Whiteout Conditions Close NY State Route 73 Through The Cascades Thursday Night

As reported in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, "the Keene and Lake Placid volunteer fire departments closed NY State Route 73 for more than two hours Thursday evening due to whiteout conditions.

The Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department responded at 8:12 p.m. with one truck and 15 members and closed the road at North Country School, and the Keene Volunteer Fire Department closed the road in Keene at the intersection of routes 73 and 9N. A tractor-trailer and several cars were removed from the roadway; volunteers said they were either stuck in the ditch on the side of the road or couldn't travel any further because of the snowy conditions. Nobody was injured and the road was opened at 10:30 p.m."
The road closure last night is an example of why I have and recommend a healthy respect for that gorgeous stretch of route 73 that winds steeply down, cutting and winding between Adirondack climbing cliffs and the two Cascade Lakes. A common Adirondack comment concerning that section of highway is, "Ah, yes, the Cascades. They have a weather pattern all their own."

A Foot of Lake-Effect Snow Hits Lake Placid

Last night's white-out, lake-effect snow storm left us with a foot of fresh powder here at the homestead in Lake Placid. While some parts of New York State have already received three feet of the frosty white fun-maker, the notorious lake and cold-wind generated snow bands remain hard at work, dumping two to three inches of snow per hour in Western New York. The heavy snow has also forced the closure of parts of  the New York State Thruway.  My bet is the High Peaks will have superb skiing this weekend. Whiteface Mountain is also in great condition according to my sources.

Today's feature photo is the first view from home without my favorite balsam. When we cut the tree up to remove it from the driveway, we  were surprised to discover it was rotting from the inside out. Unfortunately, the top is half brown and dead; too dry to be used as this year's Christmas tree.  The loss of a beautiful and favored part of my daily life is a little sad, but when viewed philosophically,  reminds me of a couple of good "Lessons from Mother Nature."  All manner of messages come to mind, such as, "even though something appears big and strong,  you never know if it is weak and rotting from the inside out,"  or, "nothing lasts forever," and, "don't judge a tree by its bark."  Or is that "don't judge a book by its cover because you might bark up the wrong tree?"