The Hedges

While Aidan was visiting Aunt Tammie, Uncle Mike and Grandma in Michigan, James and I went on holiday to an Adirondack Great Camp called The Hedges. Located on the shores of beautiful Blue Mountain Lake, The Hedges calls itself a "casual, rustic and historically unique Adirondack camp". We call it the perfect getaway.

The Hedges is open from Memorial weekend through Columbus Day weekend and offers accommodations in cabins and lodge rooms. Included in the daily room rate is a full cooked to order breakfast, a four course dinner and evening snacks. Canoes and kayaks are available to take out on the lake, plus there is a fishing dock, a swimming dock and a little sandy beach.

When I inquired about availability in March, just after I booked Aidan's flights to/from Michigan, there were only two rooms available for our requested dates. We settled in a room in the Main Lodge that looked out on Blue Mountain Lake. Here is the Main Lodge:

The front window in our room is at the top left of the building. The canoe/kayak dock is on the right side of the Main Lodge:

This is the view from the porch of the Main Lodge, which is conveniently outfitted with Adirondack chairs and rocking chairs:

Gorgeous, isn't it? You can do as much or as little as you like at The Hedges. James did a lot of fishing and even caught a few little guys:

I did a lot of reading, knitting and gazing at the gorgeous scenery. We also took kayaks out on the water several times, including the morning that we went out before 7 am and paddled around the lake for over an hour. It was so quiet and peaceful, with just a bit of mist hovering over the water. The lake was so calm that we could stop paddling and our kayaks would almost stay still as we looked at our surroundings.

At The Hedges, you can be as sociable as you like or don't like; although everyone eats in the dining room, each party has their own table. And while we did talk with other guests, it wasn't too intrusive and we still had plenty of solitude. There were both families and couples, and we learned that many people have been coming every summer for five, eight, ten and even thirteen years.

It was, by far, the most relaxing vacation that we have had in a very long time. The rooms were comfortable and spotless, the staff was friendly and efficient, and the food was delicious. We liked The Hedges so much that we extended our stay by one day! We were originally booked from Sunday to Wednesday morning but on Tuesday afternoon as we enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch, we decided that we just weren't ready to go home. We immediately went to the office to see if there was availability and learned that while our Main Lodge was booked, we could move to one of the small cabins for one additional night. That turned out to be an excellent move because it allowed us to experience both a lodge room and a cabin.

We are already planning to visit The Hedges again next summer, this time with Aidan. We think he will love the freedom to run around the grounds with other children, to jump off the dock into the cold, clear water of Blue Mountain Lake, to make s'mores by the evening campfire, and to paddle around the lake. We will submit our accommodation request form and hope that sometime in January we will receive confirmation that the cabin and dates we want are available.

Taking flight

Our baby bird ventured out of the nest when he flew to Michigan all by himself to spend a week with Grandma, Aunt Tammie and Uncle Mike. They met him in Detroit so it was a nonstop flight, the only way we would consider letting him travel alone.

Aidan left last Saturday, July 14, and returned yesterday. He flew on Delta as an "unaccompanied minor", which means that we were able to go with him through security and to the gate, he was escorted on and off the airplane by a Delta employee, and that Tammie was able to meet him at the gate in Detroit, after she produced identification proving that she was the specified person to meet him.

I was a wreck. My head logically knew that everything would be fine; my nerves and stomach, however, were not logical at all. Until we received that telephone call saying "He's here!", I was a messed up mix of emotions. Aidan told us last evening that he was having a difficult time, too, and almost left the airplane (prior to takeoff) because he was a bit scared to travel alone!

He drew this picture for us, which arrived in the mail on Thursday:

But we are all glad that he didn't leave that airplane, because he had a wonderful week. He slept at Grandma's house a few nights and spent the other nights at Mike and Tammie's house. He went to the East Lansing Sunday Farmer's Market, heard Grandma sing with her choral group, made Star Wars cookies, churned homemade ice cream, played racquetball and swam with Mike at the Michigan Athletic Club, went to Michigan's Adventure amusement park, went to Impression 5 science center, and generally was spoiled rotten. Or is that rottenER?

Tammie and Mike even stayed up late and/or got up early to finish a photo album of his week to bring home, which he has looked through many times already.

We enjoyed having him gone and having some time to ourselves, but we were more than ready to have him return home yesterday. I was once again a mess of nerves once he boarded the airplane in Detroit until I saw his smiling face emerge in Syracuse. And he was smiling:

 

We won't mention that t-shirt he was wearing...