MOUNTAIN AL COMIC STRIPS

Any similarities to anyone living or dead is purely INTENTIONAL!!
SOME 2008 CARTOONS FROM THE ENTERPRISE

EMPTYPRIZE 2008
SARANAC LAKE BUILDING PROJECT
ANSWER TO GOOSE SITUATION?
RL STEVENSON COTTAGE SAGA
RL STEVENSON COTTAGE SAGA CONTINUES

26 MOUNTAIN AL CARTOONS FROM THE LAKE PLACID NEWS-70's & 80's

WHEN THE LAKE PLACID HILTON WAS PREPARING TO BUILD IT'S NEW HOTEL IT WAS MET WITH THE USUAL OPPOSITION. A LOOK BACK SHOWS THAT THINGS DON'T REALLY CHANGE!
TILTIN' WITH THE HILTON

AFTER THE BLOWDOWN OF 1950 SOME OF THE DOWNED TIMBER WAS RESCUED AND USED TO BUILD A LOG CABIN FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION. IN THE SEVENTIES IT WAS ALMOST CONDEMNED BECAUSE OF TERMITES BUT AT THE LAST MOMENT THE APA TOOK IT OVER. SOON AFTER, AN ARSONIST WAS FOILED IN AN ATTEMPT TO BURN IT. LATER, THE APA BUILT LARGER QUARTERS AND THE SARANAC LAKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFERED TO BUY IT AND MOVE IT TO SARANAC LAKE, WHERE IT WOULD RESIDE ON THE LAKE FLOWER SHORE. THIS NEVER CAME TO PASS. IF THE CABIN COULD TALK THIS MIGHT BE WHAT IT WOULD HAVE SAID.
A LOG CABIN'S DIALOGUE

OLD NOAH, WAS RUNNING FOR FOR ASSEMBLYMAN IN ORDER TO FIGHT THE APA. HE FINALLY GAVE UP AND WENT TO WORK FOR THE LAKE PLACID HORSE SHOW. HE FIGURED THIS WOULD BE THE CLOSEST HE WOULD GET TO THE ALBANY POLITICAL SCENE.
HORSE'S ASPIRATIONS

WHEN IT SNOWS IN THE ADIRONDACKS THE HILLS COME ALIVE WITH RECREATIONALISTS---THAT IS IF YOU CAN GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE!
SNOWED INN

THE FIRST DAY OF BOBSLEDDING CONSISTS OF A SMOOTH MILE-LONG RIDE--THEN YOU GET OFF THE TRUCK AT THE TOP!
DOWNHILL FROM HERE

DURING THE LATE 70's RIVER STREET WAS BEING TORN UP FOR THE NEW HIGHWAY AND THE POTHOLES WERE BIG. HOW BIG?
IN THE HOLE

ST. FRANCIS ACADEMY IS LOCATED A COUPLE OF MILES FROM LAKE PLACID. TROUBLED YOUTHS ARE OFTEN REFERRED HERE TO GET THEM ON THE RIGHT PATH IN LIFE. THERE ARE MANY SUCCESS STORIES ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT THEY CALL "CAMELOT". ONE NIGHT ONE OF THE YOUTHS WALKED OFF AND THIS CAUSED MUCH CONCERN WITH A GROUP OF CITIZENS OF LAKE PLACID. WITH A TYPICAL NIMBY REACTION, THEY WANTED TO DO AWAY WITH THE PROGRAM! THIS IS MOUNTAIN AL'S VIEW OF THE SITUATION. TROUBLE IN PARADISE

ONE DAY, BACK IN THE LATE 80'S, THESE STORIES WERE ACTUALLY BOTH INCLUDED IN THE SAME LOCAL RADIO NEWSCAST. A WINDFALL FOR MOUNTAIN AL! GOOD TASTE

THIS CARTOON WAS ALSO INSPIRED BY THE "DUCK DROPPING" CONTROVERSY IN LAKE PLACID. PROTECTING THE LAKE

IN FRONT OF THE OLYMPIC ARENA A HUGE PILE OF SNOW LIES ALL YEAR ROUND. IT'S ACTUALLY A PILE OF SWEEPINGS FROM THE RINK. THE SIGN ABOVE IT ONCE STATED, "IT'S NO MIRAGE, IT'S REAL SNOW". AFTER THE "MIRACLE ON ICE" OF THE 80 OLYMPICS IT WAS CHANGED TO, "IT'S NO MIRACLE, IT'S REAL SNOW". MOUNTAIN AL, AFTER FINDING A RARE (IN LAKE PLACID) PARKING SPACE, CHANGED IT ONCE AGAIN. THE MIRACLE

IN THE 80'S SOME GOVERNMENT BIG-WIGS THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO DESIGNATE THE ADIRONDACKS AS A "BIOSPHERE RESERVE" THEY SAID IT WOULD BE A GREAT GIFT TO THE PEOPLE OF THE ADIRONDACKS AND HELP PROTECT US FROM "THE ENCROACHMENT OF CIVILIZATION". THE GIFT

TRAIL BIKES WERE DECLARED A HAZARD TO HIKING TRAILS AND BANNED FROM MOST TRAILS YEARS AGO. MOUNTAIN AL HAD A BRAINSTORM AND CAME UP WITH THIS MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, WHICH HE FIGURED WOULD BE LESS DEMANDING OF THE ENVIRONMENT. STRANGE NEW THREAT

HERE'S HIS SECOND INNOVATION. ANOTHER TRY

IN THE 80S IT WAS DECIDED THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY HIKERS ON THE TRAILS. ENVIRONMENTALISTS COINED THE TERM, "GREENLOCK" TO DESCRIBE THE PHENOMENON. ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO LOWER THE NUMBERS OF VISITORS. MOUNTAIN AL CAME UP WITH ANOTHER TERM TO DESCRIBE THE EXPECTED RESULTS OF THESE ACTIONS. GREENLOCK

BACK WHEN WAL-MART WAS ATTEMPTING TO PUT A STORE IN LAKE PLACID THE APA KEPT SENDING THEM BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD TO DOWNSCALE THE SIZE OF THE OPERATION. THIS WAS THE FINAL VERSION OF THE STORE! FINAL PLAN

LANGDON MARSH, PAST COMMISSIONER OF THE DEC, HAD A GREAT REMEDY FOR A COUPLE OF THE PROBLEMS FACED BY PARK RANGERS, LOST HIKERS AND STRAY DOGS. LANGDON'S REMEDY

SOME YEARS AGO, LAKE PLACID WAS ALREADY HAVING PARKING PROBLEMS. THE VILLAGE BOARD DECIDED TO HIRE A "PARKING DIRECTOR" WHO WILL REMAIN ANONYMOUS HERE. HIS DEMANDS, INSTEAD OF A PAYCHECK, WERE, 60% OF THE PARKING METER REVENUES AND 30% OF THE FINES. THE BOARD ACTUALLY FELL FOR IT! HE WAS LET GO A FEW WEEKS AFTER THIS CARTOON WAS RUN. PARKING DIRECTOR CON-MAN

THIS CARTOON WAS DONE WHEN THE "RESIDENTS FOR RESPONSIBLE GROWTH" WAS ORGANIZED TO PROTECT OUR SMALL TOWN ATMOSPHERE FROM BIG-NAME BUSINESSES. HMMMM, A LITTLE LATE WEREN'T WE? RESIDENTS FOR RESPONSIBLE GROWTH

IN THIS CARTOON MOUNTAIN AL OBSERVES THE RESULTS OF THE A.P.A. "GET TOUGH" RESTRICTIONS ON CUTTING BRUSH A.P.A. RESTRICTIONS

THIS CARTOON LAMPOONED DR. RICHARD HANDLER'S FIGHT TO GET RID OF THE "GREEN SLIME" WHICH WAS TAKING OVER LOWER SARANAC LAKE. DR. HANDLER FOUGHT A LONG BATTLE WITH NYS BUREAUCRATS TO END THE POLLUTION. THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR TO THE PROBLEM WAS THE NYS FISH HATCHERY, WHICH WAS RELEASING POLLUTANTS, IN THE FORM OF LEFTOVER FISH FOOD, INTO THE LAKE FROM IT'S HATCHERY IN LAKE CLEAR. THE GOOD DOCTOR'S FIGHT WAS EVENTUALLY WON AND THE SHORES ARE NOW CLEAR---AT LEAST FOR NOW. GREEN SLIME

THE INFAMOUS ICE STORM OF '98 BROUGHT THE NORTH COUNTRY TO IT'S KNEES FOR WEEKS. THE AREA STILL BEARS THE SCARS OF MOTHER NATURE'S WRATH. PORTABLE GENERATORS ARE NOW STOCK ITEMS IN MOST ADIRONDACK HOMES, WITH GOOD REASON. THE MEMORY OF WHAT MOTHER NATURE IS CAPABLE OF REMAINS DEEP SEATED IN EVERY ADIRONDACKER'S MIND. THIS WAS JUST HER SUBTLE WAY OF SAYING, "WHO'S YOUR MAMA?". WE SURVIVED ICE STORM '98

A GROUP OF CITIZENS HAD APPROACHED THE VILLAGE FATHERS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT BARKING DOGS. THE VILLAGE BOARD DECLARED THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP DOGS FROM BARKING BUT INSTITUTED A RATHER FUZZY "UNREASONABLE BARKING" LAW. CORKY, THE YODELING MONGREL, WAS CHOSEN TO TEST THE TEETH OF THIS LAW IN A RATHER UNIQUE FASHION. THE SUB-WOOFER

THAT SAME GROUP OF CITIZENS, DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, ONCE AGAIN APPROACHED THE VILLAGE FATHERS; THIS TIME TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SANTA CLAUS. THEY SAID THAT THE BELL RINGING WAS CAUSING EXCESSIVE NOISE ON THE STREET AND RUINING THEIR HOLIDAY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. THEY WANTED THE NOISE ELIMINATED PROMPTLY BY ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER. JAILING THE OFFENDERS WAS DISCUSSED. EGGPLANT, HOWEVER, WAS A VERY STUBBORN ST. NICK, AS ILLUSTRATED IN THIS CARTOON. HO, HO, HUH?

"Peter Paine was an original and the longest-serving member of the NYS Adirondack Park Agency (1971-1995), Peter Paine was principal draftsman of the Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act and of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. He fought for Wilderness designations and for sound planning guidelines for the entire Adirondack Forest Preserve. Peter conceived of and embraced the master plan’s unifying theme: that the protection and preservation of the natural resources of these state lands is paramount.Blah, Blah, Blah."
BACK AROUND 1994, PETER FOUGHT TO HAVE VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE SIGNS IN WILMINGTON REMOVED BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T FIT IN WITH HIS CONCEPTION OF THE ADIRONDACK PARK. THE CITIZENS OF WILMINGTON WERE IN AN UPROAR! MOUNTAIN AL'S ANSWER TO PETER WAS IN THE FORM OF THIS BURMA-SHAVE STYLE SIGNAGE. PETER WAS OBVIOUSLY AMUSED AS HE ASKED FOR THE ORIGINAL OF THIS CARTOON WHEN HE LEFT THE APA IN 1995. PETER MAY HAVE BEEN A PAIN IN THE ASPLINS BUT, WITH HIS DEPARTURE, MOUNTAIN AL LOST A WORTHY TARGET FOR HIS SARCASTIC BARBS.
PETER PAINE - SIGN OF THE TIMES

BEFORE THE 80 WINTER OLYMPICS, MILLER LITE FILMED A COMMERCIAL FEATURING A LUGER SLIDING THE RUN AND A BOWLER, WHO ROLLED A BALL DOWN THE RUN IN AN ATTEMPT TO KNOCK THE HAPLESS LUGER FROM HIS SLED. THIS DREW SOME HEATED LETTERS FROM SPORTS FANS. GUTTER BALL

IN 1993 THE ADIRONDACK RAILROAD BEGAN WORK ON THE RAIL LINE FROM SARANAC LAKE TO LAKE PLACID. THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO BUT THERE WERE ALSO A LOT OF PEOPLE INTERESTED ENOUGH TO DONATE TIME AND CAPITAL TO SEE IT THROUGH. ON THE RIGHT TRACK

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2000 EXCITEMENT WAS HIGH AS THE FIRST TRAIN IN MANY YEARS MADE THE TRIP BETWEEN SARANAC LAKE AND LAKE PLACID. WORK IS NOW IN PROGRESS TO COMPLETE THE SECOND LEG OF THE JOURNEY TO TUPPER LAKE. NEXT STOP, UTICA. THE END OF THE BEGINNING

SOME TALL TALES

ADIRONDACK MAPLEBERRY FESTIVAL Could this be the return of an old Adirondack tradition or the result of too much Mapleberry Wine?

SCARS ON ICE Have you ever seen an old guy ice fishing all alone and wondered why he was smiling? Did you wonder if he was lonely? DON'T BOTHER HIM!! Scars On Ice(click Mountain Al)

WHAT'S THE SARANAC LAKE / ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO CONNECTION?

BLOOMINGDALE MOOSE PROJECT I believe you've all heard about the gigantic moose seen by residents of Bloomingdale lately. Here's the real story. The Bloomingdale Moose Project(click moose)

VERMONTVILLE TURKEY TURMOIL Like most towns, Vermontville has a few turkeys included in it's confines but, unlike some towns, these are of the wild variety. The Vermontville Turkey Turmoil(click turkey)