Andrew Acomb

This week I’m on a third shift so I leave work around 8am. When I get home on Sundays while on this schedule, I like to go out and get some breakfast. Today we went to the Eagle Mills Cider Company. It’s located in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains in Broadalbin, New York. During the Spring season, they have an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet from 8am to 1pm on Sundays. It’s only $6.95 for adults! The buffet is outside with some seating under a pavilion. We sat under the sun overlooking the “Old Mill Stream”. They also have a bakery, gift shop, train ride, and a bunch of other stuff for kids (including me) to do.

Thanks Ray for taking this photo!

In downtown Lake Placid, there is a tower set up on the edge of Mirror Lake. Two icy tracks, wide enough for a toboggan, start at the top. The line for the ride runs up the side next to the tracks. So people are screaming by as you wait! Once on the toboggan, a guy pushes you off. You can gain a lot of speed and shoot way out onto the lake! It cost $5 per person and a toboggan rental is another $5. You can stay and ride as much as you want.

Back in Lake Placid, Jennifer and I walked out onto the frozen Mirror Lake for our first dog sled ride. The ride itself wasn’t very long, but was worth the ten dollars. We sat on the sled while the musher stood on the runners that stick out from behind the sled. We were both very surprised on how fast the sled dogs could get us moving.

After Jennifer and I finished the bobsled ride, we stopped off at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex to watch some of the jumps for the Empire State Winter Games. It’s just a few minutes from the main strip in Lake Placid. Once the competition ended, we took the elevator to the top of the 120 meter ski jump tower. At the top there is a sky deck for some incredible views of the area. Don’t forget to check out where the skiers jump from. It’s one thing to watch from the ground, but quite different when you get to see what they see right before take off.

After some coffee and breakfast, Jennifer and I drove to the bobsled course at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex. It’s a short drive outside of Lake Placid, just past the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. The tickets are a little pricey at $65 US a person, but I think it was definitely worth it. Before you can ride, you basically have to sign your life away on a waiver. The wait wasn’t long at all. After about 15 minutes our number was called. They drive you up the course to the half mile mark just after the “Shady Corner Curve”.

The entire course is about a mile, but they only let the tourists do the half mile course. They provide a driver and a brake man. I sat just behind the driver. Jennifer was behind me and in front of the brake man. The whole thing is over in less than a minute, but we still went over 50 miles per hour! The g-forces were incredibly strong and tried to pull my body down during most of the ride. Into the turns, the bobsled went up to where we were parallel to the ground! Everyone should get a chance to try this out!