Americade Camping

[Yamatect]

Returned from my trip to Americade and beyond on June 25 after covering nine miles short of 3000 miles. After Americade I spent two days at Lake Placid, then crossed Lake Champlain on the ferry to Grand Isle, thence the causeway to Vermont proper where I set up camp at Ricker Pond State Park near the New Hampshire border. From that base camp, I did loop tours of Vermont and New Hampshire including a trip up to the top of 6,200 foot Mt. Washington on the cog railroad, the second steepest in the world. I then traveled down Vermont 100 to western Massachusetts where I met up with my brother and his wife at a timeshare in the Berkshires. Four days later I mounted up and headed home to Lebanon, Ohio.

As for camping at Hearthstone State Park at Lake George, DON'T. I should have followed Acedantinne's advice and stayed at a private campground where the noise rules are enforced even if it was further out of town. Early in the week there were two families camped near me with young children (not Americaders) who hollered loudly back and forth well past 10:00 PM like they were the only people in the campground. Then later in the week a large group of young guys and gals (college age) moved in and partied loudly till 2:00 AM like the drunks they were. They were probably day trippers to Americade. A call to the ranger station only elicited excuses. I got the impression that the staff at Hearthstone couldn't be bothered with enforcing the rules. The last night the young drunks set off firecrackers at midnight??? I wonder if a letter to the NY Dept. of Natural Resources would be a waste of time.

Americade itself was a great experience. I did four of the day tours that included a pre-arranged lunch stop including the Raquette Lake Scenic Boat tour that RoadRunner sponsored. I met Florian on board the boat and introduced myself. He is the young man on the left in the second picture attached below. That was the only tour that provided a professionally drawn route map. Well done RoadRunner! The road to and from Raquette Lake was very scenic and the luncheon tour on the boat while it traveled around the lake was outstanding. Talked with the boat captain who did most of the work himself building the boat.

Perhaps one of the best parts about Americade were the people I met, especially the volunteers. I went into the Tamarack Inn in Lake George one day for lunch towards the end of the week and while waiting to be seated noticed a gentleman with a white beard and Americade Volunteer shirt motioning to me to join him. Turns out he is a retired Navy submariner from Hawaii. He ships his Goldwing to San Diego then travels across the country, stopping along the way to visit old friends and timing his trip to arrive at Americade as a volunteer. This was his fourth year in a row to be a volunteer. He then rides back across the country then up to Alaska before flying back to Hawaii. He shared some interesting stories about his career under the water.

I will be doing a separate post on some moto camping tips and thoughts.

I have uploaded approx. 70 of the hundreds of photos I snapped during my trip with many more to go to my Picasa Americade 2010 Album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/11472091...N6aqY2Gu93-Lg#

[florian]

Glad you enjoyed the Raquette Lake ride, and it was nice to meet you! I hope we meet again on the road!

[Yamatect]

All,

I have now uploaded Part Two of my pics covering a day trip to Montpelier, VT and Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and more to Bob's Americade 2010 Picasa Album. Part Three covering my time in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts is still to come.

The link is: http://picasaweb.google.com/11472091...N6aqY2Gu93-Lg#

Suggestion: After you bring up the album, click on the full screen button in the upper left hand corner, then scroll left/right using the buttons at the bottom.

Hope you enjoy the pics and captions.

[Yamatect]

Originally Posted by Yamatect

I wonder if a letter to the NY Dept. of Natural Resources would be a waste of time.

I did send an email letter to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Recreation quoting my report on this Forum. Today I received a letter from an official at the Division of Operation Warrensburg Regional Sub Office stating, "I appreciate that you took the time to write about these problems because it gives us the opportunity to address them. I am sending a copy of your letter to the recreation manager and to Hearthstone Point Public Campground for further review and appropriate action. Enclosed please find a Refund Application that you may complete and submit for processing.... Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns and for identifying opportunities for improvement. I am sure your next visit will prove to be a better experience."

I will be mailing the Refund Application soon and will let you know what happens next.