Slideshow: Adirondack Camps

I love old houses. In fact, the older and more decrepit the house, the more interesting I find it. It’s a combination of being fascinated by both the home and the personal histories of those that lived there.

Wherever we travel, I seem to always be able to narrow in on the aging real estate of our destination—something akin to a more modern version of an ancient ruins tour. My husband has become accustomed to me exclaiming, “slow down, old house,” as we motor along in our minivan.

Such was the case during our recent vacation in the Adirondack region of upstate New York, a part of the country steeped in a fascinating history of remote existences. Everywhere I turned, I found homes and cabins—called camps—that looked as if they hadn’t changed much in the better part of a century.

The characteristics that most of the properties in the region seemed to share were stone fireplaces and metal roofs—both key features in an area that gets pummeled with an incredible amount of snow every year. Many of the homes were positioned to best take advantage of a lake view or their proximity to one of the many small towns in the area.

I was content to take pictures and appreciate the lasting style of the structures, much to my husband’s relief. If we had been with my mother—a much more intrepid house hunter than I—she would have been knocking on doors, asking for a personal tour.

Maybe on our next trip.