Anyone on here living in Adirondacks?

[4_kidd_4]

Just curious, wife and I love it there, we head up any chance we get.

 

It’s my dream to retire there someday (or I’d go now if we had job opportunities), but obviously winters are a much different animal than WNY.

 

Any current or former residents on the board?  Tell me your stories, pros, cons, likes, dislikes, etc., thanks!

 

 

[mead107]

Lot of places have a shortage of workers. 
love loon lake in Franklin county.  
My niece has a camp up there. We go up every year  

Edited May 8, 2020 by mead107

[ExWNYer]

No...but I have sat in an Adirondack chair.

 

  

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

@fansince88 lives up that way

 

30 miles north of Watertown (where I have tons of family) 

 

 

 

they have 2 kinds of flies up yonder 

 

• Deer flies
• Snow flies

Edited May 8, 2020 by SlimShady'sSpaceForce

[fansince88]

We have a family camp in the foothills. Cranberry Lake is nice but if you want the mountains you want to me more in the Saranac Lake area. Not much for career employment. Own a small storefront and you will make a killing though.

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

@fansince88 lives up that way

 

30 miles north of Watertown (where I have tons of family) 

 

 

 

they have 2 kinds of flies up yonder 

 

• Deer flies
• Snow flies

Two seasons

 

 

 

*Burn wood

*get wood

 

Get wood is 1/4 of the time of burn wood.

[The Dean]

1 minute ago, fansince88 said:

We have a family camp in the foothills. Cranberry Lake is nice but if you want the mountains you want to me more in the Saranac Lake area. Not much for career employment. Own a small storefront and you will make a killing though.

 

I friend of mine down here in St Augustine, used to live in Saranac Lake. She LOVED living there, she said. But she was a hippy chick, so there is that.

[fansince88]

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

@fansince88 lives up that way

 

30 miles north of Watertown (where I have tons of family) 

 

 

 

they have 2 kinds of flies up yonder 

 

• Deer flies
• Snow flies

Two seasons

 

 

 

*Burn wood

*get wood

 

Get wood is 1/4 of the time of burn wood

[Keukasmallies]

2 hours ago, ExWNYer said:

No...but I have sat in an Adirondack chair.

 

  

 

Whoa, talk about a breadth of experience with the 'daks!

 

[Gray Beard]

@4_kidd_4. Where in the Adirondacks are you thinking?

 

I live in the Utica area, so it’s about an hour to Old Forge.  That’s in a fairly tame area of the Adirondacks. Nice lakes, but small mountains.  We go up there several times a year for boating, hiking, etc.  Our kids, nieces, nephews used to go to some summer camps in that area for a week at a time.  Every few years we rent a camp for a week, and have a great time.  When we were younger we went up for camping and skiing, but those days are behind us now.  Now we’re too lazy and brittle.  

[fansince88]

1 hour ago, Gray Beard said:

@4_kidd_4. Where in the Adirondacks are you thinking?

 

I live in the Utica area, so it’s about an hour to Old Forge.  That’s in a fairly tame area of the Adirondacks. Nice lakes, but small mountains.  We go up there several times a year for boating, hiking, etc.  Our kids, nieces, nephews used to go to some summer camps in that area for a week at a time.  Every few years we rent a camp for a week, and have a great time.  When we were younger we went up for camping and skiing, but those days are behind us now.  Now we’re too lazy and brittle.  

Old forge is nice. Great dinner in Inlet just beyond old forge. Cant think of the name of it 

[Gray Beard]

3 minutes ago, fansince88 said:

Old forge is nice. Great dinner in Inlet just beyond old forge. Cant think of the name of it 

Inlet has a nice little touristy strip of stores and restaurants.  My wife and I spent a long weekend at Wood’s Inn once, which has a nice restaurant and a little private beach area.  

[4_kidd_4]

2 hours ago, Gray Beard said:

@4_kidd_4. Where in the Adirondacks are you thinking?

 

I live in the Utica area, so it’s about an hour to Old Forge.  That’s in a fairly tame area of the Adirondacks. Nice lakes, but small mountains.  We go up there several times a year for boating, hiking, etc.  Our kids, nieces, nephews used to go to some summer camps in that area for a week at a time.  Every few years we rent a camp for a week, and have a great time.  When we were younger we went up for camping and skiing, but those days are behind us now.  Now we’re too lazy and brittle.  

 

Hey, I have family in Saquoit(sp?), and some fam that retired to Inlet. 

 

We’ve done Lake Placid several times,  Saranac, a NY state camp in Speculator, been to Lake George n Old Forge a bunch, and a couple other camps who’s names escape me.

 

We’re not looking anywhere in particular, just daydreaming for right now.

 

My wife is a teacher, so anything we do kinda hinges on her employment. She loves what she does, plus the benefits are clutch. As for me, I don’t really care about my career field so that doesn’t matter, plus I’m pretty sure there’s only a handful of facilities  out there where I’d be able to work with my degree anyways.

 

@fansince88 Storefront, eh? I would assume that would have to be either in a relatively “denser” populated part, or a heavy traffic summer seasonal part. Was working on a tavern plan local to me, but the pandemic has put that on indefinite hold. If I could do the same thing in ADK, man I’d sign up right now.

 

 

 

[fansince88]

1 hour ago, Gray Beard said:

Inlet has a nice little touristy strip of stores and restaurants.  My wife and I spent a long weekend at Wood’s Inn once, which has a nice restaurant and a little private beach area.  

We stayed there at the State Park in Inlet 20 years ago when the kids were little. The park ranger told us all the regulations to protect yourself from the bears. 10 minutes after we set up the pop up camper we saw a bear walking up the campground road being chased by about 5 kids on bikes yelling "he is over here". 

[T&C]

6 hours ago, ExWNYer said:

No...but I have sat in an Adirondack chair.

 

  

Without a seat cushion those chairs suck... 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

Just curious, wife and I love it there, we head up any chance we get.

 

It’s my dream to retire there someday (or I’d go now if we had job opportunities), but obviously winters are a much different animal than WNY.

 

Any current or former residents on the board?  Tell me your stories, pros, cons, likes, dislikes, etc., thanks!

 

You should ask Rachel Bush

[4_kidd_4]

11 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

You should ask Rachel Bush

 

Nah man, she already won’t stop throwing herself at me.

[mead107]

2 hours ago, fansince88 said:

Old forge is nice. Great dinner in Inlet just beyond old forge. Cant think of the name of it 

CRS is setting in early. 

[mead107]

Get a job at deer valley tending bar. 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

...went to college in the North Country for 4 years......there are some unreal natural venues if you know the townspeople because most are unknown.....were some small lakes that were like a painted picture.......

[mead107]

2 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

...went to college in the North Country for 4 years......there are some unreal natural venues if you know the townspeople because most are unknown.....were some small lakes that were like a painted picture.......

Plattsburgh? 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

5 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Plattsburgh? 

 

...Clarkson U in Potsdam...........

[mead107]

10 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...Clarkson U in Potsdam...........

Niece’s son graduated from there last year.  
now down in Arlington close to my son and his wife. 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Just now, mead107 said:

Niece’s son graduated from there last year.  
now down in Arlington close to my son and his wife. 

 

 

...LMAO...when I graduated, tuition, room and board was $4,850....now WELL north of 60 grand....FHA financing available.....

[Niagara Bill]

Better off to go to the Catskills. I hear it use to a laugh all the time. 

They also are so enjoyable they do not let anyone sit in the corner. 

Budda bing

[Bad Things]

I love the Adirondacks.

 

It's where we spent all of our summer vacations when I was a kid.  (Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, before the Olympics ruined that town.)

I still always have to go up there for a visit whenever I'm back in America.

 

I have an ADK balsam pillow in my wardrobe that is about 10 years old, but smells like it was made yesterday.  Every so often, I put my face right in it, take a deep breath and am instantly transported back to the North Country. Ahhh...

 

Just two days ago, I was on a construction site in Golden Bay (NZ) with an English chap who said the visited NYS back in '68.  We spent an hour sharing stories of hiking and paddling in the ADKs.  Lake Tear of The Clouds was his favourite place.

[KevinRome]

My wife and I live in central NY and have had a small cabin in the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid area for sixteen years. We get season passes at Iceface and XC ski in the Winter. During the Summer it’s all fun and games with hiking and paddling. Until recently our plan after retirement was build a house on the property. Instead we’ve bought a home on the Maine coast to retire to. Part of the reason is that later in life when we’re not as physically active and not doing outdoor activities we thought we might be to isolated. The pluses to the SL/LP area are the outdoor activities, we have developed friendships there, and my view as a visitor is that SL has a strong sense of community. The negatives are the poor economy and the cold Winters. For retirees (there are many in the region) the economy isn’t an issue. It really is cold there in Winter. People are used to it and it doesn’t dominate conversation until it hits at least -25 or so.

[Marv's Neighbor]

Used to spend summers at Tupper Lake.  Have not been up there in almost 30 years.  Saranac was only about 25 miles and Lake Placid a bit beyond that.  It's a very nice area but seemed very economically depressed.

 

It was a 7-8 hr drive from Buffalo.  Very boring, for a kid.  Would have loved to have seen even one deer.  Nothing!!  Now, in Virginia the fuggers are everywhere.  

[Johnny Hammersticks]

My aunt and uncle have a great place on Cranberry Lake.  They live there all year long.  It’s so beautiful and peaceful there.  We spend at least a week there every summer, and always have a great time.  One negative in that area is that there are NO restaurants or bars in the immediate area.  Not much to do there other than relax and enjoy the lake....which is great for a week or so.

 

I don’t know how they live there in the winter though.  They have snowmobiles and they do ice fishing and try to keep busy with other stuff, but the way they talk about living there in the winter...sounds like a real drag.

[Gugny]

58 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

My aunt and uncle have a great place on Cranberry Lake.  They live there all year long.  It’s so beautiful and peaceful there.  We spend at least a week there every summer, and always have a great time.  One negative in that area is that there are NO restaurants or bars in the immediate area.  Not much to do there other than relax and enjoy the lake....which is great for a week or so.

 

I don’t know how they live there in the winter though.  They have snowmobiles and they do ice fishing and try to keep busy with other stuff, but the way they talk about living there in the winter...sounds like a real drag.

 

I recall there being one bar by a small marina, which was very close to the state campground.  I remember because I was camping with two friends of mine.  One would not shut his ***** mouth.  I mean, this dude talked NON ***** STOP.   Picture exiled in the shoutbox personified and magnified by 10 gazillion.  I left and drove to the bar just to get away for a bit.

 

But yes .... Cranberry Lake is absolutely beautiful and it is incredibly remote.  I'd love to camp there again.  Without that dude.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

 

I recall there being one bar by a small marina, which was very close to the state campground.  I remember because I was camping with two friends of mine.  One would not shut his ***** mouth.  I mean, this dude talked NON ***** STOP.   Picture exiled in the shoutbox personified and magnified by 10 gazillion.  I left and drove to the bar just to get away for a bit.

 

But yes .... Cranberry Lake is absolutely beautiful and it is incredibly remote.  I'd love to camp there again.  Without that dude.

 

Yeah, there was one bar near the SUNY ESF property that was only accessible by boat.  That place shut down before last summer.  The other place in town that we know of was shut down too.  Sounded like it was temporary though.  There’s the public library and a little general store now, but I kinda liked it without any businesses.  It was just so peaceful and relaxing.  Good bass fishing too.  I couldn’t imagine living there full time though.

[Steve O]

On 5/8/2020 at 5:31 PM, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

...Clarkson U in Potsdam...........

I went to Potsdam U in Potsdam. 4 seasons...early winter, middle winter, late winter, and the 4th of July. Let me guess, you had a friend freshman year that flunked out of Clarkson, went to Potsdam, and raised the IQ of both schools.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Steve O

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

16 hours ago, Steve O said:

I went to Potsdam U in Potsdam. 4 seasons...early winter, middle winter, late winter, and the 4th of July. Let me guess, you had a friend freshman year that flunked out of Clarkson, went to Potsdam, and raised the IQ of both schools.

 

...LOL.....took my son years ago to a college fair......walked by the Clarkson booth....recruiter was telling parents, " the Clarkson University campus is the safest in the country.......because NOBODY goes outside from November to March"...........still remember those -35 below zero nights...and I hate the cold now...go figure...........

[Johnny Hammersticks]

19 hours ago, Steve O said:

I went to Potsdam U in Potsdam. 4 seasons...early winter, middle winter, late winter, and the 4th of July. Let me guess, you had a friend freshman year that flunked out of Clarkson, went to Potsdam, and raised the IQ of both schools.

 

Pretty good party school.  Always had fun visiting friends there.  And those deep fried pizzas?  Fuggettabboutit!!

[Just Jack]

I considered it years ago since I work on the road, so if I can get to an airport, I could live anywhere.  Never got very far in looking, but I was thinking Saranac Lake area.  My requirements were simple, a decent grocery store, high speed Internet, and major shopping within an hour drive. 

[KevinRome]

16 hours ago, Just Jack said:

I considered it years ago since I work on the road, so if I can get to an airport, I could live anywhere.  Never got very far in looking, but I was thinking Saranac Lake area.  My requirements were simple, a decent grocery store, high speed Internet, and major shopping within an hour drive. 

SL/LP area exactly fulfills those requirements. The airport can support wide body jets and Cape Air has regular connecting flights. There’s enough money in LP to support several grocery stores and restaurants. 

[rockpile]

We used to go to Nick's Lake (Old Forge) for one week every year when the kids were younger. It is beautiful if you can get a lake front site. We would rent a canoe for the week, and spent many nights under the stars. The kids and even some adults who came by had never seen the Milky Way before! 

No motor boats was a big reason we liked it there.

 

We started our family  vacations with tenting camping at Eighth Lake, near Inlet, but after a few years and and four kids we got a popup just to get off the ground!

We had a great time hiking Blue Mountain, but it was a killer if you are out of shape!

 

The last time we were in the Adirondacks was a BNB at Indian Lake which was OK but I prefer the Saranac Lake area. 

 

These days we do BNBs, mostly in the town of Woodstock in the Catskills. I have grown to love it there. The Woodstock Festival was probably 90 minutes from there, FYI.

It is just a good place to stay and do day trips. 

 

[Sundancer]

Been staying at the Inn and now AirBnBs on Big Moose Lake (near Inlet) since 1978.  . Went there as a kid. Now go there with my college aged own kid. 
 

 Favorite place on earth  The whole chain of hikes, lakes, and towns from Old Forge to Blue Mountain.