The Erie Canal Village, Rome, NY, Part 2

You can read about Part 1 here. After wandering around the historic houses and marveling over the advances in modern technology (like, uh, washing machines and light bulbs!), we made our way over the the Cheese Factory Museum. I have to admit, I know very little about the history of cheesemaking. I don’t even eat cheese very often!

The cheese industry in New York was the top in the nation for a while, even surpassing Wisconsin. Cheese was an important meat substitute for the diets of early Americans. Livestock was not eaten nearly as frequently as it is now.

The kids had a lot of fun exploring the various hands-on displays.

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Photo Hunters: Technology

Technology is the theme this week. What shall I choose?! I could easily post dozens of photos! I’ll try to whittle it down.

This is our electric service panel. I think more than any other discovery, the discovery and development of electricity has changed our world.

Most electricity is generated through the burning of “fossil fuels” in power plants. But could this kind of electricity generation (in the photo below) become the new standard? There are a few windmill farms near us, in Fenner, NY. Windmill farms are very controversial. They seem to create very little energy for the space they take up, and many of the “farms” are run by foreign investors who reap enormous profits and get U.S. tax money. So while I think windmills are great for small, community use, I don’t see how they are very viable on a vast, corporate level.

I took a look back in time, Read more

Photo Hunters: Wide

I’ve had loads and loads of photos for Photo Hunters lately. I’m going to break my current trend and just post ONE photo today. Today’s theme is “wide.” The first thing I thought of is the Hudson River. It is WIDE.

We visited New York’s capital city, Albany, NY, a few years ago and got to see New York’s famous river. The Hudson River is named for Henry Hudson, a British explorer who “discovered” the river in 1609, when traveling with the Dutch East India Company.

To you in the midwest, the Hudson River may not be terribly imposing– especially when compared to the mighty Mississippi. But the Hudson River is wide enough to have made Henry Hudson thought he could get to the other side of the continent through it. Hudson was looking for the Northwest Passage, a waterway from one side of the American continent to the other (this waterway does not exist).

The Native Indians called the Hudson “Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk,” which means “river that flows both ways.” The lower half of the Hudson is a tidal estuary, so the direction of its waters change with the tides. In the winter, the ice floes may drift northward or southward, depending on the tides!

The Hudson River is 315 miles long, and extremely wide. Because of its deep basin, it’s a major shipping route for the state. It is actually less expensive to transport goods via New York’s waterways than roads.

When New York’s Erie Canal was built across the central part of the state, it connected the Great Lakes with the Hudson River, which connected with the Atlantic Ocean. It was a tremendous accomplishment for its day, and radically altered the New York economy and the transportation system of the nation.

So there’s your mini-history lesson for the day! How did your Photo Hunters go today?

Photo Hunters: Ruin(ed)

Ah, this week’s theme is right up my alley! New York State seems to be filled with all sorts of ruins! And the politicians seem bent on making more!

I like old places. Here are some ruins we’ve visited in the past.

There’s the old pipeline at the Trenton Falls Hydro-electric power plant in Barneveld, NY. Over a century ago, a system of concrete, steel, and wood (the enormous pipes were actually wood!) tried to harness the magnificent falls to supply power to this area of the Mohawk Valley. Of course, the wooden pipes are long gone and there’s a steel system in place now. But the old ruins remain. These are some of the old concrete supports. You can see more photos and read about our visit here.

Below is the Old Main- the old Utica Lunatic Asylum in Read more

Biking Across Upstate NY

Found these videos online. WOW! They are really interesting to watch. These guys bicycled the path of the old Erie Canal of Upstate New York, from Buffalo to Albany. That’s over 400 miles! Much of the original Erie Canal is now gone, although some old tow paths and locks remain. These guys traveled through the multitude of little towns and larger cities that grew prosperous from the Canal, built in the 1820s.

The videos give a very brief, first-impressionistic look on our Upstate towns and cities. I think the bicyclists captured the feel of Upstate pretty well. And yeah, when it rains, it pours. Sorry about your sleeping bag, man.

After the great Adirondacks, the most beautiful area of the state is in the mid-western section of Upstate New York, the area known as the Finger Lakes region. It is extremely fertile and has been very well-maintained for the hundreds of years it has been settled. The land from Seneca Falls to Rome, NY, is amazing in a car. It must be stunning by bike.

As an interesting sidenote, I was born in Cayuga County and spent the first years of my life in the area. My ancestors has settled it hundreds of years previously. My great-great grandfather was one of the first caretakers of the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge/Howland’s Island area that the video showcases here.

Part two of the video is from Utica to Albany. This section of New York State was once known as it most industrious. Thousands of textile mills and manufacturing sites were maintained here, from the early 1800s to the 1940s. After World War II and especially after political changes made to Upstate, our economic climate has become severely darkened. I think the descriptions in the video are an accurate picture of the eastern section of Upstate.

These guys bicycle all over the world! I am SO jealous, lol. Here’s the guy’s site if you want more.

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