Category Archives: New York

Family, Friends, Indiana, Michigan, New York

Photographs and Memories

July 28, 2018 exploRVistas 20 Comments

July 6 – 28, 2018

“Photographs and memories
Christmas cards you sent to me
All that I have are these
To remember you”

Jim Croce

Sometimes our lives move so fast, we forget to look back and see where we’ve been. And while our 4 month rambling trip from Florida to Michigan was anything but quick, we had a tendency to focus on the road ahead to our next destination. That all changed when we left Cooperstown, NY. It was about then that our plans completely turned to Jello. We knew we had several people we wanted to visit in Michigan and Indiana, but nothing spoke to us as what route to take or what order to do it in. We had several options to choose from. Day by day, the next stopping point was chosen, but the overall route continued to elude us. What we didn’t realize was that a single event was going to end up choosing our path for us. And once we were here, it turned out that each location held a period of reflection for us, filled with boxes of photographs and memories.

Our first stop beyond Cooperstown was Seneca Lake, NY.

Rig at White Springs Winery

We had wanted to spend some time at one of the several Harvest Hosts locations that our friends Linda and Steven (The Chouters) had stayed at last year. We chose this dandy spot at White Springs Winery, just south of Geneva.

Jim at White Springs Winery

It was a great place to not only share a bottle of Pinot Grigio, but to enjoy a fabulous view! Our original plans had us staying at two separate wineries, but we opted to move further down the road after a two night stay.

From that point, we had to decide whether to route through Canada or the United States. We chose the latter, as we were thinking we would want to visit my aunt and uncle in Indiana first. We spent a few nights at Westfield, NY on the southern shore of Lake Erie.

Barcelona Lighthouse

This charming little community is home to the Barcelona Lighthouse, which was built in 1829. It has the distinction as being the first lighthouse to be lit using natural gas. A concrete dome was built over a spring a half mile away to trap escaping gases, and a pipe was laid between the two structures. Pretty fancy technology for the early 1800’s. We also discovered that the area is a major grape-growing region, and was home to Welch’s near the end of the 19th century.

It was at this location that our route became clearer. Diana received a call that her aunt wasn’t doing well. We’ve always been close to Aunt Marion and Uncle Bob, so we made tracks for Flint, Michigan without haste. We stopped at Cabela’s in Dundee, Michigan for the night, close to 300 miles from our starting point that morning.

Cabelas Dundee display

If there is one thing that Cabela’s does well, it’s how they showcase the mounts in each store. The displays in this 225,000 square foot location are spectacular. Instead of one musk ox, they show an entire herd of them facing off against a pack of wolves.

By the time we reached Flint the next day, Aunt Marion had passed. We were fortunate to get a camping spot at the Flushing Moose Lodge just a few miles from Bob and Marion’s home, which ended up working very well for us. We spent the next days with family, sorting through photographs and remembering happier times.

Bob and Marion

Here is a photo of Bob and Marion, looking their usual dapper selves. 🙂 They were quite a duo. Marion was Diana’s mother’s sister.

During our stay, we took the opportunity to drive by Diana’s childhood home and to visit the cemetery where her parents are buried. On the way back to Flushing, we drove by the house where Diana’s mother grew up in Goodrich. This also was the spot where Uncle Bob met Aunt Marion over 70 years ago. The current owners were outside, so Diana mentioned to them that her grandparents used to live there. They graciously invited us in!

Diana at Grandma's house

Needless to say, Diana was overjoyed to be able to show me the home. Many memories were shared, and several of the owners questions were answered as to how the house used to be. The woodwork on the stairs to the basement survived several remodels.

After the funeral, we headed north to visit my sister Judy and brother-in-law Dale in Harrison, Michigan. We attended a benefit concert for the local library and visited the local veteran’s museum that Dale helps out with.

Grandpa Belisle

One of the displays was of Judy’s and my paternal grandfather, a veteran of World War I. He was a Canadian citizen at the time, fighting as a U.S. Army soldier.

Jim paddleboarding

While we were there, I even had the opportunity to try out Judy and Dale’s paddle board. I never fell off, but I sure felt it the next day! 🙂 Judy and I also pulled out a box of family photos, as I was looking for a particular photograph. I never found it, but I did come upon this gem:

GG Schmitt

This is my Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Schmitt. He’s the one who built Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, among other things. This photograph is probably from the 1870’s. We are only three generations apart, despite the many years. Do you think we look a bit like each other?

From Harrison, we headed south towards Indiana. We stopped along the way at the Moose Lodge in Otsego, just north of Kalamazoo. We used that as a base to travel down to see my aunt and uncle. We also went to dinner with our friends Mike and Cindy, and then the next night with Paul and Sheryl.

Vennix's and us

We completely forgot to get a photo with Paul and Sheryl, but here we are with Mike and Cindy. There was lots of catching up on what we’ve all been doing. Two great evenings with two sets of wonderful friends. 🙂

And in Indiana, we were able to catch up with Uncle Ed and Aunt Marge, two of my mom’s siblings. Uncle Ed wasn’t feeling the best, so we didn’t pester him with a photo. While we were at Aunt Marge’s, we took a look through her photos to see if I could find the family photo I was looking for. No luck again, but I did find these beauties:

Grandpa and me

Here I am with my maternal grandfather in 1976. He was 92 and I was 18 at the time. For the record, I loved Detroit back then and I still do today.

Grandma and Grandpa K

And here are my maternal grandparents, just before World War II. Grandma is the daughter of the Schmitts in the earlier photo.

Mom and siblings

And here is my mom with my aunt and uncles. Uncle Ed is in front, with (left to right) John, Mom, Marge and Fritz behind him. All three boys would soon be in the war and Aunt Marge in the convent.

Aunt Marge and me

And that is where she is today, as sharp as ever at 94 years young. It was great to be able to spend time with her and Uncle Ed. 🙂

We’ve spent the past few days taking care of doctor and dentist visits, and the general things we like to take care of around Grand Rapids. We visited my parents’ graves and even found my buddy Richie’s crypt in a mausoleum in the same cemetery. That kind of knocked the stuffing out of us for a bit. You might recall him from our post, Reflections in the Rear View Mirror.

So after a bit of a pause while sorting through old photographs and memories, we are ready to move forward and make some new ones. This week we head north to Leelanau to start a new adventure for us. Be sure to stay tuned for our next post, as we describe what that entails. Until then, safe and happy travels to all!

New York

Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame

July 14, 2018 exploRVistas 15 Comments

“The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.”

James Earl Jones as Terence Mann, Field of Dreams – 1989

July 2-6, 2018 – Cooperstown, New York

After leaving Lake George, we decided to head to Cooperstown, NY. This is a place that celebrates so much of what my early years were about: the game of baseball.

Growing up in suburban Detroit, my world centered around the Detroit Tigers. That was passed down from my dad. As a teenager, he would jump on a streetcar in River Rouge and head to what was then known as Briggs Stadium to see the legends of the 1930’s play. Stories of the Tigers greats were a given, but they were also peppered with other heroes like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Detroit was the only team in the majors to top 1 million a year in attendance during the Great Depression (in 1935 and 1937), which shows the depth of the love of the game in the Motor City. On many occasions in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, Dad would come home from work and say “Jimmer, want to go to a game?” Within half an hour, we were in the bleachers cheering on our Tigs. Quite often, those excursions would include my sister and my mom. Judy could have become a baseball statistician, as she was awesome at filling out a scorecard. Mom loved the game also, and was one of those gals who would come ten feet out of her seat when the Tigers scored a run. It didn’t matter that Detroit itself was falling apart at the seams, as baseball seemed to transcend the tensions of that era.

So coming to Cooperstown is like returning to Tiger Stadium for me. Diana and I were here one other time in the 1980’s, and we were awestruck by the quaint charm of the town and beauty of the area. At that time, we had dropped down along Lake Otsego from the New York Thruway.

I88 in NY

This time, we came in from the south. We were amazed how beautiful the scenery was on the southern route along Interstate 88. If there is one thing that has become apparent to us on this trip, it’s that the State of New York is an absolutely gorgeous place. 🙂

Lake Otsego

Cooperstown itself is a cozy little hamlet, nestled along the southern shore of Lake Otsego.

Mouth of Susquehana

It is here that the Susquehanna River begins it’s long journey to Chesapeake Bay.

While most of the stores on Main Street are baseball themed, there are a few that are normal, small-town America establishments.

Cooperstown DIner

One of those is the Cooperstown Diner. Strictly a short-order type of place, you practically have to back out after eating, as there is no room to turn around. We ate there on our first visit and enjoyed it.

Doubleday Field

Tucked behind Main Street is Doubleday Field. This is the ‘home’ of baseball, as lore has that Abner Doubleday and friends first played the game on this spot in 1839. Back then, it was a cow pasture. During baseball’s centennial year of 1939, the first All Star game was played here. That was also the year the Hall of Fame opened its doors. Since then, there has been an annual Hall of Fame game played here between two major league teams, along with 350 other baseball contests of some sort.

Jim at Doublday Field

Watching a game here is a treat, as is evident by the smile on my face. Sitting on the wooden benches brought new meaning to the term ‘box seats’. 🙂

The Hall of Fame itself is tucked into a series of storefronts at the east end of Main Street. One of the first things seen upon entering the building are a series of 30 lockers, each one representing a major league team.

Tigers locker

Here is the Detroit Tigers locker, which contains a few items that relate to the team. In case you are wondering, Jackie Robinson didn’t play for the Tigers; the commissioner retired his number league-wide on April 15, 1997. That was the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in the majors. Also, since no one wore a number in the early days of the game, Tiger great Ty Cobb didn’t have a number to retire.

Many other Tiger items were scattered throughout the building.

Ty Cobb sweater

This is Ty Cobb’s warm-up sweater. Teams now wear jackets during chilly games.

Ty Cobb bat and spikes

They also had one of his bats and his spikes. Legend has him portrayed as a dirty player, born from his take-no-prisoners style on the base paths and his aggressive style of play. By the time his career ended in 1928, he has amassed 90 major league records. Many of those still stand today. After his baseball career, he became a successful businessman and was a generous philanthropist.

Another larger than life player from that era was Babe Ruth. The Hall of Fame has an entire section devoted to him. George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth was born and raised in Baltimore, where he had a reputation as a hell-raiser. He was sent to a Catholic reformatory at age 7, and was eventually taken under the wing of Brother Matthias. During his twelve years at the school he became proficient at stickball and baseball, eventually being noticed by the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles. From there, his contract was purchased by the major league Boston Red Sox.

Babe and Helen Ruth

The day he arrived in Boston, he met a waitress at a coffee shop named Helen Woodford. Before long he proposed to her with the line, “How about you and me getting married, hon?” I chuckled at this, as everyone is “hon’ in Baltimore. 🙂 She said yes, and the teenagers were married three months after that first meeting. Babe went on to become one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. His 575 foot home run at Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium and then Tiger Stadium) in Detroit still stands as the longest home run in major league history. His career 714 home runs stood from 1935 until 1974. Sadly, Ruth died from esophageal cancer at age 53.

The person who broke Babe’s home run record in 1974 was Henry Aaron. Hammerin’ Hank, an African-American, received hate mail and death threats at the prospect of him breaking Ruth’s record. After finishing the 1973 season with 713 homers, his biggest fear was that he wouldn’t live to break the record the following year. He did, and he ended up finishing his career with 755 home runs. A home run that didn’t count towards that total was one he hit in the 1971 All-Star Game in Detroit. I was one seat behind the guy who caught it in the upper deck of right-center field. The ball had a dent in it, resulting in it not flying straight (and me ducking). My dad so wanted to catch it for me, but the guy in front gave it to his boy, and the kid was overjoyed. I told Dad, ” That’s ok, Dad…look how happy he is!”

Hank Aaron medals

Aaron was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for his contributions to the United States.

Another story from the 1971 All Star Game was the home run that Reggie Jackson hit. We were sitting in the upper deck below the light tower in right-center, which was hidden from our view by the roof above us. The ball jumped off of Jackson’s bat and he stood in awe (as did the rest of us) as the ball rose high in the Detroit sky and over our heads. When the ball fell back to the field, we assumed it had hit the roof. We found out after the game that it actually hit a transformer on the light tower, a whopping 400 feet from home plate. Had that tower not been there it could have easily surpassed Ruth’s record homer on the same piece of real estate, as the ball was still rising when it hit.

Tiger Stadium at All Star Time Detroit

Because it struck the transformer (see the blue arrow in the photo above), it technically was not hit out of the park. Diana and I were fortunate enough to witness him finally clear that roof to the right of that arrow in 1984 when he played for the Angels.

There are so many memories for me in that stadium. With two complete decks circling the field there was a constant level of sound from the crowd, even when nothing exciting was happening. At the point when something did happen, the place erupted. When Mom, Dad, Diana and I saw our last game there in 1999, I stopped Dad as he started to walk down the tunnel to leave the stands. I wanted to get one last glimpse of the field with him, knowing the Tigers were moving across town the next season. He reluctantly turned, revealing tears in his eyes. Neither one of us said a word. We didn’t need to.

Back to Cooperstown. The Hall of Fame covers all aspects of the game, including the Negro Leagues, the Latin connection. and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The latter was founded during World War II to keep baseball in the public eye, as there was a fear that the majors would cease play due to a lack of players.

Grand Rapids Chicks

Teams such as the Grand Rapids Chicks, the Rockford Peaches, and the Kalamazoo Lassies were highlighted in this exhibit and in the movie A League of Their Own.

San DIego Chicken

And who can forget the San Diego Chicken? 🙂

The actual Hall of Fame is the place where the plaques of baseball’s greats are showcased.

Baseball Hall of Fame

It extends to a central point where the original 5 inductees are displayed.

Ty Cobb

Right in the middle of those 5 is Ty Cobb, sporting the Tiger’s Olde English D on his cap. 🙂

Babe Ruth

Next to him is Yankee great Babe Ruth, one of the most beloved players ever.

Hank Aaron

And here is Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, who holds that spot in my heart from 1971.

A couple of the many Tigers in the Hall that are special to me are…

Al Kaline

…another Baltimore native, Al Kaline. One of the greatest Tigers ever, he started with the team at 18 years old and is still employed by the team at the age of 83. You may recall our post Al Kaline and a Day with Family that included a giant photo of him that we delivered to Diana’s brother in Florida. Dan had won a Detroit Free Press contest as a child after he wrote to explain why his school should get the photo, and was dubbed the World’s Greatest Al Kaline Fan. His school displayed the photo for awhile, then offered it back to Dan.

Sparky Anderson

And a fan favorite, long-time Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson. Even though he managed many more years with the Tigers than he did with the Reds, he wanted his plaque to have him in a Cincinnati cap, as they were the ones who first took a chance with him. A classic exchange between him and Kirk Gibson during the 1984 World Series can be seen at the end of this post.

The 1984 Tiger team has two members being inducted into the Hall this year: Jack Morris and Alan Trammell.

Trammel and Morris

The backing plates with their signatures stand ready for their plaques.

Jack Morris

Just outside the Hall is a display with some of Morris’ memorabilia…

Alan Trammel

…along with some of Trammell’s treasures.

Ernie quote

And my all-time favorite Tiger was the guy who penned this quote: Ernie Harwell. He was the radio announcer for most of my life. To most Detroiters, his voice was the music of the game the city loved so much. Many summer nights were spent listening to him on my transistor radio next to my bed. His easy Georgia accent was very soothing to listen to. When a batter took a called third strike, Ernie would say, “He stood there like a house by the side of the road,” and a Tiger home run would result in, “That ball is LOOOOOOONG gone!” On a foul ball into the stands he would say, “A man from (insert a name of a Michigan town) got that one,” as a way to acknowledge listeners from the region. As a kid, it took me many years before I realized he really didn’t know where the person who caught the ball was from. 🙂

Ernies mic

Ernie’s microphone is displayed in the Hall of Fame, along with an audio recording of him calling the first inning of the last game ever played at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I actually remember listening to that game.

Ernie Harwell

He is enshrined at Cooperstown as a Ford C. Frick Award winner, given to broadcasters for their major contributions to the sport. A recording of some of his calls can be heard by clicking HERE.

And the Sparky Anderson video can be seen HERE.

Be sure to listen carefully to Sparky’s voice after Gibby’s home run. It’s classic. 🙂

That wraps up our time in Cooperstown. Be sure to stay tuned as we head back to Michigan to spend time with family and friends. Until then, safe and happy travels to all!

New York, State Parks

Lake Placid and the Adirondacks

July 4, 2018 exploRVistas 26 Comments

June 25 – July 1, 2018 – Adirondack Park, New York

One of our first vacations as a married couple was a 1985 trip to Lake Placid and the Adirondacks in upstate New York. This was before we started our series of trips to Maine, which began a year later. Since it had been so long, one of our goals this year was to return to the Adirondack region to reacquaint ourselves with the area.

Adirondack Park covers 9,375 square miles, about 1/5 of the entire state of New York. It was created in the late 1800’s to keep the wilderness from being over developed. The preserve includes over 100 towns, making it different than a traditional state park. It is overseen by the Adirondack Park Agency, which puts limits on what can and can’t be built within the park boundaries. The state’s highest peak, Mt. Marcy, is found here along with a number of other tall mountains.

One of the most popular communities is Lake Placid. Home to both the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, this village has established itself as a training mecca for Olympic athletes. It is also a tourist destination, as the outdoor recreational possibilities seem endless.

1932 Rink

This is the 1932 Olympic rink. Not a lot of room for spectators! We were enjoying watching the workers prepare for an upcoming figure skating event. That brought back a lot of memories for me, as I worked as a Zamboni driver while I was in college.

1980 Rink 1

Next door is the 1980 rink, now known as Herb Brooks Arena. This is where the US hockey team beat the Russians, then went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland. As you enter the rink, the sign above the door states “Home of the Miracle on Ice – Site of the Greatest Sporting Event of the 20th Century”. Some may debate that last part, but it certainly was right up there. A personal side story to that: The night the US team beat the Russians, our Western Michigan University hockey team was also hosting a game. My friend and fellow Zamboni driver, Mike, and myself were watching the college game from the stands. You have to remember, this was during the Cold War and although hopes were high, no one thought the US stood much of a chance against the Russian team. Our pro shop manager came up in the stands to tell the public address announcer that the US team had won, but stopped to tell us first. After a little quick thinking, we instead returned to the pro shop and grabbed a piece of poster board and wrote “FINAL – USA 4, USSR 3” on it. We rolled it up, grabbed some hockey tape and headed to the Zamboni. Our lead driver, John, didn’t see us sneak into the Zamboni room and tape it on the front of the machine. After the period ended he backed onto the ice and started circling the rink, and the place went absolutely wild! It was like a wave as the crowd saw the sign as he went around and rose to their feet, roaring far louder than they had for Western scoring a goal. The look on his face was priceless, as he never had been cheered for doing his job. As he stopped by the guy pulling the net pins from the ice, he was told to look at the front of the machine. He climbed down, looked at the front and thrust both arms in the air. The crowd lost it. 🙂

Zamboni at Lake Placid Olympic Ice Center

Attached to the back of the 1980 Olympic arena is a third rink. This is where the curling events took place. It was interesting to see that it wasn’t a dedicated facility, in that it also could be used for hockey and figure skating. It sure would be fun to be up in that Zamboni driver’s seat again!

Inside the arena complex, we toured the Lake Placid Olympic Museum.

Torches from several Olympic games over the years.

We found this collection of Olympic torches to be interesting…

Uniforms from the US Olympic teams from the Winter Olympics over the years.

…as were the uniforms worn through the years by the US athletes at the opening and closing ceremonies. There were other items that had to do mostly with the two Olympics that took place in Lake Placid.

Lake Placid Olympic Speed Skating Oval

Across the street from the arena complex is the outdoor speed skating oval. This is where Eric Heiden won his five gold medals in 1980. We were surprised that it was outdoors, as the newer Olympic venues are all inside. What a view!

Just down the road in the town of North Elba is the Ski Jumping Complex.

Lake Placid Olympic ski jumps

The 90 and 120 meter hills are easily seen from most places in the Lake Placid area.

Lake Placid ski jumps from the new event center at the bottom

This is the view from the deck of the new Intervale Lodge at the base of the jumps. This entire complex is being constantly updated and is used year round.

Installing the summer jumping surface on the ski jumps

In the summer months, jumpers use an artificial surface to ski on. In the photo above, workers can be seen attaching the plastic material to the hill, similar to the method shingles are attached to a roof.

Immediately to the left of the ski jumps is the summer freestyle training facility.

Freestyle skier coming down the ramp

Here is a young man headed down the hill now!

Freestyle skier doing a backflip

Look at that….a back flip! But where is he going to land in the summer, you ask???

Freestyle skier entering the pool

Why that would be into a 750,000 gallon pool! Bet that feels good on a hot day. 🙂

Freestyle skier twisting off the jump

We watched from the stands for quite awhile as these daredevils twisted and flipped off the takeoff ramps into the water. For all we know, we could have been looking at future Olympians. It was very entertaining, to say the least.

Just across the road from the jumping complex is the place where the opening ceremonies for the 1980 Games was held. It is now the home of the Lake Placid Horse Show. Seeing that there appeared to be a big event going on, we decided to check it out!

Horse entering a jump at the Lake Placid Horse Show

What a treat to be able to see the horses and rider as they navigated the series of jumps.

Horse airborne at the Lake Placid Horse Show

It was a thrill to see them airborne! Pretty remarkable to see an animal as big as this leap that far.

While we walked the grounds, we noticed this:

Cauldron from the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid

There’s the cauldron from the 1980 Winter Olympics! It looked so much bigger on TV. 🙂

Another place we visited in the area was High Falls Gorge. This 22 acre privately-owned attraction deserves a mention not only for its beauty, but also for what can happen when a natural feature ends up in private hands.

High Falls Gorge

Here is upper part of the cataract on the Au Sable River that appears in it’s pristine state.

High Falls Gorge with ramps

To reach the lower portion, the company has built ramps, platforms and bridges within the gorge. To us, this tarnished the beauty of the falls.

Ramps at High Falls Gorge

And with it being private, the admission fee is right up there. It seemed a bit odd that this was in the middle of the Adirondack State Preserve, but it’s been a private attraction since the 1890’s. Nature’s creations deserve better stewardship, in our opinion. While the falls themselves were beautiful, we felt that a state or national agency would have provided a more natural visitor experience. In a much broader sense, this is why we feel that our public lands should not be allowed to fall into private hands. It cost us $11.95 each, plus 8% New York state sales tax for a total of $25.81. In comparison, our annual National Park Pass, which covers over 400 sites, is a bargain at $80.00.

Another thing we found in the area was the John Brown Farm. You may recall us talking about him in our post from Harpers Ferry, where he led a raid that resulted in his being executed. At the time we noticed his farm was in North Elba, NY, but we had no idea where that actually was.

Ski jump from John Brown's grave

Well, standing next to his grave, the back of the 120 meter ski jump is easily seen. Now we know where North Elba is. 🙂

John Brown statue

John Brown, who used violence to further the efforts to abolish slavery, is a controversial figure in US history. Some travel here each year to show their respects on his birthday, others feel he was a bit of a zealot. The building behind the statue is his farmhouse. The inscription under the figures’ feet says, “His soul goes marching on”. That is a reference to the Civil War era song, John Brown’s Body, which was rewritten at a later date to become The Battle Hymn of the Republic. In the former version, the lyrics start out “John Brown’s body lies a moulderin’ in the grave.”

John Brown's grave

Well, here is that grave he is a moulderin’ in, along with several of his followers who fought with him at Harpers Ferry. That event is seen as one of the sparks that led to the Civil War.

John Brown Barn

Behind the house and grave is the barn.

John Brown Barn Basement

The lower level houses a nice display dedicated to the story of John Brown as an abolitionist.

John Brown Barn Main Level

The upper level speaks to the area’s role in the Underground Railroad. Gerrit Smith, a wealthy landowner and politician who was a leader in the abolitionist movement, gave away 120,000 acres of North Elba land in 50 acre parcels to black families from the south. Being a property owner gave them a right to vote, as well as a means to becoming self-sufficient. John Brown had purchased some of that acreage to help teach the former slaves how to work the land. Unfortunately the area conditions weren’t conducive to farming, and the experiment failed. We found the entire farm to be fascinating, and it really tied in well with our visit to Harpers Ferry.

The other place we visited in the area was the top of Whiteface Mountain.

Diana and Jim on Whiteface Mountain, with Lake Placid in the background

Our last trip here was in a 1981 Chevette. I remember that well, as we had to turn the air conditioning off to make it up the hill. 🙂 This is a great place to view Lake Placid from.

Leaving Lake Placid, we spent a few days in the Lake George area, at the southern end of Adirondack Park. The weather turned hot, so we limited our activities to taking care of errands and celebrating my 60th birthday! Our friends and fellow RV-Dreamers, Bonnie and Fred, have their home base in the area so the four of us met for a wonderful steak dinner at the Log Jam Restaurant. We hadn’t seen them since March of 2017, so we had a lot of catching up to do. As a result, we completely forgot to take photos. They are going to spend the winter just down the road from us in Melbourne Beach, so I’m sure we will get some photos then. 🙂

That wraps up our time in the Adirondacks! Next up, we move west through New York State to visit some of my childhood idols. Be sure to check back here to see what that is all about. Until then, safe and happy travels to all!

Fulltime RVing, National Historic Sites, New York, Work camping

Fun in the Hudson River Valley

June 1, 2018 exploRVistas 24 Comments

May 12, 13, 15 & 16, 2018 – Hudson River Valley, NY

As we stated a couple of posts back, our base for seeing New York City was Newburgh, New York. Located about an hour-plus north of NYC by rail, this charming area nestled in the Hudson River Valley is as if you are in a totally different world. The rolling hills are dotted with small farms and little towns, in contrast to the metropolis to the south. With us being in the vicinity for the better part of a week, we decided to explore and see what hidden gems we might find!

Saturday, May 12 was a cold, drizzly sort of day, we decided it would be a good opportunity to do some grocery shopping. On the way to the store, Diana did a little Google search and informed me that Angry Orchard Hard Cider was located near there in the town of Walden, and that they had live music that afternoon. Seeing that this cider is available across the nation, I had always assumed Angry Orchard to be a fictional place. Apparently, this wasn’t the case. I made a quick U-turn and we headed to the cidery. Groceries can wait until later!

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This very real place is filled with gnarly-looking apple trees. According to the company, the angriest trees produce the best cider.

It is here that they have what is known as their Innovation Cider House. This is where they offer new flavors and blends to their guests, before sending it out to the masses.

Everyone of drinking age is given a free flight of three different ciders, and the bar offers several other flavors for sale. As you can see in the photo above, the complimentary pours are a decent size! Diana also tried their Rose. I had a pint of their Maple Wooden Sleeper, which is aged in bourbon barrels. It has a somewhat dryness to it, with hints of maple, vanilla and bourbon. At 12% ABV…double their normal offering…it also earns the name ‘sleeper’!

They had a duo that afternoon, which made for a great atmosphere! We were sitting at community tables with several locals, which was a lot of fun.

They have a self-guided tour that ends with this showcase of the awards they’ve won. Most were from the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition. Hmmmmm…..never heard of that, but it might be worth checking out sometime!

Sunday, May 13 was another rainy day, so we decided to head across the river to Hyde Park. We had visited this town back in 2007 to see Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home and Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage, Valkill. Both were amazing and are recommended by us, if you are in the area. This time, we visited FDR’s neighbor, the Vanderbilt mansion.

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Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt had this estate built in the late 1890’s as a summer escape from the heat of New York City. These are the people who owned the New York Central railroad and are responsible for the beautiful Grand Central Terminal we love so much. When Frederick passed in the 1930’s, he willed the mansion to his niece. After unsuccessfully trying to sell it, FDR convinced her to donate it to the National Park Service. It has been in their care since 1940.

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This is the dining room. The table actually looked small in this room, but our guide explained that the couple only entertained a few guests at a time.

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This is Louise’s bedroom. Lots of gold leaf adorning the walls.

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This is the man cave, so to speak. I’m sure there were plenty of cigars smoked in this room!

Tours are offered at $10 each. Although it doesn’t state it in their literature or on their website, NPS Interagency Annual Passholders are admitted at no charge. We didn’t check, but that is probably the same at the Roosevelt sites, so be sure to ask.

On Tuesday May 15, we decided to check out the nearby town of New Paltz with our friend Kathy. We met her while working at Amazon in 2016 and we’ve been fortunate to see her twice between then and now. Check out her new blog called Wonder Woman Wandering. After checking out a few stores, we grabbed a drink at a local watering hole. While there, everyone’s phones went crazy as there was a tornado warning. We looked at the radar and it appeared we were OK where we were, but we decided to head back to camp, just in case. Later that evening, a nasty storm hit. While it was bad by us, it was much worse just to our south. Huge trees were toppled everywhere and a couple of people were killed when they fell on them.

The next day, the three of us decided to do some more exploring. On a stop at Walgreens to pick up a prescription, we saw this:

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I guess this is why it’s a good idea to have a backup generator. All of their dairy coolers had lost power in the storm.

We headed to Minnewaska State Park on a quest to do a little hiking.

This is Awosting Falls from above. We continued down the trail to see what they looked like from below.

Very pretty! These falls are located on the Peters Kill River, which was flowing rapidly with the recent rains.

Diana and Kathy spotted this interesting boulder across the river with trees growing over it. 🙂

We then drove up to Lake Minnewaska to see what that looked like.

Kathy read a sign that told how the quartz that underlies the lake prevents the acidity from being filtered out. As a result, this body of water doesn’t have any fish. It is a picturesque scene, nonetheless.

On the way back, we made a stop at Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson.

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Kathy had spotted this garden gnome in Roadside America, as the largest in the world when it was made in 2006, and said “Now THAT’S a selfie moment!” By golly, I believe she is right!

To cap the day, we stopped at Tuthilltown Distillery to sample what they had to offer. They had some excellent bourbon, but their prices reflected their small size. We did enjoy the tasting, though!

That wraps up our time in New York and the Hudson River Valley for the time being. Next up, we visit with friends in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Be sure to stay tuned for that. Until then, safe travels to all!

New York

A Stroll Through Lower Manhattan

May 27, 2018 exploRVistas 18 Comments

May 14, 2018 – New York City, NY

After spending Friday in Mid-town and the Lower West Side, we had a few more places we wanted to visit in Lower Manhattan. Monday’s weather looked like it was going to cooperate, so we once again grabbed the 10:08 Metro-North out of Beacon and headed into Grand Central. Once there, it was an easy subway ride on the Green 4-5-6 line down to the City Hall station. One thing we failed to mention in the last post is that subway maps can be a challange to find. If you are in Grand Central Terminal, go to the information kiosk in the center of the main concourse and ask for one. They keep them behind the counter. No charge, and they are a really nice quality map.

Our first destination was the Brooklyn Bridge. This graceful span has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Begun in 1869 and completed in 1883, this mile-plus long structure was the longest in the world when it opened…by a whopping 50%! The designer, John Roebling, purposely planned it to be six times stronger than it needed to be, and that is why it still stands today. On average, over 100,000 vehicles cross it daily, along with 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 bicyclists.

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While the bridge was originally designed to allow rail and horse-drawn carriage traffic on the main deck, it always had a pedestrian passage in the center of the upper level. Time to lace up the Asics and take a hike to Brooklyn!

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The Gothic arched towers of Maine granite, in contrast with the hybrid cable-stay system of suspending the deck above the water takes your breath away.

When we came to the Manhattan tower, we were a bit concerned to see only John Roebling and his son Washington’s names on the plaque as having been the builders of the span. Having read the book, The Great Bridge by David McCullough (a wonderful literary work that I highly recommend), I knew there was more to that story. When the initial construction was underway in 1869, John Roebling’s foot was crushed between a ferry boat and the dock. That led to his death from tetanus. Reading the gruesome account of his demise reminded me of my grandmother’s description of my great-grandfather’s passing from the same disease. It wasn’t lost on me that they were both builders of 19th century landmarks that still stand, German and named John. Before Roebling passed, he put his son in charge of the project. While working in the caissons way below river level Washington Roebling developed a case of the bends, which little was known about at the time. He ended up permanently disabled and housebound in Brooklyn, so his wife Emily stepped in. On her own she learned the advanced mathematics, physics, and engineering required to complete the structure. From 1870 to 1883, one determined woman oversaw the construction of this engineering marvel.

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To say we were thrilled to see this plaque honoring her on the Brooklyn tower is an understatement. 🙂 It was fitting that she was the first to cross the completed span, riding in a carriage and carrying a rooster; a sign of victory. You go girl!

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After crossing to terra-firma in Brooklyn, we turned around and headed back. The overcast skies were beginning to clear!

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Here are the buildings of lower Manhattan, as seen through the 135 year-old cables of the span.

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The view really opened up when we reached mid-river.

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What a great way to spend the morning!

Our friends Linda and Steven went to NYC last year, and suggested to us that we must visit Eataly! After a quick Google search we found that one of the two locations in town was near the Brooklyn Bridge in World Trade Center 4, so off we went.

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Along the way, we passed this beautiful fountain in front of City Hall. New York has so many wonderful public spaces like this.

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Eataly is a chain of Italian marketplaces/restaurants located around the globe.

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Oh, my….so many choices! We opted for a sit-down meal at La Pizza & La Pasta.

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Diana’s selection was a Capricciosa pizza, which included San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala from Napoli, prociutto cotto, mushrooms, artichokes and olives. To drink, she chose a GuS extra dry ginger ale.

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I selected the Pappardelle, although I chose a gluten-free substitute for the noodles. They were tossed with peas, pancetta, spring onion, white wine, butter and parmigiano reggiano. Pared nicely, I might say, with a glass of Pinot Grigio. 🙂 We completed the meal with some of their decadent gelato. Absolutely delightful! We texted Linda and Steven afterwards and told them we loved them. 🙂

Before we left the restaurant, we stepped over to the large wall of windows and looked down at our next destination: The 9/11 Memorial.

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Through the 400 swamp white oak trees, chosen for their resiliency and strength, is the reflecting pool that occupies the footprint of the South Tower, known as World Trade Center 2. We had visited this spot in 2007, back when it was a huge construction site.

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Photos don’t do this solemn ground justice. Two pools are placed where the 110-story towers once stood. Water falls from the outside into the pool, then falls again into the void in the center. The water seems to vanish, just as the people who perished here did.

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Names of the victims encircle both pools, arranged with the people they worked with. Above is Father Judge’s name; he died when the South Tower collapsed. The diversity of names from around the globe really stands out.

We walked slowly around both pools, contemplating that horrible day in 2001.

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Above it all rises the Freedom Tower, now taking the name World Trade Center 1 from the former North Tower. Rising to 1,776 feet tall, it is the tallest building in the United States and is currently the sixth tallest in the world.

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The names of the victims from Flight 93 in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon are also here, along with the six victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. When I saw Todd Beamer’s name, it hit me hard. He was one of the men who stormed Flight 93’s cockpit to try to stop the hijackers.

We want to say that we consciously chose not to go to the 9/11 Museum at this time. Friends who have gone say it is excellent, so you may want to look into it when you visit New York. Thank you for respecting our choice.

After the memorial, we were drained…but we had a few more stops we wanted to make on our way back to the subway. First was Trinity Church.

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This beautiful Episcopal chapel stands at the head of Wall Street.

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The church’s graveyard is the final resting place of Alexander Hamilton, Treasurer of the United States. He lost a duel with then Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804. It was considered a legal duel, although it ended Burr’s political career. By visiting here, we can now say we saw Hamilton in New York. 😉

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Robert Fulton, who invented the steamboat, also rests here.

From Trinity Church, we headed to Federal Hall.

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Even though this isn’t the same building, this is the spot where George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States.

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Inside is the stone he stood on from the first building. It appears to have seen better days, but it’s cool that they still have it.

Leaving there, we were pretty much wiped out. We boarded the subway in the Financial District to get back to Grand Central…at 5:15 PM. Whoops! That’s when the train cars become sardine cans, and we were standing with plenty of new friends. 🙂 The train stopped once and more people crushed in, then it was an express into the terminal. We won’t make that mistake again. 😉 Once at Grand Central, we caught an express back to Beacon. Along the way, we sat on the inland side of the train, seeing several deer along the route. We were back at camp before dark, capping a really great day in lower Manhattan.

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That wraps up our time in New York City for now. When we visited the first time in 2007, we toured the Statue of Liberty, had dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, and attended a Broadway play. We look forward to visiting again, and discovering new adventures in the Big Apple. Our next post will highlight some of the fun things we did around Newburgh, so be sure to stay tuned for that. Until then, safe travels to all!

Family, New York

Perfect Timing in New York City

May 24, 2018 exploRVistas 26 Comments

May 11, 2018 – New York City, New York

When most fulltime RVers choose travel destinations, they envision trees, rivers, and views from lofty heights. Many look for places where they can hike long distances in natural surroundings. On May 11, we found the perfect place to accomplish all of that: New York City. This post deals with how we navigated the first of two days on Manhattan Island…all with serendipitous timing.

This wasn’t our first time in New York City. We had come here as part of our 25th anniversary trip back in 2007, so we knew how to get around the metro area. Back then, our friends Karen and Bill had told us of a KOA up in Newburgh, NY that was convenient to the Beacon train station. That campground also had a woman who would walk our dog Jenny for a donation to KOA Care Camps for children dealing with cancer. That worked well for us on our two trips into the city that year, allowing us to stay into the evening. So this time around, we chose the same campground for our week-long stay. Even though Jenny is no longer with us, we were happy to see that Carol is still there taking care of the pups. And by a stroke of pure luck, our friend Kathy was working there. You might remember her from our Charleston post. We had no firm plans this trip, just a list of possible things to do in the area.

On Friday, May 11, we were drinking our coffee in our PJ’s and trying to decide our schedule for the week. A quick look at the Weather Channel revealed rain and low temperatures in the forecast for most of our stay, which meant the best day weather-wise was upon us. Time to get moving. We grabbed showers, sandwiches, sunglasses, water, and we were out the door! Looking at the train schedule, we knew we were going to be close to making the 10:08. The next train wouldn’t be for another hour, so we really wanted to catch it. With it being 11 years since our last visit, we weren’t exactly sure the details of accomplishing that feat. Well if there are two attributes to New Yorkers, it is that they are efficient and willing to help. After a very quick transaction with the smiling toll collector on the Hudson River bridge, we were in the parking lot at the station. “Toot-toooooot” … we could hear the Metro North coming! We ran for the platform and quickly navigated the parking pay station (pay by plate) and up the stairs for the bridge over the tracks. We passed a woman and asked if we could buy tickets on the train. “Yes, but it will cost you more,” she said without missing a beat. Ok, so onto the platform, I quickly paid for two tickets in the vending machine as the train came in. We literally grabbed them, turned to our left and stepped on the train. Ahhhhh….we had an hour-plus to chill. 🙂

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The beauty of riding this route is that it runs along the Hudson River the entire way. The valley is lined with steep basalt cliffs known as the Palisades. We could see the castle-like U.S. Military Academy at West Point across the river, along with many beautiful old homes, countless boats, and a fair amount of waterfowl. It is here that I will note that the two train cars furthest from the city (last ones inbound and first ones outbound) are now designated quiet cars. That is probably a result of our incessant talking and newspaper rattling back in 2007, that resulted in a few glares from the commuters. 🙂

While we were rolling along Diana texted our friend Shari, a professor at Rutgers close by in New Jersey, because we had tentative plans to meet her in New York City that weekend. She commented that we should be going today, as the weather was so beautiful. Diana responded that we were on way, and asked “Are you in?” She was in the middle of getting her hair done, but was able to grab a bus into the city immediately afterwards. We made plans to meet for a late lunch at 2:30. We love it when a plan comes together!

Shari was the one who taught us how to navigate the subway system our last time here. Back then, we toured Greenwich Village, Soho, and the Garment District with her. We even ended up on CBS Sunday Morning, when we walked into Blue Ribbon Bakery. They were doing a story about picnics. Check it out HERE, between 17 and 22 seconds on the video (our five seconds of fame). I’m the one in the Hawaiian shirt.

As we approached the city, the train slid underground for the final few miles to our destination. Once inside Grand Central Terminal, we walked up into the main concourse.

We never get tired of seeing this beautiful building! Financed by the Vanderbilts, this huge structure was completed in 1913. In this photo, we are actually one level below the streets. There are 44 train platforms…the most at any terminal in the world… along with three subway lines that intersect here. A very busy place that, despite the volume of people, works exceedingly well.

Once on the street, we had three hours until we were to meet up with Shari at the intersection of Gansevoort and Washington…about 2.5 miles away. Plenty of time to take a hike and catch that lofty view I referred to earlier. We spotted a North Face store across from the station; after all…you would fully expect to find an outdoor store here. 😉 We were wanting a smaller day pack, and the people inside were able to help us accomplish that. Out the door we headed for the second highest spot in the city, the Empire State Building! Quickly navigating the mostly-empty queues (due to it being a weekday in early spring), we were soon outside on the 86th floor observatory.

I looked up to see if King Kong was on the mast, just in case. Nope…we were good. Amazingly, this 1454 foot tall tower took only a little more than 13 months to build.

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Looking north, you can see Central Park beyond the tall buildings. Lots of construction can be seen, as this city is constantly changing.

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This is looking west-northwest. If you had been here on January 15, 2009, you could have seen Captain Sully land his plane on the Hudson from this point.

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This view is northeast, with the art-deco Chrysler building to the left and the East River behind. I noticed that it was actually somewhat quiet up on the observatory deck, even though you could hear the street traffic far below.

And the view south towards the Freedom Tower. The Statue of Liberty can be seen to the right in the distance. The Flatiron building is in the foreground on the point. Amazingly, it was once one of the tallest buildings in New York when it was completed in 1902.

Once we were done, we rode the subway down to 14th Street. From there we hoofed it to a restaurant called Bubby’s to meet Shari. We exchanged hugs at 2:31….not bad! 🙂 The cafe had recently had a kitchen fire, so they were going to be opening up for the first time in a week later that afternoon. Instead we ate at another place named High Street on Hudson, which was very good. After that we did a little shopping. She took us into a Christian Louboutin shoe store. Known for their red soles, the prices started at around $300 and rose quickly from there. Not that any of us were buying, but it was fun to see how the other half shops! We then headed to the southern end of the High Line.

What is the High Line you ask? It is a former elevated railway that carried freight to southern Manhattan. It opened as a 1.45 mile long linear city park in 2009. Talk about nature!

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They left the tracks and incorporated the landscaping around them.

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Check out the trillium and the ferns. Are we in Leelanau?

Looking up reveals we weren’t. 🙂 Hey…we were just up on top of that tower!

And here is a dandy bit of construction going on. That crane is level and plumb. Look closely at the tower. They are building it to be tilted like that. I’m assuming it is an optical illusion that the floors themselves look slanted. Go figure!

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Shari took this photo of us on this cool park feature. It is built like a theater with windows at the front. People are able to sit and watch as traffic on 10th Avenue zips out from under them. Nice place to hang out and play the license plate game. 🙂

After we walked the entire length of the High Line, we grabbed dinner in Hell’s Kitchen at a restaurant called The Marshall. Again, very tasty!

It is always guaranteed to be a fun day when we are able to hang out with Shari! We said our goodbyes near the restaurant and Diana and I trekked over a few blocks to Times Square. It was starting to get dark by this time, so the bright lights were in all their glory.

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Right above that ‘2018’ is the mast that the Waterford crystal ball slides down on New Years Eve.

From there we grabbed the Shuttle subway line directly to Grand Central. While we were waiting for the train we met a young man from Columbia who was trying to find his way to Connecticut, and he asked if he was on the right subway. I knew enough to tell him the New Haven train ran from Grand Central, so we helped him navigate his way across town and to the information kiosk in the center of the main concourse of the terminal. As we entered that grand hall, he stopped cold in his tracks. “Whoa, hold on!!! I have to take a picture!” He was in awe of what he was seeing, and we were happy to be able to help him. With that, we made our train back to Beacon with just minutes to spare, capping a day filled with perfect timing and loads of fun. We logged over 21,000 steps and 11 floors on our Fitbits, once all was said and done. Whew!

Next up, we spend a second day in New York, checking out several sites in lower Manhattan. Be sure to stay tuned for that adventure!