Fort Stanwix

Yesterday we toured Fort Stanwix in Rome. It was originally built by the British for the French and Indian War. It is located on the only six miles of land between the Mohawk River which goes to the Hudson and the Oswego River that flows to Lake Ontario where goods could not be moved on water. In 1777, during the Revolutionary War the British attacked the fort for 23 days but could not capture it. This, along with the American victory at Saratoga stopped the British plan to divide the states along the Hudson River. The fort was reconstructed in 1976 and is one of the best examples of this period we have ever visited. They had people in period dress who explained the life of the soldiers and their Indian allies the Oneida and Tuscarora. We also had our first mail delivery thanks to Tom & Goergie. It seems like this system will work out well as long as we stay on good terms with them. Today we did a few things around the motor home and went for a nice 15 mile bike ride on the roads around the campground.

Erie Canal

Today we rode our bikes 25 miles along the Erie Canal. There are really two canals, the remains of the original that was started in this area in the early 1800's and the Erie Barge Canal that was completed in the early 1900's. The bike trail goes between both. On the original you ride on the tow path that was used by the mules that pulled the boats. The newer canal is still in operation and the whole system is over 500 miles running from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario. We stopped at one of the locks and watched as they brought a boat through. After they were done, we were allowed to walk across the lock gate to get back to the canal path.

Beverage Trail

Saturday we followed the Cooperstown Beverage Trail. There is one winery, two micro breweries, and a farmers market were they make cider. I really enjoyed the beer tasting. Even Nanc tried a few beers. Cooperstown Brewing Company brewed English beers and they let you try each of their six brews. One of the beers, Backyard Yard, used hops grown at the brewery. I enjoyed these beers the best and bought a mixed case of four different kinds. Brewery Ommegang brewed Belgium beers which had very unusual tastes and very high alcohol content. With one that was a dessert beer they gave you chocolate. I only bought one of these. On Sunday we veged out all day just reading and lounging around the campground. We moved on Monday to the Treasure Isle RV Park near Rome.

Hall of Fame

On Friday we went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It was neat seeing all of the plaques and memorabilia of the players we have read about and seen play many times in Pittsburgh. Even though we're not really fans they already had the signed batting helmets for Barry Bonds record tying and record breaking home runs. In the area were they had the lists of record holders they update the lists daily. We also went to Doubleday Field where the game of baseball supposedly began. Cooperstown is filled with numerous shops selling baseball memorabilia. Despite the Hall of Fame and the commercialism, Cooperstown is a beautiful old town with many architecturally interesting homes. We also visited Otsego Lake which is the source of the Susquehanna River that runs over 400 miles and empties into Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, Maryland. Interestingly, one of this years' Hall inductees, Cal Ripken, was born in Havre de Grace.

Corning Museum of Glass

We visited the Corning Museum of Glass. The exhibits ranged from a history of glass making in ancient cultures, to glass in art and its many modern uses. There was a demonstration of glass blowing. They had glass from all over the world including some that looked like Duncan Miller from Washington. We moved to Beaver Springs Lake CG near Cooperstown and are planning to tour the Baseball Hall of Fame. We had no cell phone or Internet access at this campground but the stars at night were spectacular. There were several couples there who were full timers or snowbirds and we spent time talking with them about there experiences.

Curtiss Museum

On Monday we went to the Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport. It is dedicated to Glenn Curtiss who started out building bicycles, then motorcycles and finally planes. Many of these were on display. He is the Father of Naval Aviation and built the first plane to fly across the Atlantic. Part of the museum is a restoration and building area. At this time they are building a replica of the America, a seaplane originally built in 1914. Volunteers have been working on this plane for four years. On September 15 using two original engines they are going to fly it from Keuka Lake. We were able to walk through the shop and talk to the workers. They stopped their work to answer questions and were very proud of what they had accomplished thus far.

Keuka Lake Region

On Friday morning we drove to the Watkins Glen track before we moved 32 miles to the Camp Bell CG in Campbell, NY. It is well located for touring the Keuka Lake region. After setting up we drove to Bath to a Camping World store to buy a folding stepladder and a couple other things we needed. At the campground many of the campers were square dancers who were here for a weekend of music and dancing. We talked with several of them and enjoyed their entertainment.
On Saturday we toured wineries. Nanc was very impressed with the varieties of dry New York wines. Each winery is unique in how the tastings are done. At Dr. Franks there were only 8 people at the table and we got to try about 10 wines if Nanc & I shared. At Bully Hill there were 50 to 75 people and it was wild. Both places had some excellent wines. Driving around the lakes offers outstanding views at every turn.
On Sunday we drove to the Fox Run Winery's Garlic Festival. I for one was amazed at the different types and tastes of garlic. They had a number of vendors, food and entertainment and of course we bought some garlic.