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Highway 3 wound first through tiny Victorian towns that were close to becoming ghost towns and then began to climb into the mountains. Around Tupper Lake, the landscape took a dramatic turn, and the hills rolled on for mile after mile, clad in saturated shades of crimson and gold. Deep emerald conifers spilled among the warm colors of the hardwoods, creating a rich autumn tapestry. Twenty-five hundred lakes and more than 30,000 miles of rivers and streams sparkle like gemstones in this brilliant mosaic. We'd never seen fall color on such a grand scale. Traffic was light, and we pulled off the road frequently to photograph the dazzling views.

During the 1700s, Algonquins and Iroquois hunted game in these mountains, using the waterways for their travel. In winter the Algonquins survived here by eating tree bark. The Iroquois called them "Adirondacks" meaningbark eaters. The first white man, too, explored the mountains by these waters, using an elongated, oval-- shaped work-boat that came to be known as the "Adirondack Guide Boat." Until the late 1800s these waterways were the primary means of transportation through the Adirondacks.

Adirondack Park is a natural sanctuary consisting of six million acres that cover nearly a third of New York state and make up the largest wilderness preserve in the country outside of Alaska. Unlike other state or federal parks that are composed entirely of public lands, the Adirondacks are a mix of 2 1/2 million acres of public land and 3 1/2 million acres of private property. More than 130,000 people live in the park year-round and at least 100 little towns surround the area.

The Adirondacks have fallen on hard times since the l9th century when mining, logging and manufacturing boomed, and grand hotels and great hunting lodges brought economic prosperity to the region. Today, with a decline in these industries, jobs are scarce and mostly related to tourism as people come to enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, canoeing and winter sports of all kinds. For sale signs sprout up on elegant old houses that have seen better days and the prices seem shockingly low. The population is fairly light, even though much of the park is within a day's drive of 70 million people.

But the Adirondacks are being rediscovered now as people see the low prices on homes and figure creative ways to make a living in an area where jobs are hard to find. Many discover they can actually live this appealing lifestyle in this beautiful environment and telecommute by computer to jobs anywhere in the nation, maybe in the world. People who love the Adirondacks love them with a passion and I can see why.

Not knowing the area, we weren't exactly sure just where to stay in the Lake Placid area, but found that our choice of the North Pole Campground, listed in the Trailer Life Directory under Wilmington, was a good one.

We chose the Lake Placid area after meeting a couple from there in a Good Sam campground in Montana. They told us that Lake Placid had the finest fall colors on the entire East Coast; however they cautioned us to arrive by the middle of September or we could very well miss the color peak.

We spent our first day in Lake Placid, where the Olympics' winter games of 1932 and 1980 were held. A visitor can shop for arts and crafts, ski togs, antiques, fine chocolate or eat in any number of restaurants in this very busy resort town. We bought outstanding, handmade Adirondack chocolates at the Candy Man, and I made a complete pig of myself (I have no restraint when it comes to really good chocolate).

Of course, you will want to tour the Olympic Games' sites and watch both beginning and world-class athletes in practice. When touring the Olympic Center, be sure to compare the current ice-skating rink with the one used for the '32 Games. Even in summer you can ride the luge and bobsled, reaching speeds up to 50 miles an hour. A tour package, available at any of the attractions or numerous businesses around town, will allow you to enjoy many of the Olympic sites for a discounted price.

We needed a little excercise after eating all those chocolates, so we finished our day with a stroll around Mirror Lake (a , handicapped-accessible trail that is right downtown). For a modest fee, we could have toured the lake by boat from the marina.

Since the focus of your visit to Lake Placid may very well be viewing the fall colors as we did, I think you will enjoy taking the same loop tours we made. The scenery is superb and photo opportunities are everywhere.

The sun was out the next morning and we could see the sparkle of snow on the tip of Whiteface Mountain, New York's fifth-highest peak. (This is one of the East Coast's premiere skiing areas, and it was the site of the alpine skiing events for the '80 Winter Olympics.) We decided this would be our destination for the day.

If you have children with you, you will want to stop at Santa's Workshop, known as the oldest theme park in the country

Just a few miles up Highway 431 you enter the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, where a 5-mile drive takes you up the mountain to the "Castle" just below the summit. This is a building made from granite excavated during the highway construction, and it houses a gift shop and lunch counter.

Don't take your motorhome up here as parking is limited. You'll also want to get an early start because once the lot is full you have to wait for someone to come down before you can go up. But the trip is worth it. Once you park you can either hike the steep, one-fifth-mile trail to the top or take the elevator, which is located in a tunnel deep inside the mountain. By all means take the elevator; it's an interesting experience.

From the mountain top the 360-degree view is astounding. You can truly appreciate the vastness of the Adirondacks as you look down over Lake Placid, with its three islands, and then mile upon mile of brilliant autumn colors. On a clear day you can see from Vermont to Canada. Dress warmly for this outing as it is cold up here.

The next day we drove east on Highway 89 just a few miles to scenic Highway 9N. Frost sparkled in the brush along the road, but the sun was shining and the morning was soon warm. We passed an old covered bridge undergoing restoration at the little town of Jay, where we turned south on 9N toward Keene (a tiny town filled with more historic buildings and quaint shops).

Just past Keene we turned south on Highway 73, traveling through the Keene Valley. The surrounding mountains are a mecca for hikers, and you will have plenty of opportunity to park and hike for as many or as few miles into the backcountry as you wish.

Flaming hillsides of fall colors had us stopping frequently for photographs and spending some time on the trails where crisp leaves crunched delightfully beneath our feet. I wouldn't have believed the vastness and intensity of the colors if I hadn't seen them for myself. Pictures don't begin to give you an accurate feel for the scale of the autumn color saturation here.

Highway 73 runs along the Ausable River, a popular trout stream. Today, it was filled with fishermen. At Highway 9 we turned north toward Elizabethtown. You may want to stop at the Adirondack Center Museum here.

Traveling on, we turned west on 9N and north on 73 to return to Lake Placid. Just before reaching town we found the John Brown Farm Historic State Park, which is the restored home of the famed abolitionist.

The house is furnished with period pieces, and I was astounded at the tiny beds. The docent told us that, in addition to being smaller, people in those days had many lung diseases and were afraid to sleep in a prone position, so they slept practically sitting up and the beds didn't have to be very long. There is no charge to tour this facility or to hike the trails around the fields.

Our next drive took us north on Highway 9N along the Ausable River. Roadside stands sold apples and homemade cider. Your tourism dollars are very welcome here and people love to share information on sights "not to be missed." We stopped at Ausable Chasm to view the waterfalls and the 1 3/4-mile-long gorge created 500 million years ago by the river. If you like river rafting, professionally guided rides are available.

From here, since we were heading for Vermont, we drove out to Port Kent to check out the Lake Champlain ferry. This boat accommodates motorhomes of all sizes and the fees are reasonable.

On our last day at Lake Placid we took Highway 431 toward Whiteface Mountain but turned off to the right on Highway 18. This backroad winds through more gorgeous fall colors and past sparkling lakes, vacation homes and abandoned farmhouses on its way to Saranac Lake, which is designated an All-- America City. We stopped there for lunch, and then visited the Twin Crystal Rock Shop on Broadway.

With the fantastic fall foliage, fabulous forests and vibrant vistas, I can see why my grandparents loved the Adirondacks-we do too.