insect before and was happy to have gotten a few decent photos.  I was totally mesmerized by its swiftness and beauty.

After lunch, we all split up and George and I walked down the street and discovered the site of an old tannery, a museum (it was closed) and the little Chamber of Commerce Building, where you can view the narrowest portion of the Hudson River on its back porch.

Th closed museum, tannery marker and original chimney.

Narrowest section of the mighty Hudson River.

On two nights, George fired up our propane fire pit and had a raging fire that would make the hardiest "fire starter" jealous.

George's night to provide a roaring fire.

Here are a few other random photos of our time at beautiful Alpine Lake RV Resort.

From L to R: Vicki, Kathy, Chris,Doreen, Dawn and Roberta

From R to L: George, Ray, Mike, Tony and John

Not quite full, but my capture of the view from our campsite by moonlight.

George's view, with the moon reflecting on the lake.

Today marks the end of our Alpine Lake "unofficial" Hudson Islanders Rally. It was great to see the regulars, missed many of the other members, but it's always nice to meet new people, aka Dawn and John.

Over the last three days, one by one, the RV's pulled out leaving just Doreen, Tony and us. We are all packing up and battening down our hatches.  Another adventure blogged about so I can remember all the wonderful things we did, saw and ate. Life is good.

Deep (long) thought for the day:  Our neighbors in front of us were a unique and wonderful family. Hubby cooked almost every meal, kids were totally respectful and dogs well-behaved. I enjoyed watching their youngest son who reminded me of a Huck Finn type of kid. That rare type, who flourishes with a fishing pole, who took pleasure in explaining all the parts of the rod, reel, lures and hooks and the rules where if you catch a fish, you must throw it back. I never saw an electronic device in his hands the entire week, I never heard the parents discipline any of the three kids. The two large dogs lolled in the shade and seemed to be enjoying the entire scene, as did I. It was refreshing for me to listen to and watch. At 9 am, the pole is in the water and young son just pulled his second sunnie out of the water! He showed it off to someone passing by on the lake and he announced that it wasn't as big as the one his dad had caught earlier.  Life is good.  Many times, less is more. ~ vc