THOUGHTS FROM THE ADK. ENTERPRISE

[adk-46r]

Inside the Blue Line
By Don Williams
Adirondack 'don't haves'
We have to admit, there are some things that we do not have in the Adirondacks. And, maybe, just maybe, they are things that we can do without. Here are a few that I believe to be true. Make your own judgments on whether you can do without them or not.
The Adirondacks do not have a six-lane expressway, but we do have enough roads and trails to take us hundreds of peaceful places in our six-million acres.
The Adirondacks do not have the tallest build*ing on the east coast, but we do have numerous high peaks and fire towers.
The Adirondacks do not have an Imax theater but we do have the opportunity to rent the latest releases in most hamlets and keep some of our movie houses open.
The Adirondacks do not have widespread public transportation or subways, but you can explore our depths by car, boat, bicycle, motorcycle, horse*back, snowmobile, plane or footpower.
The Adirondacks are not filled with national chain restaurants, but you can find world-class restaurants throughout.
The Adirondacks do not have 20-story hotels on the beach, but we do have a plethora of motels, hotels, cottages, camping sites and second homes.
The Adirondacks do not have bumper-to-bumper traffic, but we do have thousands of visi*tors each year.
The Adirondacks do not have luxurious depart*ment stores, but we do have dozens of unique shops and speciality stores with the finest goods.
The Adirondacks do not have one long summer season, but we do have the variety offered by four great seasons.
The Adirondacks do not have a snow-free win-
ter, but we do have the best in downhill and cross*country skiing, snowmobiling, skating, snow-boarding, snowshoeing and tubing.
The Adirondacks do not have large-scale cruis*es, but we do have steamboats, white-water trips, kayaking, canoeing, guide-boating and rowboat-ing.
The Adirondacks do not have miles of sandy ocean beaches, but we do have clean, sandy beach*es on most Adirondack lakes.
The Adirondacks do not have "deep sea" fish*ing, but there have been several fresh water fishing records set in the Adirondacks.
The Adirondacks do not offer an "African Safari," but our forests teem with big game bear, moose, deer and other fur-bearing animals.
The Adirondacks do not have widespread poiso*nous snakes, but we do have a few timber rattlers high in a few cliff areas.
The Adirondacks do not have an international airport, but we do have several active air fields scattered throughout the mountains.
The Adirondacks do not have a giant national museum, but our regional and local museums have endless history and lore to share.
The Adirondacks do not have paid fire depart*ments and paid EMTs, but we do have a large corps of devoted volunteers are on hand for emergencies.
The Adirondacks do not have a TV station, but signals from the outside world are picked up in the Adirondack hamlets.
The Adirondacks do not have endless street*lights and traffic lights, but they do have a star-filled sky that lights up Adirondack nights.
The Adirondacks do not have . . . (fill in your own "have nots" and join those who find the Adirondacks to their liking for what they do have.) :lol: :lol:

[ADKatie]

amen.....

[Rivet]

The Adirondacks do not have a six-lane expressway, but we do have enough roads and trails to take us hundreds of peaceful places in our six-million acres.

Well maybe not six lane highways (there aren't that many in upstate NY), but I-81 and I-87 are definitely expressways that make access to the daks easier.

[adk-46r]

I-87 won't be the main route in from the south for a while.!!!!!!!!!!!!

No way Northway
Mudslide closes Lake George area
By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer

LAKE GEORGE — A mudslide left a stretch of the Northway here covered with boulders and rushing water Tuesday, and officials said crews would work around-the-clock to repair and reopen the 16-mile section.

Photo provided by the Adirondack Park Agency

Torrential rains Monday caused a mudslide that clogged a culvert, sending water over a short section of the Northway west of Lake George. By Tuesday, two of the highway’s four lanes — one northbound, one southbound — had collapsed under the onrush and officials were unsure how long it would take to clear out the rocks, mud and water.

"We’ve seen erosion you could hide fire trucks in," said Alan Bierhoff, a volunteer firefighter with Bay Ridge.

A stretch about as long as two tractor-trailers was washed out. But state officials were forced to close 16 miles of the road about an hour north of Albany. Bob Weisgerber, supervisor of the contractor handling the repair, said it could take four or five days before the highway reopens.

Jennifer Post, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said Tuesday evening that officials were still assessing the damage and were unable to speculate on how long the repairs would take.

Photo provided by the Adirondack Park Agency

"We’re working around-the-clock to get the road clear and get at least one lane open in each direction as quickly as possible," Post said.

The woodsy stretch is among the less busy sections of Interstate 87, which runs between New York City and Montreal. But the road is heavily used by trucks and the closure comes at the kickoff of the summer travel season in an area heavily dependent on tourism.

"There are 50-foot drops where the entire roadway just collapsed. The power of that water was just amazing," said Nick Caimano, the Warren County budget officer.

Gov. George Pataki toured the area Tuesday and said crews would work around the clock to restore the roadway before the normally busy July 4th weekend.

"We’re going in with whatever state reserves are needed," the governor said. The state will seek federal emergency funds, too. "Cost is not something we are worried about at this point."

"Thank God, at this point there have been on serious injuries," he said. "We will do everything we can to reopen the Northway as quickly as possible."

About 13,000 vehicles a day in both directions will be routed onto local roads, mainly state Routes 8 and 9.

"We only had one boat go out today," said Josh Poole, a dockhand at Beckley’s Boat Rentals and Sales in nearby Diamond Point. Poole said 10 or more boats would be out on a normal day this time of year, but people rescheduled rentals after hearing about the mudslide.

Nearby business owners expressed little fear that the mudslide would put a long-term dent in commerce, with some along the detour route actually seeing an opportunity.

"Traffic diverted through here could be construed as a good thing. It might get people to notice our little town," said Pat DeLarm, owner of the Lakeview Trading Co. in Bolton Landing.

Kendra Adams, deputy director of the New York State Motor Truck Association, said the highway closure wouldn’t be too harmful to the industry because the state had done a good job notifying haulers and setting up detours.

"The trucking companies are really good about checking routes," she said. "As soon as one trucker came upon it, I’m sure the CBs were going."

More than 6 inches of rain fell in parts of the area Monday night, flooding a number of area roads and prompting a state of emergency to be declared in the Warren County towns of Bolton, Chester, Warrensburg and Horicon. In Bolton, about 2,000 people were expected to have water service restored Tuesday night.

Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland said the mudslide occurred about a half-mile south of Exit 24 in the town of Bolton. Water pushed boulders and other debris down a hill, across the northbound lanes, down and embankment and onto the southbound lanes before flowing down another embankment onto a road along the Schroon River, Cleveland said.

"It’s amazing no one actually went into" the mudslide, he said. "There were boulders up there that were three and four feet across that were rolling down and across the interstate."

Two cars headed northbound were damaged and their drivers suffered minor injuries, Cleveland said. A third person was injured when his car ran into the debris washing across the southbound lanes, he said.

As the remains of Tropical Storm Arlene moved across Warren County on Tuesday, showers threatened to bring heavy downpours into the early evening, said Eric Evenson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. That could mean another half-inch to an inch of rain across the area.

"Unfortunately, you can’t rule out the possibility of more showers on Wednesday, Thursday and even into Friday," Evenson said.