Saturday was a perfect day for paddling our kayaks on the Ausable River, starting at Lake Everest.  With views of Whiteface Mountain, lots of friendly fellow paddlers, and the beauty of nature all around us, we had an excellent afternoon.

Not long after we returned to our camper, the wind started to pick up, which was great for drying out the boats but indicative of a change in the weather ahead.  Doug had just enough time to re-pack the truck bed and grill some steaks before it began to rain.  The entire evening was filled with thunder, lightning, rain, and winds that bounced our camper and slide-out up and down (not good, but all was OK). 

On Sunday morning, wind gusts continued and skies kept changing from dark grey to sunny, then back to dark grey, so we decided not to drive to Ausable Chasm and stayed closer to the campground.   We drove to a couple of stores, then stopped to take a short walk to look at Monument Falls.   Our Discovery Map showed a casual spot for a light lunch near Veterans Memorial Highway – this turned out to be … well, let’s just say it lacked the charm I anticipated, but the service and fare were good.  We drove up Veterans Memorial Highway, only to discover it would cost $45 to drive to the top of Whiteface.   On a cloudy day, the view wouldn’t be spectacular, so we turned around, drove to Franklin Falls, and then returned to our camper.   This wasn’t the day we planned, but sometimes it just works out that way.   Tomorrow, we head to Vermont.