Episode 1491 – Green Mountains Thaw | Scoots on a Balcony
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who…in this case you couldn't call me a spring drip. You'd be a bit early. But I’m in a bit of a pre-spring thaw even though it’s not officially spring, and I’m right on the other side of a time change. But you know, it’s always the right time for you to be here and me to be here and see how it goes, 'cause I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff and help you fall asleep, to be your friend in the deep, dark night. If you're new, welcome to Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s here to put you to sleep but to hang out with you first, to bring you sleepy joy and delight in the deep, dark night and be here for you. So, if you're new, welcome. It does take a couple tries to get used to this show. At least the initial intro for the show is being recorded on a balcony, and I don't even know what we got coming up. It’ll be probably another balcony episode or a outdoor episode.
It’ll be lulling, it’ll be meandering, it’ll be well-intentioned to help you fall asleep. So, give it a few tries. See how it goes. Also, if you're new, what we got coming up is support, but paying for the podcast is optional for most kind of listeners, 'cause most people are new or they only listen to the show when they need it, like a couple months at a time. So, don't worry about that part. Then there’s a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime, not to put you to sleep. That’s one of the hard things…when you're new, you're like, okay, when…? And I say, oh, this is a show that eases you into dreamland. Then after that will be a bedtime story or a bedtime description. But all told, we’ll be here for about an hour. I’m really, really glad you're here whether you're brand new, you're coming back because you're having a tough time right now or you're just having trouble getting to sleep or you just want some comfort in the deep, dark night, or you’re one of our super listeners that listens every night or listens to more than one episode a night, or you've listened for years and you're coming back night after night.
I’m glad everyone’s here, and I really hope I can help you fall asleep. If you do come back night after night, if this podcast makes your life incredibly better and you want to be a part of this thing going on and putting so many people to sleep, you want to support the fact that the podcast makes your life better and other people’s lives better, you could either check out one of these sponsors or support the show directly. Thanks.
Intro: Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts on your mind, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, thoughts you're thinking about, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally or feelings related to those thoughts or feelings that are just left over, feelings about something coming up, it could be physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, getting over something. Whatever it is, I’m glad you're here, and what do I mean by that?
Well, that…well, last night…I mean, I’m out…I'm not sleeping in my normal bed, and there was the spring-ahead time change, and…yeah. So, I just could not…I thought I followed every other bedtime…I don't know, I just couldn't get to sleep. So, if that’s your case, like you're just…you have something short-term going on and you're having trouble sleeping or it’s something long-term…like, I’ve experienced both of those. Hopefully last night was situational, but I also have ongoing struggles with getting to sleep and falling asleep, and I know what it’s like for me. I know what it’s like…was like when I was a kid, I know what it was like at different phases in my life, and I like to try to make it sleepy by saying it’s a very non-positive experience. So, if you've had non-positive experiences around bedtime like I have, I’m glad you're here because I really want to help you out, and so are a lot of other listeners; they're glad you're here.
Not only that; there’s listeners…whatever it is that brought you here…you might be like, listen, Scoots, there’s no way you could relate to what I’m dealing with. I’d say, okay, no, no…and I would hope I could relate to some of the underlying feelings or just have kind of compassion and empathy that it’s a non-positive experience for you. Or, I mean, there’s times where we can't sleep because of positive experiences. So…but there’s enough people…I guess my point is that there’s enough people listening right now that somewhere in the world there’s a listener, a regular listener, who’s experienced something very close to whatever it is that brought you here, probably more than one regular listener, and they're not exactly sitting up or perking up in bed, but they're doing a snoozy version of that, and they're thinking fondly of you. I don't know if you can sense that at all.
You don't need to, and there’s no pressure to sense that…but that there’s someone listening right now sending you comfort that’s been in a place you have been. They're wishing you well. They're sending you kindness across the deep, dark night. They're rooting for you to get the sleep you need and deserve so that your life could be more manageable tomorrow. Like me, they may even support the podcast 'cause they believe that not only do you deserve the rest you need so your life is more manageable, but the rest on a regular basis so you could be out there in the world flourishing, because if you're flourishing…oh, I don't know if you hear that; the wind just came in. Oh, that’s nice. But if you're flourishing, that means our world’s a better place to be in. We need you in the world, and that’s important to me and that’s important to a lot of other listeners, and we all hope you can come here and you get a bedtime where you don't have to dread going to bed.
You could look forward to it or at least feel neutral; well, at least I got a bedtime routine now and I listen to that podcast sometimes. So, it’s better than before. Like, if I can provide better than before, that’s important to me. So, yeah, I mean, that’s why I make the show. And at some point if you become a regular listener, you could join in wishing other listeners well, whether they have the same non-positive experience you do or you just want to wish every listener that’s struggling right now well, you want to send every listener comfort, whether they're doing…they're sleeping…some people may even be asleep now. We don't have to send…if you're in bed with somebody else and they're sleeping well and snoring, we could roll their eyes at them. They're the kinda…maybe they're the kinda person who’s…falls asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow. Oh, we're so happy for those partners out there, or roommates.
Man, so, I’m up in the Green Mountains and there’s just wind running through the trees. I’m right on the edge of a forest, and I think you can hear it as well as I can. There’s clouds slowly, languidly moving across the sky from my left to my right. So, I’m glad you're here. The way the show works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, I forget what I was talking about, then I kinda repeat myself, then I may backtrack or pause for sounds or the water drip, drip, dripping from the roof of the building I’m in, and it’s pitter-pattering below me on the snow. I can't believe how slowly and lovely these clouds are moving, wisp, wisp, wisping. What else do you need to know? Well, I kinda alluded to this, but this show is very different. So, if you're new, I again want to welcome you, but also tell you that when you first get here, this show…especially right now; you say, you're on a balcony?
Well, it’s kind of like a balcony or a porch. I guess it’s on the second floor. So, I guess it is a balcony. But what was I saying? Oh, if you're new, you might be skeptical, you might be doubtful about this podcast because it’s very different, right? If you got here by…you were searching for something or maybe you even saw a recommendation for the show or somebody in your life recommended it, you probably had some reasonable expectation that a sleep podcast would be…whatever it was…like, this is usually not what people expect. That could be a good thing, but it can also throw you off when you're new. Then if you've struggled with sleep for a long time like I have, not only can it throw you off, but you could say, man, what is…? Are you even gonna…can you even put words together? I say, well, I kinda struggle with it sometimes. But that’s the point. This show is very different and it does take a couple tries to get used to, so just give it a few tries and see how it goes, 'cause regular listeners, they say, yeah, at first when I got here I was…I didn't like you or the show.
The second time I was like, what is this? Then the third time I realized, oh, I had no idea something like this could exist, but it’s something I’ve been looking for my whole life or looking to replicate my whole life…if the show works for you. So, just give it a few tries and see how it goes, and if it doesn't work out or you already know it’s not gonna work out…you're like, no, I already know you're not for me, that’s totally fine. We have a totally different podcast…I mean, sorry, we don't. We have a list of other podcasts and sleepy stuff at a website called sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. So, that has other sleepy stuff that could help you out. So, if it doesn't work out on the second or third try or you're already sure right now, just check that website out; sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. But otherwise see how it goes. One of the things that takes some getting used to is that this is a podcast that you kinda just barely listen to versus listening to it directly.
It’s like…I guess like the wind rushing through the trees right now. Or, I don't even know if it’s rushing through the trees, but you could hear it going through the trees. A very distinct sound. It’s always at a distance. You can't hear…this is interesting; never realized this, but you can't hear wind close up. I mean, you can. So, I guess that’s…wind sounds different close up than it does…I don't know if I could hear…oh, I guess you can hear wind going through the trees close up. It just sounds totally different. But when it’s at a distance, it’s kinda nice, and it’s like TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, a really boring roommate or friend on the phone, a seminar or a class or a conference where you just can't keep your eyes awake, where you're listening and you're kinda hearing it, but it stops making sense at some point, 'cause you're starting to drift off. That’s what listening to this show is like, like a out-of-focus picture or sand passing through your hands or nice water between your toes.
The other thing that takes getting used to or that’s unexpected with this show…it’s a sleep podcast I’ve been making thirteen years or so, and I’m not here to put you to sleep. There is no pressure to fall asleep with this show. I’m gonna be here over an hour whether you're awake or asleep, 'cause there’s people listening who can't sleep at all or who need a break during the day or who have a kinda job where they need some sort of background noise, and I’m here to the very end whether you're awake or asleep, because…and the reason the episodes are over an hour is so you never have to think, well, what's gonna happen in twenty minutes? Eh, this podcast will kinda go on and on and on, 'cause I’m here for you whether you're listening or not, whether you're awake or asleep. My job is to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-cuz, your neighbore, your borebie, your boreman, your Boris Borelaf, your chairman of the boreds, your best bore-friend f’eva to just hang out with you so that you could fall asleep.
Let’s see, what else? If you're new, the other thing I like to run through is the structure of the show, 'cause it can throw new listeners off. But we’ve built the show in a way where ideally it benefits the maximum amount of people it can. So, that’s why the show’s structured the way it is. There’s a couple adjustments. If you become a regular listener and you develop preferences about the podcast, there are other options. But this particular version that’s listener-supported and ad-supported is what benefits the most amount of people. Most people listen to these episodes linearly and they just let it stop at the end of the episode, but then there’s thousands of smaller ways people listen. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel seen and welcomed in and you say, okay, I might check that out.
Then there’s support because most people would prefer something that’s free, right, whether they're not in a position or they're just not interested in supporting something or they only listen once in a while when they need it. So, the sponsors and the listener support enable us to do that. Then after the support is a long, meandering intro totally separate from the support, that goes on and on and on for about fifteen to twenty minutes. The intro is meant to kinda…it’s a time where we kinda hang out and you get eased into bedtime. So, every intro is new. Like, even these ones, I could just…it would be way more efficient for me, right, to start recording an episode verse…on a balcony versus recording an intro on a balcony and recycling an intro or something. Maybe…but…or doing a quick intro. But the reason we try to make new intros…but the intros follow a familiar structure is so you say, oh, okay. You get some reassurance but you know there’s variety. That also includes the styles of shows.
We work really, really hard to put out a lot of stuff and a lot of different, I don't know, I guess genres of…or styles of shows so that you always have something new. Or if you find…some people love these episodes that have any kind of ambient noise behind them, and other people don't. So, the next episode will be different than this one. But the majority of people just listen to everything as it comes out when they need it. So…oh, but the reason the intro goes on and on and on is also to give you a buffer between being awake and asleep. It’s kinda like hanging out with a group of friends. I mean, this is actually where the stories came from, is like, hey, hey, Scoots, can you tell us a story? We're done hanging out for the sleepover but we're not quite ready to go to sleep. But can you tell us a story and just talk, and we’ll all close our eyes? Not a bedtime story; just be yourself and kinda talk to us while we drift off. But now we're still doing the kinda hang-out so that…I don't know, for me that’s one of the things that has greatly improved my sleep.
It hasn't solved anything, but it works most of the time, is having a bedtime routine, having a wind down so I get eased into bedtime. So, that’s why the intro’s like fifteen to twenty minutes, so you could be getting ready for bed, getting in bed getting comfortable, or doing some chill activity so you get carried off into dreamland. Now, what else do you need to know? Let’s see. There’s…it gets…carry you off into dreamland…oh yeah, if you fall asleep fast, if you could please consider supporting the show if you fall asleep fast on a regular basis. Or if you find you start listening to the show and you're like, I prefer just the stories, not…I don't like the intros, we have a version of the podcast with just the stories. It’s called Bedtime Stories from Sleep With Me, and you could check that out. If you say, well, I prefer something without ads, yeah, you could get that on Sleep With Me+, and then you also get ad-free, full episodes and story-only versions.
But again, if this version works for you, you don't gotta worry about it. Yeah, I guess…I think that’s it. The intro eases you into bedtime, I’m glad you're here, the show is very different, not everybody gets used to it, and that’s okay, too. You don't need to…I just want to help you out, even if it’s by introducing to…introducing you to a different sleep podcast. You're still welcome here, or you could listen to this podcast, chill out, and then listen to something else. Yeah, so, I’m glad you're here. Myself and a team of people work really hard. We love making the show, and we couldn't do it without the listeners who either support the sponsors or support the show back, but that really comes down to if…only if the podcast changes your life on a regular basis and you want to be a part of this thing and you're in a position where you could do that. So, yeah, I’m glad you're here. I work really hard. I yearn and I strive, and I really hope we can help you fall asleep. If the podcast…you're like, I’m a rebel, man; I want to support a free podcast, these are the ways you could do so. Thanks.
Alright everybody, Scoots here, and I’m just sitting here drinking some hot cocoa on this balcony, watching water drip off the roof. It’s one day…or, no, it’s the same day; 2:00 a.m. We sprung ahead…or 1:00 a.m. or whatever time they spring ahead. I’m in the…I think I’m on the foot…in the…no, I’m in the Green Mountains of Vermont and just looking at these trees blowing in the wind across a field from me and watching the clouds move left to right, which I think is west to east. I don't have my cloud guide with me, and unfortunately, even though I’ve done multiple episodes about clouds, I still don't know the difference between a cumulus and a cirrus cloud, though maybe not. Maybe cumulus…cirro, cirrostratus…so, I think I’m seeing cirrus clouds mostly, 'cause those are the ones that are in the higher atmosphere, though there are a couple of cumulus clouds below them closer to the horizon. The sky is so perfect that it does almost look painted.
I’m looking at…mostly at…the balcony railing is obscuring the view of the trees and some of the hills or mountains beyond me, but I do have a pretty good view of the sky. Yeah, it…since I recorded the intro, more and more clouds have been moving left to right, though they are, yes, I think cirrus-style, where they're…well, you know, one thing…I'll be honest; I don't know my Manet from my Monet, though I think a teacher once told me Manet came first because the A comes before the O. So, if both of them can roll over…right now they're rolling…they say, I’d like to water-lily you. Oh boy, do I have a few impressions of you, Scoots. But what I mean is that…or it’s…what artists’ names did you learn in…? I’d say, well, Sarrat, Manet, Monet…I think Kandinsky I didn't learn ‘til I was in college, university, and that may be it. That’s, whatever, twelve, four…sixteen years of school got me. Klimt, K-L-I-M…yeah, I don't…that might have been on my own. Oh, Kiff?
Yeah, no, that’s…I don't think…that was probably in college, too. Kahlo, college…anyway, there’s puffy clouds or…and wispy clouds above me, and they're pretty nice. The trees, even though we're still getting that nice wind…and then there isn't too much of a dripping sound, but we are in the kinda spring thaw even though it’s not spring technically. When I’m recording this it’s near spring or pre-spring. Yeah, this is my first trip to this…the Green Mountains since the nineties, and that was my only other trip here. Now, my mom worked nearby to here, and while…you know, because that was a pre-digital era…and my mom had a lot of kids, so I don't think she kept a lot of papers and stuff. I don't know, I'd like to find out more of places my mom skied, but…and I’m hoping I recreated some…like today, a route where my mom skied. So, I don't know, that was just one of the things I was thinking about a lot today.
But yeah, I’m out here, I’m drinking some cocoa, I’m enjoying just chillaxing, I guess, or relaxing. Now there’s a louder noise, but I think that’s a vehicle and not the wind, 'cause I’m not too far from a pretty busy road. Oh yeah, that was a bus that went by. I just got off that bus before I started recording, and made my cocoa. I’ve got cocoa that I got on the drive up here, like packs of cocoa, discounted peppermint cocoa from the holidays. Oh boy, that’s good. Ooh. I had to do a double pack. Like, I did a single pack in a half of a coffee cup; not…my room…this is kinda like a motel-type of place. So, it didn't have any regular coffee cups. They have paper cup coffee cups, which I think are about sixteen…oh no, it’s twelve-ounce cups. It’s right there. So, I think I tried to do about six to eight ounces of hot water with one pack of cocoa, and it wasn't doing it for me. So, then I put another pack in and then I filled the cup up, and that was the right balance. It’s nice, and relaxing me. Then I can be here to relax you.
So, what's been going on? Last night I recorded a little…a short hiking episode. I think that’ll probably come out on Sleep With Me+, or I guess depending on this episode, we could…I don't know. We’ll see, we’ll see, 'cause it’ll be very different tonally than a balcony-style episode. But the good news is what I can do now is go into my room and I could keep looking at this outside stuff. But I can also…I have tons…we stopped at a rest stop on the way here, so I got tons of rest stop magazines, 'cause I really would like to do some more…what do you call it? Adventuring throughout the next couple…however long I live in this area to come up with more stuff for the podcast and for myself. So, that’s what I’ll do. I’m gonna grab those magazines, and I guess I can keep recording. Okay, so, the first magazine I have is for the Lake George area in New York State. So, let’s see what we can find out. Oh, the first picture is of Paradise Bay. So, I’ve never…this is a place I don't know if I’ve ever been to, but I do hear a lot about it.
Maybe I went there once as a kid, but I’m not sure. Okay, so, we have a map, and there’s a map on the left and a map on the right. The map on the right seems to be a zoom-in. So, we’ll look at that one first. There’s Glens Falls; I’ve been there, but only for a basketball game in a high school. Then there’s Warren County Bikeway, then there’s a Six Flags with a waterpark — I’d like to check that out — Glen Lake, then there’s a expedition park, there’s factory outlets, there’s a steamboat, there’s a history museum, there’s Prospect Mountain, and Montreal is 160 miles north. New York City is 160 miles south. Okay, then on the bigger map…this is on 87. Okay, so, actually on the drive here we passed through some of this but from a different way. Let me take a look here. So, we got Glens Falls on 87 North. It meets up with 9. There’s Meadow something, Lake Lucerne, West Mountain, Revolution Rail Company, Painted Pony Rodeo, Scanandaga Lake — I think we came up on the west side of that lake.
Lake George Village, Bolton Landing, Thomas Mountain, and Cat Mountain, Schroon River. I thought the song was Moon River, not Schroon River. But Schroon River sounds nice, too. Hackensack Mountain — that’s different than Hacky Sack Mountain — Revolution Rail Company…so, maybe a rail runs up north there. Okay, and then Lake George runs up one side, and the other side is 9 and 28. I think we came in…oh yeah, maybe on 8. There’s Gore Mountain…there’s Revolution Rail Company up there, too. Pottersville, Chestertown, Schroon Lake, Bryant Lake, and I saw a sign for the Natural Stone Bridges and La Cavas, and that’s near Pottersville. That…it was a big sign. We were going in a different direction, but I was like, oh, that looks cool. It’s also winter, so a lot of the stuff isn't open. Alright, well, that sounds interesting, huh? Okay, here's how…getting here. Albany Airport is fifty miles south.
You could also take a train that runs between New York and Montreal that stops in Fort Edward, which is twenty minutes from Great…Lake George. Huh, I didn't know there was a train you could take all the way to Montreal. Interesting. There’s also…the New York State Throughway connects to the Adirondack Northway. That’s I-87. That goes straight to the heart of Lake George area. There’s buses and…buses you could take, and then a bus in town, Adirondack Trailway and Greyhound, and some share services are available, otherwise a car to get around. There’s also blue trolleys run by the CDTA. Those run Memorial Day through Indigenous People’s Day weekend, and they typically run every thirty minutes. There’s also a adventure course. Okay, this is a lot of the stuff we saw. The museum…oh, the Hyde Collection Art Museum; I think I heard about that somewhere else. I want to check that out, maybe even that other one. Natural Stone Bridge and La Cava; I want to check that out.
Six Flags; it’s got a wooden roller coaster called The Comet, and then, yeah, Gore Mountain is a ski resort. There’s…oh, here's the Revolutionary…oh boy, you got…this is…so, the Revolution Rail Company is those pedal…you could go on train tracks on a pedalling train, pedal your way through the Adirondacks…rail bike. I want to do that. Huh, it looks like Six Flags also…huh, this might have been the one that got sold, though. Unfortunately I think this Six Flags was sold to another company, 'cause it’s in Queensbury, New York. So, that’s fine. I just thought…I think I have a pass. I thought it would work there, but who knows. But they also have a lodge, a indoor waterpark lodge. So, that’s interesting. Alright, then we got seasonal events. You got the Winter Arts Festival in December. Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council Winter Arts Festival. That’s like featuring hand-crafted works. Oh, so, you can buy holiday gifts. Fifty regional artisans pottetry…pottery, jewellery, wood crafts, and more.
The Adirondack Holiday Festival; that’s December 4th and 5th last…in 2025. So, you’ll have to check 2026. We saw a lot of ice-fishing things on our drive up here, too. At first I thought they were just buoys, and then my brother said, no, those are ice-fishing sheds. I said, oh, okay. There’s Lake George Winter Carnival, Saturday and Sundays, February and March 7th through March 8th, ice-racing cook-offs, polar plunges, fireworks, and family fun. There’s…oh, there’s Kris Kringle; that’s part of the Adirondack Holiday Festival. There’s a Bryant Lake Winter Carnival; that’s another fan favorite. That was February 14th. Okay, then we have Blooming Beginnings. These are spring events. Okay, we got the Thurman Maple Days; that’s when they start getting…the maple season’s…I didn't even know there was a season, but there is. Then in March they also have a brew fest the weekend after the Maple Days, then the weekend…oh, then in April they have a wing fest. So, yeah, Glen Falls Wing Fest.
Alright, then we have summer events. Americade; that’s for motorcyclists. They come into town. That’s in May. So, that’s the beginning of the summer season. Then the LARAC, L-A…the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council June and Arts Festival. That’s in June. Adirondack Wine and Food Festival; that’s late June. Take A Bite; that’s downtown Glen Falls, Small Plates, Adirondack Theatre Festival; that seems like it runs all summer long, June to August. Then they do have fireworks, 4th of July. Thursday night fireworks every week in July and August, and then they’ll have shows at different pavilions with music, a jamboree with carnival rides, and then don't forget about the Winter Carnival. So, yeah. Then there’s a music festival in May and June, the jamboree that’s in late July. Mid-July Rock the Dock; that’s…must be a rocking festival on a dock. Oh, by the way, I think we passed a town called Paradox on the way up here, but I couldn't take a picture of the sign 'cause we were driving through the hills.
But I said, holy cow, if I was ever meant to live somewhere…Great Brant Lake Canoe…oh, Great Brant Lake Canoe Race; that’s in August. Stony Creek Mountain Days, Adirondack Independence Music Festival, triathlon, then in the fall we’ve got some hot-air balloons. Oh, leaf-peeping, baby! I gotta get…this year I did not…2025 I did not peep enough leafs because it was…I was new and Koa was definitely trying…it was just, Koa was…needed me around a lot, so she was not ready to do any leaf-peeping. She’s like, I peep enough leafs when I’m going…I'm not…when I’m doing something that rhymes with ‘peep’. It’s the first three letters of ‘peeping’, dad. That’s all the peeping of leafs I need. So, what do we got here? The show begins in late September in higher elevations. Chestertown, Hague, North Creek, and then moves towards Bolton Landing, Lake George Village through October, Queensbury…perfect scenic drives, cozy hikes, lakeside picnics.
Graphite Mountain Road, Thirteenth Lake…Dean Farm, Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, Revolutionary Rail…I gotta do a rail bike then. Please let me remember that. I gotta find…I'm gonna have to talk one of my siblings into doing it. Okay, so, then we got…oh wait, they have something at Great Escape where they celebrate autumnal…like other parks. I wonder if they actually do that. Thirteen plus…I'm gonna have to look into that for this one. Rodeo, hockey, Harvest Fest, fall festivals, Oktoberfest, authentic eats, live bands, rides, garage sale, celebration of the nation, storytelling, traditional arts, and drums, dance performances, competitions, lacrosse, there’s a fourteen-day regional celebration celebrating indigenous culture and heritage across Lake George, Glens Falls, and beyond. There’s a pug party in September, Bolton Live Music Festival, there’s Hot Rod Adirondack Nationals; that’s in September, Balloon Fest…that would be nice; September 17th to the 20th.
Jazz…okay, now we got water-related things. Where the waters are always welcoming. Did you know — this is quoting from this tourism guide — Lake George is celebrated as one of the cleanest, clearest lakes in the world, naturally protected by its deep, cold waters and the surrounding Adirondack wilderness. We're keeping an eye on it. Community stewardship…a pristine gem. Unforgettable views year round. Yeah, you could come stay for the clear, sparkling…Warren County, lakes and rivers, a launching point, thirty-two miles long. The queen of American lakes has drawn summer visitors for centuries. Pristine clarity…it’s beautiful, but there’s also Brant Lake, Loon Lake, Glen Lake, Lake Luzerne, Garnet Lake, Thirteenth Lake, and countless hidden ponds promise quiet solitude, and the mighty Hudson also winds through the region, also the Scanandaga and Schroon River…yeah. How about…what if I go on Schroon River during a full moon and I sing both things? Like, I alternate?
But I wonder if people do that in Schroon. That’s where I had lunch and actually where I bought that hot cocoa, was in Schroon Lake or just Schroon, the Tops there. Great Tops in Schroon or in the Schroon area. I’m pretty sure it was…was it Schroon or Schroon Lake? We got off that highway and then we took maybe 9 north? Okay, here's the waterways. We’ve got…and they have a code. So, there’s beach, boat launch, fishing, kayaks, no motorboats, picnic spots, restrooms, swimming, rafting, and tubing. Wow. Okay. So, Lake George. They have a beach, they have swimming, they have restrooms, picnics, kayaks, fishing, and boat launch. Brant Lake; swimming…I'm mostly into swimming, beaching, and tubing. Echo Lake; they don't have swimming listed. Small but charming. You can cast from a canoe, though. Where’s Brant Lake? Brant Lake is northwest of Lake George or due west, and then southeast of Schroon Lake.
Okay, so, Echo Lake…wait a second, Echo Lake is…oh no, this is Crystal. Okay, so, Echo Lake; no swimming. Garnet Lake; just fishing and kayaking, surrounded by mountain views, nearly untouched by development, a 302-acre lake. Peaceful paddling. Glen Lake has swimming, paddling, or kayaking, and…or no, it just says boat…oh no, kayak launch. That’s fishing. No beach, but they got swimming. Where’s Glen Lake? South of Lake George near Queensbury, north of Glens Falls. Okay. Hudson River, we’ve all heard of that. That has rafting but not tubing, swimming…I'd like to swim in the Hudson River. Holy moly. I could swim in that river and then the water would be going past the Isle of Manhattan at some point, right? They have beaches, boating, fishing, kayak launch, picnicking, and…wow, it comes all the way down, goes over Glens Falls, even, but meets up with the Schroon River, past Lake Scanandaga. Man, that’s cool.
North Creek, Hudson River…yeah, I’d like to get into that northern…northwestern part of the Hudson River. Jade Pond; that has swimming. Where is that? 7. Jade Pond is a little pond west of the northern part of Lake George. Lake Luzerne; that has swimming and picnicking. That is west of Glens Falls right off…and then west of that is Scanandaga Lake and River. Scanandaga River has rafting. I’d like to do the tubing or…tubing; not rafting. I’d like to tube on the Scan…so, I wish I had a pen, but I guess I’m recording this. I’d like to tube on the Scanandaga River. Schroon Lake has swimming…oh, there’s no swimming…I mean, there’s no swimming listed on the Scanandaga River, but…okay, they have…there’s swimming in Schroon Lake. Now, Schroon Lake is pretty far north. Then Schroon River, that runs all the way to the Hudson from Schroon Lake. That’s pretty…looks pretty far, but I drove by that. Schroon River does not have…it’s kayaking and fishing.
Then Thirteenth Lake, that’s the furthest northwest thing on this map, and that has no motor boats in Thirteenth Lake, man. Keep them out. No swimming, either. Alright, then they have jets, jetting, skiing, boating, tubing, water skiing, paddling, cruising…so, there’s different lake cruises. There’s a steamboat cruise you could take, waterfront…so, there’s is a steamboat company. Adirondack has a cruise…oh, they have a lot of them. So, they have…oh, this is Sagamore Resort. I heard somebody talking about that. Maybe we’ll see a picture of that and I’ll learn more. Alright, they got some pictures of the…these beaches. So, we got Lake George Beach. Looks nice. Rogers Park and Bolton Landing…these kids are jumping off a dock. That looks nice. Shepard Park, Lake George has a swimming area. What do we got here? Usher Park is another one. Bolton Landing…oh, so Bolton Landing has a beach, too. Loon Lake Public Beach; that looks quiet right on the picture…I'm looking at it.
Oh, there’s people tubing on the Hudson River — that looks relaxing — and rafting on Lake Luzerne, there’s an Adirondack Adventure Center. Someone’s paragliding…or, what is that called? Then there’s fishing…landlocked salmon…I didn't even know there was such a thing. Ice fishing; that’s what I saw. Alright, then we have Move…this is Gore Mountain, which I did get to go to earlier this winter. There’s also West Mountain; thirty-plus trails and a tubing park, and, yeah, sledding and tubing. There’s a tubing park in Queensbury. Chestertown, Lake George…some of those are for sledding, though. Snowmobiling; I saw some snowmobilers. Golfing…I'm worried about this railing. But there’s also biking in Queensbury and at Gore and North Creek Ski Bowl, Gurney Lake Mountain, Bryant Lake, West Mountain, the Garnet Hill Revolutionary Rail Company, rail bikes…I want to do that. I think there’s also one on…that goes along the Erie Canal, but that would be cool for leaf-peeping.
There’s horseback riding. You won't catch me…if you listen to the…I only did one episode about horseback riding, and that’ll be it for…I think that’s all the horseback riding I need. Alright, cloud check just to check…so, we're getting…it’s getting close to magic hour. So, it’s also…the temperature’s cooling off quickly. But so, the hills across the road from me are just getting bathed in a nice, warm afternoon light, but it is also cooling off. Not too cold, but…alright, now we're…oh, good trails, hiking, scenic drives. Alright. Alright, this is right up my alley. Alright, so, we have the Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve minutes from Bolton Landing. Beloved hiking spot. Wide-open views of Lake George, some mountain biking, there’s Hackensack Mountain; that has sweeping views of the Hudson and Schroon Rivers. Longer loop trails or short summits, and open year round. Amy’s Park, Back Country, and Bolton Landing; four easygoing trails with lookout points, two water-access areas.
There’s Meadowbrook Preserve; that’s a 1.5-mile trail system. Local habitats, tree species…the scenic Halfway Brook that runs along part of the property, there’s the Swede Mountain Tower; that’s…ends at a restored tower owned by Warren County. Incredible views to the west and north, under two miles. Then we have the hot-air balloons. You could do that. I don't know if you…how often you can do that. There’s different hiking challenges. There’s the Chester Challenge, which is six trails in Chester. There’s a Brant Lake challenge, which is four hikes, and then there’s a Lake George 12ster. This is the tenth anniversary. Twelve peaks, forty miles of trails, 9,000 feet of gain. Oh, that’d be cool to try to do that one summer, or spring and summer. There’s zip lines. There’s one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven in different places. There’s a lot of cool…I'd like to…I haven't seen a hot-air balloon fest in quite some time, but there’s one that looks like Figment here.
There’s one…there’s some cool-looking hot-air balloons. Alright, scenic drives. There’s a scenic drive from Luzerne to Stony Creek, from Westbury to North River, Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway at Lake George, there’s also the Warren County Historian’s Challenge. This self-guided challenge you could investigate museums, landmarks, and heritage sites, and earn stamps along the way. There’s also things that happen from other realms at different places. There’s one place called the Carol Theatre that’s always alive with energy, and that’s where shows…1940s…huh, that’s interesting. You can hear the wind again, too. There’s a chocolate thing. Stone Creek Inn is a place if you want to feel a cool breeze, also the official place in Warren County. A Chapman Historical Museum. It was built in 1865. Barkeater Chocolates, and then Lake George has a Mystery Spot. Interesting.
It’s different than the Santa…that’s…oh boy, I didn't think we’d get to any regrets, but I definitely regret never going to the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. So, yeah, that’s…I guess that’s…regrets; I have a few, but I never made it…that’s one of the most popular bumper stickers I think west of the Mississippi. But this one is different. This one is a curious echo phenomenon instead of a gravitational phenomenon. I don't want to ruin it, but…my daughter went to the Mystery Spot with her mom once. But this Lake George Mystery Spot…stand at the marked spot and your voice comes back louder. Locals claim it’s a whisper of an indigenous god from long ago. Alright, now we got historicals. We got museums, plenty of other places to check out, and then art. It looks like they have…so, a theatre festival. Now, you know I’ve performed the podcast live, but also my daughter’s into theatre, so maybe she’ll perform. Maybe we’ll both perform at different things. That’d be a dream.
There’s a Glen Fart…Glen…I did not do that on purpose, but I will leave it in. I was combining Glen Falls and ‘art’. That’s an accident. It was not done…meant to be done on purpose to be silly. The Glen Falls Art Trail. Glen All’s Fart Trail. I mean, this is just…this is the kinda stuff…you don't even have to write it. It doesn't have to write itself. It’s just…it’s very organic. Glen Fart…Gren Rart Falls Trails. It’s a vibrant heart of the region. It’s a walkable, mirror-lined route through downtown Glen Falls that links galleries, theatres, museums, and public art installations. The Hyde Collection has a collection of European and American art. Oh, there’s Rembrandts, Degas, Picassos, and Renoirs. I think one of my museum passes has a retroact…whatever they call that. Not retroactive, but where they recognize your membership. So, I’d like to check that out. Degas; that was another thing we learned about. No clouds in the sky right now. I guess the sun’s probably setting to…sunrise is in the east and sets in the west, right?
I can't figure out…I think I’m pointed north, but I’m not sure, or northeast, but I’m not exactly positive about that. There’s a North Creek mural project; that’s a striking mosaic of more than 200,000 hand-set tiles in the main street of North Creek. Music; they got…yeah, like we were listening, a lot of music festivals, wines and breweries, outdoor stages, theatres and halls, Glen Falls Symphony — I’m having trouble speaking not just with the Glen Falls Art Trail — bars and restaurants like Duffy’s Tavern. Glen Falls Symphony is a professional union orchestra. That’s cool. It used to be…and I don't know if this is still true, but in the summers the New York Philharmonic…and I believe…I don't know if this is the City Opera or the Metropolitan…there’s a City Opera and Symphony. Now I get it all mixed up. Then the Metropolitan Opera, they would come to Saratoga for their summers, but I could definitely…okay, theatres and creative spaces. So, we got the Park Theatre.
That’s history and the arts together in one place, from 1911. Live music, comics, films, and community events. Lake George Dinner Theatre; that’s a performance with a three-course meal. There’s the Tannery Pond Center; that’s in North Creek. Gem Radio Theatre bringing vintage radio classics before your eyes. The Carol Theatre, a Lake George staple, once a active cinema. Live events and concerts now. Country bluegrass, classic rock, and more. Then the Charles R Wood Theater is buzzing year-round with energy. Musicals, touring productions, stand-up comedy, community theatre. Broadway-bound talent collaborates on new works destined for bigger stages. Of course there’s shopping. Oh, they got a mall, the Aviation Mall. Oh, wait a second, I have a story about the Aviation Mall, not a very interesting one, but yet still. Then the factory outlets…okay, so, there’s factory outlets of Lake George, then there’s the Shirt Factory, which is home to a hundred eclectic artists and artisans offering original artwork.
This is a unique shopping destination. That sounds cool. Then there’s the Aviation Mall. It’s the shopping destination of the Adirondack region minutes from Lake George. So, I wonder…right now it just says it has Target, Dicks Sporting Good, and Famous Footwear. But hopefully it’s still the mall. So, we…I’ve only been there once that I know of. It was when we went to the basketball game. Our women’s basketball team at our high school was playing, and in the…either the game leading up to the championship game or the championship game. I’m sorry that my memory’s not good. But I think they won the state championship. But on the drive home we…I wasn't driving, but we had a car. We stayed the night and then we drove home the next day. We stopped at this mall to eat lunch. This is like dating things, but it’s a very…it’s important for audio because it’s tied to audio. It was when the album from REM, Automatic for the People, came out. Or no, was it Out of Time?
I think…no, it was Out of Time. REM’s Out of Time had just come out. So, again, this is dating things. It might not be…the facts might not be relatable to everybody…everything, but when you combine road trips, a time with friends…and it was with kids that were a year older than me and a couple…so, it was with two friends that…actually…well, anyway, it was just like exciting because we were eating lunch on our own. Yeah, two of the kids were older, I mean a year older than me, but…and one of the other guys bought this…I guess it was probably a tape at the time, a cassette tape, and we listened to the whole album the ride home, or probably listened to it twice. So, there’s just something magical in my memory about it. When I listen to those songs, I think of that. The weird thing was, I was thinking about it the other day, and I was like, huh, I remember we went to that mall and went to the food court and ate, and then drove home.
I guess one of the reasons I was thinking about it…and maybe it even was on the drive here was that…it was just so funny that…and I don't know if this comes with adulthood or living in a place…living in Los Angeles and the Bay Area and having a car, that it’s hilarious that…I think maybe Glen Falls to Syracuse is like two hours. I don't think it’s three hours. Nowadays I wouldn't be against stopping to eat lunch if it just happened that the time…but usually it’d be like, we’ll just eat when we get home, you know? Because two hours…maybe even me, I don't need to stop at all. So, I don't know, it’s just funny 'cause it was like…there’s other times I’m driving to see family from where I live, and it might be like a four-hour to six-hour drive from where I live to see different…of my…three of my siblings live like four to six hours depending on traffic away. Normally, yeah, I’ll stop halfway, especially when I’m driving my car, to charge it.
But there’s a place on the way where me and my friends would stop if we were driving, or I think maybe even my family…but it was like an hour and fifteen minutes outside of…and I’m always like…or maybe two…well, I guess two hours on a four…so, I don't know, I just find it amusing. I mean, I think moving from a very dense area with a lot of bad traffic to some place with a little bit more reasonable driving, now I’m like…even driving here, it was a fairly long drive over…pushing six hours, but…it takes me six hours to drive to Los Angeles, you know? Even that’s not too bad. So, yeah, I want to see if I can visit this Aviation Mall. Alright, they have food trucks, unique eats…wow, I can't believe we made…I think we made our whole episode here just talking about this stuff, 'cause…Lake George…so, there’s different places to eat in Lake George. Ooh, igloo dining; igloo beneath the inner…winter sky. Barrel and Bolton Landing crafts its own snow and sets the scene with live music.
Bolton Landing Brewing Company, Queensbury Hotel…so, these are like little…I think they're like vinyl igloos. One of my friends that lives in New York city has one of these, a smaller one, where…'cause it happens to have a outdoor space, but…to get out of the apartment. Breweries, wineries, distilleries, ice bars. There’s multiple ice bars. There’s a Funky Ice Fest, a Glacier Bar and Lounge, a Fire and Ice Bar, Gem Ice Bar, Lagoon Ice Bar. Wow, I didn't…I had no idea. The only ice bar I’ve regularly seen is the one on International Drive. Alright, camping and RVing; there’s plenty of places you could get camping and RVing. Oh, glamping; okay. Let’s talk about some glamping here. Who says you can't glamp? Not me. There’s one place with…Huttopia Adirondacks, ten minutes from Lake George. Canvas tents, cozy cabins…huh, I’ll have to check that out, 'cause I’d like to come here. North Ribber…North River Hobby Farm has glamping tents and a communal fire pit, shared garden views, and a hundred-year-old rental house, all buildings built by the owner herself.
Each day feels personal. Waterfront lodging; is this the Sag…? Oh yeah, this is the Sagamore Resort. Some people talk about it, 'cause I guess if you're on the edge of Lake George, it’s one of these grand resorts that you'll see. I don't know, I mean…I don't know, I’d like to see some, 'cause I think the Catskills, the Adirondacks…what's the third? Catskills, the Poconos, I don't know, they all have these. There’s dude ranches, too. Holy cow. I wouldn't be there 'cause there’s horses there. I like looking at horses, not riding them, though. And cabins, cozy cabins at Hideaway Waterfront Cottages, Garnet Hill Lodge, Sagamore Resort…elevated hospitality. So, I might be classed out of that. Hotels and motels, Holiday Inns…oh, they have itineraries. There’s the Adirondack hockey team; that’s like a minor-league hockey team. Lake George Expedition Park, mini-golf…some say Lake George is the mini-golf capital of New York. Seven mini-golf courses. Alright. There’s a Pirate’s Cove one.
There’s a Six Flags, but that may not be a Six Flags anymore. We’ll have to look into that. You could bring your pets. Perfect for the solo traveller, Scoots. Alright, you could…yeah, here's what you could do solo. But I always bring my audience with me. Or on this trip, my brother is somewhat with me, but he’s with his extended family right now. Lake George steamboat, lakefront water…you could go on the…get views of the Millionaire’s Row and the Tongue Mountain Range. You could check out the Hyde Collection, Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council, Lake George Arts Project, Fort William Henry Museum. I could hike solo, but…or with a guide, like hike with Jackson. I could take a maple syrup tour. Maple syrup tour; that would…out of all these things…'cause I am…I do like to do stuff by myself, and I am like…I’ve found the balance between those things. But I love the freedom of doing things like going to a museum or things like that alone.
Again, if you've gone maple syrup tasting alone, I’m not judging you. But for me, that would be the only time I would be like, okay, this is…instead of feeling independent and embracing being able…the freedom of doing things solo…that’s the only one that I’m like, huh, I don't know. I do feel a little S-A-D. I’m just imagining, though. So, if that’s you, don't worry about it. What else do we got? Yeah, or cheeses. Yeah, no, no, no. I mean, if I drank I would not feel…I never felt bad having a drink alone. But maple syrup or cheese, that’s just something different. I don't know what it is. I mean, even as a sober person, if some…I would say, no, no, I feel like if you're having a craft drink or something alone, that’s kinda…but having…doing a cheese tasting solo…I mean, eating cheese or having a cheese plate at a restaurant alone, that doesn't…anyway, I better move on. Move at your own pace; that’s what I love. Shop, dine, and explore without an agenda. Lake George area is designed for wanderers.
Me and Dion or whoever sang that…or if you're in a couple, right next page, you could share a lakeside picnic with local wine, explore together, earn your…earn adventure badges. But those would be separate. You can't…cycle scenic routes like the Nine Mile Warren County Bikeway. Romance in those B&Bs. What up? I’m kidding. I mean, I’m not. I’m just being silly. Slow down and reconnect, right? What could be better? Peaceful parks, quiet trails, small-town cafes. What about bigger groups? Not listed. Alright, well, that’s everything, I think. Next…the rest is the ads. Man, we got a lot out of this one magazine. Welcome to the town of Lake Luzerne. The good thing is, too, that it’s getting pretty cool out here. The only thing is Tubby Tubes River Park, Buttermilk Float. Okay, that’s what…lazy river tubing; this is what I’m looking for. So, these ads did come in handy. Oh, there’s a tiki…does it have a tiki bar? Huh, interesting. The Tiki. Authentic Americana. The Tiki Resort. Interesting.
That’s at Lake George, the Tiki Resort. What else do we got? Oh, there’s a Children’s Museum, the Shirt Factory, and there’s the Natural Stone Bridge and La Cavas, Great Escape, Gore…so yeah, the only thing I’m wondering about is that that this…I’ve been recording this. This is…I did a bonus episode for Sleep With Me+ hiking with this mic. So, I don't know, this thing does not display the recording time on here, unfortunately. So…but yeah, I know it’s recording. I thought I checked my clock, so I think this should be…we should be good. So, thanks so much everybody for joining me, and sleep well and goodnight. I’m so glad to be here on this balcony in your ears carrying you off into dreamland. Goodnight.
[End of recording]
Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes
