“I’m not in Iowa anymore,” I thought last week as I sat on the middle deck of a ship enjoying a leisurely afternoon cruise on Lake George, the longest inland lake in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.

We motored along at a steady pace that allowed plenty of time to see what the captain pointed out as he announced from the speaker. He told us tidbits like, “The large house you see on your left was built by the Peabody family early in the last century. Some of the family would come from New York City to spend their summers by the lake in the mountains, where they would entertain their friends and business associates.”

That was just one of the prominent families with property on Lake George, I learned that day. These were businessmen, presidents and founders of companies, men who owned professional sports teams. Their summer homes were not of the cottage type, all lined up in rows close to the shore. Instead, these lakeside homes actually had grounds that were landscaped and manicured. There were private docks to the lake, some of them camouflaged by trees along the shore. Several of these homes were located alone on peninsulas or small islands just off the shore of this lake that’s reputed to be one of the cleanest in the state..

To call these amazing homes “upscale” doesn’t begin to describe them. It reinforced my realization that I wasn’t in Iowa any longer. But then I had that sensation again and again while I was gone last week.

I learned that Adirondacks doesn’t just refer to chairs. There are the lovely Adirondack Mountains of northern New York state, where I spent four days at a camp on a learning adventure with a few dozen other folks from around the county. This property, now a National Historic Landmark, was owned by the Alfred Vanderbilt family, who developed it in the late 1890s for their private escape from the city for their family and the friends they entertained there. It’s located on a peninsula that juts out into a clear, pristine lake. The road to reach the main lodge is four miles through the forest from the highway.

All of the buildings at the camp are rustic yet welcoming and comfortable. There seemed to be fireplaces everywhere, including one in the dining hall with a fire box where I’m sure I could have stood erect. At the other end of the dining hall there were windows all around the circular table that showcased a perfect view of the lake, surrounded by tree-covered mountains that were just starting to turn their fall colors last week.

This trip reminded me again of one of the benefits of travelling — seeing a new place so different from home. It does a soul good.