Day 17 - Ticonderoga

Last night, our waitress told us about a farmer’s market in the park on Saturdays. Her parents were going to bring produce from their farm. We wanted to see what was being sold. There were lots of organic vegetables, meat, and cheese. We knew we couldn’t get the produce or meat home, so we sampled some cheese and bought a few pieces. Vermont’s farms have started some craft cheese houses. The cheeses were very good. We wanted to buy more, but we felt we had enough.

We need to really check out the directions that Garmie gives us. We passed two bridges to New York. Following Garmies directions, we ended up at a ferry. Lucily we didn’t wait too long and the cost was low. The ferry was very similar to the Bemus - Stow ferry.



We arrived at Fort Ticonderoga. It is at the junction of the lakes George and Champlain. It is considered the key to the Hudson Valley. The French originally built the fort before the French & Indian War. British forces tried to take it from the French, but took heavy casualties and were forced to withdraw. Later, the French abandoned the fort when they felt they could no longer hold it. The British quickly took the fort over. During the Revolutionary War, Ethan Allen and a handful of men took the fort from the British with firing a shot. The canon and guns were hauled to Boston just in time to be used at the Battle of Bunker Hill.





The fort was not as big as I thought it would be. We toured the barracks pretty quickly. The best part of the experience was the Fife and Drum Corps. They would come out every half hour or so and perform. Our favorite was a skit showing the punishment of a thief who stole some food from the company stores. When they were just putting on a show, they would march around the parade ground.



We also went to the King’s Garden that was next to the fort. About a hundred and fifty years ago, the fort was purchased by a private owner. They wanted to fix up the fort and create a hotel to bring visitors to the fort and its history. The hotel is in disrepair and will be restored in the future.





Up to this point, I still had a lot of faith in Garmie. She has put us on some of the gnarliest roads on a map. Now, we are on some of the twistiest roads in New York. The Escape is really getting a workout. Kim was getting very car sick as I was taking the Escape through the corners.

We arrived at the Northwoods Inn in Lake Placid, NY. Tonight I’m going to do something I have never done before. Visit two brewpubs in one night. I don’t think it is possible, but Kim is really pushing me. She even wants me to go alone while she shops! It just doesn’t seem fair that I don’t get to shop with her, but I’m going to man it up and do it.







The first stop was the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery. They had three very good beers; the IPA, Ubu (and English strong ale), and a Scottish Wee-Heavy. The second was the Great Adirondack Brewing Company. There beer was good with one standout. It was the smoked porter. It was the second best of the trip.