HAHA! I liked that last sign. It alludes to the old Burma Shave road signs, popular in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s when Americans hit the roads in droves. It was a time of great optimism and prosperity. The road trip was king.

Burma Shave was a shaving cream, manufactured by the Burma-Vita company. Sales for the cream were less than enthusiastic, so the company started an advertising campaign that later entered the annals of American culture. They placed signs with brief snippets of limericks along roadways. At first the signs were pure advertisements, such as these:

A shave
That’s real
No cuts to heal
A soothing
Velvet after-feel
-Burma-Shave

You’ve laughed
At our signs
For many a mile
Be a sport
Give us a trial
-Burma-Shave

Later, the signs became little stories or humorous admonitions against speeding and driving drunk. Always, the last sign said simply “Burma Shave.”

Hardly a driver
Is now alive
Who passed
On hills
At 75
-Burma-Shave

Past
Schoolhouses
Take it slow
Let the little
Shavers grow
-Burma-Shave

If daisies
Are your
Favorite flower
Keep pushin’ up those
Miles per hour
-Burma-Shave

The actual shaving cream was never as popular as the company’s advertising campaign. Sales declined and Burma-Shave was sold to Philip Morris in 1963. The company pulled the ads and thus ended another quirky icon in American road trip travel history. A shame.

But there are a few of us who still remember Burma Shave! It was nice to see that the Window King of Holland Patent remembered.

No Burma Shave Here!

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In the previous posts, I yakked on about the Adirondack hermits, Adirondack stuff and paraphernalia (aka, junk) that previous campers and residents left behind for us to ooo and aaa about, and I talked about the wonderful methods of transportation back in the ‘ol days (and you think modern potholes are bad, check out the old plank road!). For this post, I’ll talk about the modern Adirondacks– the Winter Olympics and Smokey the Bear, woo hoo!

Twice, Lake Placid in the Adirondacks has hosted the Winter Olympics, in 1932 and 1980. I remember watching the 1980 games on TV and feeling that tremendous surge of pride as a New Yorker. Lake Placid (where we hope to visit very soon) is a wonderful little community of sports enthusiasts. Dozens of winter athletes have come from this little town, including Jack Shea, winner of the 1932 gold for speed skating and his grandson Jimmy Shea for skeleton sledding in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

The museum has a small section devoted to Olympic history. This is the sled on which Francis Paul Stevens won his silver medal in 1932.

A little bit of trivia– did you know that the Lake Placid High School is the only school in the United States to have been issued an alcohol license? During the 1980 Olympics, the school served as a private bar. Lake Placid was also one of the first communities in the U.S. to build a golf course, in 1898.

Moving along, we wandered through another very large building dedicated to the various industries in the Adirondacks. Logging was the biggest, and there was so much to see and learn. We all found it extremely fascinating, with many old tools, displays, plaques and stories of the loggers and their families. What a tough, tough job. I’m amazed at the strength of these guys.

This is one of the many gigantic piece of equipment the loggers used. It’s a Barienger brake, a huge piece of machinery that controlled logs (and horses and men!) as they were transported down the steep slopes of the Adirondack mountains.

Men also transported logs by the many waterways of the ADKs. I loved this diorama.

After spending over an hour in this one building, we ventured outside to the old Whiteface Mountain fire tower.

The view is so cool.

Obviously, these fire towers could make or break a community. To heighten awareness of the threats of fire to visitors, Smokey the Bear was invented by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1942. This is a genuine old Smokey suit. Did you know that Smokey was named for Smokey Joe Martin, a New York City assistant fire chief?

The last moments of our visit were spent enjoying the various outbuildings. Many were reproductions of typical ADK cottages and summer camps, all sporting unique and quirky objects, like chain rain gutters, rustic playhouses and furniture made from twigs.

Giant Adirondack Chair.

TV, Adirondack style!

Before the sun set and the museum closed, we scampered over to the back of the museum to take one final glimpse of Blue Mountain Lake. As dusk approached, a couple of loons trumpeted over the lake. It was absolutely beautiful. I miss it so much.

Thanks for reading. If you are ever in the Adirondack region, check out the museum. It’s a blast!

Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, Part 3

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In this article, I highlight the best apps for hiking, skiing, and enjoying the many outdoorsy destinations in Upstate New York, particularly the Adirondack region. I’ll be writing additional articles on apps for New York City travel and another on apps that help you traverse through the thousands of small towns and cities of New York State. So keep an eye out for those.

Must-Have New York Nature Adirondack Travel Apps

ADK46erNow
By far one of the coolest apps for Adirondack travel, ADK46erNow is a must-have app for any traveler who strays into the glorious High Peaks region of upper New York. If you are like us, you have probably climbed an Adirondack Mountain, breathlessly exulted the view, swirled around in awe… and wondered what the heck all those other mountains are.

Our photo taken from the peak of Blue Mountain. Not every mountain can have a big "Hollywood" sign on it, so there's the ADK46erNow app.

ADK46erNow solves the dilemma. It’s a great app for both the novice and 46-er. This app displays the peaks and their names and elevations within a five mile radius. If you have cell service, the app displays satellite images of the High Peaks region. The app displays a topographic map if there is no service. While breathing in the crispy ADK air, you can look up mountain elevation, ascent, and even log your journey as you clamber up each of the coveted 46 ADK High Peaks. The app currently costs $4.99 in the App Store. I am definitely using this app the next time we hike the Adirondacks.

EveryTrail
I have this app. It’s like a Facebook or Twitter of travel apps. You log in and allow the app to track you while you travel. Along the way, you can snap a photo or jot a note, and the app adds the data to the GPS coordinate location. It’s a terrific app for a travel blogger, enabling you to track your course and go back to see your journey. You can upload the trip to the EveryTrail site to share with others, or delete the trip. If you love armchair travel, peruse the journeys of other EveryTrail travelers. There is a free version and a paid version for $3.99. You can peruse the EveryTrail website and see a very good video demonstrating the features of the app.

Trails
This app covers hundreds of thousands trails in the United States, including a healthy amount in New York State. When you open the app, it detects your geographic location by nearest city and latitude/longitude, displays current weather conditions, elevation, wind speed, a compass, and sunrise and sunset times. Wow! Touch the “trails” icon to see a
listing of trails nearest you. You can choose a trail and the app displays basic information such as trail distance, skill level, elevation gain and (in some cases) estimated duration. You can see the trail on a map and zoom in for details. Save the trail to your favorites, or rate it. You can log in to Twitter or Facebook and more. I love this app!

Be aware that the app offers elaborate trail guides, to which you must subscribe and are very costly ($50). You do not need to subscribe to use use the app, however– only the trail guides cost money. I noticed that many reviewers complained loudly at the App Store about this cost, but you do NOT need to pay a dime for the app. I use it for free and I love it! To avoid the $50 subscription cost, simply avoid purchasing the trail guides feature.

WikiHow: How To and DIY Survival Kit
This app is the Swiss army knife of survival apps. From delivering a baby to administering first aid to controlling a spooked camel, the app blends resource with humor. Even if you never have need to use it, it’s always good to have a survival kit. It’s even better when you’ve got one that’s fun to read. What other handbook has such endearing tutorials on “How to escape from Handcuffs,” “Run Up and Over a Wall,” Survive a Kidnapping,” “Deal with Party Crashers,” and “Fight Off Multiple Opponents”? I love it!

WildLab Bird
I’m not an avid bird-watcher, but I am curious about the wildlife in New York. This app fits the bill, so to speak. The app shows a pretty good inventory of birds and their characteristics, including terrific sound recordings of birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology of birds. I like this– you can identify their calls as well as see their images. It has a built-in map and camera where you can snap a photo and report a sighting of the bird.

I do wish the inventory was larger, however. There’s a paid version that offers more features. The bird species are organized by ecosphere (wetlands, grasslands, coastal, etc). I’m not too fond of the organization, because sometimes I spot a bird and I have no idea if I it belongs under grassland or forest, or whatever. Still, it’s a worthy app and it’s TERRIFIC for freaking out your cats.

Audubon: A Field Guide to North American Trees
If trees are your passion, the App Store abounds with apps. The best one I have seen is the Audubon guide to trees in North America. It’s a bargain at $10. There’s a $30 Audubon guide that includes trees, birds, and mammals, too. Of course, you can always look up a tree on Wikipedia using the free Wikipedia app, or do a search in Safari browser, but a

Planets
I have saved one of the best for last. This app is nothing short of spectacular. It displays a 2D and 3D planetarium view of the sky, in real time at your geographic location. It shows current visibility conditions for the sun and planets. It has stunning, animated images of the sun and planets. Best of all, it tells you the location of the stars, constellations, galaxies and planets in a 360-degree view, in real time. It’s just stunning. I can’t express it in any other way.

These are the jewels I have found so far. I’ll soon be posting additional apps for all sorts of travel, so stay tuned! If you have discovered any terrific apps, please leave a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading.

Must-Have New York Nature Adirondack Travel Apps

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The Iroquois Indian Museum is unlike any of the other places I visited. The artifacts and art displays mingled Indian culture and it’s development with the history of the Iroquois. In case you have never heard of the Iroquois, allow me to briefly introduce you. The Iroquois Nation consisted of five (then later, six) tribes of the Eastern Woodlands natives of North America: the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Senecas, Cayugas, and later, the Tuscaroras from Carolina. These tribes make a peace agreement with each other and were allotted tracts of land stretching across the untamed wilderness of what we now know as Upstate New York– the Mohawks were the “keepers of the door” near Albany and the Senecas maintained the other end of the land.

What made the Iroquois so unique was their form of self-government. When other tribes across the land were still hunting and gathering and slaughtering buffalo and each other, the Iroquois made a pact and recorded it with wampum (a belt of beads made from seashells).

The Iroquois Indian Museum is an amalgam of modern Indian art from local artists and artifacts discovered throughout New York State. Oh, how I remember as a little girl, digging in my yard looking for arrowheads!

An old Mohawk pot, reconstructed from shards.

A modern work of art crafted from a deer antler.

This is an amazing sculpture from a moose antler!

Indian beadwork from the late 1800s. The ladies of the Iroquois nations still make such lovely beadwork. I saw many such items for sale at the New York State Fair this year.

Wampum beads. It was difficult to tell what articles were new and what were historic.

Iroquois women used to decorate their pottery just like ladies still love to do, today. The placard said that you could always tell what tribe pottery came from because the designs were unique to the groups.

The Iroquois Indian Museum has two levels. One is filled with such amazing artifacts and art work. The lower level is for kids. There’s a big turtle pond that my son loved– the turtles were rather friendly and swam up to him. Or maybe my son just has this *knack* with turtles, I don’t know. There are “hands on” activities, tables with coloring sheets, a few televisions playing Iroquois-related documentaries, and a booth for dressing up.

We did not take advantage of it due to the cold, rainy weather, but the Iroquois Indian Museum has 45 acres of wilderness trails in the back. The area is a real wilderness, with a stream, lush forests and wildlife. It’s a popular place for birdwatching, beaver watching and searching for Natty Bumpo and Uncas. Haha, kidding about that last part, although my kids are CONVINCED we’ll find them someday.

There is an admission fee to the museum, and the museum closes January 1st. It reopens in May and is open every day except Monday until November.

The Iroquois Indian Museum, Howes Cave, NY

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We’d visited the Fort Ti grounds once before, sneaking in after the place had closed for the season. We walked the leaf-strewn trails and peeked over the stone walls. We didn’t see any of the interiors of the fort or the buildings, as the places were locked and we didn’t dare intrude that far. We had gotten a healthy taste of the incredible landscape, however, to taunt us for a return visit. Which, I am happy to report, we did this autumn.

After walking through the admission area and gift shop (which is loaded with stuff and I spent a bundle of money in it), you walk down a small hill that faces the south side of the fort, toward the bottom of Lake Champlain and the top of Lake George. The views are simply staggering.

Brigades of cannons line the perimeter of the fort’s stone walls. It’s like strolling through a castle. Actually, in the United States, stone forts are as close as we can get to a castle!

Fort Ticonderoga has the largest collection of cannons in the country. The older ones are very ornate, with inscribed dates, decorations, and sometimes a motto or phrase or the name of the king under whose reign the cannon was built.

The American flag flies here, but the site has seen the French fleur-de-lis and the British Union Jack fly overhead, as well.

A few plaques hint at the history of the fort as we meandered the perimeter of its walls.

Our wonderment was interrupted by a crowd gathering in the green. Two finely dressed soldiers marched to the center and called for attention. A musket drill!

The gentlemen talked about the typical life of the soldier of the fort (for most, musket drills were about as exciting as it got) and a little of the history of the fort. When we got home, the husband did a little more digging into the history of the fort:

During our most recent trip to Fort Ticonderoga, I was struck to learn these facts of it’s history:

This fort was originally built and occupied by the French in 1755, during the French and Indian War*. They called it Fort Carillon. In 1759, it was successfully captured by the British, after their previously failed attempt in 1758. They re-named it Fort Ticonderoga. Being occupied by the British, it was then captured by American revolutionaries in 1775. Then, just over 2 years later in 1777, it was successfully re-captured by the British.

“Wow, this was a busy place,” I thought. It intrigued me as to why this place would warrant such attention, so that it would change hands 3 times it in the first 22 years of it’s existence. Doing a little research, it gradually sunk in that the reason for it’s popularity owed to the 3 major selling points of all real estate: Location, location, location.

The fort is situated at the southern end of Lake Champlain, on it’s western shore. Lake Champlain, a long, narrow, north-south oriented lake, together with Lake George and the Hudson River, forms an important travel route which runs from New York Harbor (under British control at the onset of the French and Indian War) to the St. Lawrence River (then controlled by the French). This route was familiar to, and used by, Native American Indians even before European explorers discovered it during the early-to-mid 1600′s. It is relatively free from obstacles and includes only a few portages**, of which Ticonderoga is one.

The name, “Ticonderoga,” itself gives us some local geographical information. The word is derived from what the Iroquois called this area, and which means, “(the) land between two waters.” The two waters are Lake Champlain and Lake George, and the land between was the portage. Despite there being a river connecting the two lakes, the winding 3.5 mile long La Chute, knowledgeable travelers chose to make a portage here because the La Chute was full of dangerous white-water rapids. It was safer and more practical to cross on foot at a point where about 1.25 miles of dry land lay between the lakes instead. The French therefore, chose to build the fort here to control the southern end of Lake Champlain, up which any British invasion would have to come.

It would seem the ability to control travel along this major inland water route from New York Harbor to the St. Lawrence River depended heavily upon being able to control this small area here at “the land between two waters.”

* the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763.
** a portage is a point in a water route where boats and/or cargo need to be carried across land to avoid obstacles, or to get from one body of water to another.

So Fort Ti was obviously a very strategic geographic point, as it controlled the waterway.

I’ll continue more about our adventure here with Fort Ticonderoga, Part 2 in the near future. This time, we got to go INSIDE the buildings and see some very amazing artifacts!

A Visit to Fort Ticonderoga, Part 1

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The establishment is owned and run by proprietors Lenny and Boka Baglieri. They have maintained a variety of hospitality businesses (Lenny is co-owner of Villa Baglieri in the Catskills area, and Boka has worked as a cook and caterer and ran her own cleaning business for a while). The couple combines their background in the hospitality industry to make Blue Mountain Rest a really, really enjoyable place. Lenny calls Blue Mountain Rest “your home away from home in the Adirondacks,” and we sure felt that way! We already miss the cabin and the glorious Adirondack scenery.

We stayed nearly a week here. I wish we could have stayed longer! Blue Mountain Rest is located on Route 30, a mere 1/2 mile from the intersection with Route 28. The Baglieris offer a variety of cabin sizes for every conceivable visitor. There’s an RV camper, two small cabins that can be expanded into larger units, and a small house that is the crown jewel of the retreat. We were blessed to stay in the small house cabin.

The cabin was INCREDIBLE and everyone felt right at home. This cabin features an entry hall, a full-sized kitchen with eat-in dining room, a good sized living room, two bedrooms and 1-1/2 baths. There’s plenty of closet space. Everything is so cozy. The kids really enjoyed relaxing in the living room with its warm pine paneling and the nice wood fireplace. The place was as clean as a whistle– pristine, actually.

Boka does most of the decorating, and she has a real gift. The decor is tactful and is done in an Adirondack theme. The cabin is so cozy.

The windows offer beautiful views of the forest in the back and Blue Mountain in the front. In the mornings, I sat on the couch watching the mist swirl around the mountain’s peak, slowly burned away by the rising sun. It was so peaceful.

In the backyard, the kids explored the pond and the forest while I sat on the deck. There’s a large area for outdoor cookouts. A barbecue grill was available to us, as well. At night, shimmering white lights lit up the deck railing. It was just so beautiful. The place has a lot of lovely small touches that made our stay very relaxing.

The boys liked looking for frogs and fish in the small pond.

The front yard is pretty.

We were actually scheduled to stay just 2 nights and 3 days, but we loved the cabin so much that we decided to stay another night and day, just to enjoy ourselves. I can’t rave about Blue Mountain Rest enough– it was so beautiful and relaxing.

Here are a few details about the place–

Blue Mountain Rest is open year round, one of the few accommodation places open during the winter in the Adirondacks. Winter sports are very popular in the Blue Mountain area, so Blue Mountain Rest hosts a lot of skiers, snowmobilers, fishermen, and other sportspeople.

The Baglieris offer a huge variety of special packages and deals throughout every season. Currently, there’s the Hiking & Biking package, Whitewater Rafting Special, Teacher Conference Week, a Veteran’s Day Special, off-season special rates and more. It pays to schedule accommodations during this time because you can save 10% to 20% off. Blue Mountain Rest also has a very special Gore Mountain Package for skiers, too. You can check out current specials and deals at the Blue Mountain Rest Specials & Packages page or contact Lenny for information (phone number is below).

Lenny and Boka have plans to expand Blue Mountain Rest. They want to offer small meals or snacks (Boka is from Germany and is a superb cook, says Lenny). I am heartily in favor of this. While we loved our stay at the cabin, it was difficult to find groceries and meals. The convenience store down the street closes at 5:30, and there are no restaurants in Blue Mountain Lake. If you expect to stay at the cabin for any length of time, bring your own groceries. I hope Boka has her food service open by the time we visit again– I’d love to try Boka’s cooking!

Cabins are very reasonably priced. I did some comparative shopping for accommodations in the area and Blue Mountain Rest was the most reasonable, especially for our large family of six (and I even brought my cat with me!). Blue Mountain Rest is also in a great location. The public park on Route 28, with beach and lake access, is a 5 minute walk away. There’s a convenience store nearby. The Adirondack Museum (review of that coming soon!) is only a 3-minute drive down Route 28. The Blue Mountain NYSDEC Fire Tower Trail (see my review!) is only a few miles from the cabin. Nearby Long Lake and Indian Lake (10-11 miles away) have restaurants.

All in all, our stay was stellar and we can’t wait to go again! I highly recommend that you check out Blue Mountain Rest. Tell Lenny and Boka that NewYorkTraveler.net sent you!

Blue Mountain Rest
8821 NYS Rte. 30
Blue Mountain Lake, NY 12812
Phone: (845) 236-4071

Note: In exchange for this review, I received a small discount on our stay at Blue Mountain Rest. Be assured that my review is 100% mine, and all opinions, photos, and claims are my honest opinion. We really loved Blue Mountain Rest and recommend it!

Our Stay at Blue Mountain Rest, Adirondacks Region

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Blue Mountain is in the central Adirondacks. Located in Hamilton County, the peak of the mountain reaches 3750 feet (1143 meters) and elevation gain from the trail head is 1559 feet. The trail is approximately 2 miles up- you can do the math to see how steep the trail is! A 35-foot fire tower with incredible views tantalizes the hiker to endure the trail for some amazing Adirondack eye candy.

The views at the top are spectacular, but for the infrequent or novice hiker, it’s a lot of work to get there. All the information regarding the trail call this a “moderate” difficulty trail, with “difficult spots” toward the top. One site even said the first mile was “easy and meandering” and others called the second half “grueling.”

Look at our photos, below. Does that look “meandering” or “grueling” to you?

Our opinion? The first 1/2 mile is not easy, but it’s not terribly difficult. The narrow trails are littered with smooth river stones and a dizzying network of large tree roots. We climbed the trail one week after two consecutive hurricanes, however, so I think the mess from the torrential rains may account for the messiness of the trail. Also, while some spots were on rather smooth ground (and there were even a few horizontal areas, much to our relief!), most of the trail climbed at a 45 degree angle up rocks, over tree roots, and across large expanses of angled rock slabs.

Sorry, that photo above is a bit blurry– but it gives you an idea of the enormous slabs of pitched rock that had to be scaled. I actually found the slabs easier to trek across than stumbling over the zillions of smooth river rocks. This photo shows the trail about 20 minutes from the summit.

The appeal of the trail is the view from the summit; there is little to interest you along the 2 miles up. This made the hike less enjoyable, as we’ve clambered up Buck Mountain in Pilot Knob, and liked the wide trail and interesting rock formations along the way. We did spot a very interesting stream. The water is an odd orange color. I suppose the stream has a high iron content, as there are iron mines in the area.

As we continued, the trail became noticeably difficult. Two older ladies (from France) bowed out as soon as they got to the #2 trail stop (there are 14 total). We saw several couples coming down, but only three besides us going up. Everyone was huffing and puffing except one gentleman who was carrying his toddler grandson. He boasted that he’s been climbing this trail for 30 years, and can make it up in less than an hour. Wow! It took us about 2 1/2 hours (but we also had our domestic cat with us). When we neared the peak, I had to stop. The incline was incredibly steep, and because I had my cat with me (we couldn’t leave her in the car), I decided to sit and wait for the group. It was a difficult decision for me because I did want to see the peak, but the incline was too dangerous to carry a cat carrier up and down again. I stopped at the #12 stop. This was my view:

As far as trail markers, I’d give the trail a “C.” These markers were small, dark red, and tacked about 10 to 15 feet high. When we tried to leave the trail to return to the parking lot, we couldn’t find our way out. Two other couples, one of them experienced hikers, saw us wandering around and decided to help, but they got lost, too. Eventually, we followed the sounds of cars on the road and finally stumbled into the lot. Again, perhaps the trail was diverted because of the rains… not sure.

All the pain and agony of the trails was superseded by the views from the summit. The kids took photos.

The fire tower is accessible.

All in all, it was definitely a memorable experience, even if we were sore for days afterward. We’ve climbed mountains and hills before but this has been our toughest venture yet. I’d say the trail rates as more “difficult” than “moderate,” even “rugged” for much of the hike. The final 1/2 mile is indeed grueling, especially if you are lugging a hefty DSLR camera and a cat carrier up, haha. Be sure to bring water. Cell phone service was extremely poor (not surprising) and my son could get no service at the summit.

Before you go on any hike in the Adirondacks, be sure to check the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Adirondack trail information website. The site has updates of closures, emergencies, warnings, descriptions, and what to expect or include.

Sources:
Adirondack Scenic Byways: Blue Mountain & Fire Tower NYSDEC Trailhead
Adirondack Experience: Blue Mountain Fire Tower
Trails.com: Blue Mountain Trail

Climbing Blue Mountain: The NYSDEC Trail

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Sunrise, by Frederic Church

Moonrise, by Frederic Church

Many of the Hudson River School paintings depict clear scenes or illusory hints of Biblical themes and events. I love the Voyage of Life series because of the stories each painting tells, that of a man eventually finding his faith in God and the joys of heaven after a tempestuous life of sorrow. It’s simply…. beautiful.

Frederic Edwin Church was a young student of the illustrious Cole, staying with Cole’s family in Catskill, NY, and studying painting. This area of New York State bursts with inspiration, as it has been the birthplace of such legendary notables as Rip Van Winkle, Uncle Sam, and numerous other tales of fact and fiction.

Church was born in 1826 in Connecticut. Early on, his artwork showed immense talent. In 1848, he became the youngest associate of the National Academy of Design, an honor he still retains. Church married Isabel Carnes in 1860, and the couple purchased a parcel of land with magnificent views overlooking the Hudson River, the Catskill Mountains and the Taconic Hills.

CLick the photo to go to my Flickr website for a larger view.

The couple built a simple little cottage that they named “Cozy Cottage.” The structure still stands, but it is not available to tourists.

Two children were born early on to the young couple: Herbert in 1862 and Emma in 1864. Church painted two beautiful works after the birth of the children: Sunrise for Herbert and Moonrise for Emma. (See the two small images at the beginning of this post). Tragically, both children died in 1864 from diphtheria, and the parents never completely recovered from the horrible loss. Even after four more children were born to the Church family in later years, Frederic hung his Sunrise and Moonrise paintings in the family room, next to the fireplace where he often brooded and mused.

The family traveled all over the world, returning home with crates crammed with furniture and knick-knacks. Construction of a new home, perched high atop the mountain, had begun in 1867. Church designed the home himself in an eccentric mish-mash of Persian, Moorish, and Victorian styles. The home is colorful and lively. I just adore the design.

Photography is strictly forbidden in the house, so I nabbed a few photos from the Olana Historic Site website to give you an idea of the interior of the house.

The home is furnished with all the Churches’ possessions from all over the world. Church’s paintings saturate the decor. The dining room was the only room not filled with Church’s works; rather, it held dozens of paintings from other men all around the world, pigmented vignettes of his travels. I identified several Dutch masters’ works and a few Italian and German paintings, too.

The name “Olana” first appeared on a letterhead written by Isabel Church. According to the Olana website:

Scholars have linked the name to a translated volume of Strabo’s Geographica, a Christmas gift from Isabel to Frederic. Strabo’s publication describes the geography of the Roman Empire and references the city “Olane,” as one of the “treasure-storehouses” on the Araxes River, which offered a view of Mount Ararat, where Noah’s ark was said to rest. It is likely that the Churches appreciated the associations this name had their own Persian-inspired stone “fortress” situated high above the Hudson River with majestic views west to America’s promised land.

The house is lovely, simply exquisite. Our tour guide, Ellen, was filled with interesting information about the home and the Churches. I was delighted that Mark Twain often visited the home, reading portions of his works for after-dinner entertainment. The family also gave small skits or plays on the large wooden landing before the stairs, a heavy colorful tapestry serving as the “curtains” of the stage.

Colorful stencils and Persian tiles peppered the walls. I noticed that many of the door frames were stenciled with curly writing, which appeared to be Farsi (my husband spent time in Iran as a boy and introduced me to some of the culture). I asked Ellen about the meaning of the stenciled words, to which she replied, “It’s all gibberish!” There were only two places in the house that had “real” Farsi: above the door as you enter “All are welcome”; carved on the pink marble fireplace in the family room “I muse while it burns.”

The Churches lived here until the couple died in 1900. Frederic willed the property to his youngest son, who married and lived at Olana for the rest of his life. His widow remianed here until 1964, at the age of 96.

After her death, Olana narrowly escaped the auction block. The widow willed the home to a nephew, who didn’t like the house and wanted to sell all its contents at auction. A group of motivated people scrounged financial support to purchase the home. New York State pitched in, and Olana was preserved intact and deemed a state historic site. Most of the home is restored, but the children’s nursery, servant’s quarters and kitchen are not and therefore unavailable for viewing. This was a great disappointment, because I like seeing the kitchens and nurseries best of all in historic homes.

I have so much more to tell about the home and our visit, but it would fill books. The best thing I can say is go see the house for yourself. You won’t regret it. The 250-acre property also features numerous trails for hiking. Picnic tables and benches provide repose for visitors.

You can see more photos of Olana at my Flickr photo page here.

Olana State Historic Site, Hudson, NY

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From what I have been able to ascertain, the Oneida Stone was something akin to the Ark of the Covenant for the Hebrews. The stone followed the Oneidas to their new settlements (all by itself without human intervention– some say the stone rested on a glacier, hm); when the stone was heaved into the crotch of a tree, the Oneidas were victorious in battle. They used the stone as a council landmark, too.

Now I am wondering if there were not several stones that the Oneidas called sacred– one in Smithfield here and another smaller one elsewhere. Or perhaps there was one small sacred stone and it rested on some larger stones that have been confused as being sacred? Here’s a lithograph drawn by historian Henry Rowe Schoolcraft in his book, “Notes on the Iroquois.” That looks too large to be able to fit in the crotch of a tree, and it much too large to have been placed on the memorial table at Forest Hill Cemetery, which I took a photo of, below:

Guess what, we found the stone depicted in the old lithograph.

The uniqueness of the stone (or stones??) is that it is not indigenous to the Mohawk Valley– the stone is apparently of syenite, found in the Adirondack region. The Oneidas first settlement was somewhere near Oneida Lake, but they eventually moved to the area now known as Smithfield, NY. It is a beautiful area that commands a beautiful view of the valleys of Madison County.

The first white settler of Smithfield was an American Revolution patriot who fought that first battle at Lexington and Concord in 1775. He was given this tract of land for his military services. Oddly enough, he is my direct ancestor; so there is a personal interest in these stories. When my ancestor settled these lands, the Oneidas had recently left the area to settle in what is now known as Oneida Castle, NY– I blogged about it when I stopped to see the Skenandoah Boulder, which rests by the side of the road right outside the town limits.

Back to Smithfield here, it is said that the Oneidas first settled in this area as far back as the 1400s. They built a large village here, with Nichols Pond at the back and a swampy moat surrounding their village to protect the people from enemies (notably, the nasty Huron Indians from Canada).

Click the photo for ALL SIZES and choose “Original” to see it close up. You can see the pond at the back of the village, the moat on either side, and a fire in the entrance.

You probably also see some men with guns shooting at the village. What’s up with that?

Well, I’m glad you asked! If it wasn’t for this battle, you just might be speaking in French today! This scene depicts the famous battle of 1615 here on this spot. Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec and buddy to those nasty Canadian Huron Indians we mentioned, decided to travel to this Oneida village and provoke a fight. The Hurons and the Oneidas had a long-standing animosity. The Hurons thought de Champlain and his French buddies (and their amazing “iron arrows”– AKA “guns”) could wipe out the Oneidas.

It was the first time the Oneidas had ever seen or heard the “iron arrows.” They were absolutely floored, but they fought back viciously. de Champlain was wounded in battle, and the French and Hurons took off for Canada, leaving the Oneidas intact but badly wounded.

The Oneidas (and their tribesmen, the Iroquois League of Nations) never forgot that battle. They made the French their bitterest enemies. When things grew heated between the English and the French over North American territory, the Iroquois allied themselves with the English to defeat the French. And that’s exactly what they did, in the French and Indian War of 1754.

The area is a park now. If we had brought our shovels, we may have tried to look for some arrowheads or artifacts. but instead we roamed the vast acreage and explored the wooded area. There are trails that lead all around the pond. There were– amazing to me– hardly any insects.

The forest was strange to me, I don’t know why. I’ve been in all sorts of forests and have never been jittery, but this was eerie and forbidding.

And it was as humid as anything. We didn’t follow the trail for very long, but we did walk to the wetland overlook of the swampy end of the pond. It’s a huge pond!

Finally, across the park was another historical marker where some archaeology had been ongoing.

The pits were net extremely large– they were perhaps the size and depth of a kiddie pool. I do wonder how they stored squash and corn in soft soil pits, especially in the forest during New York’s steamy summers and wet autumns. But that’s another investigation…

As for the Oneida Stone, I’m still looking. From what I have been able to gather, “the” syenite stone was taken from the Oneidas in 1849 and set in Forest Hill Cemetery. The Oneidas were almost completely eradicated as a people. But they have come back to their ancestral lands, and the stone was returned to them in the 1970s. It is said that the stone now rests outside the door of their official council house, somewhere south of Oneida, NY. I hope to find it when I go out that way, soon. So the quest continues!

UPDATE: Since the writing of this article, I found the Oneida stone! Read about my story.

Oneida Indian Settlement, Nichols Pond, in Smithfield

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About 20 miles south of all this activity, we we driving along the Thruway, and it looked like this:

Not a snowflake in the air. Absolutely frigid cold temperatures, and the wind was wicked. We could see the clouds to the north– the lake effect clouds blasting the area north of us. Lake effect is so strange and so fickle! As we continued to drive west, we could see dark blue clouds broiling in the horizon. They were white and puffy on the top, but underneath, they were gray and blurry and looked like they were shooting down toward the land. It was like someone with a great big thumb came and smudged the clouds down to the earth. It was the lake effect at work, far, far away to the west over Lake Ontario. We could see it forming and watch it crashing down, but we never experienced a snowflake. I so wished to get a photo of the clouds, but we were traveling too fast. We sped westward.

Geneva, situated at the northern tip of Seneca Lake, is a lovely little city. It reminds me somewhat of Little Falls, but the buildings and streets aren’t as crowded. Population is under 15,000. Geneva is the original site of an old Seneca Indian village. The site is beautiful. The city sits on a slope, and the houses and roads clamber up the hill from the lake. Between buildings, you can see the lake glittering below.

Geneva is part of an area renowned for its great political and social movements. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from a medical school, studied in Geneva, because it was the only place that would allow a woman to study medicine. Seneca Falls (haven of the suffrage movement, teetotalers, and abolitionists) is nearby.

Geneva is a well-established, wealthy city. I love the architecture. Here are some photos of the local rowhouses.

They are painted so vibrantly and have been maintained so well.

Below is the old Geneva Hotel, established in 1796. The street is brick.

Here’s the Presbyterian Church. It’s newer than many of the buildings, but the architecture is so clean and pristine.

Seneca State Park runs along the northern brim of the lake. I thought it would be great to venture out on the pier and take some photos out toward the center of the lake. Everyone else was silent and looked at me strangely. The temperature had risen to a balmy 11 degrees, and the wind was whipping wildly. I begged the boys to come with me, and, being the devoted boys that they are (plus risking being grounded for life), they came along.

It was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g. Almost unbearable. My camera was freezing up and my hands were red and painful. We did run out to the pier to snap a few photos, and ran right back to the waiting van. Brr! See what the New York Traveler does for a blog photo-op?

The photos turned out rather nice, considering the overcast skies.

Here, the Episcopal Church towers over this section of the city. It looks like a castle, doesn’t it?

Geneva was beautiful. We’d wanted to see some of the historical homes in the area, but they were all closed for the winter. I guess heating those old beasts is too difficult. I wouldn’t have minded walking around in them without heat. Oh, well. Maybe someday.

We drove out of Geneva down Route 14 south. This route runs parallel to the western side of Seneca Lake, and the views are beautiful.

Seneca Lake is one of New York’s Finger Lakes– so named because they are long and thin and stretch across the state like fingers of a hand. Seneca Lake is the second-longest Finger Lake. Trout are abundant here. Because the lake is so deep, it has been used for submarine testing!

The Seneca nation of the Iroquois Indians lived here, until they made the mistake of siding with the British during the Revolutionary War (they lost). They were driven from their lands. The fertile land is now home to dozens of vineyards and wineries. The Seneca Wine Trail (something the Mr. and I hope to experience someday) is one of the larger tourist attractions in the area. The views of the vineyards drifting down toward the glassy blue water was exhilarating and left me breathless and trembling. Or, it might have been because it was 10 degrees. Whatever.

One of the finest views of the lake is at the Glenora Winery on Route 14.

None of the lake that we could see was frozen at all (save a tiny portion we saw in Geneva around some rocks and pamphas grass). The lake looked just as fresh and perky as if it was June. There was really no snow in the area from Harmony Beach (just south of Geneva) until Watkins Glen, and the southernmost tip of the lake. These slightly warmer conditions are favorable for grape-growing.

We drove to Corning (south of Watkins Glen), to a little hotel that I’d found on TripAdvisor. As you regular readers know, we do not stay overnight anywhere very frequently, as we prefer daytrips. However, we got a terrific deal on accommodations and sightseeing in Corning, so we made a night of it.

We stayed at the America’s Best Value Inn: Lodge on the Green in Painted Post, NY. I have my full review at my page on TripAdvisor.com. It was a wonderful place and the cost just couldn’t be beat– it was a fraction of what other places were asking. We enjoyed our stay and wish it could have been longer! If we decide to return to this area (no doubt we will), we’ll reserve another room at the Lodge.

I’ll be posting about our jaunts around the Corning, NY, area soon. I’m preparing photos and a few videos, so stay tuned!

Seneca Lake and Geneva, NY

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