The things you learn on the Jay Peak Tram...

Sklinda and Dogski were down at Jay Peak last weekend for a little summertime R&R. They probably never expected that they would learn a Jay Peak history lesson, including the fact that our Jonny Jay, while certainly original, is not the first John Jay! Jay Peak, like many other mountains around the world, is named for some politician who never set foot or even laid eyes on the hill. And I'll bet he wasn't a skier.

Hi,

So it is amazing what you learn on a tram ride! Maybe you knew this but it was new to us. Jay Peak was named after John Jay one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence (editor's note: interweb research reveals that John Jay retired from the first Congress in 1776 rather than sign the Declaration. Nevertheless, he is an important figure in early US political history. Hey, we're Canadians, who knew?). The tram driver (not George) said that to everyone's knowledge he never set foot on the mountain. He eventually became governor of New York.

The excavation for the new Hotel Jay and water park is roaring along. The footings are in. It is hard to imagine what the old Jay looked like! The golf course clubhouse is beautiful - a lovely restaurant inside. We had a skate which was really fun. They even rent figure skates and for a senior like me the cost was $1. Jack caught two trout in the river.

 The first John Jay obviously started the tradition of orange and black regalia

The Real Jonny Jay taking a breather on the hike to Andre's Paradise, 
resplendent (as always) in his orange and black regalia