Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in the Adirondack Park yesterday, where he joined some of the state's most powerful politicians and business leaders on a whitewater rafting trip down the Indian River.
Cuomo says his "Adirondack Challenge," held in the town of Indian Lake, is meant to draw attention and more visitors to destinations in Upstate New York.
"I want to expose this part of the state of New York," Cuomo said. "It is a magnificent part of the state, as you can see. Tourism is a big business for us, it's a big part of the economy and this has great potential."
The event also promotes Cuomo's pledge to help turn wild lands in the Adirondacks -- including a new $50 million expansion of the Park's "forever wild" forest preserve -- into an economic engine for local businesses and communities.
Cuomo's event drew reporters from all over the US, many of them experiencing the wild Adirondacks for the first time. Susan Arbetter hosts the public radio magazine "Capital Pressroom."
"It is absolutely magnificent," Arbetter said. "It is everything that you would dream the Adirondacks should be. We see beautiful, clear water with whitecaps, bookended by gorgeous green trees!"
Later this morning, Cuomo will host a second race on the Indian River -- this time against New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.