The first time I visited the hubs up in Albany, he took me to this great little Dirty Dancing-esk hotel on top of Mohonk Mountain in New Paltz, New York. It was a stifling 90 degrees in April, but being near a lake and on a mountain, the temperature and views were perfect. It felt like we found a castle tucked away from the real world.

We decided to explore the grounds and took a hike, playing around as we went:

Secret Passage

I got there just in time for the flowers to bloom

Awesome views along the way

We graffiti-d the benches along the way

Signs along the way

We made our way up to the highest point where a lookout tower sits:

The hubs towering over landmarks

We like to take pictures of each other taking pictures

The stunning views from up top

On our way back down, we encountered a melting skating rink. Skating classes for the day were cancelled due to unusually warm weather…

fireplace at the skating rink

Reflections on the melted ice

The sun was setting too soon. We cooled off with root beer floats and sat on the porch watching the sky change colors.

Rocking chair views

Sunburst over the house

Hubs at sunset

Hiding behind a massive flower bush

We also visited Lake George, but by the time we got there it was still a little chilly. We decided to bunker down in the wine shop with a tasting. We were warm enough after that to venture out:

More taking pictures of each other taking pictures

A gas pump in the middle of nowhere (for the ferry)

Home of Fudgy

The ice messed up the docks on the lake

Time to say goodbye (who would’ve known I would be back the next weekend

Saying goodbye, a bitter sweet view of Albany

My first day in upstate NY and it was FREAKIN’ HOT! I feel like I brought FL weather with me, because it was 90 degrees when we got to Mohonk Mountain House. I guess it was unseasonally warm, but the town was gorgeous with yellow and white flowers in bloom everywhere (see yesterday’s photo for my mixed feelings about that).

The hubs and I decided to take a stroll around the grounds, and ended up at the highest most part of the property at the lookout tower. On our way back we took a different route, which led us to this sign saying we should head the other direction. We took the trail thinking nothing at this ‘Dirty Dancing’-esk resort would ever actually be unkempt.

It turns out the trail, or sort of worn path of leaves and stones, had not been taken in a few months (mind you they just came out of snow season). We were also in our finest of gear – ala jeans, tees and sandals. It was an interesting slippery slope down, but still fun. Too many great photos from today to only pick one, so look out for the post later.

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