This is an invitation to join myself and S.O.C.O. as we tour the Adirondack Region the weekend of May 18th!
Highlights of the Tour include a drive up Whiteface Mountain, Saratoga Concourse d' Elegance and Track Runs at Watkins Glen Raceway.
Below is the itinerary and location of places we will be visiting and hotels that have been arranged.
For a discounted Crowne Plaza room phone 1-800-874-1980 and mention date and "Crossfire Club". The Sunday night motel is accepting reservations now. Mention "Crossfire Club" for discounted price. I encourage you to book your room soon as possible as motels in Lake Placid typically ask for a two/three night minimum while the 4,5 star hotels sell out as much as a year in advance. The tourist industry in Upstate New York is wise to our May long weekend and implement higher rates and minimum nights. Our friends south of the border may want to consider meeting us at the top of Whiteface Mountain, Saturday, May 18th.
Reply to this thread if "in" and I will start compiling a list.





Saturday, May 18th

9:00 a.m.
Meet at Tim Horton's, Prescott, Ontario
925 Edward Street North, Prescott, ON

9:30 a.m.
Leave Tim Horton's and proceed to border crossing and Duty Free Shopping

10:30 a.m.
Proceed to Lake Saranac for Lunch at Red Fox Restaurant, Contact: Emena (Owner)
10 State Rd, Saranac Lake, NY
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48561-d399404-Reviews-Red_Fox_Restaurant-Saranac_Lake_New_York.html
2.0 hrs

1:30 p.m.
Proceed to Whiteface Mountain via Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway
Memorial Highway | Whiteface Mountain
1.0 hrs

4:00 p.m.
Proceed to Lake Placid, Check-in hotel
Crowne Plaza $145 with discount
Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club | Lake Placid Resorts | Lake Placid, NY
Free time to explore town.
1.0 hrs

7:30 p.m.
Dinner reservations at pre-determined restaurant.
A Lake Placid Restaurant | Great Adirondack Steak & Seafood
Contact: Will (Owner), Tom (Mgr)
Cocktails to follow!

Sunday, May 19th

10:00 a.m.
Leave Lake Placid and proceed to Saratoga Automobile Museum
http://saratogaautomuseum.org/
Discounted Group Rate to enter both the museum and attend the Concours d' Elegance
Images from last years event can be found here;
http://saratogaautomuseum.org/invitational-pics/2012-invitational-at-saratoga/
2.0 hrs

3:00 p.m.
Leave Saratoga for Watkins Glen
1.5 hrs

4:30 p.m.
Neahwa Park, Oneonta.
Pit Stop, Washrooms etc.
1.5 hrs

6:00 p.m.
Stop for Dinner at pre-determined location
Oaks Inn, 122 Oak Hill Avenue, Endicott, NY . Contact: Morgan
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47686-d817771-Reviews-Oaks_Inn-Endicott_New_York.html
1.5 hrs

8:30 p.m.
Arrive at Watkins Glen, Check-in hotel.
Gorgeous View Motel, 3355 State Route 14,Watkins Glen, NY
https://gorgeousviewmotel.com/
607-535-7262, Ask for "Stephanie" and mention "Crossfire Club" for $96 discounted rate.
Note: The motel has 10 rooms only! First come, first serve.

Monday, May 20th

10:00 a.m.
Purchase Thunder Roads Tour tickets at box office in town
https://www.theglen.com/Plan-Your-Visit/The-Shop.aspx

11:00 a.m
Leave for Watkins Glen Race Track

11:30 a.m.
Staging begins of Thunder Roads Tour
Thunder Road Tours - Watkins Glen International

2:00 p.m.
Adirondack Tour Ends

Optional

4:00 p.m.
Belhurst Castle, For a luxurious end to the weekend.
Welcome To The Belhurst Home Page
4069 Route 14 South, Geneva, NY
315-781-0201

Participation List To Date

tonygg
ottawa john
allaire
rusty
turbomar
singerron
V2addict

 

Hey Tony -
Now that's a well planned GTG. Suzanne & I are in.
John

 

That's well put together Tony! Add me to the list please

Turbomar

 

Add me to the list Tony. We had a great time last year. Being from the states I will meet the group at the first stop on Whiteface Mountain. I remember some people having trouble getting gas last year. Some pumps in the states ask for a zip code and wouldn't accept the Canadian credit cards. Should people bring cash for gas or has this issue been resolved? Ron

 

Hi Ron...it's an inconvenience, but if you remember, we just had to let the attendant know our Canadian Cards were not working and she simply put the pumps in manual mode and we paid inside. Glad to hear you are joining us!

 

Hey Tony -
Just to keep you in the loop - I've made our reservations at the Crowne. They're very nice & accommodating.
John

 

Thanks for that John...I think you'll be happy with the hotel...walking distance to everything.

 

What is this "walking" that you speak of?

 

The Crowne is centrally located on top of a hill above the town of Lake Placid. You can walk to restaurants, boutiques, shops and everything else at the centre of town. Walking back up the hill to the hotel can be a challenge though!

 

Ron/Tony -

Canadians trying to fill up with their credit card at the pump can usually circumvent the "zip code" issue by using this simple method - when asked for the zip code it is a cross reference to the card's billing address - just enter the three numbers from your postal code in the order in which they appear and enter 00 at the end.

Example - the billing address of the credit card has the postal code L6Y 3K2. The equivalent Zip Code for the cross reference purpose would be 63200. You should be good to go!

This little known secret works at most gas stations that I've been to across the U.S. but not all. I've had difficulty doing this with AMEX in some locations.

Generally though, you'll be quite pleased with this trick that I've shared!

 

Hey John, Thanks for sharing!
I'll give a try next time...

 

Just a heads up that a new motel has been negotiated for Sunday night, May 19th at Watkins Glen.
They are taking reservations now and it's first come first served. Please see itinerary for details!

 

Hey Tony -
I've booked us in to the Gorgeous View in Watkins Glen. I've stayed there before, but the new owner told me that they purchased it last year and have upgraded everything - new beds, carpets, linoleum, TV's, shower surrounds - the works. It's right across the highway from another motel that a few of us went to for dinner last year - good food. The universe is unfolding as it should.
Last year we could book the Thunder Road Tour at the track in advance - did they make that arrangement with you this time?
This will be another great time! Thanks for your hard work.
John & Sue

 

Hey John, the Thunder Road Tour is the last loose end to tie up. When I contacted the office, they couldn't confirm or deny the tour for that date and said they would know better at a "later time". That said, the lady I spoke to seemed very optimistic that it will likely be available. Maybe they are waiting for the "black out" dates. The web site says "Black out dates coming soon!". I'll stay on top of this and will phone again next month and will continue to phone periodically if need be until I get a solid confirmation. Last year it seemed to be the "highlight" of your tour, so I know folks are keen to do it again.

 

OK - I'll patiently wait for the info. Running the track was a lot of fun, but really the high point for me was getting together with everyone.

 

Tony - Is this you practicing for the track? Driving the Ford

 

Yep... That's him allright! I recognize his moves from last year!

 

This GTG sounds like a lot of fun, the trouble is I would be knackered when I got to Prescott after a four hour drive. It would mean getting up at four and leaving by five, The same time or more would be spent by anyone from this neck of the woods. It would mean staying near Prescott the night before, I'll think about it.

 

Yes - we have the same issue when trying to get to events down in your neck of the woods. It's especially tough when trying to get around work schedules. Last year for the Hippie Tour people came up the night before and stayed in Kingston and Prescott to be able to meet in the morning. I think that they found it worthwhile, though. Brockville is close to Prescott and has several places with good accommodations - we'd like to have you come too if possible.

 

.

The drive to Prescott is 3.5 hrs from Toronto. It is also the Friday leading into a long weekend so traffic will be heavy. We are leaving Friday afternoon and staying overnight just outside of Prescott. The next morning meeting place is only 15 min away. Something to consider Dave.