Sep 2007

After staying up late the night before to organise our camping items, we had an early start at 5am to load the 4x4 with our backpacks, tent, chairs and 'cooler' - in kiwi land, the name 'Chilli Bin' seems more fitting. After picking up the hired canoe for $10 per day and a quick stop at Dunkin donuts for coffee, we were on the road at 7am for a three hour drive to Saranac Lake. Upon finding the car park we unloaded together and Ben proceeded to carry the canoe by himself on the 10min walk downhill to the lake- he ended up letting it slide down the slope to the lake...lol.
Isaiah and April, who had stayed at the camp site for the past two nights, met up with us at the lakes edge in their empty canoe. With their suprise that we had arrived earlier then planned, we loaded both canoes and were on our way to the camp site.

With smiles, laughter and ' I am gonna accidently get you wet with my paddle' jokes we paddled passed native birds 'Loons' with their unique calling and a few other people in kayaks\canoes for about an hour until we arrived at the campsite, where we had our own small (very small) private beach.
After setting up our tent and Ben & I having a wee disagreement of where it would be placed - the chairs and tarpolin cover where erected. Then the rain started to poor down creating nice puddles and a nice small creek started to apear next to my chair..hmm. We all moved and were trying to place our chairs on a spot where the chairs wouldnt tip over ... then April starting cooking up some great American burgers, (cheese, meat pattie and burger bun only) which we all munched into quickly after the long day. Along with alcohol, the burgers went down with great praise to the cook.
Lots of yarns later, Ben and I headed to our wet and soaked tent. With a few words of who got to sleep near the puddle- not me, hehe, and the forgotton double air mattress, the nights rest wasn't a pleasant one.
The next day Aug 24th, April and I got up early on the humid 25 degree day, to canoe back to our husbands identical 4x4's ( except for the colour) for our trip together to Lake Placid, where the Olympic Games where held twice in 1932 and 1980. We had been there before but never got the chance to do some shopping- our husbands didnt want to be dragged around doing so. So we jumped at the chance to leave them to their shooting at the lake while we headed for the Starbucks frappacino, apple struddle and a hope to find a air mattress to purchase. Being a tourist town, the mark up for foam mattresses where $30 each- ouch! To our disappointment with the prices, it was not worth it to purchase any and our small single tramping air beds will do the trick for one more night.
After we had bought some humorous t-shirts for the husbands, we headed back to the car parking lot where April had seen a rope tied to the front of our 4x4 and said "Looks like we didnt pay enough to the parking attendant as there is a rope tied to the front of your 4x4. Did they try to tow us..?" We both looked at each other, thought for a moment then gasped with the thought that the white turned black rope was left over from Ben trying down the canoe, that may have got caught in the drive shaft while we were driving...whoopsie.
Yep, it was the first thing Ben asked when we arrived back at the campsite.. did we take off the rope from the front of the 4x4?...needless to say you could see his breathing stopped for a few seconds. Though he understood as the 4x4 was parked toward into the hedges at the parking lot, so not noticable if not pointed out.
With delicious baby back ribs and alcohol beverages for dinner, Ben and I moved the tent about 1 metre where the ground was level and combined with the thick blanket I grabbed from our 4x4, we had a better 2nd night sleep.
With time for lots of book reading and a relaxing time we packed up and was approached by 'Park ranger and his trusty assistant' on our canoe out ( Ranger bob as we nickname them)...we tend to meet up with the Rangers often... they had some complaints about shooting noises coming from our direction...

April and I really wanted to go for a last dip in the water before we left but time was running out... so 'til next time. With a Stewartsthick shake stop, we were on our way home... to a comfy bed, lol