Lake Placid

We took a super-fun family trip to Lake Placid, New York, from May 12-18. The place we stayed in was awesome - 1,700 square feet, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a whirlpool tub, and a sauna. And we were walking distance to the Olympic sites and steps away from Mirror Lake, which had a 2.7 mile loop around it that Peter and I ran (separately, since the kids were with us) most mornings. We had a great time and I would love to go back sometime. Thanks, Mom, for letting us use some of your timeshare points to make it affordable for us.

We took several walks along a few nature trails that went by Lake Placid. After attempting (and failing) a few small mountain climbs, we discovered that short, flat, and by water were the key things for our kids and hikes. So the Brewster Peninsula Nature Trails were the perfect fit for us. On Thursday we took a hike that led by a dam that had a little bridge you could walk over.

Spencer picked up "walking sticks" where ever we went and would carry them with us throughout the hike. It was funny that it would be one of the first things he would look for. Here he is proudly holding one (and showcasing one of his missing front teeth that came out during lunch the day before):

This picture shows Marshall doing one of his favorite things: throwing stuff into the water. Whenever we would walk anywhere, he would pick up a dandelion or leaf and carry it around with him until we were near water so he could throw it in. And he would often make us say goodbye to it. Silly guy.

Here you can see Whiteface Mountain on the far side of the lake. In the close-up one you can even see the castle on top.

Here are some other favorite pictures from that morning's hike:

(Those are tadpoles in the pond)

The last day we were there was the first day that the road to the top of Whiteface Mountain opened for the season. It's a road that was built during the 1930's and lets you drive up to the top of the 4th highest peak in New York State. From the top where you can drive you can take an elevator to the very top - 27 floors up from the parking lot. It was a beautiful day and an amazing drive - although a little scary around those turns.

The views from the top were amazing. Here's a view of Mirror Lake. We stayed in a place just beyond the hill on the left-hand side of the picture.

Here's a couple of views of Lake Placid. It was so pretty.

There was a castle at the top that had a restaurant and a gift shop. From there you could take a path to the top, or you could go down the road a little and take the elevator. We took the elevator, and I'm glad we did. The kids (especially Marshall) were hard to control at the top and were hopping all over the place and made me so nervous.