Up, Up Over The Shoulder Of Whiteface Mountain

I was traveling Gillespie Road in the Adirondack Mountains and it took me up over what I'd call the foothills of Whiteface Mountain. The road runs east and west over a sort of ridge which includes Morgan, Esther and Whiteface. The famous Whiteface Memorial Highway leads south from here directly up to the peak of Whiteface. I took my mother there once many years ago and it was magnificent. But the parking lot is somewhat below the peak and one must walk or take an elevator to the very top. With 6 dogs and lots of tourists, I don't plan to visit it again soon. Nevertheless, Gillespie Road - which soon becomes Route 86 is, as you can see, lovely:

There are foothills in all directions:

And, as Route 86 begins to descend down into the town of Wilmington, New York, I continued to snap photos:

And once in Wilmington, I came upon Santa's Workshop:

I'd expected it to be crowded with tourists, but it was closed. I've since checked the internet and The North Pole is apparently open for only a few months each year:

So, after taking a parking lot tour of Santa's Workshop, I continued on my way through the town of Wilmington:

Clearly, Wilmington is a tourist town and motels abound:

The views from Route 86 are fantastic, but there isn't any "downtown" area. At least none that I could find:

I passed a few very nice homes:

And continued driving east toward Jay, New York:

This very friendly looking house with its multiple chairs for sitting and spinning tales was set right along the side of the road: