Category Archives: Exploring

Exploring

Oct 18, 2016 Hendersonville, NC

We left Waxhaw and traveled to Hendersonville, NC located in the western North Carolina Mountains between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains. Hendersonville is twenty-two miles south of Asheville and fifteen miles north of the North Carolina/South Carolina border.
While in Hendersonville we enjoyed meeting Bill’s friend Alan, his wife, daughter and granddaughter for dinner. Many years ago Bill and Alan’s family attended the same church in Orlando, FL and Bill and Alan were leaders in the same Boy Scout troop.
Bill and I enjoyed exploring Hendersonville. Inside the Hendersonville City Hall were very nice statues of General Andrew Jackson, James Knox Polk (11th President and born in NC) and Andrew Johnson (17th President and born in NC). Johnson was the only sitting senator from a Confederate state who stood with the Union and did not join the Confederate States of the Union. He became President when Lincoln was assassinated.
The Hendersonville County Courthouse, built in 1905, has atop its copper dome a six foot statue of “Lady Justice”. The statue is the Greek Goddess Themis, goddess of divine justice and law. She does not have a blindfold and is holding a sword in her right hand and scales in her left. It is believed this is one of only three statues of Themis in the United States without a blindfold. The blindfold is meant to show that Justice should be impartial.
We drove to Jump Off Rock which has a scenic overlook of the Blue Ridge and Pisgah mountain ranges. There is an Indian Legend about Jump Off Rock which says that over 300 years ago a young Cherokee Indian Chief fell in love with an Indian maiden. They would often meet on top of the rock ledge. When the Chief went off to war, the maiden promised him she would wait for him at the rocky ledge. When she received news he had been killed in battle, she jumped off the rock. Her body was found by tribal hunters below. Indian legend says that on moonlit nights you can see the ghost of the Indian maiden on Jump Off Rock.
Another day we visited DuPont State Recreational Forest. Many scenes from the movies “The Hunger Games”, “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Max” were filmed in this park. We hiked to High Falls.

We also hiked to Triple Falls.

Scenes from “The Hunger Games” and “The Last of the Mohicans” were filmed at Triple Falls.
The days are warm and the nights cool. We still are not seeing much fall foliage to our disappointment.

Oct 16, 2016 Waxhaw, NC

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We left the charming town of Mt Airy, the hometown of Andy Griffith and headed south. Just as an observation, once we crossed the Mason Dixon line from Pennsylvania into Maryland the people became friendlier, the food better and the gas cheaper. Just the way it is in the south, folks!
Our next stop was Waxhaw, NC, just south of Charlotte. We stayed at Cane Creek Campground, a county owned park, and even though leveling the RV and getting satellite tv was a challenge, Bill worked his magic and got it done.
Bill’s sister Janet lives in Waxhaw and we enjoyed getting together with Janet and her husband Bryon for brunch. Waxhaw is just north of the North Carolina/South Carolina border and we passed back and forth from one state to the other on our way to meet them.
On the way back we stopped at a cornerstone border rock which designates the border of North and South Carolina. There seems to be a discrepancy between the date of 1818 on the rock and 1813 on a nearby sign.
We also stopped at the birthplace in South Carolina of our 7th President, Andrew Jackson. Both North and South Carolina want to take credit for his birthplace because at the time of his birth in 1767, the border between North and South Carolina was unmarked. Today the site is in South Carolina. During the Revolutionary War Jackson was captured by the British at age 13 and mistreated. He was an orphan at the age of 14. In 1806 he killed a man in a duel over the honor of his wife Rachel. When he ran for president in 1824 he failed to get a majority and it went to the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives gave the presidency to John Quincy Adams. Jackson claimed corruption between Adams and the Speaker of the House Henry Clay, when Clay was appointed Secretary of State under Adams. Jackson’s supporters founded the Democratic Party. He ran again in 1828 against Adams and won by a landslide.
Also while in Waxhaw we drove a few miles north to Matthews, NC where we met up with three cousins I had not seen in over fifty years. Yes, I said fifty years. We had a lovely dinner at my cousin Tammy’s home and celebrated several October birthdays. We promised not to wait another fifty years to meet again!
Quotes by Andrew Jackson:

“It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.”
“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
“One man with courage makes a majority.”

Here are some of the displays about President Jackson presidency.

Oct 12, 2016 Mt Airy, NC

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Last month I was thrilled to visit Jamestown, NY, the birthplace of Lucille Ball. We visited the Lucille Ball museum and a re-creation of the Desilu Studios. I was once again overjoyed to learn we would be visiting Mt Airy, NC, the hometown of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the town of Mayberry. The Andy Griffith show is one of my all time favorites, second only to I Love Lucy. Bill has his love of Star Trek and Dr Who. I have my love of I Love Lucy and Andy.
We stayed three nights at the Mayberry Campground, just outside of the Mt Airy town limits. Luckily we had a reservation because the campground was full of people escaping the flooding in eastern North and South Carolina from Hurricane Matthew.
We had fun touring Mt Airy. The outskirts of downtown have many chain stores and restaurants. But the charming historic downtown area is like going back in time to the days of Mayberry. None of the show was actually filmed in Mt Airy. We saw in various places in the city: Floyd’s Barber Shop, Walker’s Drug Store (where Miss Ellie sold Andy, Barney and Opie ice cream sundaes), Wally’s Service Station where Gomer and Goober worked, the Darlings’ cabin and truck. Many of these were built for the tourists and resemble the show. We had lunch at Snappys Diner. In one of the episodes of the show, Andy suggests to Barney they grab lunch at Snappys. The diner is known for their “pork chop sandwich” which Bill ordered for lunch. I had a nice BLT for the exorbitant price of $2.25!
We walked to the Mayberry Courthouse where Andy and Barney worked. We were both thrilled to see the inside looked just like the set on the show. And we both ended up in Andy’s jail. We were also thrilled to see the police car like Andy drove!
We also visited the Andy Griffith museum where they had exhibits on Andy’s life and career. They had Andy’s police uniform shirt, and the suits that Barney and Goober wore on the show. They had Goober’s service station hat which had been bronzed. They also had the suit Andy wore as Matlock. At the entrance to the museum they had a statue of Andy and Opie going fishing. Just inside the door they had Barney’s sidecar that he bought in an episode in season 4. Such fun!!We found this production pictures of the making of the TV show’s opening credits where Andy and Opie are going fishing was filmed.

We finished the day by driving by Andy’s home place where he lived as a child until his high school graduation. It is now owned by the Marriott and they rent the house out to tourists! You can go to Mt Airy and sleep in Andy’s house!
Betty Lynn, who played Barney’s girlfriend Thelma Lou, visited Mt Airy during the yearly Andy Griffith festival and loved the town so much she now makes her home in Mt Airy.
We even found some geocaches in Mt Airy! Can you tell how much we enjoyed visiting this sweet little town?

Oct 10, 2016 Staunton, Virginia

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As we traveled south we passed through the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and stopped for a few nights in the area. In keeping with our quest to visit as many Presidential Libraries as possible, we toured the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, Virginia. Nearby was Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace where he was born in 1856, the son of a Presbyterian minister.

There is a nice museum detailing Wilson’s presidency. In the basement of the museum is a recreated Great War (first World War) bunker.
Wilson was our 28th President, serving from 1913-1921, the first Southerner elected president since Zachary Taylor in 1848. Wilson was seen as a leader of the Progressive Movement. He reintroduced the State of the Union address which hadn’t been done since 1801. During his time as President he oversaw the passage of progressive legislative policies including the Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, Clayton Antitrust Act, and the Federal Farm Loan. His Revenue Act of 1913 introduced the federal income tax. Wilson favored an international policy of neutrality which some blamed for later causing us to enter into the Great War. Woodrow Wilson won a second term as President, the first Democrat since Andrew Jackson to win two consecutive terms. His second term was dominated by the United States entry into World War I in 1917. He loaned billions of dollars to Britain, France and other Allies, raising income taxes and borrowing billions of dollars through the public purchase of Liberty Bonds. In 1918 he endorsed the 19th Amendment which was ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote. Like all Southern Democrats at that time, he supported segregation. He pushed for a League of Nations and was in favor of the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was opposed by Republicans and while promoting the treaty he suffered a severe stroke and the treaty was rejected by the Senate. It is said that Wilson’s Presbyterian background infused morality into his international affairs, leading to what is known as “Wilsonian”, an activist foreign policy calling for the promotion of global democracy. Because of his work on forming the League of Nations, he was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize. After his stroke, many say that his second wife, Edith, ran the White House and made many major administrative decisions. Wilson was initially against equal rights for women and some say it was Edith who actually had the 19th Amendment passed. His illness was kept from the public, but once it became known, concern was expressed about his fitness to serve as President. This led to the 25th Amendment which details the succession to the presidency in case of illness.
Prohibition also began in 1920 during Wilson’s presidency.

Also in the museum is Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow car. The car was part of the Presidential fleet and when he left office his friends purchased it for him.
After his presidency ended, he and Mrs. Wilson lived in Washington D.C. until his death in 1924 at the age of 67. Mrs. Wilson lived another 37 years, dying in 1961 at the age of 89.
We enjoyed our very short time in Virginia visiting family and friends. With temperatures going down to 36 degrees at night, we hurried towards our next stop in North Carolina.

Oct 1, 2016 Gettysburg, PA

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Our last stop in Pennsylvania was at Gettysburg Farm – Thousand Trails about thirty minutes from the Gettysburg Battlefield. This campground is a charming working farm and we were delighted to interact with some of the friendly farm animals. They anticipated being fed and would come running when they saw people.
We were last at Gettysburg in 2010 for a long weekend. At that time we did an extensive tour of the battlefield using an auto driving tour. So on this trip we were interested in seeing the Eisenhower National Historic Site. Dwight and Mamie only owned one home, the Gettysburg Farm they purchased in 1950 at the end of his thirty year military career; he rose to the rank of five star general. During his two terms as our 34th president they used the farm as a weekend retreat. World leaders and dignitaries from around the world visited them where President Eisenhower used the laid back charm of the property to encourage friendly talks. During Eisenhower’s heart attack in 1955 the farm served as a temporary White House. When President and Mrs. Eisenhower left the White House in 1961, it became their retirement home where the President enjoyed painting and raising Angus cattle. They gave their home to the federal government in 1967 with the understanding that they both be allowed to live there until their deaths.
After buying tickets at the Gettysburg Visitors Center we rode a bus for the fifteen minute trip to the farm where a guide met us for part of the tour. The view from the farm was absolutely beautiful. We saw the helicopter landing field where dignitaries would land and be greeted by Eisenhower in his golf cart. He would take his guests for a ride around the farm to “break the ice” before heading to the house.
The house today is much like it was when the Eisenhowers lived here, and Angus cattle still graze in the fields. The house has eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms and Mamie’s favorite color, pink, is throughout the house. Even though the house has many bedrooms and baths, it did not feel that large and had a modest look. Most of the furnishings are original and the living room showcases the many gifts received by the Eisenhowers in the White House. At that time of the 34th President, gifts received while president could be kept. The Eisenhowers spent little time in the living room, preferring to stay on the porch, his favorite room where they watched TV and Eisenhower pursued his hobby of oil painting. It is in this relaxed homey room that he entertained Khrushchev and De Galle.
The farm also includes a Secret Service Office, a guest house, a small putting green, an 1887 barn, several farming sheds, a cattle show barn and a garage with his presidential limousine, a station wagon he drove around Gettysburg, and several golf carts including the Surrey With the Fringe on Top golf cart he used to show guests around the farm.
One funny story is Eisenhower was always chauffeured around during his military career and presidency. He did not get a driver’s license until the age of 70 after he retired. Evidently he was not a very good driver. Before he and Mrs. Eisenhower would leave to have dinner at their favorite restaurant in Gettysburg, he would call the restaurant owner and have him go outside and block off several parking spaces in front of the restaurant so the President would not have trouble parking.
President Eisenhower died in 1969 and Mamie continued to live at the farm until her death in 1979 at the age of 82. They are both buried at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.
After completing our tour of the Eisenhower Farm, we did spend the rest of the afternoon driving around some of the 24 miles of the Gettysburg Battlefield. It is such a beautiful, peaceful place that it is hard to comprehend the suffering and agony that occurred on this hallowed ground. The battle began on July 1, 1863, continued for three days, and the casualties were high. On July 3rd, Confederate General Robert E. Lee lost over 5,000 soldiers in ONE HOUR. When both armies marched away from Gettysburg, over 51,000 soldiers were dead, wounded or missing. More men died during the Battle of Gettysburg than in any other battle on American soil before or since. At first the soldiers were buried in hastily dug graves, or not at all. Four months after the battle, re-interment began on seventeen acres that became known as Soldiers’ National Cemetery. On November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg for dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. There he gave a speech which became known as the Gettysburg Address.

The nights are getting cooler and we are anxious to head south!

Sept 25, 2016 Somerset, PA

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On Sunday, September 25th, we left northwestern Pennsylvania and headed south. We stopped outside of Pittsburgh and had the oil changed in the RV. We continued to be amazed at how hilly Pennsylvania is as we went up and down hill after hill. After reaching an elevation of 2,800 feet we descended down into the Laurel Highlands where we had five nights booked at Laurel Hills State Park. We were disappointed to find the campground was very hilly and it took us awhile to get the RV level.
On Monday we drove just outside of Shanksville to the Flight 93 National Memorial. This is a Memorial dedicated in 2002 to the thirty-three passengers and seven crew members who died when the plane was hijacked by four terrorists.

After hearing about the planes that had flown into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, these heroes made the decision to try to reclaim the plane from the terrorists, knowing it meant they would likely die. The plane had been redirected towards Washington, DC. The plane crashed at 563 mph upside down into the Somerset County field.
The Memorial is made up of a Visitors Center and a Memorial Plaza. The Visitors Center had detailed displays describing the events of the day and what they know happened on the plane. Several of the passengers and crew were able to make phone calls to loved ones, and the terrorists mistakenly made an announcement over the radio instead of the intercom, which alerted the control tower that the plane had been hijacked. Later the black boxes were recovered as well. It was very touching to see an entire wall with the names and faces of those who died that day.
Very little was found from the crash but they did discover small personal items from the passengers which were on display. They did find a credit card that belonged to one of the terrorists and this helped in the investigation to determine who was behind the attack.
A mile from the Visitors Center is the Memorial Plaza, which borders the crash site. A boulder in the field marks the point of impact. The fields and woods in the distance marks the final resting place of the passengers and crew, their remains still present. A wall is created with each person name and flowers, flags, stuffed animals and notes.

One veteran left his boots in honor of the fallen.

After DNA tests were completed, it was suggested by the coroner that the large impact crater be filled in.
The Flight 93 National Memorial is very well done. The experience was very heart wrenching and emotional for us. As Bill said, it was hard to hold back the tears. We visited on a beautiful morning in September, much like that day in 2001. We were pleased to see the Memorial busy with people and a group of school children. One thing I noticed was how quiet it was both at the Visitors Center and the Memorial Plaza. People gazed at the displays with sadness, most saying nothing or talking softly.

The black boxes were recovered for flight 93 but the black boxes from the other three planes were not recoverable.
One of the forty that died that day was a flight attendant, she was the only one from Florida. Her name is CeeCee Ross Lyles.
As one of the displays said so well, “A common field one day. A field of honor forever”.

We went geocaching and found a covered bridge, a tank and a helicopter near an American Legion.
Our final Pennsylvania stop will be coming up next in Gettysburg.

Sept 23, 2016 Punxsutawney, PA

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We left our quiet, peaceful campsite at Buckaloons Recreation Area in the Allegheny National Forest and spent two nights at Cook Forest State Park near Cooksburg. The time went by quickly watching college football and doing laundry.
When we first arrived on Friday we set up our campsite and then hopped in the car for the short drive to Punxsutawney where Phil, the famous groundhog, makes his appearance every year on February 2nd. The town is obviously eager to promote their connection to Phil because everywhere you look are statues of Phil.
We drove to Gobblers Knob where the Groundhog ceremonies and fireworks are held each year on Groundhog’s Day. There was a trail there where we did some geocaching. It was a hot day and the mosquitoes were out in force.
We drove back into town and visited Phil and his wife Phyllis. They have a nice man made burrow next to the public library with a large viewing window. Phil and Phyllis were both sleeping and didn’t even notice our visit. We left him a note requesting a short winter and early spring. I don’t think Phil’s accuracy has been very good lately.
It was a nice little trip and fun to see where all the hoopla is done every February. By the way, none of the movie “Groundhog’s Day” was filmed in Punxsutawney.
Next stop will be Somerset, PA.

Sept 19, 2016 Warren, PA

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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

Through the Eyes of the Selphs

Bill and Diane's travel notes and pictures

Category Archives: Exploring

Oct 18, 2016 Hendersonville, NC

Oct 16, 2016 Waxhaw, NC

Oct 12, 2016 Mt Airy, NC

Oct 10, 2016 Staunton, Virginia

Oct 1, 2016 Gettysburg, PA

Sept 25, 2016 Somerset, PA

Sept 23, 2016 Punxsutawney, PA

Sept 19, 2016 Warren, PA

Sept. 15, 2016 Letchworth State Park, NY

Sept 11, 2016 Niagara Falls