The Erie Canal

An early morning exit from Niagara Falls, New York, and we were passing through the finger lakes region. The scenery on the New York thruway was beautiful and got us excited about changing leaves as we rolled along gentle hills past farms with corn that is still green, changing colors on the sumac and poison ivy, purple flowers, goldenrod. We are starting to see some colors in the leaves.

An unplanned stop was the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. The old town, formed in 1805, was a major shipping port for salt. The Erie Canal flowed through what is now the heart of town. The only remaining weighlock building, which is now the museum, served us well. This was where they would weigh the barges as they traveled down the canal from 1825-1923 on what is now Erie Street. There are plenty of old photograhs.


A replica of a canal boat had displays throughout. I had no idea they were so large or that the canal played such a major role in the development of our country. Many immigrants traveled westward from New York on the canal. This is another replica.

We did enjoy a walk down to Clinton Square for a geocache where I marveled at the old buildings still in the downtown area. Imagine water flowing between those two buildings and across the park where I stood to take the photo!

This painting shows what it looked like when the Erie Canal ran through downtown Syracuse.

The museum included small vignettes with period furnishings which made one feel like she had stepped back in time.

Leon waited for a bartender to come along but it did not happen!


Once we left I REALLY wondered what the Erie Canal looked like! We located the Erie Canal State Park in DeWitt a few miles east. Here we got in an afternoon walk even though the temperature was 80!


The towpath where the mules once pulled the barges along the canal led us to an aqueduct that allowed the canal to cross over Butternut Creek. Quite impressive!

This bridge is over Butternut Creek adjacent to the aqueduct. Of course there isn't much water flowing in the canal now but it must have been a busy place at one time!

So on to Utica and an overnight stop at the Elk's Lodge before heading north into the Adirondacks. The locals recommend we eat greens, chicken diggies, and tomato pie!

Travelin' light in NY

Travel through New York seems to vary widely. This fellow seemed to have all his worldly possessions with him. He was spending the night in a rest area.


In Syracuse this fellow appeared to have all his possessions with him also. He was having lunch by the parking lot across from the Erie Canal Museum.


And then here we were, parked alongside the road in front of the Seneca Museum in Niagara Falls. There were so many options for us: the Elks Lodge, Walmart (where we parked the night before), Denny's (where we had breakfast and visited with the cook who offered we could park there), the Niagara Hotel parking lot (where another van was parked the night before and the hotel is closed), or the Seneca Casino parking lot (the casino is open all night). For some reason the street in front of the casino seemed like a suitable spot. We got a ticket for parking between 3 am and 6 am. No place in town did we see a sign and even visited with Will from Oregon who parked on the street the previous night in another part of town. Hmmm!

Whoever wrote the ticket thinks the abbreviation for Arkansas is AK. I wonder what the odds are of him locating me in Alaska.

Niagara Falls State Park, NY

We arrived in Niagara Falls, New York late in the day and decided to do some shopping and save the falls for the next day. What a surprise to find the Elks Lodge, Walmart, Radio Shack, AAA, and an outlet mall all within blocks of each other. I am excited about my $10 Chico's jacket. The Elk's Lodge was ok and had electric but we decided to stay at Walmart instead as did several other travelers.

After visiting with the cook at Denny's over breakfast we knew the best route to take. We parked across the street from the bridge to Goat Island for free and away we went.


Our first order of pleasure was to walk on Goat Island. Soon we came to the bridge looking down at the American rapids. Below is the foot bridge that we would cross several times during the day. The river flows around Goat Island, creating the American Falls below these rapids. Horseshoe Falls are on the other side of Goat Island.


The trolley provided us a rest when needed and a ride through the Niagara Falls State Park. The state bought this land from an individual and created the first New York state park.

The American Falls and Horseshoe Falls are entirely on the American side of the Niagara River. In the distance is the mist from Horseshoe Falls, partly in Canada.

On our morning walk on Goat Island we came to Horseshoe Falls. Words cannot describe!

Leon's primary goal on this trip was to ride on the Maid of the Mist. We dressed for the occasion as did everyone else. It was an exhilarating experience as the boat went along the base of the American Falls and to the base of the Horseshoe Falls.


A new fall wardrobe?! A trolley conductor convinced us to also take the Cave of the Winds tour. We not only donned new raincoats but even had special sandals! It was fun also!

It is unbelievable that these steps can be built in the falls and hold the number of people that must climb each day.

Hurry, Leon. That water is cold on my feet!

After a short rest at the van we decided to walk to Canada. Across the bridge we went with passports handy. There you could look straight across to the American Falls.

There were many folks wandering and looking We found a park bench and enjoyed a yogurt before trekking back across the bridge.

As if we hadn't done enough we walked over to the Seneca Casino to see what it was all about. We did not gamble (until we decided to park in front!) And that's another story. All I can say is "What a fine day!"

We had heard someone in a "visitor's center" selling a couple a tour package so they wouldn't have to pay a fortune to park, fight the traffic, etc.etc. Our day cost $26.50 each and there was little traffic! We parked 50 paces from the entrance to Goat Island. Our plan included the trolley ride, Maid of the Mist boat ride, Cave of the Winds tour, one pair of sandals and two rain ponchos!

Niagara Falls, NY

Oh, come on! Surely you remember this. Just sing along.

"One of these things is not like the other; one of these just doesn't belong." Now you finish it.


A mural at the outlet mall in Niagara Falls, New York. We intended to go back and have fun with more photos but rule #2 is "do it the first time." You probably will not go back and we didn't.

Ashtabula County, Ohio

We made it to six of the drawbridges located in Ashtabula County. Some were built as early as 1898 and others as recently as 1995. I don't understand if they go along without one until 1995 why build one? Could it be for the tourists?


Along the backroads we stopped to pick our own apples. Where is the rest of the tree? These are dwarf apple trees with the tiniest little apples.


About noon we transitioned to the winery tour. They are also scattered throughout the county. Several had music, food, and good crowds. It was a most enjoyable afternoon. One was built in an old church built in another county in 1892. Before it was demolished in 2000 the vineyard owners dismantled it and had it moved and rebuilt near Harpersfield.

We strolled al
ong the beach on Lake Erie and watched the sun set on our Ashtabula visit. Time to move east and visit Niagara Falls.

Ashtabula, OH

The Elks lodge in Astabula, Ohio has 3 electric hookup spaces for travelers and therefore became a destination as we turned east. We are parked approximately 200 yards from the shore of Lake Erie. Someone in the Elk's Lodge last night told us there was nothing to do here but I beg to differ. We were hoping for a rest! There are 14 lighthouses along the shore, 17 wooden bridges on the back roads, and 20 wineries sprinkled throughout the county for starters.

We were even entertained by the raising of the Bascule bridge to allow pleasure boaters out of the harbor.

The town became a major oil and coal port after the harbor was discovered in 1796.
We visited the Ashtabula Marine Museum in the old historic district and learned 16 tons of information about the coal industry. The museum is housed in the 1871 lighthouse keeper's quarters.

They even had a restored steamship pilothouse which offered a spectacular view of Ashtabula Harbor. This conveyor loads the coal into the silos near the dock where the freighters load.


We watched a freighter back into port and load coal while a volunteer explained the process and much more to us. Nearby railroad cars come from many places in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio bringing coal that is dumped at the port. Conveyor belts transport it to waiting freighters. Much of it is shipped across the lake to a nuclear reactor in Canada.

"Mother Hubbard's Cupboard" and "The Great Imporium" were code words for the Hubbard House to slaves following "the drinking gourd," or the big dipper to freedom. In the 1840s brick house, the Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum, we learned what an important role it played for escaping slaves before the Civil War. The slaves waited there until a ship arrived to take them to Canada. There was a nice display of period furnishings and quite a Civil War collection of artifacts also.

A text from my daughter Kay gave me a heads up that the Razorbacks were playing Georgia. We were off to a sportsbar, the Crow's Nest, to watch the new quarterback. He did ok but the rest of the team has much work to do! This also gave us an opportunity to see the draw bridge bathed in its blue lights.

Oh, did I mention we came here to rest. Now on Sunday will it be a winery tour, lighthouses, or covered bridges? Vote for two!

Amish community

Middlefield, Ohio is a bustling small town where vehicles and buggies share the road. The Amish community is very evident here and the clip clop clip clop of their horses can be heard throughout. It is the second largest Amish group in Ohio.




I am surprised that the barns around here all seem to be white. In Minnesota I was surprised they almost always painted them red. This electric line did not run to this farm!

It appeared to be laundry day but perhaps every day is.

This fellow was splitting wood.

What a surprise to find that Walmart not only accomodate rvs but this barn is for the buggies and horses! It was quite a busy place.

Mary Yoder's was a fine choice for some Amish dinner before we continued north. We stopped at a nearby YMCA to inquire if we could pay for a shower and yes, of course we could have a shower, no charge! What a deal! It just never hurts to ask. The state park wanted $19. In Kentucky we paid $1.50 at a state park where we were not staying. I guess there is no standard shower charge.

Cuyahoga Falls National Park, OH

Cuyahoga Falls National Park is located in northeast Ohio. We made sure our route went through the area and spent part of a day there. We sure wished we had our bikes for all the trails. We debated staying in the area longer as it was much to our liking once the fog cleared. We became oriented with a visit at the Boston House visitor's center.


The town of Boston was first settled in 1806. There were boat builders and canal boatmen living there. By 1850 it was a booming little town.

In 1827 a canal opened from Cleveland through the Cuyahoga Valley to Akron, Ohio. Eventually it stretched 308 miles to the Ohio River. This system contributed to the transportation of goods which increased greatly to accomodate the growing industries on the East Coast. In 1840 2.2 million bushels of wheat was shipped through Cleveland. By the 1850s railroads began to replace the canal.

This is the lock as it appeared when the canal was being used.

This is how it looked to Leon. Twenty miles of the towpath trail lies in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We enjoyed a walk along the towpath where many were zipping by on their bicycles.


We finally located the road to Cuyahoga Falls and walked down a boardwalk for a better view.

There are several farms in the valley and we stopped at this market. I have never seen such large vegetables. One of those cauliflowers would not even fit in my refrigerator!

We did buy corn and zucchini for supper but that was before we knew about an Amish restaurant.

Indiana

I am attempting to find a geocache in each state we visit. Wouldn't you know as we crossed Indiana from Henderson to Louisville it was the furthest thing from my mind! But not to be denied we realized we would need to cross the Ohio one more time to accomplish the task. My niece Kelly had lived in Madison, IN last year and relayed that it was a cute old town on the banks of the Ohio, so that determined our route from Louisville. And indeed it was a marvelous stop! There are 1,500 preserved old buildings in the historic district of the town founded in 1809. It began as a supply town for westbound travelers. These northeast travelers did get a cucumber at the market.

The town grew during the steamboat days. We enjoyed a morning stroll on the riverwalk alongside the Ohio River. Hopefully that will make up for dinner at the Olive Garden last night!

We soon located a fun cache near the fountain which was drained for cleaning.I wondered why nobody had picked up the coins in the fountain. There were definitely more than three! I WAS just pretending! I DID NOT take the money!

It is obviously harvest time in this region of Kentucky. This farmer was taking his hay home.

Some fields were still full of tobacco.

This field was being harvested. I was surprised that it was being done by hand but what do I know about tobacco farming. I had just learned how corn is harvested on the previous day, but by machinery.

We saw tobacco drying in many barns. In North Carolina the barns all seem to be green but in Indiana we saw mostly black barns.


If only I could have gotten out of the van to take a decent photo of this tractor pulling a load of tobacco down a country road.


We were on a most scenic drive north from Madison but I did not realize how many 25 mph curves we would encounter. And at lunchtime we passed a flea market in Friendship! A BIG flea market! Brakes! Lunch! Shopping! A fun stop indeed. It is only held twice a year. We were surprised to find out our purchase was from a guy from Paragould, AR.

The land changed to gently rolling hills where the corn and soybeans are still a lush green, a sign we are making progress northward. We have even begun seeing Spruce trees.

We chose the backroads between and around Cincinatti, Dayton, and Columbus and located a spot for the night at Walmart in Ashland, Ohio, only 42 feet from a geocache.

Louisville, Ky

We arrived in the heart of downtown Louisville in the middle of 4 pm traffic and managed to find our way to Oxmoor Farm quite easily. I located Jim, who lives on the property, and convinced him to unlock the cemetery gate so that I could take some photos. He and Leon visited at the gate.


Jim is a historian at the Filson Club, Louisville's historical society, and lives in William Christian's log cabin near a flowing spring on Bear Creek. Christian came to Louisville in 1785 and was killed by Indians soon thereafter. He was the first of several generations of ancestors who would live at this location which is now adjacent to a busy mall.

Sturgis Station was built on Bear Creek. The springhouse is shown below and is located just behind Colonel Christian's cabins.

Nearby the gates at Oxmoor Farm were locked and we decided to switch out of genealogy mode and neither trespass nor pursue visiting the farm.

Walmart accomodated us nicely for the evening. There were fewer bright lights than usual and a delightful breeze cooled our home for the night!