Fournier Adventures: 05/30/09

MEMORIAL DAY

Roger and Karen

Karen and Foxy

Memorial Day seemed especially poignant with John along: safely home after a year long stint in Iraq. John had some scary close calls.

Paul and Roger cheerfully waiting for Mary and Karen to do a little shopping.

Roger gets a bear hug.

Front row seat for a great small town Memorial Day parade.

Paul sits on the "Hondabago"

ART AND ARTIFACTS

The art was incredible, what a museum.

Scrimshaw horn with a map engraving.

George Washington himself.

One of the beautiful drums hand made and painted.

FORT TICONDEROGA

Incredible restored fort Ticonderoga

Looking out at Lake George

Cannon pointed out at the lake

As we walked through the entrance, I got a quiet thrill as I read the list of people who had gone before us................

These canon were my favorites, short fat Mortars.

All the canon were works of art.

Just look at the ornate work on the canon!

What a work of art.

Here we are, riding into the entrance to Fort Ticonderoga

Plaque at the gate

Fort Ticonderoga, originally Fort Carillon, was built by the French military between 1755 and 1759. One of a series the French built to control Lake Champlain. The site looks over Lake Champlain at a point where it narrows and the shore of Vermont is a mere cannon shot away. It is at this point, too, that the waters from Lake George enter Lake Champlain via the La Chute River. Control of this strategic narrows meant control of the north-south water "highway".
On July 8, 1758 the Fort was successfully defended by a French army of 3500 soldiers under the command of Louis-Joseph le Marquis de Montcalm despite being severely outnumber by an attacking British army of 16,000 troops under the command of General James Abercromby. This was France's greatest victory in the Seven Years' War.
The following year however, the British under the command of General Jeffery Amherst defeated the French at Fort Carillon. The French troops evacuated the Fort but not before blowing up the powder magazine and warehouse as they went. After several years of archeological site-work the magasin du Roi has finally been rebuilt.

At the outset of the American Revolution a small company of British soldiers still manned the Fort. On May 10, 1775, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain from Vermont and at dawn surprised and captured the sleeping garrison. This was the first American victory of the Revolutionary War. From then until July 1777, Fort Ticonderoga served as an important staging area for the American Army while invading Canada and holding the territory against the British forces.
In 1776 new fortifications were built across Lake Champlain on Mount Independence. During the summer of 1776 a fleet of small warships or gondolas where rigged and fitted out at Mount Independence. This fleet under the command of Benedict Arnold fought the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in 1776. In July 1777 the British General Burgoyne managed to place cannon on Mount Defiance and forced the Fort's garrison under General Arthur St. Clair to evacuate on July 6th. In September 1777 a small American force conducted the final raid on the Fort attempting to retake it from the British. The British finally abandoned the Fort in early November following the surrender of the British army at Saratoga.

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

Here's Miss Foxy Allard having a great time running on the trails at Half Mile Ranch.

Bella finally has someone to keep up with!

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN BEAUTY

All through the Adirondacks the scenery is gorgeous. Here we find a park with a view to die for.

Looking down at Lake George

Steam rising off from Lake George

Paul and Roger hamming it up.

Lake George again.

MORE MINNEHAHA

No we aren't having fun............... :)

We view the Saint Sacrement from a window below the deck.

Looking up.

MINNEHAHA PADDLE WHEEL

Here is the paddle wheel turning, making an interesting "paddle wash."

MINNEHAHA EXHAUST PIPES

I was fascinated with the steam exhaust pipes on the Minnehaha. Seemed like a dragon huffing and puffing along.

MINNEHAHA STEAM PADDLE WHEEL BOAT

In a comedy of errors, we got a wonderful ride on the steam paddle wheel boat, Minnehaha. She is an authentic steam boat, built in the 60's. We parked our motorcycles, didn't pay the required parking fee, (till later) ran across the street (right through a parade!!) and boarded the boat in the last seconds before the ramp closed behind us!