Day One
I left home twenty minutes late at 6:50AM; it seems everything takes longer than I plan. My hope was to do a little speeding to get back on my schedule, nothing too fast, just 7 to 10 mph. This plan worked well until traffic stopped dead an exit before my first planned stop in Albany, NY. Unfortunately that made me fifty minutes late when I stopped to see the giant RCA dog on top of a building.
In spite of continuing to speed, I was still fifty minutes behind when I arrived at my second stop, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), where I had seen the Grateful Dead in 1984. I took a picture of the approximate spot where we camped in the parking lot and did way too much acid. I spoke to a guy on a bicycle who was collecting deposit containers. He works at the venue and told me the Country and Western fans are the worst because they don’t understand why flushing beer cans down the toilets will clog them.
RCA Dog, Albany
The third stop was Lester Park to see some fossils. There really isn’t a park, just a rock ledge with exposed fossils on the side of the road. The coolest thing was the grass courts I passed on the way. To save time I skipped my next planned stop at Elephant Rock.
I arrived at Fort Ticonderoga a mere forty minutes late. I only stayed about forty minutes, so I could not really see much for the $28.00 ticket. It was OK; I visited with my family in the 60s, and my memories from them are much more exciting. Just ten minutes behind schedule, so all is good.
The next stop for espresso was a bust because the coffee shop seemed to be out of business. The next stop was Lake Placid; I barely could see the lake because the shoreline is all built up with resorts and hotels. I did get some pictures of the ski jumps to send to my friends Gary and Brian, who ski.
On the way to Saranac Lake I was stopped at a police checkpoint; they let me pass. Right after that I spotted a roadside produce seller. I bought some delicious peaches and sampled the cantaloupe. The cantaloupe was the best I’ve had in a long time, but I didn’t get one because it would rot before I could eat it. I spotted a coffee shop in Saranac Lake, but it was closed; there was going to be no caffeine for me that night. I did see a wild mural on the side of a building on my way out of town.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Fort Ticonderoga
Roadside Fruit Stand
9/10/2025
North Haven, CT to Watertown, NY
460 Miles
Lake Placid, NY
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Fossils at Lester Park
I ate at Tropicx, a Jamaican restaurant in Watertown, NY. I got a quarter jerk chicken with rice and peas, plantains, and a Ting. The girl named Cienna was very nice; she moved there from Texas. The food was good, but I couldn’t even finish half of it.
I tried to connect my laptop to the hotel TV so I could stream some shows, but it wouldn't sync up, so I had to watch on the laptop screen.