Filicki

Today was another play day, but a busy one. We had been in a one-bedroom lodge for the weekend but moved the main hotel as today we joined Porsche Experience for week of driving (which is a bit ironic given we have been driving for 67 days).  So our morning started with packing up our 14 bags and checking into our new room.  We then had a quick workout and lunch followed by a boat tour of Lake George on The Morgan.  On the Morgan Sagamore resort from the boat - with a photoshoot from one of multiple weddings this weekend More fall colors One of the 126 islands along Lake George The Morgan Check-in for the Porsche tour was our next activity where we met a few of the leaders and some of the other travelers and then an exciting game of croquet on the lawn.  Filip wanted a photoshoot with the Porsche's, particularly after Porsche detailed the Lambo for us and it was no longer crusted in mud from the Labrador Highway. Surprisingly, he walked up to the valet and told them ...

We hiked today to Pole Hill Pond , and while it is true that we sometimes pick hikes with the word "Pond" in them because we want to spare our joints from down-hills, this one was not flat. Pole Hill Pond hike was 6-miles with 1558-ft elevation gain and two "look-out" spots. The first was along smooth gray rock with distant views of Lake George and the second was of Pole Hill Pond.    At the high-point of the hike with views of Lake George   The mossy rocks were beautiful (but the picture doesn't quite capture it as well) There were several unique mushrooms throughout the hike After enjoying our pre-made sandwiches with views of the Lake George Pole Hill Pond - we thought the reflections were impressive Other side of Pole Hile Pond with more good reflections We saw many more newts today than yesterday and often in pairs- here are two with a toadstool.  Our second activity for the day was haircuts. We were surprised at how challenging it was to find somewhere to ...

Today was a play day. We grabbed some sandwiches at a local cafe and headed over to hike to Cat Mountain.  It was an excellent 4 mile hike: beautiful views, several Eastern Red-spotted Newts and toads, and plenty of pups to pet. The hike was well-marked and we followed blue markers up and red markers down (but wished we had done the opposite). Lunch was beside this stream One of the 4 Eastern red-spotted Newts that we saw A second red-spotted newt At the top After the hike, we nursed our achy feet, enjoying the amazing weather, with some reading by Lake George, while being entertained by a boat full of fisherman catching fish after fish right in front of us. And finally, for dinner, we walked to downtown Bolton Landing and ate lobster at Beyond the Sea.

Our drive was a long 19 miles today from Fern Lodge to the Sagamore resort in Bolton Landing, and as the rain continued we had a very low activity day exploring the Sagamore and enjoying the views of Lake George. Just around sunset with fall colors starting to emerge  Short commute, but we lucked out - our room at the Sagamore was ready early.

Today was mostly a driving day, 172 miles from Twin Farms to the Fern Lodge in Chestertown, NY via Bennington.   We started with a hearty breakfast at Twin Farms and then we packed up the car and started on our way. We went to Caroline's first to pick up a bag we had left and get a birthday hug for Micki and then got in the car to finish our drive. The Fern Lodge is a large lakeside bed and breakfast in the Adirondacks. Our room was on the top floor with a screened-in porch.  Sadly it rained all day, although we did walk around outside a bit in the afternoon in between showers. After our walk, the lodge served appetizers and drinks which we enjoyed by the fire while chatting with an active, retired couple from Canada.. In front of the lake at Fern Lodge

Twin Farms has continued to impress us and even though our second stay was only separated by a week, there are enough activities here that we did completely different things, not to mention that it is starting to feel like fall. (Last week was definitely still summer.)  View from our walk to the main house  We stayed in a different tree house this week (Goldfinch), the layout was slightly different from Warbler, but it was just as pleasant. Filip in front of Goldfinch View off the back patio of Goldfinch One of the gardens at Twin Farms featuring tons of leeks Although the weather was cooler, we still managed to do a couple of outdoor activities. Filip crushed Micki at Bocce ball (notice the yellow pallina in the air). Filip demonstrating his strong Bocce ball form After our game we headed to the bee yard for some education from Dave the Bee-guy at Twin Farms. The bees were buzzing around the 8 hives and no one got stung. It was a really interesting discussion. Our final activ...

Our morning began with a quick workout at the Hotel Vermont and then we were packed up the car and headed back to Twin Farms. When we were here last week it was hot, but the temperature has fallen quite a bit and it really feels like fall. We arrived in time for a leisurely lunch and then worked on a puzzle while our room was being prepared.  After we finished the puzzle, we headed to our room, fixed some tea and sat by the fire to finalize some of our future travel plans.  We had the à la carte menu at the main restaurant for dinner and it was as yummy as we remembered. 81 miles from Hotel Vermont back to Twin Farms

As traffic was expected to be heavy, we picked the short ride along the rec path to avoid the cars. It was a pleasant, easy ride beside a brook with a slight incline going out so a really quick ride back.  Filip beside the fire pit that we enjoyed after each of our rides in Stowe Our Backroads departure lunch was at the von Trapp Family Lodge  where the view was beautiful. The von Trapp family picked this spot because it reminded them of home. Once in Burlington we said our final good-byes and then went to  Foam Brewery  to enjoy the nice weather for the afternoon.   Dinner was at Juniper in the Hotel Vermont  where we stayed.

Today was a full day of bike riding. We started at 9am and biked to Lake Elmore for a picnic lunch beside the lake. Followed by afternoon ride back to Stowe. The morning ride was much tougher than the afternoon with many more hills, but we did break the speed limit on our downhills a couple of times. The first pitstop was at mile 12 at Rock Art Brewery where Backroads had arranged a free tasting. We had a great time sitting on the front porch chatting with fellow riders (and the brewery dog, Ridge)  Morning ride included a stop at Rock Art Brewery for a beer tasting Lunch spot- more fall colors emerging We had the afternoon free and our morning route went past the 33rd Annual British Invasion Car show making our afternoon activity was easy to pick.  Filip feeling underwhelmed at the car show And a little happier We met 5:45 for our evening activities- a wine and charcuterie at a local winery. We tasted 3 different red wines (2 with bubbles) and then headed to dinner as a group...