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Sept 19, 2016 Warren, PA

With the autumn chill beginning to nip at our heels, we left western New York and headed south to Pennsylvania. We passed farmland and fields preparing the fall harvest. We arrived in western Pennsylvania for a 4 night stay at Buckaloons Recreation Area in the Allegheny National Forest outside of Warren. The French were here in 1749.
On Tuesday we drove twenty miles north to Jamestown, New York right over the Pennsylvania border. I had been looking forward to this all summer because Jamestown is the birthplace of my favorite television personality of all time, Lucille Ball. For as far back in time as I can remember, I have loved Lucy! In Jamestown is Desilu Studios, a re-creation of the studio soundstage where “I Love Lucy” was filmed. In a separate building is the Lucy-Desi Museum detailing the lives and careers of Lucy (‎Lucille Désirée Ball) and Desi (Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III, better known as Desi Arnaz).
First we went to the Desilu Studios where they had re-creations of the living room and kitchen sets from “I Love Lucy” as well as the Hollywood hotel suite from the show. Memorabilia and costumes from the show were on display, along with information on Fred and Ethel (William Frawley and Vivian Vance).
The Lucy-Desi Museum had eight galleries with displays, gowns and costumes, photographs and personal memorabilia for both Lucy and Ricky, including Lucy’s 1972 gold Mercedes-Benz and her grade-school piano.
For twenty five years the town of Jamestown has had a Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, giving new comedians a stage to showcase their talent. Famous comedians have traveled to Jamestown to support the festival with their performances, including Joan Rivers, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, the Smothers Brothers, Bob Newhart and more than 100 others.
While in Jamestown we also drove by Lucy’s birthplace,

her childhood home in nearby Celeron,

and Lake View Cemetery where Lucy’s ashes are buried.

Lucy and Desi were married November 29, 1940.

Throughout the town are four Lucy murals.
On Wednesday we drove to Titusville, Pennsylvania to tour the Drake Well Museum. We were surprised to find another Titusville in the United States since we were familiar with Titusville, Florida. We discovered that Titusville, Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the American oil industry. In 1859 crude oil was found from the world’s first successful commercial well by Edwin L. Drake. Drake came to Titusville as an agent for the Seneca Oil Company. Oil naturally seeped along Oil Creek, but Drake and his driller, Uncle Billy Smith, adapted existing soft well technology and struck oil. This sweet crude oil (Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil) is a type of petroleum with less than 0.42% sulfur. The Drake Well Museum has a comprehensive display of over 500 artifacts detailing the history of oil production in the United States. We watched a film called “The Valley That Changed the World” telling the story of oil discovery in Titusville.
On the museum grounds they had replicas of various buildings from the 1800’s as well as drilling rigs and derricks. In one building they had a full size replica of Edwin Drake’s engine house and derrick that encloses the famous well that struck oil in 1859. Also included were working reproductions of the wood-fired boiler and steam engine that Drake used to drill and pump oil. The museum guide turned on the engine to show us how it worked. We enjoyed talking with him about the history of Titusville. After Drake’s discovery of oil, people poured into the town to buy oil leases and work in the new businesses that sprang up. Churches, schools and banks were built and refineries grew throughout the region. Oil related machinery was designed and produced in Titusville.

Here is the how the steam-powered engine drilled then pumped the oil https://youtu.be/SlGsukrneLg

The town became known as “Queen City” because of its rich cultural opportunities including the first opera house in the area. Main Street was lined with beautiful mansions from money made by oil. Today those mansions still stand as evidence of the town’s past wealth, though the population and wealth has steadily declined over the years.

And this sign talked about how many men made money and then loss their money it also suggests that Lincoln may have lived.
The museum certainly exceeded our expectations and we easily spent a couple hours there touring the museum and grounds.

During the early years of oil drilling “torpedoes” were used to increase the yield. These torpedoes consisted of nitroglycerin dropped into the drill hole. Nitroglycerin was carried by horse and wagon and then to motorized vehicles like this dodge truck.
John Heisman, for whom the Heisman Trophy is named, grew up in Titusville and played a rugby style version of football here in the 1880’s.
The next blog will continue our Pennsylvania travels.

Sept. 15, 2016 Letchworth State Park, NY

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Thursday we left Niagara Falls and headed to our last stop in New York State. Along the way we passed around Buffalo. This city gets its electricity from Niagara Falls and was the first city in the country to have electric street lights. The traffic around Buffalo was pretty heavy even though it was past the morning rush hour.
We arrived at Letchworth State Park near Castile. This park was not originally on our planned itinerary. We had actually booked a different state park. But when we were in Seneca Falls I happened to read that Letchworth State Park was voted the most beautiful STATE park (not national park) in the United States in a 2015 USA Today Reader’s Poll. So of course we had to change our plans and visit this park.
Also known as the Grand Canyon of the East, Letchworth State Park is 14,350 acres of magnificent beauty along the Genesee River. Tens of millions of years of erosion wore away rock forming river valleys. Glaciers buried areas of the valleys under masses of sand and gravel. Three deep winding canyons are from the Genesee River detouring around the blocked sections of riverbeds. Each year the river cuts deeper into the cliffs, with some cliffs 600 feet in height.
To call it the Grand Canyon of the East is definitely a stretch, but there is no denying the beauty of the seventeen mile Genesee Gorge, the thick forests and the three large waterfalls.

The state park once belonged to the Seneca Indians. In the mid 1800’s William Letchworth purchased 1,000 acres of land and deeded it to the State of New York in 1907 to preserve the land for future generations. Letchworth felt strongly about preserving the Native American history of the Seneca people and Genesee Valley. On the park property is a restored Seneca Indian Council House, the statue and grave of Mary Jemison, and the cabin Mary lived in.

Mary was born in 1743 on the ship “William and Mary” while her parents were en route to America from Northern Ireland. They landed in Philadelphia and Mary and her parents were part of a group of Scots-Irish immigrants who headed west to settle on the frontier. They settled on territory that was under the Iroquois Confederacy. One morning in 1755 at the beginning of the French and Indian War, six Shawnee Indians and four Frenchmen kidnapped fifteen year old Mary and her family. Mary’s family was killed and she was sold to the Seneca Indian tribe. A Seneca family adopted her and she grew up there. She fully assimilated into the Seneca culture, married and moved to Seneca land in what is now Letchworth State Park. She chose to remain with the Senecas her entire life. The Seneca Indians honored Letchworth with the Native American name “Hai-wa-ye-is-tah” meaning “he who does the right thing”.

There are three major falls in Letchworth State Park, the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls. There are short hikes to each fall. Western New York is under an extreme drought so the falls were not as magnificent as they could have been. I would love to see them under normal conditions. In some of the pictures in this blog you can see how low the water level is in the Genesee River.

Middle Falls in the middle and the Upper Falls is in the distance

The Upper Falls is 70 feet high and a horseshoe shape.
The Middle Falls is the largest of the three falls at 107 feet high and 285 feet wide.

The Lower Falls had two ways to view the falls. There is an easy way and then a hike that involved 127 steps down and of course 127 back up. And of course we chose the hard way!

As we were trudged back up the 127 steps a lady in front of us suddenly stopped and called out to Bill for help. There was a big black snake stretched across the steps. Those who know me know I am terrified of snakes. Terrified. I hung back while Bill went up and waited for the snake to move. Mr. Snake took his good old time moving but eventually started slithering up the natural wall. Bill told me to go ahead and just not look to the left. I went up those last 50 steps so fast I don’t even remember climbing them! Bill managed to snap a couple pictures of him before he slithered under some tree roots at the top of the wall.
There is a nice footbridge down at the bottom that takes you from one side of the gorge to the other.

We stopped by a statue of a CCC worker. We owe so many thanks to these young men who worked so hard in state and national parks all over the country so we have such wonderful parks to enjoy today. The stonework steps and walls they labored to put in is amazing, not to mention trails and buildings and picnic tables. The list goes on and on.
We also met a new friend!

Middle falls taken at night

After dinner we drove back to the Middle Falls which is illuminated at night. There was a huge full moon over the falls. What a beautiful, peaceful setting.
We have certainly enjoyed our time in upstate New York. Even with a drought the waterfalls have been magnificent.

The Adirondacks were beautiful and we loved the history we stumbled across in Seneca Falls. On the downside, it is an expensive state to visit. Even the state park campgrounds are pricey, the gas higher, and we paid about $75 in road and bridge tolls. But we would like to return again, perhaps later in the fall when the leaves have turned. But not too much later in the year as the temperature got down to the mid 40s one night at Letchworth!
Next stop: Pennsylvania as we head south

Because there’s a lot of life to live!

Sept 11, 2016 Niagara Falls

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Picturesque Seneca Falls exceeded our expectations and we would have stayed a couple more days but we had reservations at Four Mile Creek Campground about fifteen minutes from Niagara Falls. It was an easy drive and as soon as we got settled in our campground we drove to nearby Fort Niagara.

Originally the fort belonged to the French and was built in 1726. It was expanded to its current size in 1755 because of increased tensions between the French and English. The fort played an important role in the French and Indian War and fell to the British in 1759 during the Battle of Fort Niagara. It served as a British base during the Revolutionary War and was ceded to the United States in 1783 at the end of the war. The British recaptured the fort during the War of 1812 and held it during the remainder of the war. After the war ended they gave it back to the United States. It is now known as Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site and is a National Historic Landmark. It is said the fort is haunted by a French soldier who was beheaded there during a duel and he wanders the grounds looking for his head. The paranormal claims have been investigated by the “Ghost Lab” on the Discovery Channel and on the Syfy series “Ghost Hunters” in 2011.

We also found a marker that indicates that WW II prisoners of war were kept here.

Our campground is located along Lake Ontario and we have a lovely view of the lake from our campsite. On a clear day you can see the Toronto skyline across the water.
Of course our main reason for coming here was to see the mighty Niagara Falls. Monday morning we left bright and early for the short drive to Niagara Falls State Park. There is no charge to enter the park but you do have to pay $8.00 a day for parking. Niagara Falls is America’s FIRST state park, established on July 15, 1885. There are few words to describe the power and beauty of the majestic falls where 750,000 gallons of water PER SECOND flows over Niagara Falls. Today we visited the American side of the falls and can see across the water to Canada. Our first stop was the Observation Tower which provided us with a view of both the American and Horseshoe Falls.

Next up was a ride on the boat, Maid of the Mist. The boat takes you right to the base of Horseshoe Falls where it hovers for several minutes while we are sprayed with water and feel and hear the thunderous falls above us. But first we have to pay admission where we are handed a poncho to wear before boarding the boat. The ride was short but it was exciting to be that close to the bottom of the falls and we could only gaze in wonder. It was hard to get pictures because it was so wet we had to place the camera in a plastic bag to keep it from being ruined. Between the water and the heavy mist it was hard to get pictures but I think Bill did a great job as always. In some of the pictures you can see the boat we road on down below.

We walked on some stairs near where the boat let us out.

Next we wanted to do Cave of the Winds, but first we had quite a long walk from one side of the park to another. For those unable to walk there is a shuttle to take you around the park for a small fee.
The walk was a wonderful way to see the falls and park. We walked across a pedestrian bridge onto Goat Island. There we walked to the overlook to view Horseshoe Falls which is on the Canadian side. We walked past a memorial to Nikola Tesla, an idol of Bill’s. This is where the first hydroelectric power plant was made and used to provide electricity to Buffalo NY.

We viewed the American falls from Goat Island.

We then bought tickets to our next attraction, Cave of the Winds. Here we were given another poncho, water shoes and a bag to put our own shoes in. We were then taken 175 feet down in an elevator where we walked along a series of steps and boardwalks at the base of the Bridal Veil Falls.

One location was called “Hurricane Deck ” where the power and wind from the thundering falls simulated a hurricane. It was really fun and despite the ponchos we both got wet. One amazing thing is every November the walkways and boardwalks are removed so they do not get caught in icy waters in the winter. In the spring they are rebuilt for summer tourists.

We finally took a view of the Horseshoe Falls which has one side in the USA and the other in Canada.
After a walk back over the pedestrian bridge to the parking lot, we were tired and hungry. We grabbed a late lunch. On the way home we stopped by Whirlpool State Park where we walked down to an overlook of the Niagara Whirlpool on the Niagara River and the Niagara Gorge.
Tuesday we drove across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. The view of the falls is prettier from this side because you have more of a direct view of both the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The Horseshoe Falls is located on the Canadian side of the river. Another difference is when you look at the falls from the United States you look across the water at Canada. The Canadian side is very touristy with hotels, casinos, a ferris wheel etc. When you stand in Canada and look across the water at the American side you are looking at Niagara Falls State Park with plenty of trees and green space. Much more appealing!

We also took this video of the American falls from the Canadian side https://youtu.be/pfDoIUPj6Qw

After getting a few pictures in daylight we grabbed dinner and waited for it to get dark. At 8:30 PM they illuminate the Horseshoe falls with multicolored lights. We were a little disappointed that the lights were not deeper in color. It was really hard to get a decent picture with the darkness, moving water and mist.

This is chart that show how the Horseshoe Falls has receded over the years because the rock wall face underneath crumbles.
It was going to be a long walk uphill back to the car in the dark so we paid to ride the Inclined Railway (funicular) back up the hill. After driving back across the border into the United States we arrived back home.
We enjoyed our short time at Niagara Falls and will next head to our last stop in New York State.

Here is a nighttime video of Horseshoe falls taken from the Canadian side. https://youtu.be/qBXjLr1Ns-8

Sept 8, 2016 Seneca Falls, NY

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Thursday morning we left the Adirondacks and headed west to Seneca Falls, population 6,700. We thought it was going to be a short three night stop on our way to Niagara Falls without much to see or do. Boy were we wrong!!
We camped at Cayuga Lake State Park near beautiful Cayuga Lake, one of the longest of the Finger Lakes. During the past million years, glaciers covered New York state. As they moved through river valleys they carved deep troughs with steep sides. When the glaciers receded about 10,000 years ago, water filled these troughs, creating eleven Finger Lakes. Cayuga Lake is thirty-eight miles long and 435 feet deep at its deepest spot. Cayuga Lake is named after the Cayuga Indians, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois in New York.

I was looking through some literature about the area and came across Watkins Glen State Park about thirty minutes from our campground. I read that in 2015 it was voted the third most beautiful state park in the country in a USA Today poll. All the reviews I read talked about a gorgeous 1.5 mile (three miles roundtrip) hike with 832 steps and nineteen waterfalls. We both love waterfalls so even though the 832 steps seemed a bit daunting, we decided to give it a try.
We headed out early Friday morning. On the way to Watkins Glen we came across a plaque in the small town of Waterloo. We had no idea that Waterloo, NY was the official birthplace of Memorial Day, with the first ceremony held in 1866. Some of the interesting things we just happen to stumble across is amazing to us. We drove beside Seneca Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes and the deepest lake in the state.
We didn’t realize that the town of Watkins Glen is renowned for auto racing and is considered the birthplace of American racing. Since 1948 Watkins Gen has hosted international automobile car racing and in 2015 was voted the best NASCAR track in the country in a USA Today Reader’s Poll. The town has an International Motor Racing Research Center with 5,000 square feet of racing history. From April through September they host NASCAR sports car and racing events. This weekend was the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix and as we drove down Main Street they were getting ready to close off the street for a parade. To our dismay we discovered that even though the state park was open, the parking lot was closed. We asked where we could park and they said our only option was to find a parking lot or side street parking, which seemed highly unlikely on a parade day in a tiny town. Across the street from the park was a restaurant and Bill decided to go inside and ask if we could park in their restaurant parking lot for a few hours. I told him there was no way they would allow that on parade day. We pulled into the lot and I stayed with the car while he went inside to ask. He came back a few minutes later and said the owner said no problem and refused to take any money. Yeah!!
We grabbed our walking sticks and headed over to the entrance. We had an idea what was ahead when we saw a beautiful waterfall at the entrance. This park certainly lived up to its #3 best ranking. Everywhere we looked there was beauty. We were apprehensive about the steps but they were nice stone steps put in years ago by the CCC and easy to climb. I had worried they might be uneven and slick, but no problem. The hike on the Gorge Trail was not tiring at all because we were constantly stopping to gaze in wonder and awe at the beauty. We followed the gorge trail as it wound over and under waterfalls.
At the end we walked up the last of the stairs which were steel steps called “Jacob’s Ladder”. Once at the top we could either walk back down the 832 steps or take the easy “Indian Trail” back. We chose the easy hike and once we were back to the car we put our hiking gear away and decided to go into the restaurant for a late lunch. We thought it was a small way to thank them for letting us park in their lot. Bill had lunch and I had a big slice of fresh blueberry pie! On the way home we took a different route and followed Cayuga Lake seeing wineries along the lake.
On Saturday we decided to spend our last day in Seneca Falls exploring the small town and finding some geocaches. First we stopped by the town Visitors Center which had a fantastic museum detailing the history of the town. European settlers first moved to the area and began farming. In the 1820’s the construction of the Erie Canal changed Seneca Falls to an industrial and shipping center. We were surprised to see all the items designed and manufactured there from water pumps, TV picture tubes to wooden rulers.
Seneca Falls is the birthplace of the Women’s Rights Movement led by resident Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The first women’s rights convention was held here on July 19-20, 1848. Today there is a Women’s Rights National Historical Park, established in 1980, in the middle of town. We stopped by the park, saw a film and looked at the exhibits. Amelia Bloomer, for whom bloomers were named, lived in Seneca Falls. She didn’t invent bloomers but wore them and promoted them in magazines.
Our last stop of the day was at the “It’s a Wonderful Life” museum. In 1945 Frank Capra stopped by Seneca Falls to get a haircut on his way to visit his sister. It is said that he was so taken with the quaint little town that it was his inspiration for the fictional town of Bedford Falls in the famous Christmas movie. There are several similarities between Seneca Falls and the fictional Bedford Falls, including they are both mill towns, had a grassy median down Main Street, homes of Victorian architecture, a large Italian population and a toll bridge. The free museum opened in 2010 and is full of memorabilia from the film that fans have donated or loaned to the museum. We were the only visitors there when we stopped by and enjoyed talking with the guide who obviously loves the movie. He said he has lost track of the number of times he has seen it. Every year in December they celebrate with a parade and all sorts of events. This year will be a big celebration since it is the 70th anniversary of the movie. The guide so enthusiastically described the upcoming celebration it almost made me want to brave the snow to attend. Almost, but not quite!
Yes, tiny Seneca Falls far exceeded our expectations. We could have stayed a couple more days but Niagara Falls was calling!

Sept 6, 2016 Ticonderoga, NY

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Our time in the Adirondacks was drawing to a close so on Tuesday we traveled to nearby Ticonderoga where Bill was ecstatic to visit the newly opened Star Trek: The Original Series Set Tour. The sets, under license by CBS Consumer Products, recreated the sets of the Starship Enterprise as they were laid out at Desilu Studios Stage 9 in Hollywood. Visitors are transported back to 1966. Bill is a huge Star Trek fan and loved touring this set. He didn’t know that Lucille Ball was instrumental in getting Star Trek on the air when she agreed to film the series at Desilu Studios.
Next we went to Fort Ticonderoga which played an important role both in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. It was originally built by the French in 1755 and called Fort Carillon. Located a the southern end of Lake Champlain, it was captured by the British in 1759 and named Ticonderoga, an Iroquois name meaning “it is at the junction of two waterways”. In 1775 Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys along with Benedict Arnold took the fort from the British in a surprise attack during the Revolutionary War. This was the first victory of the Revolutionary War. The cannons from the fort were taken to Boston and helped persuade the British to evacuate Boston in 1777.
The British abandoned the fort in 1781 and it was looted for stone, metal and wood by settlers looking for material to build homes. In 1785 the fort’s lands became the property of New York state who then donated the property to Columbia and Union colleges in 1803. In 1820 the fort was sold to William Ferris Pell who first used the property for a summer home. When more and more tourists came to the Adirondacks, he converted his home to a hotel. In 1909 the Pell family restored the fort and opened it to the public. The fort is now maintained by the Fort Ticonderoga Association, a not for profit organization.
We enjoyed touring the fort, soaking up the historical significance of the events which took place here. It was somewhat disappointing to discover the original fort was wooden, not the stone structure of today. We asked about this and it was explained that the fort was in such poor shape that only the stone foundation remained, leading the Pell family to mistakenly believe that the entire fort was stone. It was also pointed out that a member of the Pell family was related to a stone mason so they were able to get stonework done easily and cheaply.
As part of our admission we were given access to Mount Defiance, an 853 foot high hill on the New York side of Lake Champlain. In the 1777 Siege of Fort Ticonderoga, the British army placed artillery on Mount Defiance, causing the Americans to withdraw without a fight. The Americans had mistakenly thought the hill to be inaccessible and never fortified it.

World War II Navy aircraft carriers were named after Revolutionary War victories: Lexington, Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Yorktown.
On the way home we stopped to find a geocache. The short hike led us to a peaceful little waterfall. We love it when geocaching takes us to such beautiful places we wouldn’t otherwise find.
We enjoyed our time in the Adirondacks. We were glad to see Labor Day end and with it all the summer tourists. The campground is now quiet and peaceful once again. Ahhhhhh!
Next stop:. Seneca Falls, New York

Sept 1, 2016 Adirondacks, NY

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After a month in Maine it was time to head south. We had a long travel day as we left Maine and passed through New Hampshire and Vermont before entering New York State. As soon as we entered New York I started sneezing. We are thinking either oak trees or goldenrod is bothering me. Despite the long day the miles went by quickly and before we knew it we arrived at our Lake George campsite for a week. We were glad to get checked in and settled before the bombardment of Labor Day campers arrived on Friday for the three day weekend.
Lake George is a 32 mile long lake located at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains. It drains into Lake Champlain and the St Lawrence River basin. The village of Lake George has a yearly population of around 900 which swells to over 50,000 residents during the summer season. In 1755 British colonial forces occupied the region during the French and Indian War and the lake was named Lake George for King George II. On May 31, 1791, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to his daughter saying, “Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin….finely interspersed with islands, its waters limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves“.
After the long travel day on Thursday and with Labor Day traffic building we stayed close to home Friday and Saturday. It was amazing to watch the campground swell to full capacity with campers setting up, kids on bikes and pedestrians everywhere.
Sunday we decided to take a scenic drive through the Adirondack Mountains. The Adirondack Park encompasses two thirds of upstate New York with over six million acres of private and state (40%) land. Nearly half the land is wilderness. There are 46 mountains that exceed an elevation of 4,000 feet. The Adirondack Park includes more than 2,000 miles of hiking trails, 3,000 lakes and ponds, more than 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 1,100 miles of highway and 120 miles of railroad. It was named after the Algonquin Indians. The Iroquois called the Algonquins “Ha-De-Ron-Dah” or “bark eaters” because they ate certain kinds of tree bark. After the Civil War the area became a summer retreat for the wealthy.
We followed one of several scenic byways which took us from Lake George to the Canadian border. We passed beautiful Indian Lake, Blue Mountain Lake and Tupper Lake to name just a few. We stopped along the way finding geocaches, including one less than five miles from the Canadian border. We could see the border crossing checkpoint which didn’t seem too busy considering the holiday weekend. As we headed back south towards home we entered the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation. We stopped and bought gas which was about 15 cents cheaper per gallon on the reservation.
We stopped by Saranac Lake to see the Robert Louis Stevenson cottage. The cottage was closed but we did get a picture of the outside. Stevenson lived here during the winter of 1887-1888 and the cottage has a large collection of Stevenson memorabilia. The librarian in me was glad to see it!
By now it was getting late. We reached gorgeous Lake Placid as daylight was fading. We snapped a couple shots of the lake and grabbed a late dinner. There is so much to see in Lake Placid, site of the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympics. It is on our list of places to return to someday. We arrived home late in the evening after an eleven hour sightseeing adventure.
The next day we decided to take advantage of the Labor Day holiday (therefore no city workers) and drive to Albany to see the state capitol. One goal we have is to try to see the state capitol building of every state we visit. We decided to drive first to the small town of Kinderhook to visit the home of Martin Van Buren, the 8th President of the United States. Near the house was was a tiny “Visitors Center” located in a trailer where we saw a short film on his life. Van Buren purchased his home and 130 acres of land in 1839 while President. He named the estate Lindenwald after the linden trees lining the road in front of the home. He returned here after his presidency ended. He died here in 1862.
Van Buren was president from 1837 to 1841. As president he was blamed for the depression of 1837, one of the worst depressions in U.S. history, with hostile newspapers calling him “Martin Van Ruin”. He also had problems with foreign affairs, denying Texas’ application for admission to the Union because he didn’t want to upset the balance of free and slave states.
In 1840 he was voted out of office when Whig candidate William Henry Harrison won the election. Van Buren tried to make a comeback in 1844 when he tried to win the Democratic nomination but lost to James Polk who went on to win the election. In 1848 he ran for president yet again as a third party candidate with the Free-Soil party, a group opposing extending slavery. His defeat in that election ended his political career.
Before leaving Kinderhook we visited his birthplace (the Van Buren family tavern where he was born burned long ago, no longer stands and is merely noted with a marker) and then his gravesite at the Dutch Reformed Church.

Van Buren’s wife Hannah died in 1819 after twelve years of marriage.
He is buried with her.
He never remarried.
They had four sons.

Next was Albany, capital of New York. The traffic was light and we had no problem finding parking. Albany was chartered in 1686. Robert Fulton’s steamboat made the first successful steamboat run from New York to Albany in 1807. The opening of the Erie Canal between Buffalo and Albany in 1825 caused the city to flourish. Over the years Presidents Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt all lived at one time in Albany.
The state capitol building was built in the late 1800’s.
We walked to the Governor Nelson Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, a huge government complex. This was a massive urban renewal project initiated by then Governor Rockefeller. It was started in the 1960’s and not completed until 1978. We found some geocaches in the area, including one at the Egg, a performing arts center. The plaza’s 96 acres includes more than 90 abstract impressionist paintings, sculptures and tapestries as well as the tallest building in New York state except those in New York City. The plaza also has several memorials honoring women veterans, fallen firefighters, MIA’s and Vietnam veterans.

August 25, 2016 Wells, Maine

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We had a wonderful week in Bar Harbor but now it was time to head south. We have been in Maine for three weeks and we were now headed to the small town of Wells for our last week in Maine. We are really enjoying our time along the Maine coast. If you measure the coast of Maine DIRECTLY it is only 228 miles. BUT, Maine’s SHORELINE is 3,478 miles, which is longer than California’s. Three fourths of all visitors to Maine stay along the coastline.
We had a pleasant drive except for some roadwork which they DO need. We settled into our campground and started planning our week. The week in Bar Harbor had been quite intense and busy, so we decided to make this week more laid back and relaxing, along with catching up on paperwork and the blog. Even life on the road has paperwork and cleaning and laundry that needs to be done and it sure piles up fast!
Nevertheless we did find time to explore the area. On Saturday we drove to Mount Agamenticus where we were promised a fantastic view of the White Mountains of New Hampshire to the west and far out to sea in the east. At 692 feet it is not a very big mountain as mountains go, but since it was a beautiful day we decided it was worth the drive. The view at the top was nice but as summer views often are, it was too hazy to get a great view or picture.

Monday we drove up to Kennebunkport, a popular summer resort and location of one of the homes of the President George Bush family. Kennebunkport is a small touristy town but we loved the view along the beach where we could see the Bush residence. The home is located on a peninsula called Walkers Point. We took pictures from the closest point allowed. At this viewpoint an anchor was placed in honor of George H. W. Bush.

During our time in the area we spent time in the various little coastal towns of Wells, Kennebunkport and York. The beautiful homes and picturesque views along the water were in my opinion prettier than Martha’s Vineyard.
Next we leave Maine and head to the Adirondacks in New York.

August 23, 2016 Bar Harbor & Acadia N. P. Part 2

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We spent most of our time in Acadia National Park but we did go into Bar Harbor a couple times. Bar Harbor was originally incorporated in 1763 and named Eden after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman. It was renamed Bar Harbor in 1918 because of a sand bar that is visible at low tide. In the 1800’s tourists were attracted to Bar Harbor by the writings of Henry David Thoreau and paintings showing the Maine landscapes by famous painters. The area attracted families such as the Astors, Fords, Morgans, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. The Great Fire of 1947 destroyed nearly half of the eastern side of Mount Desert Island. Sixty-seven of the 222 palatial summer homes and five grand hotels were destroyed in addition to 170 year round homes. The town’s business district survived the fire. More than 10,000 acres of Acadia National Park was destroyed.
Parking in Bar Harbor is scarce so a free shuttle bus called the “Island Explorer” is available to residents and tourists. The shuttle stops at several campgrounds near Bar Harbor, including ours. There are also shuttle buses that travel throughout Acadia National Park to encourage people not to drive. The shuttle buses are all free and funded by local, state and federal tax dollars, including a sizable donation from L. L. Bean whose flagship store is located in Freeport, Maine.
We usually don’t do many activities geared to tourists because they tend to be expensive, but two activities caught our eye. The first was a horse drawn carriage ride along one of the carriage roads in the park. John D Rockefeller Jr was one of the main contributors of Acadia National Park, donating about a third of the park’s land. In his efforts to preserve the park he had over 45 miles of crushed stone roads built between 1913 and 1940. The roads are sixteen feet wide with crowns that provide drainage. The roads are considered the best example of broken stone roads in the United States. Local workers quarried granite from the island to build the roads and seventeen stone bridges. No motor vehicle traffic is allowed on the carriage roads throughout the park, allowing for a safe and peaceful roadway for hikers, bikers and horses.
We decided to take a one hour carriage ride on a carriage road and made a reservation with Wildwood Stables located in the park. The morning of our ride we arrived early enough to see some of the horses having a morning bath. I must say I have been opposed to horses being used in places like Central Park where they spend hours each day pulling people around in carriages in all kinds of weather. I was very glad to hear that there are 26 horses and only three tours conducted each day. The horses work no more than four hours a day, twice a week. They also only work five months of the year. We were assured they really have an easy life and are very well cared for. There were three families on the tour with us with children ranging in age from twelve years to thirteen months. They were all very well behaved. We really enjoyed our ride along the tree lined shaded road with occasional views of the ocean shimmering in the morning sun.
Our second activity was a two hour excursion on a sailboat. Bill had mentioned he would really like to go on a sailboat while in Bar Harbor, so we were excited to find the 151 foot Margaret Todd, the first four masted schooner to sail the New England waters in over half a century. We knew parking in the afternoon would be hard to find so we took the shuttle bus from the campground into Bar Harbor and then back home after our cruise. So convenient! Our voyage took us around Frenchman’s Bay with beautiful views of Acadia National Park. We saw lobster boats, many many lobster pots, a porpoise and several seals. They are so quick it is impossible to get a picture. We loved our time on the boat!

All these floats are connected to lobster traps

The view of Cadillac Mountain from Bar Harbor and our ship

Our last day in Bar Harbor we decided to drive around the “quiet” side of the island. This part of the island is less visited by tourists and is more like what the island was like before Bar Harbor became so touristy. We enjoyed riding through the small villages finding geocaches and taking a picture of the most photographed bridge in Maine. We took our last hike of the visit on the Wonderland Trail. It was an easy trail and we were rewarded with a beautiful ocean view at the end. On the way home we stopped at a restaurant where Bill had a lobster dinner. We left the camera in the car so I missed getting a picture of him with the lobster bib!

Bar Harbor Facts:

Bar Harbor and two other Mount Desert towns have light ordinances to protect the quality of the night skies.
Bar Harbor was the birthplace of vice president Nelson Rockefeller.
The Bar Harbor area was used for naval practices during World War II when nearby Bald Porcupine Island was fired upon by live torpedoes from the submarine USS Piper.
President William Howard Taft enjoyed playing golf in Bar Harbor.
Current residents include Martha Stewart and Roxanne Quincy, the co-founder and CEO of Burt’s Bees.

August 18, 2016 Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park, Maine

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On August 18th we left the easternmost area of the United States and headed south to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. I have mentioned before how bad the roads are in Maine, and this trip was no better. The roads do not seem that bad in a car, but in a large vehicle it is a bumpy and rocky trip. By the time we reached the campground the cap on our exhaust pipe had once again worked loose.
Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park are both located on Mount Desert Island. There are no fast food restaurants, box stores or large grocery stores on the island, so just before crossing the Trenton Bridge we stopped at a Walmart Supercenter and stocked up. Before leaving New Hampshire three weeks ago we planned ahead and bought a month’s worth of any drinks that come in bottles and cans because Maine has deposits on all of them. We also liked New Hampshire’s no state sales tax and stocked up on paper products, canned goods etc, keeping in mind we only have so much room in the pantry and freezer.
We then crossed Trenton Bridge onto Mount Desert Island. The views were amazing. Mount Desert Island is the third largest island on the eastern seaboard and the largest rock based island on the Atlantic coast. It is 108 square miles; sixteen miles wide and thirteen miles long. It also has “Some Sound”, the only national fjord on the east coast.
Our major reason for coming to this area was to visit Acadia National Park. We had so much to see and do, we hit the ground running the next day. We stopped by the Visitors Center first and bought an audio tape tour of the park to listen to as we drove around the Park Loop Road. Unlike most parks, they did not have a free list of hiking trails so we bought a book on hiking trails in the park that listed details such as length and difficulty.
Acadia National Park is the second most visited national park in the country with over two million visitors a year (Smoky Mountain is the most visited) and one of the smallest. It covers over 2/5 of Mount Desert Island and is 35,000 acres in area with 41 miles of spectacular coastline. Established in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson, it is the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi River, the only national park in the northeast, and the first park where land was donated to the federal government (most notable being 11,000 acres by John D Rockefeller, Jr). The park has a diverse landscape with glacial mountain ridges, rivers, lakes and streams carved from receding glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age, woodland forests and miles of dramatic rocky coastline.
French explorer Samuel Champlain documented the first European record of this area in 1604. Attempts were made to settle the island after his visit but 150 years of war between the French and British made the area unsafe for habitation until 1761 when English colonists established a permanent settlement. Colonists farmed, fished, quarried granite and engaged in shipping. When tourists began to arrive in the mid 1800’s, tourism became a new and important source of income. The small farming and fishing villages were transformed with hotels and large extravagant summer cottages for wealthy summer residents.
This first day our plan was to drive the 27 mile Park Loop Road and listen to the audio tour.

Two Beaver Lodges are across the lake they made

This took pretty much all day because of all the overlooks where we passed some beaver lodges and admired the magnificent beauty of the park.

Bar Harbor is located on the left

Our last stop of the day was on Cadillac Mountain which at 1,530 feet is the highest point on the eastern seaboard north of Rio de Janeiro. Bill and I spent two days in Acadia back in 2011. It was rainy and foggy and we couldn’t see a thing from Cadillac Mountain. What a difference today was! We had a 360° view of Bar Harbor, Frenchman Bay and Cranberry Isles (see our video below). One bit of drama was I left my cell phone in the restroom. Thirty minutes later as we were getting ready to leave I remembered. Fortunately some kind person has turned it in to the gift shop personnel.
We knew we wanted to do some hiking and with 120 miles of hiking trails in the park we had several to choose from. Our first choice was the Ocean Path Trail which we started at Sand Beach, a popular spot in the park. In order to get a parking spot this time of year you have to arrive no later than 10:00 A.M. The trail was an easy hike along the cliff with views of Sand Beach and the coastline.
Sunday was our one foggy day and we drove past a harbor and hiked up 200 primitive rock steps and along a trail to find two geocaches. What we thought was going to be an easy walk turned into a longer hike along a rocky trail with big tree roots in the path. But we found two geocaches!
On Wednesday we hiked the popular Jordan Pond Trail which took us around the beautiful peaceful pond where we saw kayakers.
In the next blog we will talk about Bar Harbor and a couple special activities!
Maine Facts:

Maine has 3,500 miles of coastline. That is all the way across the United States and halfway back.
There are over 3,000 islands along Maine’s coast.
Maine’s coastline has so many deep harbors, it could provide anchorage for all the navy fleets in the world.
Smoking is prohibited in a motor vehicle by the driver or passenger when a person under the age of 16 is present.

Our Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEi7pWtz3nk

August 11, 2016 Eastport, Maine

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We left Millinocket and traveled to Eastport, our most easterly location in 2016. This area of Maine is the first place in the United States to see the sunrise each day. As before, the roads were in bad shape from frost heaves and we rocked and bounced our way along.
We arrived at our campground in Eastport with a view from our campsite of Canada across the water. The weather until now had been hot and dry, but some cooler, wet weather was settling in for our week here.
We spent some time on 2017 planning and enjoyed the cooler temperatures. Sunday we drove into the small downtown area to find some geocaches. We loved the small library geocache and took some pictures of a fisherman and Bill flirting with a local mermaid.
Tuesday we drove to the tiny town of Machias and had lunch at Helen’s Restaurant. Bill had a lobster roll and we shared a huge slice of blueberry pie. While in Machias we found a couple geocaches including a neat one inside a small lighthouse.
Wednesday we drove to Lubec and Quoddy Head State Park, the easternmost point of the United States. The views were beautiful at the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, which in 1808 became the easternmost lighthouse in the country. Its light and fog cannon warned seamen of the dangerous cliffs and rocks. It was among the first lighthouses to use a fog bell and later a steam powered foghorn. Today its automated light still shines and is monitored and serviced by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Across the water we could see Campobello Island in Canada. The strong tidal currents between West Quoddy Head and Campobello Island are the cause of the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere.
We found a geocache in the park and enjoyed finding several more on the way home. It was lots of fun but the mosquitoes were really biting!
Next stop:. Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park
Maine Facts:

Approximately 40 million pounds of lobster (nearly 90% of the country’s supply) are caught off the coast of Maine.
90% of the nation’s toothpick supply is produced in Maine.
L. L. Bean’s flagship store is located in Freeport and is the first retail clothier to be open 24/7/365.

Through the Eyes of the Selphs

Bill and Diane's travel notes and pictures

Author Archives: billNdiane selph

Sept 19, 2016 Warren, PA

Sept. 15, 2016 Letchworth State Park, NY

Sept 11, 2016 Niagara Falls

Sept 8, 2016 Seneca Falls, NY

Sept 6, 2016 Ticonderoga, NY

Sept 1, 2016 Adirondacks, NY

August 25, 2016 Wells, Maine

August 23, 2016 Bar Harbor & Acadia N. P. Part 2

August 18, 2016 Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park, Maine

August 11, 2016 Eastport, Maine