Sagamore Camp

We drove to Raquatte Lake, NY and saw the Vanderbilt family summer camp - Sagamore - on Saturday. The tour guide was excellent - a college professor with an interest in history - so we really got our money's worth! He told us all about the history of the area; the Durant family who originally built the camp and the Vanderbilts who made it famous. This Vanderbilt was a nephew of the one that built "The Biltmore" in Ashville, NC. All the money it took to build it; maintain it and pay a year round staff of about 50 people and they only were there about a month in the summer and sometimes at Christmas.
That is not a "burka" I'm wearing! You see these netted hats all over in the Adirondacks and trust me they are priceless! I was not to proud to wear it - add some "OFF" and I was able to avoid the "DPF's." Those of you who do not know what "DPF's" are will have to ask Dave Burley!
The two girls on the beach are lifeguards on duty. Note the hooded sweatshirts! Not a lot of business that day. They said summer really begins around the 4th of July and lasts through August. About 6-8 weeks. Hard for us Texans to imagine!
We had a wonderful time in the wilderness but are ready for civilization. We saw deer; wild turkeys;numerous woodpeckers; ducks; geese; loons (love to hear them) and even a couple of beaver lodges. One, on a pond near Raquette Lake, had a satellite dish on top. We thought someone was conducting research about beaver habitat but they told us at the "Tap Room" (local pub) that one of the locals has a sense of humor! A beautiful area to visit but a tough place to eek out a living. Dilapidated houses and closed up businesses tell the economics of the area. Three things all "towns" had in common: a pile of sand; a pile of salt and a huge snow plow!