NOTE: This is the last blog our Dear Bo dictated. We will continue with the blogs hoping to keep his particular perspective, wry humor and joyful enthusiasm. Keep trekking with us and we will take you to more of the special places in this lovely country.
We left Four Mile Creek CG and headed west for Kitchener, Ontario to visit the birthplace of my precious Pod at Roadtrek. We actually had an appointment for the next morning but took a quick trip over to familiarize ourselves with the traffic and route to the factory. When we arrived we were able to talk immediately with a gentleman who looked at the fiberglass cracks and explained how they were no real structural problem and could easily be fixed by an auto body shop. The sense of relief was palpable and we were on our way. We will probably get them fixed this winter in NM or even wait until we return to CA. We decided there was no real reason to stay in expensive Canada (gas at approximately $4.75 plus per gallon, high priced campgrounds and a low American dollar) so we drove back to Golden Hill CG and the 30 Mile Point Lighthouse to wait out the Labor Day weekend traffic.
Gal Pals decided the Finger Lakes region, Seneca Falls and wineries were our next spot. We stopped at Cayuga Lake CG just off Hwy.89 at the top of the area’s biggest lake. These long skinny lakes are the result of glacial gouging and are remarkably clear and blue. My hairs fairly quivered in anticipation of a possible swim.
The Ladies were saying that during the current history changing times in American politics the very least they could do was go to Seneca Falls and pay tribute to the brave women (and a few good men!) who began the women’s rights movement in America. That movement, in the 1840’s, was another turning point in American history and politics; one which eventually led to the ratification of the19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920. The Women’s Right to Vote Amendment, eighty-eight years ago, was the direct result of the work and suffering of several generations of dedicated women and men who lifted their voices to demand equal rights for women. The Women’s Rights National Historical Park, established by Congress in 1980 honors the organizers who gathered on July 19th and 20th, 1848, at the site of Wesleyan Chapel, to read and adopt the Declaration of Sentiments, thus launching the fight for equality for women. Our current political climate feels as though the process of legislating equality is alive and well and that that progress continues. If the Equal Rights Amendment is ever ratified in this country the bravery and dedication of those abolitionist and feminist pioneers may finally be fully honored and women may yet stand as equals in this society.
Wesleyan Chapel, built by Progressive Quaker Abolitionists, was the site of this and many other reform gatherings in the 1800’s. It has been altered by time and neglect so that what remains are but two walls and a few window openings. However, just standing in the ruins gives one a sense of the energy and commitment those people brought to this space and their cause.
The Commemorative Water Wall was especially moving for Cokie and Kae because they could actually see and read the text of the Declaration of Sentiments. Any document that begins with the words, “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men and women are created equal”, simply will take you breath away with its implications!
The Visitor’s Center focuses on the 160 year effort to gain full equality for women in the United States with exhibits spanning the entire time period from 1848 to today. The First Wave Statue Exhibit greets you as you enter the door. Representing the first wave of women’s rights activists, the sculpture includes statues of twenty people: Mary and Thomas M’Clintock, Lucretia and James Mott, Jane and Richard Hunt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Fredrick Douglass, Martha Wright and eleven “anonymous” participants. It was moving to stand among these representations of the 300 attendees’ and100 signers of the Declaration of Sentiments.
The remainder of the exhibits was a trip through the history of the civil and women’s rights movements. Video and photographic displays served as vivid reminders of the longevity and intensity of these struggles. This National Historical Park is an iconic stopping place for any woman or man who knows and cares about the necessity of equal partnerships in this world.
Okay, after we strolled through the park some more, had a nice conversation with a vibrant, interesting gal and her husband from Denver (our apologies to them as I find we are all taking these ‘personal, private vacations” around remembering names quite often lately), had a dashboard lunch, then took off for the trip down scenic Hwy. 89.
Wineries and waterfalls – just let me say wow! Goose Watch Winery was a fun place for me to sniff and the Ladies to sip. There is a 14 acre grove of Chestnut trees there; the result of hybridizing the American and Chinese strains in an effort to save the chestnut from total extinction in America. Eighty percent of all trees in this county were chestnuts before 1900. A blight introduced from Asia wiped out all of the native chestnuts and only through cross breeding with the blight immune Chinese tree could the chestnut be brought back. This hybrid is very rare and the grove is the pride of the owners. They have okay wines (the Gals are spoiled and snooty about our west coast vintages), plus an annual chestnut festival, all in a beautiful setting over looking the west shore of Cayuga Lake.
A couple of more winery stops and then on to Taughannock Falls because water, as you know by now, is simply one of our favorite things! The late summer trickle falling into a bowl of stone, surrounded by 400 foot cliffs, was very lovely.
We chose to drive a few miles further South and a bit west in order to stay at Robert H. Treman State Park. This park features a spectacular gorge, accessed by a remarkable network of stone stairs, bridges and archways built by the CCC. This all leads to the 115 foot Lucifer Falls on Enfield Creek. Cokie says the stonework and gorge reminded her of places in China. She expected at any minute to turn a corner and find a little temple. All I know is that this was a heavenly hike and a great swim!
We all agreed this Finger Lakes region goes on our list of places to revisit as we would want to see more of the eleven lakes, villages and parks. But intrepid travelers that we are we knew we had to keep moving. Onward it was to Verona Beach SP on Oneida Lake in central NY. This lake region is a unique combination of lake, swamps, marshes and hardwoods, known for its fishing and beach areas. We found the large empty parking lot was perfect to obtain a satellite signal for watching the Republican Convention and the Palin Performance! (The Gals feel staying informed about both sides of the political process is vital nowadays. Personally I think all this political hooey is just a big pile of you know what that everyone forgets to clean up!).
Next it was on to the Adirondacks mountains and the multitude of lakes in that area. We stopped outside of Speculator, NY at the Moffitt Beach CG on Sacandaga Lake. We stayed several days because we were waiting for some mail to arrive at Lake Placid but mostly because this was one of the loveliest campsites we had found in a long time. It was right on the lake where you could just hop down onto a sweet little jetty of flat rocks and walk right out into clear cooling waters for a quick dip with the local ducks. They would come around looking for handouts and I could surprise them with a little game of ‘tag the tail feathers’!
We traveled Scenic Byway 30 on our way to the Lake Placid area, site of the 1980 winter Olympics. We stopped at the Adirondack Museum for a moment to learn of the history, crafts and culture of the area. It was very busy and expensive so we walked about the grounds and took a few pictures, then we continued on our way to the Adirondacks Nature Museum. This too was a bit overpriced for our budget but the building and ground were phenomenal. The main building is built into Wolf Hole Lake. When you stand in the lobby and look out through the windows you are standing about three feet below the water’s surface. It is a strange and beautiful scene. Again we traversed the grounds and Cokie took some additional pictures.
We arrived in Lake Placid to find that it is now an over done, craftzy tourist stop. It was all kinda disappointing so we picked up our mail and moved on to Wilmington Notch CG just north and east of the town. It was sure good to be back in the forest, mountains and cool weather. If you paid attention and sniffed the air you could see and smell the brush of fall colors beginning to show everywhere. We were so excited about following the full fall show in a few weeks!
That was our last camping stay in New York State. We directed our Pod’s paws east and south to cross Lake Champlain at the Hudson River into Vermont. We stopped for a moment at Crown Point. This is the site of a strategic narrowing of the Lake at its drainage into the Hudson River. During the 1600’s and1700’s, French and British fought over and over for control of this point in the waterways leading from Montreal to New York. We tried to visit the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse but unfortunately it was closed for major renovations so we had to settle for a drive by shooting.
We will see more of the southern part of the state when we come down the coast later on. Again, I must repeat how pleasantly surprised we have been at the spectacular beauty of NY State; something we had not expected. As Cokie said, “Guess most of the people are crammed into a few urban spots and the rest of the state is for the smart ones”.
