The centerpiece of the Watkins Glen State Park is a 400 foot
deep gorge cut by the Glen River over thousands of years. The gorge Trail runs
over, under and along the parks 19 waterfalls by way of stone bridges and more
than 800 steps. The changing leaves
added to the beauty of the day.
Paul & Betsy's Travel Log
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Corning, NY September 29
The Corning Museum of Glass is dedicated to the art, history
and science of glass. It was founded in
1951 by Corning Glass Works and currently has a collection of over 45,00 glass
objects, some over 3,500 years old. The
Glass Collection Galleries show the most comprehensive and celebrated
collection in the world. The galleries
contain objects representing every country and historical period in which glass
making has been practiced. The Museum’s
gallery of contemporary glass focuses on vessels, objects, sculptures and
instillations by international artists over the last 25 years.
Glass blowing is demonstrated each day as a glob of hot
molten glass is blown into vases, bowls or sculptures by a museum artist. Throughout the demonstration, a narrator
describes the process, and cameras give viewers a close-up look into the
furnaces where the glass is heated.
The Museum is fascinating and requires more than one day to
fully appreciate.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Watkins Glen, NY – September 28
Watkins Glen, a small town at the southern end of Seneca
Lake, is one of the eleven Finger Lakes in central New York. They are long narrow lakes formed by glaciers
thousands of years ago. Watkins Glen
road racing started on the winding back roads in the 1940s. Today racing is confined to the track, go fast
and turn right! We watched practice laps
by several different styles of cars. Racing
here is called Thunder in the Valley! It
can be heard all over town!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Niagara Falls, NY – September 23-27
Niagara Falls, Paul’s hometown, is a frequent stop on our
travels. This Wonder of the World is
spectacular to see every time, the sound of the water and the rising mist create a magnetic pull to the water’s edge. There are so many ways to view the Falls. The deck of the Maid of the Mist is
guaranteed to be wet. As the boat approaches the bottom of the Falls and you
feel the cool spray. We enjoy the view
from Canada for a panoramic view of the American and Horseshoe Falls. Then at night there are the colored
lights!
Welland Canal connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario
circumventing the Falls for ship traffic between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake
Superior. The vessels primarily
transport grain, coal and iron ore. It
was fun to watch the ships inch into the canal riding high above our heads with
only inches to spare on each side. The gates close, the water is pumped out and the ship lowers with the water level. When lake level is reached gates on the other
end open and the ship continues to its destination. There are currently eight locks to span the
canal.
We also look forward to visits with Betsy’s family in Amherst and
Hamburg when in the area. Travel tales are shared and we
catch up on where all the cousins and their children are these days.
Monday, September 16, 2013
September 16-23 – Halls Lake, Ontario
Halls Lake is a deep glacial lake in the Haliburton
Highlands, about 150 miles north of Toronto.
It was Betsy's “summer place” growing up and holds lots of good memories,
swimming, water skiing, hiking, and just goofing off. We have returned and Paul said I either feel
like or act like I’m fifteen again!
Our
former cottage is still there and the new owners welcomed us like family. We shared stories, and saw the additions and
improvements they have made in the last thirty years, and talked of
quilts! We visited with neighbors and
reminisced about the old days with photos to back up our stories!
An early frost, (0 Celsius makes it sound even colder), and
the leaves began to change color!
Wow! It was beautiful! Every turn was a Kodak moment, red and yellow
leaves among evergreens and birch trees.
Haliburton was a logging center in the late 1800s and early
1900s. Logs were felled then transported by water to mill sites. Dams were used to increase water flow in the
spring to chute the rapids. A log chute
has been recreated on Kennississ River that demonstrates the process.
Our trip was definitely a walk down memory lane, what good
memories they are! We hiked, canoed and
found most of the movie theaters within 20 miles have shut down. We made new memories and had a great time! Thank
you Paul.
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