We left town around 1:30 after breakfast (the best food either of us have ever had at Denny's) and had a leisurely ride through mountain (at least that is what they call them here) roads and more quaint little towns. We stopped in Boonville to get stamps at the Post Office. It was a nice little town, but there was a sign coming into town that said, "Christians Unite Against Abortion," and a sign on a church about celebrating 200 years in Christ or something like that. Now I'm open minded and all of that, but I was a little freaked out. On top of that, no one talked to us when they passed us on the street, but just looked at us a little sideways. It was a little un-nerving.
Leaving Boonville we crossed the Moose river, it was beautiful, and I had to stop for a photo:
From Boonville to Old Forge was a short little jaunt and the weather was getting cooler. The road was twisty and fun, and I was happy to be able to really ride the bike.
We stopped for some coffee in Old Forge to try to locate our campground, and soon discovered that coffee here is sort of a mistake. Both our lattes were watered down and weak. Mandy reminded me that this isn't home, where coffee is a way of life. We are in the land where people are content to drink warm mud puddles instead of coffee. Bummer.
We found a campsite at Nicks Lake because how could we not stay at my lake? The campground was quiet and peaceful and entirely surrounded by forest which made for great enjoyment of one of Mandy's favorite sounds - wind in deciduous trees. It was beautiful.
At night we were lucky to have clear skies got to see this:
It turns out that out here in New York the stars can be just as brilliant as New Mexico.
For a meeting we went into Old Forge to get to a 5:30 meeting but there was no one there. It turns out that the meeting had been moved to 8, so we went for food and ice cream and lazed around in town until the meeting. While we waited I noticed that this town is obviously a tourist town with a population that quadruples in the summer. I found out later that it is the same in the winter because of snowmobiling, so spring and fall are the only times that the locals have the place to themselves.
The 8 o'clock meeting was, cleverly enough, The Adirondack Group. And we met in the Social Room of the church, a fireside room filled with couches and big comfy chairs. Unfortunately the meeting was too full for Mandy and I to get comfy seats, but we managed. Being a resort town there were lots of visitors, which meant that the locals got the chance to hear new stories, and they clearly enjoyed it.
One topic that was discussed was dealing with children who are potential future members of our club. I was pleased that I could relate my experience in being the kid getting in trouble. I also got to share my gratitude for the way that my family handled me and my trouble. I appreciate that nothing was ever candy-coated, but that there was also an understanding that I would have to make my own mistakes and live my own experience in order to learn. As a result of that I have been given the opportunity to live a tremendous life and for that I will always be grateful. Thank you everyone!
