John & Diane Svatek (21793)
New York Hudson Aires – President and Secretary
Fall is here, camping season is winding down, and the rig is finally getting a chance to cool down after all the miles traveled to attend four rallies in a month.
Lake George: We enjoyed being with several out-of-state NKK members. Cruising the lake on the Mohican for 2 ½ hours was both educational and entertaining. Driving to the Adirondack Experience Museum in Blue Mountain Lake revealed beautiful fall colors along the way as we headed north through higher elevations. The museum offers a wealth of Adirondack history and is well worth the visit. Thanks to Albany RV for sponsoring a delicious BBQ dinner and pizza the night of arrival. Lake George RV Park provided a roaring fire in the covered bonfire pavilion for our last night.
Cooperstown: Three hours down the road from Lake George, we landed at Highland Hills Campground. Rally hosts Steve & Karen Clark did a great job organizing the sites, food and activities. Our six coaches showed up with flags and banners promoting NKK and the Hudson Aires, and several other campers stopped by to remark on how impressive our line-up was! We were treated to a delicious catered meal the first night, held in the shelter of the pavilion. Activities were a la carte, with some people heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame or Farmer’s Museum, others choosing to shop, hike and/or relax at the campsites. Thanks again to Albany RV for sponsoring our lunch at the Upstate Bar and Grill.
Boothbay Harbor, Maine: The Region Seven Rally, held at Shore Hills RV Park, hosted by Bob & Jane Hadley, was quite the experience, and we were happy to be there. Lobster was the theme of the gathering, and we certainly ate our fill. One adventure was hiking out to a small island off the campground and returning 20 minutes later to find four inches of water to wade through thanks to the incoming tide. Since it was late in the season, trying to find an open ice-cream stand was a challenge, but perseverance met with success. Many of us visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens that offers miles of trails with flowers, trees, birds and bees, along with five 30 foot high wooden trolls, which have to be seen to be believed. Since we last visited three years ago, the grounds have been expanded and a new visitor’s center was built.
Caledonia, New York: We finally headed to western New York and the Lakers end-of-season rally. More good food in the form of a delicious pancake and French toast breakfast, and turkey dinner. Thanks to Bill Nixon and Chris Foley for their expert cooking. In spite of rainy, cool weather, we drove to Letchworth State Park to try out the newly opened ADA accessible sensory trail, which was designed with autistic and special needs individuals and families in mind. It is a wonderful example of what parks can do to accommodate a variety of needs. We then headed north to Lake Ontario, visiting Hamlin State Park. Seeing the lake again was nostalgic as we met at Oswego State College in the early ‘70’s, and the lake was an important feature of our college days.
On to 2022: Save the dates and register ASAP for:
New York State: May 12-15. Swan Bay. Swan Bay Resort is located in Alexandria Bay, New York along the St. Lawrence River. The Fulltimers chapter held their pre-International rally (Syracuse) here in 2019 and gave it a big thumbs up. 25 sites are being held for us.
Hudson Aires: September 18-22. Lake George Riverview Park, Warrensburg, New York, which is close to both Lake George to the south and the Adirondacks to the north, and all they have to offer for activities and scenery. Warrensburg is home to Oscar’s Smokehouse, which is highly recommended by Rachael Ray.
A boondocking weekend is in the works for Central New York. Details to follow.
We can be reached at jdsvatek@gmail.com or 518-928-6268.
