Ferrying to New York and the Olympics at Lake Placid

We are way behind in getting travel posts published this summer because we're having too much fun traveling! So we won't be confused about when each "wandering" happened, we'll start each blog with its actual date.

September 17, 2022

It got down in the low 40's overnight. When you live in a motor home, that's a good reminder that it's getting close to freezing temperatures and might be time to head south. But we have one more state to explore first. So this day we'll head straight east. But first, we need to replenish our apple supply before we leave Apple Island. We've already stopped at two different orchards on this island, so this morning we tried a third one. They had a different pricing strategy here, with all apples in this section 50 cents each. We bought Zestar, Ruby Macs, Ginger Gold, Gala, Honeycrisp, and then filled our bag to the top with Cortlands.

This orchard is a little more automated than some, with a machine that washes the apples and then floats them to a conveyer system where they are sized and graded. Those are fresh apples just off the tree today.

We also bought a gallon of fresh apple cider, so we are stocked up and ready to leave Apple Island. We have really enjoyed our stay here, and would love to stay longer to watch the trees continue to change into their fall foliage. We took this tree picture as we left, and you might notice another local farm stand in the lower right hand corner. We love this little island!

We are heading east into New York, but the sixth largest lake in the United States lies between Vermont and New York. So we have two different options. We could drive 25 miles north where there is a bridge, and then 25 miles back south on the west side of Lake Champlain. Or we could take a 1.7-mile ferry straight across the lake. We opted for the ferry ride, and made the six-mile trip from our campground to the dock.

It costs $55.65 for two passengers and a 59-foot motor home and pickup combo to ride the ferry. That includes a new 6% fuel charge since the price of diesel has gone up so dramatically. We arrived around 10:00, and there was no waiting. They cued us up in lane 4, and we were the second vehicle on the ferry.

Because we are so tall, we could see right over the vehicle in front of us for a great view of the Lake Champlain crossing. It only takes 15 minutes, and we technically crossed into New York right in the middle of the lake. But this is one state line crossing that didn't have a sign that Denisa could photograph.

They were running three ferries this morning, so we got a picture of one returning to Apple Island. While we didn't have a long wait in September, this crossing can be very busy on a summer weekend.

We drove off the ferry on the other side of the lake, and just like that--we were in a new state of New York.

We're pretty excited to see that moose are prevalent in New York, as we were immediately warned to watch out for them for the next 10 miles. We watched out for moose, but they are hiding AGAIN!

We filled the motor home with diesel because we are heading to a rather remote area of New York--Adirondack Park. Then we left the motor home in a parking lot in the small town of Saranac Lake, unhooked the pickup, and made the 8-mile trip to Lake Placid, New York. This little village hosted the 1932 and 1980 winter games, and we are here to see all things Olympic!

The Olympic Museum is closed right now for renovations, and it sounds like it will be great when it is finished. In the meantime, a few of the museum displays are open to visitors on the second floor of the convention center. One of the displays honors Eric Heiden--the hero of the 1980 games. This superstar broke one world record and five Olympic records in speed skating in 1980 here in Lake Placid. He was the first person in Olympic history to win five Gold medals at one Olympic games. Until today, we didn't know how much Eric Heiden resembles Denisa.

Another museum display recalled the "Miracle on Ice" when a group of amateur and college American hockey players beat the powerhouse Russian team that was already called the best team in the world. The U.S. hockey team went on to win gold in the 1980 Olympics here in Lake Placid.

We didn't realize until today how much the team's famous goalie resembles Mark.

Those hockey games were won on the ice in the field house that was specially built for the 1980 Olympics. We would have loved to see the inside of this famous building, but it is also undergoing renovations and is not open to tourists.

The only indoor Olympic facility open to the public right now is the ice rink constructed for the 1932 Olympics. It's still in use today, and holds its own place in history. This was the first indoor arena used in any Winter Olympics back in 1932. 

We walked to the center of town to see the speed skating oval where Eric Heiden won all those gold medals.

It was fun to walk where some of the  fastest blades once raced.

It wasn't easy making that trip around town because of all the construction. The woman at the visitor center explained that they can't do construction in the winter because of all the snow. They can't do it in the summer because of all the tourists. So they are trying to hurry to finish things before the leaf peepers arrive in a couple weeks. This downtown sidewalk will be ice-free this winter because of the heated coils underneath.

We think they better hurry to finish those projects because the leaves are already peepable.

The town of Lake Placid has only 2,500 permanent residents, so it's amazing that they have managed to host two different international Olympic events. In 1980, they hosted over 1,000 athletes (and all their coaches, families, support groups, journalists, and television crews) from 37 countries. We watched those 1980 Olympics on television, and that made it even more fun to see the town of Lake Placid. We were surprised to find out that the lake in the center of the town of Lake Placid is called Mirror Lake. While it was pretty placid today, it was not Lake Placid.

After leaving town, we headed out to some of the other event centers. We didn't drive to Whiteface Mountain to see where the downhill ski races were held because it would cost $40 to go there on the toll road to the top. We also didn't pay the $100 to ride the gondola to the top of Whiteface Mountain. But we did drive to the Olympic Jumping Center. The sprinklers were watering down the steeply-sloped surface, and a crowd had assembled on this beautiful afternoon at the restaurant and veranda at the bottom of the hill.

If we looked very carefully, we could see a tiny figure (and its shadow) flying down the left side of that water-soaked jump.

We watched as another ski jumper started the long walk back up for another jump.

Actually, there are two ski jumps. The shorter one on the left can only be reached via a very steep walk of hundreds of stairs. The taller jump has a faster way to the top--a gondola ride. At $15 each, we normally wouldn't  take that ride to the top. But we are very close to Denisa's birthday, and this seems like a great special birthday experience.

So we bought our tickets to the "Sky Ride," and had no wait to get loaded into our own private gondola.

We're heading up the slope to get to the top of that ski jump.

Once to the top of the hill, we were right under the ski jump. We were now right under the tower that is 120 meters tall--that's about 394 feet.

Our ticket included a trip up to the top of the tower.

The tower was outfitted with a glass elevator with views of the Adirondack Mountains around us.

At the top of the tower is an Olympic display, complete with photo opportunities.

After the gondola ride, the elevator, and two flights of steps, we were finally outside at the top of the 120-meter ski jump. If we look to the right, we can see the top of the 90-meter ski jump as well.

That's when we saw that one of those ski jumpers was right behind us in the gondola. He knew the code to open the lock and get to the non-tourist level.

We watched as he tightened his boots, zipped up his jump suit, and attached the skis to his feet.

We were almost breathing down his neck as he inched out on the pole.

A big group of tourists had followed us up those steps, and we realized that we had a lucky front row seat. It felt a little like we were looking over this jumper's shoulder as he took the last look straight down. 

Then he leaned forward, crouched over his skis, and he was off!

We watched him all the way to the bottom where he flew through the air and landed on the water-soaked turf below. What a ride!

We gave up our front row spot so that others behind us could experience the same view we enjoyed. Then we took the elevator down to the platform about half-way down the jump. That's where we met the father and brother of the 14-year-old that we had just watched fly down that mountain. From Lebanon, New Hampshire, they make the 133-mile/3 hour trip to Lake Placid so he can practice. The national championships will be held here in two weeks, and 40-50 competitors will arrive from all over the country to race down these ski jumps. We are now fans of that 14-year-old who will be participating in that national competition.

About that time, we got to watch as our 14-year-old competitor made another ride down the mountain. He flew through the air right beside us from this vantage point.

He aced the landing at the bottom of the hill.

A section of the green matting that is layered over the jump was on display at our viewing platform. It looks a little like a stiff hula skirt, but it works well for mimicking the surface of a snowy ski jump in the summer.

We made our trip down the Sky Ride back to the bottom of the hill. They turned the water off as we were leaving, signaling the end of the ski jump practice for the day. We had great timing for our trip to the top!

Before leaving the Jumping Center, we walked over to another area where a larger group of skiers were practicing their trick jumps off shorter ramps. These skiers were outfitted in personal flotation devices because their summer practices end in a swimming pool at the bottom.

Instead of skiing straight down the hill to maximize speed and distance off the jump, these skiers are practicing to maximize their twists and flips and tricks at the end of the jump. You can see the skier in the air with his skis crossed into an X as he jumps off the end of the ramp.

The goal is to get those skis back under them before they hit the water. They will be practicing on less-forgiving ice and snow in the winter.

Our next stop is another out-of-town Olympic venue. We drove five miles to the Olympic Sports Complex. This complex includes a lodge and restaurant in the big brown building at the bottom of the hill. But we are here to see the tracks where the Olympic bobsled and luge races were held in 1980 and 1932.

A hiking trail connects the race courses, and tourists are free to wander around the facility to get a close-up view.

We could stand right beside the course where racers will zip around those high-banked curves. They offer a bobsled experience where participants learn techniques and then take a ride on the track. But that $65 experience is only available on limited days, and certainly didn't fit into our budget. 

The "sit in the bobsled on the side of the hill experience" was available and free today.

The other Olympic experience that was operating today was the $55 coaster ride. It doesn't use any of the Olympic tracks, but is a new tourist attraction. Riders hear a narration as they coast across the hills around the luge and bobsled area.

As we walked back to our parking spot, we couldn't help but notice the lovely trees at this higher elevations near Lake Placid. Before we left the area, we tried to get a picture of the body of water named Lake Placid. We drove to that area several miles out of town, only to find that the entire lake was hemmed in by private residences. We never could find a public entrance. So except for a peek from a distance, we only saw the town of Lake Placid--not the Lake Placid lake. Is that confusing or what?!?

We drove the pickup back to Saranac Lake, and hooked it to the motor home that was waiting for us there. We did some shopping at the Aldi's across the street, glad to find them in New York. This is the first German grocery store we have found in many weeks. It was getting late in the day by the time we headed through the forested roads across the Adirondacks. We're seeing some nice color in the trees up here.

We drove to our next camping spot with another gracious Boondockers Welcome host in Tupper Lake, New York. They have a lumbering business, so we are parked beside their RV and some big equipment in a clearing on the edge of the forest. We waited for three deer to amble out of our spot before we set up camp.

Then we found out from our host that this evening there was live music and food trucks about a block away. Even though we had a big day of Olympic sight-seeing, we walked over to get in line for dinner. Denisa ended up in line for over thirty minutes, but that "Filthy Burger" (with barbecue pork, cheddar cheese, and bacon on an over-sized burger) was really good. Besides, that wait time allows for conversations with the locals to get some good advice on things to do in this area.

Then we danced to the music of the local band. It was already dark and we were getting tired from our long travel day.

We feel very welcomed to New York and the Adirondack Mountains. It has been a full day of ferrying to New York and enjoying the Olympic sites at Lake Placid--with a nice ending in our new little home town in New York.