LIFE IN THE LOW PEAKS

Stewarts Landing Chronicle, V1 №1

Snowbirds are gone

The view to the east from the dam

Stop right here if you have no interest in the day-to-day of less populous times in the Adirondacks. No harm, no foul, and you got to see a lovely photo reflected clouds. Have a nice day.

But for those of you who are curious…

Many people live on Stewarts Landing. It is accessed by a dead-end road in the southernmost portion of Adirondack Park. Since most Landing residents take off when the weather turns cold, only a few are left to note and report the changing seasons to those foolish souls who have forsaken the shorter-day pleasures of the Adirondacks.

Just in time for winter, they’re filling the potholes! Repairs last longer when there is almost no one on the road.

Last week, they stopped just above the dam, but today’s big surprise was that they are continuing the job. With two guys in the Public Works truck, one jumps out to shovel a bit of black gooey stuff into most of the nearby holes and then returns so the driver can run back and forth over the pile to compress it. A whole lot cheaper than using a separate roller machine, and probably resurfaces the tires at the same time. Do they last forever?

And Jim, as you suspected would happen, they just filled in over the top of that VW bug that fell completely into the big pothole near your place.

Ladybugs winter outside. This Asian Lady Beetle shown above wants to enjoy human-provided warmth without paying.

Speaking of bugs, the little bastards are back! No, not our cute little Ladybugs. Asian Lady Beetles are everywhere! Introduced by the Department of Agriculture in the 70s to eat aphids, they scour every inch of a dwelling, searching for a crack or slightly open door so they can invade your warm space. So one must answer the call of duty.

They love to congregate in the high spaces, so it’s a chore to capture them.

“My name is Vacuum Wielder. You invaded my dwelling. Prepare to die!”

Specialized equipment for the job. Don’t lose your balance.

It’s been a week of sucking ’em up, but a corner may have been turned. The body count was only ten today.

The peak has passed. Though many of the trees have decided to go with brown or gray until spring, a number cling to their bright colors. Yellows in particular.

Gotta look hard, but there are some nice reds, too.

This is what things looked like a fortnight ago.

There has been rain, heavy at times, but also plenty of good hiking weather. The most recent trek was to Goldmine Falls, with a peek at Potholers on the way back. Trailheads for both are on the Piseco Road.

On the trail to Goldmine Falls

This is the lowest and most impressive cascade at Goldmine Falls. There are several more above.

This may give you a better feel for the water power at a different portion of the falls

Potholers is only a few hundred feet off the road.

The water on the Landing is a few inches on the high side. This late in the season, there is refreshingly little chatter regarding the variation in level.

This author recently joined the ranks of those who do not care at all, since the family vessel sits mothballed on its trailer. But then again, he might care if the water gets so high that it threatens his masterpiece of a dock.

That’s it for V1 №1.

Dispelling any thoughts that this Chronicle is destined to continue, for better or for worse, realize that starting things is the author’s forte. Finishing, not so much. So while we both might think that a regular post with images showing the seasons (time-lapse from the same perspective?) would be a really cool thing, the odds are not good. Perhaps 42% for Issue №2 to make it out the door, and much less for Volume 2.

Is what it is. Or maybe more appropriately, in the future tense, “What will be, will be.”