Ausable Chasm

We left for the North Country last Wednesday.  That day was devoted to driving, and to a very special stop for me.  I graduated, 40 years ago from the State University at Potsdam.  I'm not a great one for reunions, so I had not been back in all that time.  On our way to where we would be based,  we went right through the village of Potsdam, and my traveling companion was more than willing to stop and take a look at the college. 

I didn't take any pictures, didn't really want to, if you can understand that.  The Potsdam I remember is very different from the way it is today, and I want my memories to be of that place, not the different, and very beautiful, campus it is today.  But, I was glad I stopped.  Most of the building that I remember are still there.  They may serve different purposes, but they still remain.  Interspersed among them, and built on a much expanded campus, are many new buildings.  It was good to see the place again, and to see the college students of today going about their business, much the same way that I did.  Though, when we were there, in the late '60's, I think we were much more rowdy and politically oriented.  We were both impressed, indeed, with those students, with their manners and their general attitude.

We got to our home base around 5 PM.  It was a little bit of a college memories trip, because we stayed at a bed and breakfast run by a one of my friend's college classmates.  What a beautiful place it was!

We were invited to dinner that night, and had a very enjoyable meal -- Irish stew and lemon meringue pie.  After dinner, and some chatting, I went upstairs to the combined sitting room and bedroom that we were staying in, and let the two classmates reminisce.

The next morning, we were up bright and early.  Our first stop of the day was Ausable Chasm.  This beautiful natural wonder is located very close to Lake Champlain.  We reached there after about an hour's drive, through some lovely country.  And, we only got a little lost, once.

The weather was perfect for a walk beside the chasm.  It was bright, but cool.  You can choose two routes, one on the rim, and one that goes along the side of the chasm, on natural and constructed walkways and steps.  We chose the later.  Here, you can see some of the walkways.

The chasm was awe inspiring.  It was very narrow, and quite deep.  Though, I did get a bit of a chuckle in them calling it the "Grand Canyon of the East."  Sorry, that belongs to the gorge through Letchworth State Park, in Western New York.

I had a small video to put in at this point, but, for the second time in a row, Blogger has said that it had a problem with the video that I was trying to download.  So, Sophie didn't get to see her swans, and you don't get to see and hear how powerful this stream sounded.

There were abundant signs of life along the way.  You don't think pigeons are everywhere.  Well, they have, at least, found the chasm.

And, there was plant life clinging to every crack and crevice.

We very much enjoyed our visit to Ausable Chasm.  From there, we took Route 9, along Lake Champlain.  I'll post about that another time.