Summer Vacation

On Saturday we left for five nights in the Adirondacks, a park that encompasses 6 million acres. To break up the 8-hour drive to our ultimate destination, Mirror Lake, we drove 6 hours the first day to a stop near Lake George. The kids were remarkably good in the car, although I started to wonder whether the dozen DVDs I had packed would be sufficient. Once at the Comfort Suites Inn, all of us had a great time going down the indoor pool's water slide, and Bryn swam (i.e., doggypaddled) her way back to the ladder all by herself! (Unfortunately, Blogger won't allow me to upload the short videos I took of Bryn and Luke going down the water slide.) Our hotel room consisted of two queen beds, and Ken ended up sleeping with Luke, and I slept with Bryn, both of whom make terrible bunkmates - rolling around all over the place and kicking, too. In the morning we took advantage of the hotel's nice playground -- why don't more hotels have playgrounds? -- then got on our way.

Day 2
We got on the road around 10:30, and it took us about an hour and a half to drive to Mirror Lake, which is adjacent to Lake Placid and the winter Olympic attractions. Our room wasn't available until 3:00, so we changed into our swimsuits and played in the lake and at the beach for an hour.

Mirror Lake, below, is picturesque. Motorboats are prohibited on the lake, so it bustles with other kinds of activity -- kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, hydrobikes, swimmers, and fishermen.
With our room still not ready, we went searching for a grocery store for some essentials, and Bryn and Luke napped in the car. Ken then took Bryn out for a quick kayak ride, and Luke and I went into town -- less than a quarter-mile walk from our hotel.

The Mirror Lake Inn sits on top of a hill overlooking the lake. With outmoded wallpaper and potpourri that overwhelms its guests, the split-level entry fails to impress, but as a whole the hotel is quite nice. To the left of the front desk is a handsome den, complete with boardgames, fireplace, taxidermy from the region, and a screened-in balcony that is lined with rocking chairs overlooking the lake.We were pleased with our room, too, which was across the street from the main building of the hotel and right on the water. It included a long balcony overlooking the lake and an alcove, separate from the main room, with bunkbeds for Bryn and Luke. But when we returned to our room after dinner, a horrible stench -- reminiscent of sewage -- had overtaken our room. The maintenance staff tried to mitigate the odor, but to no avail. So around 9:15, just as the kids were trying to fall asleep, we were upgraded to another room -- the nicest I've ever stayed in. Our new room included a full-size second bedroom with two twin beds, a second bathroom (pictured below) that we never used, a bar area with sink and fridge, and a huge bathroom with jacuzzi tub.
Day 3
On Monday the temperature was much cooler -- hovering in the '60s, so we were relieved that we had played in the lake the day before. A huge advantage of staying in Mirror Lake is its proximity to Lake Placid and all that the ski region has to offer. In the morning we rode 3,600 meters in a gondola to the top of Whiteface Mountain, where it was noticeably cooler.
Afterwards Ken and Bryn went to the Olympic museum, which they reported was dated, but on the heels of the 2008 Olympics, Bryn was excited to see the gold, silver and bronze medals on display. (As an aside, Bryn took the above picture of Ken with my digital camera. Not bad, eh?)

After Luke's nap we played in the hotel's indoor pool for a good hour, then went to a nearby playground before going to dinner.

Day 4
Having Lake Placid's main street within walking distance of our hotel proved to be a real godsend; we didn't have to contend with the hassles of loading the kids in and out of their car seats and finding parking every time we wanted to eat. We found a great bakery, so we indulged in apple and cherry turnovers two mornings in a row, and a good creperie, too. On Tuesday it was again too cool to swim outside, so we instead opted for a 25-minute aerial tour of the region in a 1971 Cessna.
Ken and I both enjoyed getting an overview of the vast area, but Luke fell asleep as soon as we were airborne!

In a somewhat frustrating development back at the hotel, we were forced to move rooms again as another family had rented the room to which we'd been upgraded. This time we were moved to the presidential suite at the main hotel, but only after staff at the front desk had tried to put us in two adjacent rooms that weren't even adjoining! While the presidential suite did provide me and Ken with a king-size bed and bathroom in a second-story loft, the room did not offer a separate bedroom for the kids. Bryn slept on a cot in the bay window overlooking the lake, and Luke slept on the couch. For the inconvenience of experiencing three different rooms in our three nights at the Mirror Lake Inn, we were refunded one night's stay and given a $300 gift certificate for a future stay. Anyone interested in taking advantage of the latter?

Day 5
Again to break up the long drive home, we drove two hours through a series of rinky-dink towns on our way to Old Forge, NY. Our roadside motel was conveniently located right across the street from a huge water park where we spent three hours. We ate dinner at a good local diner -- one of just a few options. After dinner Bryn and Luke delighted in stumbling upon three brothers fishing off the docks behind our motel. The boys had a lot of luck catching small fish -- about five inches in length, and the father held out the fish for Bryn and Luke to touch before returning them to the water. Not at all squeamish, Luke touched the fishes' tails, mouths, and eyes!

Here the kids sleep on a pull-out sofa on our last night in the Adirondacks.


Day 6
We had a filling breakfast Thursday morning and made the return trip of 340 miles in about six hours. Once again, the kids were on their best behavior in the car, although I question how much value we got out of the small toys I had picked up for the long car rides. The only toy that really held Bryn's attention was a water toy, shaped like a computer, that challenges its user to encircle a dolphin's nose and tail with rings of different colors. Luke seemed to enjoy a disposable camera, but what really silenced him when he was getting fidgety was a Dumdum lollipop.

All in all, Ken and I feel as though we gained a good sense of what the Adirondacks has to offer. Ken found, without a doubt, the nicest hotel in the entire park. In reflecting on our vacation, Ken and I recognize that in vacationing with Bryn and Luke, we need to pick destinations, like Mirror Lake, that offer kid-friendly activities outside the hotel or resort. It goes without saying that big hotel rooms are a bonus, too. We might consider returning to Mirror Lake, but not until the kids are older. We learned on our aerial tour that there are several worthwhile day hikes -- just three hours to some of the peaks. Bobsled rides are also offered, but children have to be at least eight in order to participate. But in terms of dreaming of some day acquiring a lake house, Ken prefers Squam Lake in NH, and so his search continues...