It was mostly cloudy and very warm yesterday – the temperature didn’t hit the expected 90 degrees, but it was close. Donna got her power walk in early. In the afternoon, she and I rode the scooter to Lake George Village.

The village of about 3,500 people is located on the southwestern tip of Lake George. Lake George is a long, narrow lake. It’s 32 miles long (oriented north-south) and only two miles wide at its widest point. In 1646, a French priest, Isaac Jogues, named the lake “Lac du Saint Sacrement” (Lake of the Blessed Sacrament). In 1755, General William Johnson renamed it Lake George in honor of King George.

Today the village is fueled by tourism. There are many resorts along the lake and shops and restaurants. I was surprised by the number of people out on the streets on a cloudy Monday afternoon. Most of the lakefront property is private and the only public access on the south end seems to be the public beach and waterfront park in the village.

Parking in the village isn’t free unless you are a patron of one of the restaurants. The restaurant lots have attendants to ensure that only restaurant customers park there. Everywhere else, including parking on the street, has a fee. For a short stay, metered parking can be had for 25 cents per 15 minutes. All-day parking lots run up to $10.

People on Beach Street in the village

Beach Road runs along the waterfront through Lake George Battlefield Park. On the west end of Beach Road, a number of shops and eateries are located across the street from the lake.

View to the northeast from Beach Street

The Lake George Steamboat Company is located on Beach Street. They operate sightseeing cruises on the lake with old-fashioned paddle wheel boats.

Docks along Beach Street – paddle wheel steamer in the background

We barely had a chance to look around when raindrops started falling. I looked at the weather radar app on my smartphone and it looked ominous. A large cell was west of us and it looked like we could have a wet ride home if we didn’t hustle out of there.

We donned our helmets and rode back up US9 five miles to Schroon River Road and back to the Lake George Escape Campground. Wouldn’t you know it, the skies cleared as we rode home. The storm cell had moved quickly to the east of us with only a few raindrops hitting the ground. I’m about as good as any weather guesser – I guessed wrong.

Later we joined Linda and Tommy for dinner. Linda made pulled pork in her crock pot. Donna added black beans and brown rice and I grilled zucchini with lemon salt. A delicious meal. The pulled pork had the right amount of spice and was so tender. Donna served some coconut mango ice cream for dessert that she whipped up in her Vitamix.

Pulled pork, black beans and rice with grilled zucchini

Today we should have another cloudy day with the temperature a little cooler. There’s a chance of a thunder shower in the afternoon. We’ll see what the day brings.