Located near my parents’ house is Todd Mountain ,
which is the tallest point in the town of Argyle .
That sounds impressive, but it’s really not impressive when you compare
it to West Mountain
to the west, and the Adirondack
Park Todd
Mountain
Mum had commented over the past few
years about how on some weekend evenings Myron would blow the train-whistle
because he was looking for company. People
then would drive up the back-side of Todd in order to have whatever treats or
brew Myron had to offer. Since it’d been decades since I’d been up there,
Mum made arrangements with Myron for us to come up there one afternoon. I
really wanted to get an elevated view of the area on a clear day.
On the appointed day, we heard the
whistle blow, and we worked our way up. Dad drove the truck, as it had
capabilities to go up the bumpy mountain road, and then the power to make it up
the steep paved wheel paths to reach the summit. Myron and his wife drove
this every day before they retired, so this must’ve been a bear on those harsh
winter days. Seeing the spectacular view from the top, boy was that worth
any aggravation of driving.
Myron had a small structure near
the house which served as a sun-room, so they could enjoy the panorama when it
was chilly out. A spiral staircase led to a view platform on the top,
where the train-whistle was located. To get an idea of how loud that was,
Myron blew it again as I was standing there. It is an actual item which
came off a train, so that should give you some idea of the resonance this had.
We enjoyed some drinks until we
noticed the sound of the horn had attracted another visitor, one which came by
air. One of the WWII-era planes which had been part of the Fourth of July
parade a few days earlier was now preparing to buzz us.
It shot by, and released a smoke
trail as it went by. As it circled around for another pass, I started to
get sighted in on it, with the zoom feature ready, so I could capture as much
of the action as I could. I could hear Mum saying that she was losing
sight of the plane in the glare of the sun, but I was able to keep a bead on
it. Everyone else was cheering and waving.
I took a few pictures as the plane
leveled out, and it was directly in front of us. It felt like one of
those news reels from the war, and it then occurred to me that I had a movie
feature on the camera which I could’ve used to capture it. Well, I’ll
have to wait for the next pass to get that set, as I’m not losing the placement
I have now. The plane lifted a bit, and zoomed over us.
It then dipped its wing once as an
acknowledgement, and flew off. Myron commented he’d seen the planes go
whizzing by every now and then, but he hadn’t had such an entertaining
experience. Hey, I was just excited to see the view from the top of the
mountain. The interaction with the plane just enhanced the situation as
far as I was concerned. Bonus! I took a few more shots of the area
in order to be able to show my peeps back in Texas
of what the “real New York ”
looks like. We then headed back down, as he had planned thing in Greenwich to do before
dinner … and that involved beer sampling.
Opened in 2013, Argyle Brewing
Company proudly bears the name of one of the few towns left in the state which
is considered “dry” (meaning you can’t sell alcohol there). Putting it
within the village
of Greenwich
This is a micro-brewery, not a brew
pub. There is no food to purchase, seats to sit on, or restroom
facilities. Beer is produced outback, and reusable bottles (known as
“growlers”) can be filled with whatever flavor someone desires. While
there are no tours here, the brew-masters are more than happy to explain the
finer points of the process. Samples are
available, and trying some before paying to have your growler filled is
encouraged. Nothing is sold “by the glassful,” as that would require a
different set of permits (and not sure if that is a future plan).
This reminded a lot of when
Cooper’s Cave Ale Company first started in Glens Falls back in the late 1990s. It
was on the way home from work, and I would stop in for a half-dozen sample, and
then fill a growler which I’ll consume over the weekend. I knew since I
was flying back, it wouldn’t be very feasible to bring a growler back with me
(as I had barely enough room in my luggage for my requisite Freihofer’s
chocolate chip cookies). My parents were driving, so I went for the
sample pack of four (of the six available varieties). The specifics of
each of the flavors are posted on the board over the taps.
I found the Altbier to be a decent
lager, but it didn’t have enough body for my tastes. The Oatmeal Stout
was thick and heavy, but still good (even though in general stouts are too
thick for me to enjoy). The Red Ale was nice and tasty, and it finished
well. But the one I liked the best was the Brown Ale, which I felt had
the right amount of “bite,” so I found it extremely pleasing. If I was at
a pub and ordered a “pint of bitter,” the Brown Ale is what I’d want to
receive.
While trying the beer was a great
experience, but the best part of the visit was encountering one of my friends I
hadn’t seen since I graduated SUNY Plattsburgh in 1992. It was great to
reconnect with Jason. And like the visit by the plane on Todd Mountain Todd Mountain
For more information on the places visited or mentioned:
Argyle Brewing Company: http://argylebrewing.com/
Cooper’s Cave Ale Company: http://www.cooperscaveale.com/
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