Bark Eater

The little Hudson

Your mission, should you choose to accept it....Mr. Alan and Mrs. Mom.....

"Drive way up into the mountains and find Green Mountain Market, where wholesale, restaurant-grade foods are available at amazingly reasonable prices.



Should that Camaro go faster than the posted limits, don't bother to call. We will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

Bye, bye, NYC, hello Adirondacks.

This is the other side of NY, wild, and natural, where it was not unreasonable for us to keep an eye out for moose as we traveled. 

Because Alan decided, after we successfully concluded the assigned part of the mission, to drive north to go south.



Thus we saw Lake Luzerne, Gore Mountain, West Mountain, heck, lots and lots of mountains. NY is full of them...we saw a Barred Owl sleeping on a power wire, feathers blowing in the wind. 

Alan saw two deer standing near the road nibbling...you guessed it....bark. 

We saw that the wild animals seem to congregate near the snowmobile trails, perhaps because the groomed paths make travel easier. Where there were no trails there were few tracks in the snow. Where the trails approached the highway tracks abounded.



As usual we saw no moose...although Alan did see huge tracks leading into the woods at least six feet apart. Certainly coulda been. I looked for gators as well, having seen none while in Florida and being ever the optimist. None of those either, even when we returned south out of the mountains.

Miles of lonely beauty, scene upon scene of wonder.

Saw the Hudson River twice in two days, once at its huge, flat mouth, bristling with cranes (we saw the one at the link...amazing!!) where the new bridge is being built and yesterday a whole state to the North, where folks rent tubes to ride it and offer guided river tours. Such contrasts at every level.

It wasn't just the scenery. Down in the big town people were self-absorbed, toll takers too busy texting to even reach out for the ticket and money, and not one would say hello no matter how pleasantly greeted and thanked. Too many people, too close together, too little beauty, too much everything....I guess.

In Indian Lake, where we stopped for a minute, small town friendliness saw doors opened politely, pleasant greetings shared, and change back from your dollar returned with a smile. 

We were gone about the same length of time each day, but the second was surely lovelier....running through the Dacks is like coming home...been playing there since I was much younger than Alan. 

Along the way he pointed out the mountains he has climbed...Peak, Hadley, and others. And talked of those he plans to climb in future years.



Me, I've climbed Cathead and Kane, and that is enough. Ran down Kane btw, which is not highly advisable. (Don't try this at home.) Fell in a heap at the bottom, laughing our butts off though. We were twenty-somethings then and silly with it.

And home again, home again jiggity-jig, with boneless chicken, whole pork loin, a big enough can of garlic powder for this kitchen full of cooks (not made in China either) and some nice vegetables.

Mission accomplished.