Stop 12, Caroga Lake Park

We are officially camping in the Adirondacks.  Unfortunately, the air quality is abysmal due to wild fires in Quebec.  It's also cold and rainy.  We may not be undeterred, but we are not fully deterred.  The Adirondack camping scene is archetypal and embodies so much of how camping is done as well as depicted in film and on TV.  Rural NY is amazing and expensive.  The culture here is strong and cohesive, which is a bit of a euphemism for lacking in diversity.  People are friendly and it's all good.  Some sunshine and clear air would help.

Due to the rain, we have spent time in nearby Gloversville, NY.  They have a beautiful, Carnegie library here that has an original Frederick Remington sculpture in the lobby.  Apparently Remington was once a resident.  The town was originally called "Stump Town" due to the fact that all of the trees were cut down.  The tannery business developed here and by one point, 90% of the gloves sold in America were made in Gloversville or nearby Johnston.  Today, the downtown area is sad and depressing.   Abandoned glove factories surround the city center.  Boarded up buildings on the main streets of downtown may out number those that still house a going business.  The rehab center on aptly named Bleaker street is across from a boarded up church.  The current governor of NY Kathy Hochul recently announced some money coming to help the town, but from our travels through NY we can conclude that it is one of many who are struggling with jobs, homelessness, addiction throughout this part of the country.  There is so much potential in the beautiful, old buildings that were once the center of a vibrant economy.  It's depressing to see this scene, which is the daily reality for so many in this country.