Nomad Life - Day 19

For some reason, I didn't sleep well - it might have been a combination of noise in the hallway (my room at the Super 8 is right next to the stairs) or the unfamiliar location.  Hoping it's the former because the latter scenario will be going on for many months ahead...  In any case, I was awake by 0530 and started teleworking early.  Breakfast was similar to the previous day (pastries and yogurt in the hotel lobby) so that didn't distract me for long (0745).  Meetings lasted until after noon and resumed again at 1300 - I barely had time to run across the hotel parking lot to the nearby McDonalds to pick something (burgers) up for lunch (1215).  After that, I worked right on through until 1400.  With the weather looking nice (70s, partly cloudy, no wind), I decided to take a break to visit one of the main attractions in the area: Fort Ticonderoga.  I believe it's been 49 years since I was last inside this colonial fortress but, like last time, the Country is celebrating a milestone birthday during the coming year (250 vs. 200 years).  Ticonderoga itself just celebrated the capture of the fort by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys (and Benedict Arnold) - the signs for this event were everywhere.  Arriving at the front gate by 1415, I bought a ticket (10% off for veterans) that included the fort and nearby Mount Defiance.  Hoping to visit both places before they closed, I quickly parked and walked around in the old building.  The views of Lake Champlain were wonderful and there were lots of colonial reenactors walking the grounds - I particularly enjoyed the fifes and drums.  There were also some good tour guides who were speaking very loudly as I passed - the cadence of some of the narrative sounded quite familiar, perhaps from hearing something similar when I was young or because of books I've read recently.  The park is managed by a private foundation and I believe they were doing a great job of restoration, teaching and other amenities for people love American History.  The birds were out in force, with sea birds, woodpeckers, wrens, robins and many other birds flying freely in every part of the park.  Before leaving, I toured the King's Gardens, found a marker (deep in the woods) that commemorated Henry Knox's feat of transporting captured cannons (during the winter of 1775-1776) and walked on the Carillon Battlefield Trail.  Because time was short, I didn't finish the latter walk, choosing instead to return to my car and tour some of the 1758 landmarks by car (that was possible because the road to the exit passed by most of them).  By 1545, I was on the road again so I could make it to the entrance to the Mount Defiance access road before it closed at 1630.  Fortunately, it wasn't a long drive and I inserted my golden coin (given to me by the staff at Fort Ticonderoga) in the toll-booth slot to gain entrance by 1600.  The road actually went all the way to the top of the mountain and was VERY steep (and narrow).  When I got to the summit (located about 800 feet above the surface of Lake Champlain), I was stunned by the amazing vistas to the east.  The entire line of Green Mountains was visible from (at least) Camel's Hump to (I'd guess) the faraway border of Massachusetts!  I couldn't see quite as far north as Crown Point but Lake Champlain was visible almost all the way to it's southern end (near Whitehall).  Sadly, there were very few views to the west - I would have loved to see Lake George from the top of the mountain but couldn't.  After about 20 minutes, I departed for town and made my way back to the area near Bicentennial Park.  It occurred to me that I should check out the Star Trek (TOS) Set Tour and see if I could visit the recreation of the Desilu Studios set from the 1960s.  When I arrived, the told me I'd just missed a tour and would have to wait until 1700 for another one.  That seemed too long and I checked out the schedule for tours the following day.  Satisfied that I wasn't going to take the tour today, I went across the street to have a beer at Madden's Pub.  After I sat down, they told me it was Taco Tuesday - the prices looked good so I ordered some.  When they arrived, I was blown away by the amount of food!  The three tacos were loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and beef - it was delicious.  I had a beer too.  I finished everything at about 1650 and realized I might be able to catch the last Star Trek Set Tour - my last minute change of mind paid off and I was in the group when we entered the lovingly recreated Transporter Room of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) at 1700.  What an amazing place and tour!  So many details were wonderfully presented - original items from the series, autographs and commemorative photos, lights and colors from the show.  Wow - just wow!  We got to stand on the transporter for photos and I also got my picture taken in Captain Kirk's chair.  This was an unexpected gem of a tour and I left feeling like I'd actually been part of the filming.  Definitely a five star experience for the town of Ticonderoga!  It was 1805 when we finished and I had enough time to get the rest of my 10K steps before heading to my final stop in a fun-filled day: the last installment of the 2025 Ticonderoga Festival Guild Summer Concert Series, featuring the band "Those Guys Entertainment" (Top-40, Funk, Classic Blues).  This concert was being hosted at the Knights of Columbus Council I'd joined the previous night and I got to see several of my new friends - they were glad to see me and serve (for a fee) some local brews.  While I was enjoying my first drink, Eileen called to firm up our plans for the next few days - that call lasted until the concert began at 1900.  The band's leader explained that they'd been on tour for several months and he was losing his voice.  This allowed a local girl to stand in for him a few songs into the performance and she got rave reviews from her fellow residents.  I stayed until around 1945 and then headed back to the Super 8.  I'd mostly finished my telework day before I'd departed this afternoon but I logged an additional hour to wrap up loose ends before the morning.  Beyond that, I did some reading and blogging before bed time (2300).  This was a great day, all around, and I am ready to move my Nomad Life HQ to the next place!