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October 14, 1999 Our
“anniversary trip”…Part 4”…we finally reach the North Country After another
night of thunderstorms, ominous skies greeted us in the morning and we quickly packed up
the truck and prepared for departure from Rainbow Shores before the rain found us again. Our final destination was Stillwater Reservoir,
about 75 miles to the northeast (remember how long it takes us to get anywhere?!). County Route 15 took us west to Sandy Creek,
where we sought out a bag of ice and some decaf coffee.
No luck on the decaf; we’re found that strong coffee and a pack of
smokes are pretty common breakfast fare in a lot of the little towns. We decided to forego the “zoom” road,
Route 81, as the wind was picking up and the canoe takes quite a beating at high speeds. About 18 miles north on Route 11, we picked up
Route 177 at Adams and set our course east toward Lowville.
177 is typically a nice, swooping kind of road; an easy main
route east. Not today!!!! The most incredibly hostile construction project
imaginable loomed ahead of us. The entire
road between Rodman and Lowville was **gone**! It
was in various stages of destruction; machines were eating the road and hurling it into dump trucks roaring out of ruts deeper
than the Marianas Trench…sinking and sliding in the mud, competing for space in
barely one lane…giant claws swinging through the air targeting our truck…I was
shrieking and holding on for dear life. After
about 5 miles we bailed off at McDonald Road and ducked down to Gardiner Road; a
well-maintained local road that’s a combination of gravel, dirt, and pavement. It’s absolutely a straight shot into
Lowville. As we made our escape from 177, we
spotted a poor little car picking its way
through the nightmare; we knew it didn’t have a chance of surviving the mud and
construction mess. As the rain continued to
pummel the area, we were very glad to be in the mighty truck! Lowville’s
a good spot to stop before you head out into the North Country. There’s a friendly Lewis County Chamber of
Commerce office on main street, where you can pick up all sorts of cool brochures on
places to go and things to do. There’s
also a large supermarket just outside of downtown, an Ames, a McDonald’s (last
bathroom stop before leaving civilization!), and a diner that’s always has loads of
patrons. There are a
couple of routes to get over to Stillwater. You
can head east/northeast on Number Four Road to Stillwater Road, but today our choice was
to make a stop at Crogan, which is about 12 or so miles north on Route 812. Crogan’s a GREAT spot! Our many thanks to our friends Neil and Jeannie
Loveless for introducing this delightful little town to us!
E.M. Marilley & Co. is one of the best places on earth; their business
card states “dealers in nearly everything”, and that’s a fact. They’ve
been there a long, long time, which is proudly evidenced by the building: smooth wooden
floors, bins that line the walls behind great glass display cases, antique desks and ice
boxes, and “stuff” EVERYWHERE. Dried
split peas, homemade fudge, Wolverine boots, Woolrich’s newest clothing, 1960’s
leisure suits, new cast iron cookware, soft leather moccasins, 1940’s ladies
lingerie, hunting clothing, hardware, more
work gloves than I’ve ever seen, and some of the best sharp cheddar cheese that
you’ve ever sunk your teeth into! We
left with a new whisk broom, a cast-iron snowman mold baking pan, some light amber maple
syrup made in Crogan, and a chunk of sharp cheddar. Next
stop is always the Crogan Meat Market, home of The Famous Crogan Bologna. Now, don’t even think of the **baloney** that
you buy pre-packaged or at a deli. This stuff
is homemade and is the real thing. It comes
in a ring, and is kind of like a summer sausage, but with a tender texture, and it just
says “I’m Not Good For You”!!! It’s
wonderful. We traditionally find a spot
somewhere along the Beaver River after a Crogan stop, and have a picnic consisting of a
chunk of the fresh bologna, sharp cheddar, some spicy mustard, and whatever delicious
bread or crackers we’ve packed.
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We took a new route to Stillwater, as we weren’t stopping at Neil and Jeannie’s this trip (some time I’ll relate how they introduced us to 4-wheel ATV’s..whew!). In Crogan, just west of the Maple Syrup Museum, the first left, Convent Street turns into Kirchnerville Road. A couple of miles later we turned on Erie Canal Road, a smooth paved road that runs south to Number Four Road. As an added bonus, we found some beautiful waterfalls while crossing a couple of small bridges. Stopping to check them out, we spotted a couple of cottages buried back in the woods, right next to the roaring creek and falls…what a great spot to get away from it all. Those folks have the right idea! Just a few
miles down Stillwater Road, the portage access to the Beaver River at Moser Dam has always
been intriguing; this time we stopped and hiked back on the “formal” portage
path through the woods. It would probably be
do-able with the canoe on the wheelie-cart, but we discovered that the path came out on a
road that was **just** across from the DEC’s parking lot. It sure would be a whole lot easier to push
the cart down the road rather than through the woods to get to the launch. Never mind that there was a sign strung high above
the road stating “Private Road…Turn Back…Do Not Enter”. Hmmm… About 8 miles
east of Moser Dam we hit some pavement, our signal that we’re “Home”. The woods open up and Stillwater Reservoir appears
like a jewel in the middle of the mountain forest. Stillwater
is difficult to describe, a special place that becomes part of you; ask anyone who has
been there. There are countless bays and
fingers you can explore with a small boat or canoe, and virtually no development, except
for the Hotel and a few cottages right around the boat launch area. The state maintains 46
campsites around the reservoir, which are only accessible by boat. On one visit, we were paddling down a long bay to
the “Kettle Hole”. After hearing a loud splash, we spotted a deer swimming
across our bow, heading to one of the many small islands covered with blueberries.
Stillwater has long been a favorite nesting area for loons, and we have had the good
fortune to see a pair of loons with their chick riding on Mom’s back. Our favorite
time to paddle is before the rest of the world is awake, just as the sun is coming up and
the mist is lifting. The loon calls echo across the water, and never fail to send chills
up our spines. The loon population has
been steadily decreasing, though, due to increased human invasion, larger powerboats, and
personal watercraft. Thankfully, there is a resident Ranger, and the area is patrolled and
monitored. It’s
always such a pleasure to see our friends and owners of the Stillwater Hotel, Joe and
Marian Romano. They escaped from Long Island
a number of years ago, and have found their perfect niche here in the wilderness. Their warm hearts and hospitality are
unparalleled. It was early afternoon and we found Joe relaxing (for a change). Marian, had
gone “to town” to Lowville for some supplies.
After checking in, we went down to the dam at the end of the reservoir and
tried to scare a few fish. No luck today, but
the fresh air and a cold beer set us up just fine for a short nap before dinner. You’ll be
hearing a LOT more about Stillwater and the surrounding area in the future; we’re
headed there in a couple of weeks for our annual Adirondack Fall Foliage Tour. But for now, I would be remiss if I didn’t
give you just a “taste” of our first evening’s dinner at the Hotel. I chose the Veal Oscar, with plenty of crab meat,
fresh asparagus and homemade hollandaise sauce; Ethan succumbed to Joe’s Cajun
scallops over wild rice…both were awesome. Not
to mention Marian and Joe’s homemade cucumber-sour cream-dill salad and
scones..aaahhhhhh!!! Dusk is the best time
for dinner; dozens of hummingbirds come to dine at window feeders or buzz by you out on
the deck. It’s one of our most-loved
destinations, and we really look forward to sharing more of our adventures there with you.
Till next time,
happy trails! Please visit us at http://irwinhome.freeservers.com
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