The weather continues to warm up as we move into the month of May. Here in the Northeast we have been getting our dose of April and May showers and the rewards for all of this precipitation, the May flowers and green leaves are evident everywhere you look. With all of this springing out around us it’s hard to remember that we even had a winter at all. Just so I don’t forget about it entirely, I’d like to jump back to perhaps the coldest and the coolest days of the past winter. In February, Cari-anne and I had a very rare opportunity to get away on our own. The boys took their vacation from us at Grandma and Grandpa’s and we split for the weekend. Our escape took us north about 5 hours into the heart of winter and to a little town called Saranac Lake NY.
We had caught word of a Winter Carnival and for weeks had been eager to get up there to check it out. Each year since 1898 there has been a celebration to break the monotony of the long cold winter. What started out way back then as a one-day event has grown into a 2 week festival that includes parades, dances, stage productions, concerts, sporting events including a 4 mile fun run which is one of the things that caught my eye to begin with. There was also hatchet throwing and even more interesting the cast iron frying pan toss. You really needed to keep your eyes open because more than once these projectiles went off course and toward the spectators. Each year the carnival is given a theme and 2009's theme was "Pirates Of The Adirondacks." So you can be sure there were pl
enty of people walking around dressed as pirates. Don’t ask me why with all of the real pirates about we got our picture with a cardboard cut-out of Jack Sparrow but we did. There is a genuine Adirondack pirate there too though. I might as well admit to it now and get it out of the way. Even though I packed my cold weather running gear, I just couldn’t resist sleeping late and skipped the 4 mile fun run event. With my 2 little alarm clocks hours away and having no doubt woken the grandparents much much earlier, I was just opening my eyes at the 9am start time. I can’t remember the last time I slept that late! From there it was out to breakfast and delicious hot hot coffee at a local eatery. I did feel a little guilty seeing the runners jogging through the snow in this winter wonderland and then comming into the resturant for a late breakfast. After this we spent the day exploring the town.
The main attraction is of course the Ice Palace. It was just a short walk across the lake from our hotel. The entire castle and other items are made from ice blocks cut out of the lake. If you examine them carefully, every now and then you might see a fish frozen in the walls. I noticed a baby bottle in one block as well. When we arrived the night before It was 2 degrees out! Immediately after checking into our room we where off to see this magical structure. 
So here are a bunch of pictures starting with the view from our hotel the next day and us standing and shivering at the gates of the palace the night we arrived. How could you not be cold the whole place was made of ice right down to the throne, cannons and adirondack chairs. I love 
things like this and we spent a frigid long time crawling through passages, wandering through the ice block maze and climing on the pirate ship 
(also made of ice.)
There were just to many cool things about this place and to many pictures to add all of them here. We planned our stay to coicide with the opening ceremony for the Ice Palace and our hotel had one of the best views for the festivities. This included the lighting of the Ice Palace and then a tremendous fireworks display. Yeah! who doesn't enjoy a good fireworks display. So here are a few more shots.
We had caught word of a Winter Carnival and for weeks had been eager to get up there to check it out. Each year since 1898 there has been a celebration to break the monotony of the long cold winter. What started out way back then as a one-day event has grown into a 2 week festival that includes parades, dances, stage productions, concerts, sporting events including a 4 mile fun run which is one of the things that caught my eye to begin with. There was also hatchet throwing and even more interesting the cast iron frying pan toss. You really needed to keep your eyes open because more than once these projectiles went off course and toward the spectators. Each year the carnival is given a theme and 2009's theme was "Pirates Of The Adirondacks." So you can be sure there were pl
enty of people walking around dressed as pirates. Don’t ask me why with all of the real pirates about we got our picture with a cardboard cut-out of Jack Sparrow but we did. There is a genuine Adirondack pirate there too though. I might as well admit to it now and get it out of the way. Even though I packed my cold weather running gear, I just couldn’t resist sleeping late and skipped the 4 mile fun run event. With my 2 little alarm clocks hours away and having no doubt woken the grandparents much much earlier, I was just opening my eyes at the 9am start time. I can’t remember the last time I slept that late! From there it was out to breakfast and delicious hot hot coffee at a local eatery. I did feel a little guilty seeing the runners jogging through the snow in this winter wonderland and then comming into the resturant for a late breakfast. After this we spent the day exploring the town.
The main attraction is of course the Ice Palace. It was just a short walk across the lake from our hotel. The entire castle and other items are made from ice blocks cut out of the lake. If you examine them carefully, every now and then you might see a fish frozen in the walls. I noticed a baby bottle in one block as well. When we arrived the night before It was 2 degrees out! Immediately after checking into our room we where off to see this magical structure. 
So here are a bunch of pictures starting with the view from our hotel the next day and us standing and shivering at the gates of the palace the night we arrived. How could you not be cold the whole place was made of ice right down to the throne, cannons and adirondack chairs. I love 
things like this and we spent a frigid long time crawling through passages, wandering through the ice block maze and climing on the pirate ship 
(also made of ice.)
There were just to many cool things about this place and to many pictures to add all of them here. We planned our stay to coicide with the opening ceremony for the Ice Palace and our hotel had one of the best views for the festivities. This included the lighting of the Ice Palace and then a tremendous fireworks display. Yeah! who doesn't enjoy a good fireworks display. So here are a few more shots.
This last photo is pretty much the view from our room. It was cool to see it right out the window throughout the night. When we woke up in the morning we could still see the palace glowing. We had to pack up and hit the road again. A quick stop for some more delicious coffee and then back to home. This is a place I know we will return to with the boys when they get a bit older. Next time I'll be sure to do the run too.
If you would like a little more information about the Winter Carnival, it can be obtained by contacting the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, 39 Main St., Saranac Lake, NY 12983, or at 1-800-347-1992, (518) 891-1990 or http://www.saranaclake.com/
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