Scranton, PA through Gifford State Park, VT

Brian: Even though ninja camping was awesome, (thanks again deer/spirit guide) the sleep was restive (which means we didn’t sleep well, oddly), and hopefully it’s not something we have to do more than once a week. Thankfully our only goal for the next day was to make it to the Adirondack Park Preserve by the early afternoon, and whittle away the remaining hours of the day fireside with beer, rum, and cupcakes. For energy, we stopped at the Rudest Arby’s in America, where I attempted to order before my cashier was ready, and was promptly put in my place with a snappy retort. Allow me to issue the second personal apology of the last couple days to my overweight cashier: I know how early you have to get up because Arby’s opens at 10 am (we were there at 10:03 by the way), but reconsider the sign on the door that says “All meals come with a complimentary smile.” I would’ve asked for mine but I didn’t want a sarcastic one, and the sign didn’t technically specify. All’s well that end’s well, though, because had we not pulled off the freeway for junk food, we wouldn’t have seen the awesome series of hand painted billboards for the Secret Caverns.

Nick: A note about the billboards: There were normal signs for an apparently popular destination called “Howe’s Cave.” The psychadelic signs we saw were advertising an entirely different, and apparently very competitive, hole in the ground. Just goes to show, you’ve got to take your advertising seriously. We wouldn’t have given Howe’s Cave the time of day after passing their hum-drum signage. If they won’t make the effort, neither will we. Hey are a few of the numerous samplings found along the side of the road:





Brian: More photos of the Secret Cavern signs are on Facebook.

Nick: Definitely worth checking out.

Brian: The guide for the tour was clearly a stoner and a major Mitch Hedburg fan, and he wittily led us 115 ft underground to the bottom of a 100 ft waterfall, which was cool despite the fact that I had a secret paranoia that I would accidentally remove the keystone of the cave and be buried underneath thousands of tons of solid rock. Deep breaths, Brian, deep breaths.

Nick: After the caves, we made our way to the State park around Lake George where it seemed camp grounds would be in great abundance.

Brian: A word of advice: unless you are a fat New Yorker that loves plastic pirate ships and putt putt golf, never go to Lake George, NY. I guess “Park Preserve” means different things in different states. It was the most kitschy, touristy, man-made place we had ever been, and it only took an hour of driving around looking for a campsite to realize that we would be much more fulfilled by camping in Vermont.

Nick: We should have known immediately when we passed no less than THREE pirate ship themed mini-golf attractions in as many miles. Do all New Yorkers love knocking rainbow golf balls around fiberglass mermaids this much? That can be your riddle of the day readers. As of yet, we have no answer.

Brian: We left New York at 5pm and by 6 our tent was pitched in a beautiful state park just across the border. So began Pee-In-The-Woodsfest 2009. Fire + beer + cupcakes + rum + best friends = good times; enough said.

Nick: That’s cute. But it really was quite a nice evening.

Brian: We woke up feeling surprisingly great, especially after we roasted a couple of breakfast hotdogs over the remainder of our firewood. Hit the road at 10 and spent the midday finishing up a new blog post at a local coffee shop on the Vermont/New Hampshire border. Life is good.

Nick: As are oatmeal cookies. This is a fact. Song of the day: A twist today, actually. Today we reveal that, after much deliberation-

Brian: Actually, there was very little deliberation.

Nick: Haha, true. When it’s right, it’s right. What is there to talk about?

Brian: The song of the trip, nay, the anthem of the journey, is now and forever shall be “Party in the U.S.A” by the inappropriately attractive Miley Cyrus.

Nick: She’s 18 in a couple years. That’s not too bad, right?

Brian: Not bad at all my friend, and those next couple years can’t go by fast enough. In the meantime, just keep being Miley; Brian and Nick out.