Silver Bay on Lake George, photographed from Penfield Cottage. Pic by Eric.
Reply to development question at “read more”
Satellite image of Lake George near Silver Bay from Google Earth.
Lake George is miraculously under-developed, particularly the east shore. I am not sure the reasons why the eastern shore is not so built up; there are plenty of little motels along the southeastern shore, but they are all modest. Lake George Village has lots of tourism, but by most standards it’s pretty darned quaint. It’s like Miami Beach in 1950. One reason the east shore has no development is steep slopes and no roads. The whole place may be inside some kind of conservation easement. Penfield Cottage, where I am not staying but which was someplace I visited friends of the family ca. 1979-83, has been in the family for generations. It looks just like it did 30 years ago.
The biggest development is the Silver Bay Association, a YMCA conference center that has existed for many years, and is a mellow operation — worth getting to, by the way.
Close up satellite image, near Silver Bay, NY. Photo from Google Earth.
Here is a closeup satellite photo of approximately where the picture above was taken. The little point toward the bottom right of the photo is the same point you see depicted in my photo.
Lake George is something of a miracle. In all sincerity it is a national treasure.
There is little pollution (no heavy industry, except maybe the Ticonderoga Pencil Co. factory at the north end of the lake, which I doubt still exists). Most of the pollution is road runoff, and there is that Asian clam issue, an invasive species that self-fertilizes and each clam can have 100,000 babies. So this is a problem. I’m curious to see how they plan to remedy it; they would likely have to introduce some kind of other critter that eats baby clams, but that could be risky too.
I haven’t been back in this area for a while (except to have lunch in 2009). I am grateful to see that it’s holding its own, and that the property owners along the east shore are either balancing nature with economy, or restrained by environmental ordinances.
From book about DDT. Sorry, I lost the bookmark.
The lake is still damaged by DDT spraying that took place in 1955-1958 in an effort to contain the gypsy moth. The spraying killed all the baby trout in the lake and, so far as I understand it, disrupted the entire ecosystem in that “silent spring” kind of way. While the lake is not (again, to my knowledge) still contaminated with DDT half a century later, once an ecosystem is knocked out of whack like that it’s a long time coming back. The lake is healthier than any inland body of water that I can think of.
Have you ever tried to travel around the east side of the lake? My parents had a dude ranch over in North Creek, a little north east of L George. One year, ever curious & exploring, we went from there over to Vt, to visit friends……………….around the east side. It took bloody forever, lot of swampy ground that side, & yes no roads…………
I had an incredible vision back in ’62. Driving with my kids up Rt 9, as I approached the
South West end of the lake with it’s honkey tonk recreational atmosphere…….I suddenly saw it as virgin forest, somewhat dispoiled by an encampment of soldiers, tents, nightime campfires, felled trees……….
In 1992, reading for the first time, the family geneological book, that I had acquired after my Father’s death…………………I was stunned to read that, my patriotic ancester, a Capt in the 10th Pa Regiment, had been given the responsibility, with 2 other soldiers, to carry gold from the Continental Congress in Phila. to Gen. Schyuler at Lake George. I was seeing the scene through his eyes!
My younger Brother was tuned in early on; he spent his adolescence in that place doing Revolutionary war enactments, drawing intricate battle plans with little drawings of soldiers in strategic placements…………….
I can just barely see maybe some little leaves peeking out fr. the deciduous trees-
Spring finally coming to 43 41′ 47″ ??
I hope it was warm enough-it looks nice & sunny- to get outside and Really enjoy Self-Awareness month!
I know for me, being out in Nature I can’t help but become more self-aware. It’s great to get
away fr. all the ‘stuff’ of the world and just be able to enjoy all of the sensual pleasures the earth has to offer, fr. fragrant flowers to the soft carpet of moss that is growing on the trees. I still don’t understand why some people prefer to go to the mall, when, well, there’s all this living beauty to discover and interact with out of doors….
don’t get me started.
I was outside practically all day yesterday!
at any rate, the photo is gorgeous- the trees do look like they are sending & receiving messages. it is my fervent hope you had a wonderful time there-you definitely deserve it!
thanks for sharing
peace.
Thanks for the information! I love water in general. but to be able to experience water without all the development is especially uplifting and healing…thanks for the image!
I’ve replied above, Lucky Driver.
Gorgeous shot, Eric, and I’m the one doing the listening, hearing those trees send out their magical call: “Come canoe, camp, fish, swim, bask in the healing power of nature.”
There’s absolutely nothing better I’d like to be doing right now than heeding that call of the wild.
Now where’s my knapsack and tent…………;-)
I’ve never seen Lake George and was struck by this image because so many lakes have development and/or mcmansions jamming their entire perimeters. I see the photo is taken from a cottage, so there must be some housing there, but what is the ratio of nature/building along the lake’s edges?