I grew up in a town in the Adirondack foothills, between Lake George and Saratoga Springs. It never really impressed me too much - it was just a place where I lived. I always thought of bigger and better places and never fully appreciated where I came from.

Now that I am back home after seeing the "bigger and better" places, I am truly amazed. How in the world did I not realize how beautiful the Adirondacks really are? After driving from coast to coast, we saw quite a lot of states, cities and towns. Some were beautiful, some were desolate, some had absolutely nothing to see for miles. We arrived back at my parents house at night and even under the light of the moon you can see the mountains in front of you.

The next morning after looking outside, I saw the many trees that lined the streets. Big maple trees mixed in with Elms and Evergreens. As fall has come full swing, the foliage is just incredible to see. Now I realize why people travel from all over to view the North East's foliage and earned the name "leaf peepers." The bright reds, stunning yellows, browns and even a purple color of the leaves are covering the streets and the mountains are just an explosion of color.

Sitting on my mother's front porch enjoying some of the last few days of warm weather before the cold sets in, I wondered to myself how I never noticed the great mountain views she has. Trips to the stores in town gave me the same incredible views.

Things to do around town are plentiful, especially for the outdoors type. Ski centers are abundant, with the nearest one being about a 10 minute drive up to West Mountain. Cross Country trails are all over, as well as bike trails, hiking trails, lakes for boating and swimming and water skiing, and even ice skating rinks and places to go sledding. (All of the above is free except for the downhill ski centers.)

Summer time is the biggest tourism season, and that is when most of the businesses are open. Miniature golf to go-carts to the amusement park (recently bought out by Six Flags), there are plenty of summer activities to choose from. Take a boat ride on Lake George, either on the Minnie-Ha-Ha (a steam boat) or a dinner cruise on one of the other boats. And of course the race track in Saratoga is open just a few short weeks a year.

Restaurants and motels are to be found all over, from the big name motels like Best Western and Holiday Inn, to locally owned and operated log cabins and rooms that are filled with hospitality. But, sometimes reservations are a great idea because I have seen motel after motel showing off their no vacancy signs. My aunt and uncle usually opt to stay in a motel when they visit, and they always had pleasant experiences with the locally owned places. (They have stayed in many.) Restaurants are the same, from the big names of Olive Garden and Red Lobster to the locally owned. One of my favorite places to eat is the Harvest on Bay Road in Queensbury, and one day I may write a review on them.

Winters do get cold, sometimes having a wind chill factor in the negatives. January is usually the coldest month of the year. Summers do get hot and humid, but nothing compared to the 105 degree heat we hit in Oklahoma. Fall and spring are just absolutely great months. The temperature today was 73 and sunny.

I still cant get over the views though! If you want to see the beauty that nature has to offer, take a trip to the Adirondacks and see all that we have to offer.

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