The Catskills- Thusday, July 5, 2012

Julie has to work tomorrow, so today is our last day.  We went back into the Catskills and we were not disappointed.

The first stop that Julie picked was North-South Lake, a pair of lakes high up in the mountains, surrounded by pretty campgrounds and trails.  It was very peaceful there.  Julie had read about a spot there where you are supposed to be able to see five states on a clear day.  We followed the quarter of a mile trail to the spot, where the Catskill Mountain House used to stand.  It was a resort in the 19^th Century, visited by many famous people.  It’s not there anymore, but the view is nice there.  We could certainly see well past the Hudson.  We were the only ones there.  As we went back to the lake area, Julie said that she wished we would have found this spot on the day we went through Phoenicia.  We probably would have spent a lot longer here.

From there, we went on to Hunter Mountain, where the Skyride is now operating.  The ride is much more like a traditional ski-life then a cable car.  You stand in front of it as the seat swings in from behind you and the bar lowers down in front of you.   That means we were out in the open on the enjoyable ride up.  Once we were at the top, we admired the views and took a small hike to find the Rip Van Winkle statue.  He’s tucked away in a secluded spot you have to look for, but it was cool to find.  It felt like a stop on the Fairy Tale Road.  We took some pictures by him, and then went to ride the lift back down the mountain.  This time, the bar came down on Emma’s leg.  She wasn’t hurt, but it took a bit of wiggling to get her free, while the swing continued on its way down the mountainside.

Lizzie tells us we’ve got more than six hours to drive home, so we’re headed on our way back.   It was a short trip, but it does feel like we’ve seen the Catskills now.