wanderlust wednesday: tupper lake, ny

Almost each and every summer my extended family makes the trek up to the Adirondack Mountains for a week of camping and general shenanigans.  It’s a tradition that started many years before I was born and I hope it continues when I am long gone.  For the most part, we fully engage with car camping at its finest complete with evening campfires and one too many s’mores.  I know.  You never thought such a things was possible.  While most of our time is spent living it up at our campsites, when ventures are made to the outside world we tend to flock to Tupper Lake.  There are many North Woods towns that get a greater influx of tourists than Tupper Lake and at first glance it may look like the kind of place to pass on by with Saranac Lake and Lake Placid nearby.  But it’s these oft forgotten neck-of-the-woods that I find make for the best adventures.

Tupper Lake ends up being about a 6 hour drive from NYC so it takes a commitment to get up there but there’s nothing quite like the Adirondack Mountains.  Also, just think of the epic road trip playlist you can groove to you with your buddies as you make your way up.  Car dancing is where it’s at.  So if I could be booty shaking in my orange lovebug up to the Adirondacks this weekend, here’s what I would be up to:

STAY

There are a number of motels to stay at if you wish to re-live the 1980s (the family favorite is Shaheen’s).  However if you are making the trek to hangout in a woodland wonderland, I would recommend you either camp or cozy up in a cabin.  The goal here is to embrace nature.   For the more adventurous type, there are a number of NYS DEC campsites available by canoe/kayak at or near Tupper Lake.

EAT

Tupper Lake has a bunch of new eating establishments which is so very exciting, especially for us veggie minded folk.  There are two microbreweries in town: Raquette River and Big Tupper.  The former is for tastings only but they had shaded picnic tables and a food truck – Arthur’s BBQ – which meat-eaters and vegetarians alike enjoyed.   (Get the beer pretzel.  You won’t regret it.).  The latter has a brewpub feel with a large, wrap-around bar and Mexican-inspired eats.  They’re open 4pm-10pm meaning you can get a nice little pub-crawl going from lunch at Raquette River to dinner at Big Tupper.  Around the corner from Big Tupper is Well Dressed Food and I could hardly contain myself when I saw this cute little shop open along the main street.  I have yet to try it out but it’s well reviewed if that sort of thing matters to you and looks to have delicious eats.  Also, as far as I know, it is the only place in town to score an espresso.

Big Tupper Brewing may not have cable but they do have WIFI... you do what you've got to do when it comes to watching the Olympics.

SEE

Big Tupper’s – the aforementioned brewery - namesake is an old ski mountain in town.  You can wander around the grounds, which during the summer months tend to have a pretty array of wildflowers for your viewing pleasure.   For more nature seeing, ignore the advertising geared towards the 10 and under crowd and head on over to the Wild Center.   The elevated treetop trail is just as fun as much fun as it looks and who doesn’t want to challenge their cousins to a teepee-building contest?  Due to its popularity, I would recommend visiting during the week rather than the weekend and the earlier in the day the better.

DO

Canoe!

Exploring the lake by paddle is one of my all-time favorite activities.  It enables you to check out the local wildlife as well as ample opportunities to cool off in some fresh water.  If you don’t have access to your own or a loved one’s kayak/canoe/paddle board, Raquette River Outfitters has quite the paddling operation going.  They’ll even help you plan a route throughout the regions interconnected lakes, ponds, and rivers.   

Hike!

There are oodles of hiking options throughout the Adirondacks, including many within Tupper Lake and the surrounding region.  Ampersand is a bit of a legend with our family, mostly due to the underrepresentation of its difficulty by certain relatives.  That being said, if you are an experienced hiker who likes mixing it up with some bouldering, it is definitely well worth the climb.  For a less strenuous hike, Mount Arab, Goodman Mountain, and Coney Mountain all offer great views.  If you’re up to the challenge, complete all three for the Tupper Lake Triad which earns you a spiffy patch to show off your endeavor.   

Climb!

Baker Mountain offers some great options for rock climbing newbies.  Both High Peaks Mountain Adventures and Eastern Mountain Sports in Lake Placid offer guided climbs, which is where you would find me, should I get the chance to hang off a cliff in the Adirondacks this summer (pro-climber I am not).  I bet they would have some pretty sweet recommendations too for those of you looking for more challenging routes.

How to embrace the lake life when you are paddle-less - addition of root beer is key. 

notes:

adirondack summers are a bit on the cooler side, especially for us cold-blooded folk who prefer temperatures in the 80s.  listen to your inner mother and bring lots of layers.  i’ve been known to wear the same cardigan over and over again but if i was in the need for something new these two look like the perfect combination of affordable and cozy while treating the people involved in the clothing manufacturing process well.  

the olympic center at lake placid is especially fitting given this summer’s primetime activity but does require a bit of a drive on over from tupper to get there.  the photo op alone may be enough to entice you but let me sweeten the deal and remind you that you can ride an inner tube down the ski jumps.         

for more adirondack loving, check out last summer’s posts here and here.

10 must sees for an arizona roadtrip

I don't know about you, but my father is quite excited about planning another family vacation this summer. Who doesn't love a roadtrip? The last few years he's been in a bucket-list mentality: "If we don't go see the Grand Canyon now, then we'll just put it off and never do it." We all nod and go along, and then surprisingly end up on quite the adventure. (We now call this the #freemanadventure.) This year, we're heading to Grand Teton Park, so more on that next month. However, last year we spent an epic week in Arizona... so here are some of the must-sees for all the summer roadtrippers out there: 

1. Arcosanti. This place gives me hope for the future. It's a community surrounding the idea of arcology (architecture + ecology) built over the past few decades by thousands of volunteers. It's a little oasis in the desert and artist haven... Arcosanti is worth stopping by if your driving North from Phoenix. 

2. Sedona. This is a magical place. As anyone who has been will tell you. You can happen upon a mysterious vortex, which is a spot where the Earth's magnetism is thought to have special properties. You can hike and stroll throughout the day, enjoy the shops and cafes, and catch some amazing sunsets. Sunset at Bell Rock Vortex pictured below. PS I woke up like this.

3. Red Rock State Park. While in Sedona, you can hop out into several hiking trails in Red Rock State Park, and you'll basically feel like a badass. I really don't know how people don't die climbing up these things. There are no rails, and you're often climbing up on all fours. It feels like a choose-your-own-adventure, if you're into those types of things. I'm glad we didn't lose someone over the edge and were able to find a nice watering hole to jump into after. 

4. Grand Canyon- South Rim. Yeah yeah, this is definitely the first thing you'll think about hitting up in AZ, right? Well the Grand Canyon is pretty grand. And though you may have seen millions of pictures of it, you've got to see it and climb all over it for yourself. It makes you want to put your hands out in reaction of the grandeur of it all! If you're just driving through, the South Rim has all sorts of trails, walkways, and viewpoints for any level or duration of stay.

5. Antelope Canyon. After spending a few days in Sedona, we headed up to Page, AZ to yes another part of that big hole in the ground we were checking out above. You must check out Antelope Canyon. It's in a Navajo Nation Park, so you'll need to make arrangements with a guide in order to have have access to it. We went to Upper Antelope Canyon, and they're careful about how many people they let in at one time. Our guide was awesome, it was picturesque, and we had a pretty sweet ride there. 

6. Glen Canyon.  Page, AZ may be the smallest town ever. Just a warning. There's not much night life, or food after 9pm for the matter. We spent the day on the first 15 mile stretch of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon. The boys were in heaven hearing the history of it all, and we rafted along the inside of the Grand Canyon's walls that rose thousands of feet on our sides...talk about a different perspective! Oh and we met 12 new friends that were motorcycling across the country. (We didn't make it to Havasu Falls like Meg did. Sad face.)

7. Horseshoe Bend. To finish out the day on the Colorado River, you must get the view of the sun going down above it. We rafted through that bend, and we made the trek out to see it. To get to the viewpoint from where you park your car, it feels like you're walking into a desert-y horizon. I'd have to say people were a little crazy about getting a good photo and were so close the edge that I got nauseous looking at them. One dude put his wife on a leash! 

8. Jerome, AZ. I'd have to admit exploring  Jerome is a bit depressing. It's an old mining town that is stuck in a time warp, because people don't really live there anymore once that industry ran its course. It's worth stopping in for lunch to see what a ghost town looks like.  

9.  Montezuma Castle National Monument. If you're super into history, or your mother is, this stop will appease you. A castle hundreds of years old on the side of a mountain! Montezuma is a quick stop and worth seeing with your own eyes.

10. Poolside. Before you hop back on the plane (or car) you owe yourself a day by the pool. Especially if you find yourself in Phoenix during the summer...it is hot as balls. Your phone can't even handle it. You can relax from your hiking days, stay cool, and prepare yourself for your trip back to reality. For us- that would mean heading back to the East coast. Like a Girlboss. (if you didn't read it last year, get with it.)

notes:

- this was my first adventure with a GoPro & and we may have had fun with it :)

- there are plenty of other things to do in Arizona (now I know!) so this list is merely what we encountered upon our bucket-list-driven-path

- family vacations aren't the worst, but i do recommend finding activities so you don't kill each other 

on the road again in the lone star state

After 3 canceled flights, a 1+ hour delay, and some wicked turbulence (thank you, Mother Nature), I made it back to my humble abode 36 hours after my ill-fated journey began.  I have never been so happy to be in this hot and hazy city I call home.  Let's rewind a bit though because all-in-all it was definitely worth it.

The last time I was in Texas, Beth and I got to talking about doing something (anything) for my then upcoming decade transition.  We don't usually make a big deal out of birthdays.  It's a good year if we remember to call each other within a week of our respective birth dates.  Most years it ends up being an 'oh right that happened - how was that?' kind of thing.  But this year we decided to mix things up. 

Throughout our teen and undergrad years, we went to see a lot of bands.  Emphasis on a lot.  Like this band is playing and it's only a 10 hour drive away and we can totally just drive back home over night to make it to work the next day a lot.  This was also a period of our lives where we both displayed some pretty poor decision making...  no harm, no foul?  So what better way to ring in a new year/life transition/we're (sort of) officially adults than to go to a show. 

The easy way to do this would have been to fly into or at least base ourselves in the city where the band was performing.  Instead our itinerary looked more like this:

Day 1 - Fly into Dallas.
Day 2 - Drive to San Antonio.
Day 3 - Drive to Austin.  Try not to get struck by lightning.
Day 4 - Drive to San Antonio.  Try not to get swept off road by flash flood.
Day 4.5 - Drive to Fredericksburg. Try not to fall off of giant pink rock.
Day 4.75 - Drive back to San Antonio. Try not to get run off road by semi.
Day 5 - Recover from Day 4.
Day 6 - Drive to Dallas.  Attempt to leave Dallas.
Day 7 - Actually leave Dallas.

Writing it all out makes it look much worse than it felt.  At least up until that whole flying snafu I mentioned at the beginning of this post.  I mean it wholeheartedly though when I say it was worth it.  There are good people in Texas.  I mean there are good people everywhere but some of my people are in Texas.  And they make my life better.  (Full cheesiness intended.)  Also, with these people I managed to have a weekend full of adventures which is the very best kind of weekend. However, in the interest of keeping this post to a reasonable amount of words, here are some of my favorites:

Exploring the Medina River Natural Area in San Antonio, TX

It's mostly paved but it is beautiful and if you time it right there are wildflowers to accompany your walk.  Definitely one of the easier, if not the easiest, routes my hiking buddy and I have conquered but we enjoyed it nonetheless.  Besides which it had its own excitement when we were caught in a torrential downpour on the way back.  The weather changed from what you see above on the left to the right in a matter of minutes.

Reliving my teens at Mohawk in Austin, TX

So many lessons were learned during our evening at Mohawk.  Namely, that it is in fact an outdoor venue.  There’s a small indoor space but check the weather and your ticket when heading to a show…I really should have picked up a poncho.  Remember those flash floods I mentioned?  Soaked us to our bones.  Also, mohawks are not just a hairstyle.  Who knew? (Lots of people.  Apparently.)  Perhaps most importantly, the venue is a pretty sweet spot and the band did not disappoint.

Staring at the stars on top of Enchanted Rock

source

Do this.  If you do nothing else when in the San Antonio/Austin area, go here and spend some quality time under the night sky.  It is breathtakingly beautiful.  I may also have a thing for stargazing but trust me on this one; you don't want to miss out.  The area is designated as an International Dark Sky Park meaning that when you have a clear night you can see the Milky Way.  Their website has a dark sky monitor so you can check the conditions before you make the trek.  A note of warning - hike up and down the Summit Trail at least once while it is daylight before you attempt it at night.  I had been there before and we still got a bit confused on the way back down. 

Wandering aimlessly in some of San Antonio's best and worst markets

To be fair, the majority of this adventuring wasn't started until the afternoon which I have since learned is well past the prime shopping hours. The people watching and festivity partaking alone were worth the entrance fees. Bonus points: we managed to make it just in time for the Mexican wrestling match finale at Traders Village.  Yes, that's a church facade behind them. 

All in all an amazing weekend in the Lone Star State.  I still have dreams of making it to Big Bend.  Time to start planning for another Texan getaway.

notes:

- even with the rains, it was still hot in texas.  be sure to bring ample water with you on your own adventures.  we brought our water bottles with us as an afterthought to enchanted rock and it was very much needed when we reached the top.

- i had some good food (mainly pancakes, a taco, and some homemade chili) but no amazing-i-must-share-with-everyone food while i was in texas this time around.  suggestions anyone?

15 lessons learned from our roadtrip to montreal

1. No need to worry about making your travel plans ahead of time- crowdsource them via social media on your way there! Yes, this little roadtrip of ours up North was pretty spontaneous. Meg and I were both rather bogged down with work during the week- but we were excited to look forward to heading out of town Friday, and we assumed we would figure it all out along the way. We had 6 hours in the car afterall, right? It was a race to the border. With all my performing friends, I figured several people have toured through Canada- so we asked for their recs! (And they were all awesome.) 

2. Montreal is COLD in January. Like so. cold. We kept reminding ourselves that the rest of winter in NY would seem like a piece of cake after this weekend. 

3. Good friends are the most valuable asset you can have. (she said, he said) In addition to our friends directing us where to go and what to eat, I had a friend connect me with her friend who went to college in MTL. Then this friend said her sister still lived there and said we could stay with her. Before we knew it- 6 hours later, we were meeting a group of people for dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown. (The perfect warm-up for the coldest weekend ever.) We got to stay in a beautiful apartment in Plateau with a lovely host- beating any other hostel or Air BNB options we were considering. 

4. We can still barhop with the college kids. So this friend of a friend's sister we met up with (and crashed with) - to our surprise was still in college! We tried not to give away our age to much... and to our surprise kept up to the bar crawl. Again, it kept us warm :) 

5. Drunk bagels replace drunk pizza. This is one of the most important lessons. Our host took us to the famous St Viateur bagel shop at the end of our night of drinking to get fresh 3am bagels. It's a similar satisfaction to grabbing a slice of pizza on the way home from a night out in NYC, but you get a few extra for breakfast in the morning. Montreal bagels are definitely a thing. 

6. Hospitality inspires hospitality. Yes, our last-minute volunteer host was so lovely, we totally offered to host her and her friends when they come to NYC. Isn't that the best way to bread community? Welcoming someone into your home? (Take that Facebook.)

7. Sometimes not having a plan is a good thing. It allows you to follow locals' advice and not be so tied to expectations for what you're supposed to do in a certain place. (Note: Frida the Fiat is a fan of this.) Experiencing a new city through an open itinerary of choosing your own adventure versus a laundry list of what books and experts have told us to do is highly recommended. 

8. Montreal is highly caffeinated. Cafe culture is cozy and everywhere. Lattes, lattes, and more lattes. They're another perfect indoor escape when the cold was too unbearable. Which, let's be serious, was every couple of blocks. 

9. Eva B's is heaven. The most heavenly off all thrift stores. They hand you hot apple cider in shot glasses and popcorn when you enter, they have several floors of treasures to dig through, and they have a pretty amazing costume rental closet to play dress-up in in the basement. 

10. POUTINE is deadly and amazing all at the same time. French fries covered in gravy, cheese curds, and usually an assortment of meat is kind of irresistible. I just don't know if my body could handle eating that regularly. There is always a line just to get into La Banquise...

11.  Yes, it's true. Hockey is a thing in Canada. In every bar and cafe. When in Canada...

12. It is a challenge to eat anything but carbs and cheese. Our final meal before the roadtrip back to NYC was a desperate plea for something other than cheese and carbs. (Brunch at Le Cartet had a full delicious menu, but after 36 hours full of bagels, poutine, lattes, and more bagels, fruit was looking rather divine.)

13. Driving in the rain is best with 90s radio blasting. Refer to Pandora. Turn it up. And BELTTTT.

14. Roadtrips don't mean you stay in the car the whole time. The journey is the destination... Stretch yo legs!! 

15. You can't really use the excuse of not having enough money to get out of town (or the country). Dusty passports are so lame.

notes:

- igloo fest is a thing. maybe next time?

- you can never bring too many layers of clothing to canada in the winter. i really don’t know how people survive there. 

montreal, qc

Sometimes NYC can feel restrictive.  As though it is closing in on all sides and I am struggling to stay afloat.  The energy of NYC is both a blessing and a curse.  At its best, it is a motivating, creative force that provides constant inspiration.  At its worst, it is a suffocating power where I feel like I can’t keep up.  The things to do and places to be just can’t be conquered.  It’s never-ending and it seems as though I am the only one lagging behind.

When the universe seems to be conspiring against me, I know it is time to escape and stretch my legs in another locale.  So escape I did with the one-and-only Grace Freeman.  Everyone should have a friend they can plan last minute, detail-less escapades with.

We left NYC on Friday with the grand destination of our neighbor up north with no plans of where to stay or what to do.  We weren’t even sure where we were headed in Canada; it was a toss-up between Montreal and Quebec City.  As we neared the border, we had an offer of a bed by a friend’s friend’s sister.  That’s not a typo.  There were three degrees of separation.  Eight hours after leaving NYC, we were sitting at a table of new friends, sharing dumplings and stories across the table. There’s something beautiful about saying yes.  It’s in the way in which it can instantaneously create community, especially when encountering the unfamiliar. 

The weekend continued to be a scavenger hunt of sorts.  Going from one locale to another based solely on the recommendations from folks we met along the way.  An afternoon of playing dress-up in a thrift store led to poutine and hockey which led to hot chocolate and more hockey… because when in Canada, right? 

To finish off the weekend, we headed to Old Montreal early Sunday morning.  After filling our bellies at Le Cartet, we wandered around the cobblestone streets, taking in the last of the city's sights.  By the way, Montreal has some amazing street art.  I could spend a (warmer) weekend traversing the city blocks in search of graffiti. 

While we may have only been in Montreal for less than 48 hours, it was the perfect excursion.  By the time I was back in my apartment Sunday night, I felt rejuvenated from my weekend of new friends, cozy cafes, and thrift shop exploring.   I think weekend trips may need to be a thing in 2015.

notes:

- in the winter, montreal is cold.  it’s no joke.  be prepared with all the warm clothing you own. i spent the weekend in my winter hiking boots.  warmth > fashion. there's a reason why i look like a burly, bearded man in these pictures.  don't be scared off though.  it’s such a fun place to explore, even in the single digits.

- eva b is the just the coolest thrift store. ever.  i mean they gave us shot glasses of hot apple cider and bags of popcorn as we walked in.  also everyone there is just ridiculously friendly and helpful.  to top it all off they have three floors of everything from 18th century costumes to children's books to dining room furniture.

- st. viateur bagels are delicious and their own category of bagel (don't go in expecting the an nyc bagel).  if you find yourself out drinking into the early hours of the following morning, be sure to grab some on your way home. 

- poutine = fries + gravy + cheese curds.  as per recommendation, we ordered take-out from la banquise and ate it at a bar next door.  doing this avoids waiting in line. outside. in the cold.  take-out plus beer always wins.  

arches national park, ut

I saw him heading for us. Just as I found a spot protected from the wind - a little nook behind one of the many arches we hiked to - he made his way toward our retreat.

This arch had been a bit of a beast to get to. The wind gusts made me feel blown about and I wasn't exactly stoked by the ridge we had to cross in those winds. Add to it that we had scaled down the side of a massive rock to reach the base of the arch since we failed to recognize the easier path and that tears were streaming down my face from all the sand being whipped about, and you could say that I was ready to sit down and have some quiet time.  

Side note: Arches National Park kind of looks like giant rocks just fell out of the sky and plopped down.  The wind has carved out all sorts of images.  My brain immediately associated them with sea sponges and submarines but maybe you would see spaceships and Martians.

You might think that given my previous experience in Zion I had learned to embrace opportunities for new stories. You would be wrong.  I wanted nothing more than to rest my bones, drink some water, and munch on a bar in my sand-free alcove.  But I failed to avoid eye contact - rookie mistake - and was soon enveloped in the standard where are you from, how did you get here, what do you do conversation.  

It turned out that this gentleman was the younger half of a father-son duo traveling about in southern Utah.  Our little group soon realized that we were all planning on taking the same route back and with that we headed for the trail.  The way back was advertised as a mile longer on what the park called a primitive trail as to the semi-primitive trail we took to get to the arch.  But as we continued down the path following the cairns, I began to lose track of time and became enveloped in the stories of my new companions.  Did you know that technically at noon the sun should be due south? Or that Mexico has sued the US over the Colorado River? 

Before I knew it, we were back at the trailhead with our new found friends.  Instead of being focused on my feet, I was completely enveloped in the conversation and just simply enjoyed myself.  Case in point, I have absolutely no pictures from the second half of the hike.  These are all from the way to that last arch.  Maybe next time I won't initially be so new people adverse.  Just maybe.

notes:

- we set-up camp at devil's garden campground in arches national park.  during the winter, it is first-come first-served and we didn't have a problem getting a site at noon on a saturday.  the campground is set in the midst of the park so i highly recommend staying there if possible.

- i really wish we had ventured into moab while we were at arches.  don't repeat my mistake - the town looks awesome.  i did manage to enjoy some wicked brew coffee early on a sunday morning... nothing like waking up to rain at 5 30 am and having to through everything into the jeep. i don't think i have ever been so thankful for a drive thru as i was that morning.