Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 3

I'd toured the chainsaw carving area and the venders' area, buying myself a bit to eat. It was almost time for the Chainsaw Carving Contest to begin, so I found a bleacher seat and waited for it to begin:

The lumberjack show would begin later, up on that stage:

The chainsaw carving competition began in earnest:

While up on the stage, preparations were being made for the lumberjack show:

The smoke and noise from the chainsaws were overwhelming, adding to the excitement. A woman next to me said that white pole on the left was greased, for a greased pole climbing competition later that afternoon:

But there wasn't a lot of action, so I had plenty of time to watch the preparations for the next show:

It was a grand day:

The woman on the left had two chainsaws which refused to start. The third chainsaw started but was obviously dull. I felt sorry for her and she quickly sent what I assumed to be a call for help on her cell phone:

But in the end, I couldn't stay any longer and had to leave. I exited the park, passing by Tupper Lake's permanent woodsman statue on the road:

As I walked to my car, I passed by these poles buried in the ground. I guessed that there would be a pole climbing competition, though I would not be there to see it:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 2

I walked from the chainsaw carving area (see yesterday's post) and continued along the road by the lake, passing these classic cars which had been used in the parade earlier that morning:

There were huge piles of saw logs and heavy equipment, both of them to be used in the lumberjack competitions:

Truckloads of logs were pulling in off the main road, honking their horns loudly and continuously. I never did find out if they were delivering logs for use in the festivities or if they were just stopping by to see or compete in the Woodsmen's Days:

I moved on into the food venders' area, which was just getting started:

I tried spun maple sugar, or maple flavored cotton candy:

There were wine slushies and beer. The beer, as you might imagine was a big seller, even in the morning:

Hand crafted Adirondack furniture:

Adirondack bedroom furniture:

Tree climbing for the kids, with funnel cakes and lemonade for everyone:

More floats from the morning's parade:

I stopped along the edge of Tupper Lake to enjoy its beauty, though this part of the lake is supposed to be called Raquette Pond. I got a bit of food to eat and began walking toward the grandstand area to see the competitions, but I'll post about that tomorrow:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 1

I'd looked forward to seeing the Woodsmen's Days for a long time. The weekend arrived and I drove the scenic roads to Tupper Lake. I parked, paid my admission and began walking into the chainsaw carving area. There were many partially finished sculptures, some of which I couldn't yet identify:

And finished sculptures such as these eagles, tables, bears and benches:

The parade was over but some of the floats were still parked along the shore of the lake:

I continued walking and snapping pictures of the chainsaw sculptures. There were wizards and sea gods and, of course, more bears:

And more parked parade floats:

An unfinished eagle, capturing a fish:

A cryptic figure beside a tree with an owl:

And smaller, finished sculptures:

Eagles, owls, bears, frogs, deer:

And, always, lots more bears, the original and perennial chainsaw sculpture subject:

I enjoyed the chainsaw sculptures but had a lot more yet to see, so I kept walking. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Tupper Lake! Tupper Lake! (The Actual Lake)

After a brief stop at the scenic park overlooking the Raquette Flow, I continued south until I arrived at the small city of Tupper Lake. I knew I was there because it truly does sit on the banks of the beautiful Adirondack Tupper Lake. Again, I noticed a city park I hadn't previously seen. The entrance was not plowed, but looked easily passable so in I went. Once again, since it was a city park and the dogs had recently had a good break, I left them in the car as I explored:

Tupper Lake is quite large and although the day was overcast, I could see some Adirondack mountains on the far shore. The surface was frozen out some distance from the shoreline and, in all honesty, it reminded me of the frozen shores of Lake Erie from my boyhood:

Clouds, snow and ice in all directions:

There was a little observation deck overlooking the lake. I went up to take a closer look:

I imagine that the view is peaceful and lovely in the warmer parts of the year. But in winter it's darn cold and blustery:

I set my camera to self-timer and put it atop a post to take my own photo. But the wind was blowing so hard that I worried it might topple the camera off the post at any moment. I suspect that the strong wind was responsible for this blurry result:

If this scene makes you shiver, then you are interpreting it correctly. It was cold and windy. The dogs were lucky to have stayed inside the car:

Looking southward down the shoreline. That's where we were heading. Both the highway and the city follow the long shoreline of Tupper Lake:

As I drove down through the city of Tupper Lake, I stopped to snap a picture of the giant woodsman, carved out of a single tree trunk. Behind the statue were some structures which I imagined were the home of Tupper Lake's annual "Woodsmen's Days. Each year there is a celebration with parades, lumberjack competitions, horse pulls, big equipment contests, chainsaw carving, greased pole climbing, etc. Tupper Lake is a traditional lumber town: