Day 2

Tuesday, 7/23/13

   Today was the second full day here at Raquette Lake.  The day started off so well with rain that brought out a little duck family!  That was all before we even ate breakfast.  After eating, it was to 2 museums for us. The first museum at Tupper Lake, The Wild Center, was fascinating. There were river otters swimming and showing off to the crowd, lots of large fish, rare spotted turtles, and many other interesting animals. The best part about the whole museum was that the fish tanks were eye level allowing children and adults to view in awe.
   Before we made it to the second museum on the way back, we stopped to get pictures with bears, dogs, and deer that were along side of the road.  These animals were very kind to let us photograph them with us.  They, of course, were not real but made out of tree stumps, branches, etc.  Next, we stopped at a beautiful area along the side of the road to take breathtaking pictures.  Then we stopped at a bookstore, got delicious ice cream, and headed on our way to the Adirondack Museum.  At the Adirondack Museum we explored the different buildings in depth and got another glimpse of what the area was like in the past.  The most interesting thing I saw was the roller apparatus that would attach to the horses in the winter time to flatten out the snow.  I though this was a great idea to handle a large snow fall before plows came around.   The clouds left early afternoon to let us sneak in a kayak ride!   To those not with us, It may seem as though we are doing way too much exploring and not getting in enough book time, but that is the complete opposite.  We have learned so much history in the past 2 days to keep our school students busy for a whole quarter!  As we see different parts of the area and learn something new, it always spurs a new idea that can be taught to students.