Adirondacks

So after the Appalachian Trail, I was able to sit in my Lazy Boy for a few days and ice my ankle and take Advil on a pretty regular schedule which really helped with the healing process. But then, I started feeling pretty crappy. Fever, headache, stiff neck, sore body…. all the signs of Lyme disease, even though I was the only McGerk who did not visually see a tick on my body. So I suffered with these conditions for a couple of days and then went to the doctor to get my blood drawn and start the antibiotics. My symptoms soon disappeared and a few days later they called with the blood work results and I was negative for Lyme disease so that was a big relief!!

Off we headed to Raquette Lake. We are spending the majority of the summer there as we just bought a new place on Uncas Road, surrounded by thousands of acres of state land. And I really mean thousands!! This place is off the grid as most of you know is the perfect place for Greg and I. So with that we have a lot of work to do. We want to convert it to solar power with propane for cooking. We also want to remodel the kitchen and some other cosmetic stuff. Greg got a rain barrel in right away and has been able to hook up a 12 volt pump to get the water going to the toilet and sinks and then of course, he puts the rain barrel up and it doesn’t rain for 5 days, so we have been bringing water in from The Brown Tract Pond Campground down the road. . There is a well on the property and eventually we will get that up and running. It was pretty tricky just getting the well cap off. So we are in no rush and will work on most things over the summer but we still want to have fun and The Adirondacks is the place for that.

So let me take you on a short tour of our new place. The driveway is the perfect size for the van.Our backyard has a screened in porch and a slate patio and a campfire ring. Three things you need in the Adirondacks. The kitchen remodel has started with us doing a little demolition work. These next 3 pictures are the one wall that we completed.

We also started painting the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen.

Our plan is to turn the kitchen into an old farmhouse kitchen. We bought this awesome 1928 stove that will eventually be the focal point of our awesome kitchen. Currently the stove is in the screened in porch and working beautifully. We also got a great sink from Facebook marketplace that I think will be prefect.

We decided to take some time away from remodeling and go visit the cabin. Plus there was an auction over by the cabin that we love going to. They usually have lots of OffGrid items for bid and the place is usually packed out with Amish People which of course is always fun.

I won lots of items needed for our new place. A propane Barbecue, 3 propane tanks, some snack tables, some brooms and rakes. And a really cool bird picture that’s going up on the wall in the living room.

oh, and a Berkey Water Filter and Purifier since the water we drink at this new place is coming from a spring across the roads in the woods.

We headed into Olean to get some lunch at the Beef and Barrel and to get some supplies, paint trim etc for the kitchen build. If you’ve never been to the Beef and Barrel in Olean, I highly recommend it especially if you LOVE rare beef like we do!!

Our time at the cabin is always peaceful and great. After all my auction purchases, and also a rather large supply of slate from our cabin creek we had no room left in the van so headed back to our new place to unload and get some sleep. Woke up to a 45 degree morning. Brrrr. Good thing for the fireplace. Warmed the place up and we spent another full day painting and renovating. Then back to town for The Durant Days boat parade and an excellent magician/mentalist that performed in the chapel up on the hill.

We are going to continue enjoying our time here in the Adirondacks, will be heading into the Moose River Plains and Cedar River Flow to do some overnight camping with the van this week and then the Big Raquette Lake Auction is on Saturday!