teardroptravelin'

As we walked out of the motel this morning, we saw heavy, dark clouds filling the sky, and as we neared the teardrop, the first raindrops fell.  We quickly hooked up the trailer and started driving toward the falls.  The closer we got, the more quickly the drops fell.

We tried parking where we did yesterday, but were told that no RVs were allowed there.  As we left the state park lot we noticed people standing on the street corners waving flags and pointing toward a commercial lot around a large building adjacent to the state park lot.  We drove in and they decided we could stay, trailer and all for the same $5.00 fee.  That was half the cost of the state park lot!

As we locked up the car, the rain intensified, but Diana had a raincoat and I had an umbrella.

We had purchased a special pack of tickets to the most popular attractions, and three of them were indoors so we set off in what we thought was the direction of the aquarium and discovery center.  Walking, raining, walking, wind — and we realized we didn’t really know where we were going.  We asked a couple of locals and they told us it was a long indirect walk.  We realized we had a one-day pass on the state shuttle and it would stop at all the locations we wanted so we retraced our steps.  As we got close to where we parked, the wind and rain really picked up, so we dodged inside the building to wait out the downpour.  Turned out the ground floor of the building was filled with tourist kitsch along with a food court.

After 30 minutes or so the rain slacked off a bit and we took off for the visitor’s center and watched an IMax movie which presented a short history of the falls with dramatized depictions of the legend of the “Maid of the Mist,” as well as the first person to go over the falls in a barrel (a 63-year-old woman) and a 7-year-old boy who was in a 1957 boating accident upriver and went over the falls wearing just a life jacket.  He survived with just some scratches!

After the movie we took the trolley to the Discovery Center and aquarium which were surprisingly enjoyable.  As the rain continued to threaten, we also rode the trolley to Goat Island, expecting to eat a late lunch at the restaurant there and were dissapointed to find it had closed at 2:00 for a private wedding.

Slightly soggy we slunk back to town and salved ourselves with sundry selections from the slavishly stylish Hard Rock Cafe.  (The preceding alliteration was presented without commercial interruption by the letter “S”.)

Discouraged, but still enjoying the falls and the atmosphere tremendously, we decided to head over the Rainbow Bridge and into Canada where we had booked another Quality Hotel at a really good rate.  We arrived and were pleased with the location.  They even let us park right in front of the main desk so everything would be safe.  Then we opened the door to our sixth-floor room and were very favorably impressed with the decor and absolutely stunned when we opened the curtains to discover an amazing view of the American Falls!  We even had a balcony on the street side which also looks out on the splashy spectacle (sorry, couldn’t resist!).  This room adds to our collection of Steve’s proofs.  He has always said that there is no place so beautiful you can’t see it from a hotel room window.  We have been collecting pictures to try to prove it since early in our marriage.

On OUR Balcony with Niagara Falls behind us.

In the morning we drove back to the Corning Museum of Glass and entered a world of amazing beauty. The museum contains striking world-class examples of glass from every period in the world’s history. In addition to current artist’s works, there are a multitude of glass items from each country and time period from ancient times through the present.

Although we have seen glass from these periods before, and attended significant shows of Murano, Tiffany, Lalique, Chihuly and many more, we were dazzled by the intricate work of accomplished artists from all over, and (as usual) overwhelmed by the artistry of Louis Comfort Tiffany. The museum’s collection truly is a smorgasbord of beauty presented in lavish style, and the volume and depth is almost overpowering. If you are ever in the neighborhood, take the time to enjoy this one-of-a-kind collection: http://www.cmog.org/

We reluctantly left the museum and headed toward our next stop: Niagara Falls. The GPS routed us along country roads and through interesting little towns before throwing us onto a toll road about 25 miles east of Buffalo. We hit a little afternoon break-up traffic in Buffalo, but it wasn’t too bad and soon we were driving up I-190 over Grand Island and the North Grand Island Bridge over the massive amount of water heading from Lake Erie toward the falls.

We checked into our hotel, dropped off the trailer and headed for the falls themselves. After parking in the New York State Reservation lot near the visitor’s center we walked over to the falls. It was a beautiful day and the roar of the falls greeted us. Mist was rising from the falls creating a veil over and around them.

This is truly a natural wonder which must be experienced.  The sheer volume of water going over the falls (750,000 gallons PER SECOND) is astounding.

Niagara Falls is actually made up of three separate falls, The American, Bridal Veil and Canadian “Horseshoe” Falls. We walked to the overlook for the American Falls, took some pictures and then headed to the observation tower which is part of the Maid of the Mist complex. Standing at the end of the tower provides a great perspective of the American Falls and just a hint of what Horseshoe Falls looks like.

We took more pictures then purchased a special book of tickets which will give us access to an IMax movie about the history of the falls, entrance to the Discovery Center and aquarium as well as the opportunity to walk near the falls and ride the Maid of the Mist to the base of the falls. (Thanks for the heads-up, Corinne.) We plan to use those tickets tomorrow.

Dusk was falling as we drove back to our motel, and as we were locking up the car I noticed clouds to the west. We wondered if they would bring any surprises tomorrow…

Tiffany window, anyone?

If you look at a map, you’ll see that we have made an important change in direction.  We are going north and WEST! 

We left Nazareth after a brief stop so Diana could check out a sale at the Moravian Museum and Craft Store (she bought a few flat –easy traveling– craft items).

The drive took us though rolling hills, some as high as 1,800 feet, and beautiful forests, fields and pastures.  We stopped for lunch at a rest stop and enjoyed pb&j sandwiches alongside the highway.

It was impossible to get a Choice Hotels room in Corning and a lot of the other lodging facilities were also booked.  At first we thought this was due to the weekend and races at Watkins Glen, a few miles away.  We found out later that there is a boom of natural gas speculation going on in the vicinity and most of the rooms are filled with employees of the various companies hoping to score big if New York opens its land to some sort of shale recovery method which sounds a lot like open pit mining to us.  Let’s hope wiser heads prevail — this land is too gorgeous to spoil in such a manner.

We finally found a room at one of the “America’s Best Value” Inns and parked and unhooked the trailer.  When we did, we discovered that somewhere along the day’s drive the electrical cable connecting our Subaru to the trailer had disconnected and it had been dragged along the highway for who knows how many miles.  The result was a connector and cable which had been ground down so bare wires were showing and was totally unusable.  This is the cable which not only carries the running and brake lights, it also controls the electric trailer brakes and charges the trailer’s onboard batter while we drive.

So here it was almost 5:00 in the afternoon and we needed significant repairs before we could move on.  I used my iPhone to search for an RV repair place, and there was only one in a little town about four miles away.  I called the number, got an answer, and described our problem.  They transferred me to a mechanic who said he was through with his day’s work, but if I could get there quickly, he would squeeze me in.  He also said if I didn’t get in today, they were booked for two weeks out!

We quickly hooked the trailer back up and drove to Stateline Camping Center in Lindley, NY.

They had us drive into their shop, and Josh (our mechanic) went to work immediately.  Within 1/2 an hour he was finished and our teardrop was equipped with nicely spliced cable and a better than original connector.  We braced ourselves for the bill and were pleasantly surprised to find the total was $53.00, including parts and labor!

Once again we have had potential disaster turned into an easily manageable situation.  We truly believe Someone is watching over us.

While she was waiting for the repairs, Diana called the Corning Museum of Glass to find out their hours and ticketing procedures.  She found out that they were open until 8:00 in the evening, and like many museums, our admission fee would permit us to go in tonight and tomorrow.  She also was told about their “Make your own glass” feature and made a reservation to do it.

After we returned the teardrop to the motel, we drove to the Corning Museum, bought our tickets and were pleased to find out that Diana could take the class immediately.

It was fun watching her work with the glowing glass and see how the molten material could be manipulated.  Her teacher was a good one and Diana had a lot of fun making her creation.  She’ll tell you more:  I got to use a little gas burner and 3 glass colors to make a pendant.  I started with clear because I like to see through glass for dimension.  Then I added green and opaque cobalt in spirals around the marble-sized clear glass and squashed it flat with tongs.  Now I’m going to take classes when I get home! I love glass art forms the best.  My teacher Jackie was fast-talking and only made positive remarks.  That is a good teacher!  

We spent time afterwards looking at some of the many Steuben, Corning and varied glass art for sale before heading out for dinner and then back to our room.  It was a long, interesting day with many things to be thankful for.  Tomorrow it’s back to the museum to enjoy more glass before we head further north and west.

Diana creates in molten glass.

Today I checked off another item on my bucket list. We left Allentown and took a short drive to Nazareth, PA, the home of C.F. Martin & Co. — the mothership of Martin Guitars! I have owned a Martin guitar since 1962 and currently own four of their instruments. If you are a guitar player you know the name and reputation of these guitars. If you enjoy any kind of music, popular, rock, gospel, country, bluegrass or whatever, chances are you have listened to and delighted in the unique Martin sound. Most artists from Woody Guthrie to the Kingston Trio, to Sting and Paul McCartney and almost everyone else you can think of play, record and perform on Martin guitars. So I approached the factory with the excitement I remember feeling as a kid entering Disneyland. We parked the teardrop in the lot across from the entrance and walked in. We arrived just in time to join the factory tour, and for the next 45 minutes or so we were immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of world-class guitar making. We walked from the room where the wood enters the shop, passed stacks of all the ingredients to make guitars, watched skilled artisans practicing their specialized functions, cutting, shaping, molding, gluing, spraying, fitting, and polishing these incredible creations. The spicy smell of exotic wood fills the air, and the noises ping, rumble and zing their unique sounds off our eardrums. Every once in a while I caught a worker’s eye and almost all of them smiled or winked or showed what they were working on like proud and happy elves in Santa’s workshop, sharing the joy of their exquisite construction with me. I LOVE IT! Afterwards, Diana and I wandered through the 1833 Shop which contains everything from t-shirts and sweat shirts to Martin guitar strings, and humidifiers and picks and all the other goodies guitarists love to use. Then we roamed the Martin Guitar Museum, learning the details of the company’s origins, looking at the tools and other ephemera of guitar making. The display cases were also full of historic and classic and one-of-a-kind Martin guitars. Some played by famous artists, others priceless because they represent milestones in the company’s history, and still others containing extreme examples of mother-of-pearl inlays, rare woods and stunning style. We actually became hungry about half-way through the museum, so we strolled across the street and through a parking lot to a pizza joint frequented by Martin employees. The food was tasty and the walls of the restaurant also contained pictures and autographs of the other famous members of this community – Mario Andretti, John Andretti and Michael Andretti — giants of open-wheel racing and the Indy 500. Great stuff! Then we walked back to the factory and finished the museum tour, bought some items at the 1833 store and were getting ready to leave when I asked Diana to take my picture in front of the entrance to the museum. As we were blocking out the shot, a gentleman politely waited to enter the museum. As I walked over to the door I recognized him. It was C.F. Martin IV, Chris Martin, the CEO of the company! He very nicely suggested that we pose together in front of the museum door and I got the best souvenir possible from my visit — a picture with the celebrated leader of the company! Wow, what a day!! But it wasn’t over yet. We decided to drive to the original factory and old Martin homestead back in town. The old factory now houses the Guitarmaker’s Connection, a retail store that offers a unique collection of guitarmaker’s tools, guitar parts, and guitarmaking kits. We parked outside, walked in and were warmly greeted by the two women inside. We chatted and then took them outside to look at our teardrop. They took us back inside and showed us the wonderful, almost magical contents of the old factory. It was easy to imagine the factory full of workers turning out instruments in the early days. Even my first Martin was made here, and the thought that I might be standing right where it was assembled was thrilling. The ladies of the “Connection” showed us around and told us how the shop works. They obtain rejected parts from the Martin factory and turn them into kits that enthusiasts can use to build their own guitars. Before we left they gave us several vintage Martin advertising posters, a slice of rejected fretboard with inlay and a genuine Martin guitar head. My good day just got even better! Since it was late in the afternoon, we decided to stay in nearby Easton for the night and continue our journey in the morning. I had a hard time going to sleep after all the excitement of the day. But tomorrow promises to bring more interesting things to see and do. It probably won’t top today’s events, but I’m ready to give it a try!

Mr. Kohler & Mr. Martin

We were on the road by 10:00 a.m. with Liesel and Finley there to see us off.  After a little over an hour driving north, we reached our destination: Hershey, PA!

Soon Diana and I were riding through the chocolate factory simulation which was enjoyable, especially the free chocolate at the end.  We wandered through all the purchasing opportunities with every imaginable article of clothing, toy or souvenir somehow related to Hershey products available along with copious amounts of candy heaped up on every side.

We did find a food court with a nice variety of tasty items and decided to have lunch.  Then we returned to the entrance so we could sign up for a “Make It Yourself” candy bar.  We were given hair nets and aprons, our hands were sanitized, and then we were escorted into a special mini computer-controlled candy factory.   At data screens we answered questions about what kind of chocolate and fillings we wanted in our candy bar.  Then we watched as our particular creation moved down an assembly line with various ingredients automatically added along the way.  The finished morsel was then drenched in a gooey flow of liquid chocolate (my favorite part), and while it was cooling we used more computer stations to design our very own candy bar label.  Finally our finished bars were packaged, sealed and delivered to the end of the machine where an attendant installed our unique labels and presented us with the finished product.  The lady who handed us our labels admired Diana’s and said that she is very creative.  Tasty creativity — what more could one ask?

We left the Hershey grounds, drove past the big Hershey-themed amusement park and through the city of Hershey itself, complete with street lights shaped like Hershey kisses.  If Disney had been a candy maker, this is what his place would have looked like!

We drove on to Allentown before pulling into a motel.  In the evening we sampled our customized candy bars and declared them worthy of our efforts.  Tomorrow a new month and more good things await!

All Dressed Up And Ready To Make Custom Candy Bars!

Today was Memorial Day.  Mike & Liesel took us about 35 miles up the road into Pennsylvania to the Gettysburg National Military Park.  They wanted to show us this famous Civil War battlefield, but because the temperatures were predicted to reach the upper 90’s with high humidity, none of us felt like walking around in the heat.

Fortunately, young Mr. & Mrs. Tavenner had an audio CD which provided us with an excellent tour guide and content timed to match our driving times to the various key locations and events of the battle.

Seeing the locations, the geography, the numerous memorials and statues and hearing a vivid description of what took place over those three days in 1863 really made the events come alive.

Taking this journey back in time on this special day of remembrance was a deeply moving experience.  So many lives on both sides were lost or changed forever on this battlefield.  The outcome decided the war and determined that our states would remain united.  Lincoln delivered that short address which echoes down the years with fresh and intense meaning.

Thanks to Mike & Liesel we had the opportunity to experience something memorable, and we thank them for doing this for us.  On this trip we have had highs and lows.  Nothing else has moved me as deeply.

When we returned to Frederick, we rested for a while and then drove a few miles for dinner with Gherie & Michael Gutierrez, friends from home, who are doing some traveling of their own.  They are guests at the home of their daughter’s good friend.  We also discovered to our surprise that their host and her husband are also friends of Mike & Liesel’s.  If only we had known, we would have brought them along!

After dinner we returned to Frederick and began preparing for our departure tomorrow.  The hospitality here has been grand, and it’s going to be difficult leaving, but the road, and more adventure, is out there waiting for us!

On Little Round Top With Devil's Den Behind

Today was a special day for me (Steve).  Since the mid-1950’s I have been following the Indianapolis 500 race, first on radio and later on television.  So fortunately, I was in close proximity to a big screen TV and graced with an understanding spouse who watched with me and periodically brought me food and drink as well.  Life is good!

When the race was about half over, Diana and Liesel excused themselves and took off on an expedition much better described by Diana.  Liesel is an expert seamstress.  She makes beautiful purses and quilts and dresses so she had to take advantage of a fabric sale.  She even ended up repairing one of my favorite camping blouses, too.  Her grandmother Fran sent her serger sewing machine to Liesel as as surprise, so she really can do all that sewing stuff!  Anyway we had fun shopping together.

In the evening after the race, Mike’s Brother Mark and his wife Elena joined us for a lovely dinner featuring pierogis (sp?) and chopped salad created by Elena and veggie dogs and burgers with all the fixin’s, potato salad, macaroni salad, finished off with bundt cake nestled in fresh strawberries and ice cream — everything except the hot dogs made from scratch by Joanne.  Absolutely delicious!  (We just brought our appetite!)

Doug & Joanne have a wonderful home located in thick woods near Frederick.  They have designed and installed a unique geothermal pond which stores heat from their house in the summer and returns it in the winter.  It also performs the reverse function to cool their home in the summer.  It’s just part of their plan to reduce utility bills and achieve as much energy independence as possible.  Sounds like a good idea to us.

Tomorrow Mike & Liesel are taking us somewhere special.  Stay tuned.

The Tavenner's Geothermal Pond

5/27 – Day 51

We were up early and on our way to the Shady Grove Metro Station, taking the Metro into downtown Washington, DC for a whirlwind visit to the Smithsonian.  Diana and I got to the station just fine, and with a lot of help from a friendly Metro employee, we were soon on our way to our nation’s capitol.

Emerging from the Metro station, we found ourselves on the Capitol Mall on a very hot Friday morning with many other people.  Diana decided to check out the Natural History and American History Museums, while I headed for the National Air & Space Museum.

We both enjoyed ourselves — Diana with a range of interesting items ranging from the Hope Diamond to a special Abraham Lincoln exhibit.  I gazed on historic aircraft from the original Wright Flyer, through The Spirit of St. Louis and Spaceship One.  I even got to touch a real moon rock!

We spent the whole day being dazzled and returned to Frederick with enough memories of national treasures to last a lifetime.  I don’t agree with that–I’m always in line for treasure!

Today we went to church with Liesel & Mike and his parents.  Afterwards we dined at a Greek restaurant and enjoyed a make-it-yourself frozen yogurt special before returning to home base.

In the evening, while I was online checking our credit card billings over the past few weeks, I discovered some charges I didn’t recognize.  It turns out they were fraudulent and we had to cancel that card.  Since this was the card I pay all our bills with, I spent most of the evening updating all my accounts with a new (and still valid) credit card.  I could think of several activities which would have been more fun.  No, make that several hundred.

We ended the evening with a rollicking session of Liar’s Dice, much hilarity, and good fun.

The Air & Space Museum Main Lobby

5/25 – Day 49

We were up and on our way fairly early.  The peat smoke was thick again this morning and we’re anxious to get away from it.  We gassed up and headed back up the Outer Banks, sorry to leave this beautiful area, but not sorry to leave the sweltering heat and stifling smoke.

Soon were were back on the mainland and headed up through Chesapeake, around Norfolk and Newport News, beside Williamsburg and Richmond and close to our nation’s capitol.

As we approached the “Beltway” around DC, the traffic became heavier and heavier.  Finally we decided it didn’t make sense to try to circumnavigate WDC at breakup time and took an offramp to Alexandria, near Mt. Vernon.

We found a Comfort Inn nearby and made a reservation.  When we arrived at what we usually expect to be basic, serviceable lodging, we discovered a building with granite lions guarding the entrance, and a lobby filled with bronze and marble sculptures.

After checking in, we walked past more statuary to an inner courtyard filled with additional sculptures.  We found out the artwork belongs to the owner of the motel who wanted a place where his acquisitions could be enjoyed.  We did!

When we got hungry, I looked on Yelp for a place to eat, and found a good Mexican restaurant which filled the bill, and our tummies.

We retired to our art-filled abode for a sound night’s sleep, looking forward to moving on to Frederick, Maryland and visiting with more family tomorrow.

5/26 – Day 50

We were up and on our way, timing it so we avoided the morning commuters.  A little over an hour later we were driving down an exciting driveway and into the Tavenner “Compound”.  Liesel, our grand-niece, welcomed us along with her cute little rat terrier “Finley.”  We got the trailer parked in a safe place, got settled in, and then Liesel and Mike Tavenner, her husband, took us to downtown Frederick for lunch.  Afterward we walked a few blocks to a small, street corner establishment which featured ice cream as well as fudge, soft-serve, and Italian ices.  Our kind of place.

Then Liesel took us to the local Kaiser medical center to pick up some prescriptions while Mike was joined his father to take care of some business.

In the evening we got better acquainted with Mike’s parents, Doug and Joanne, and had fun playing some of Mike & Liesel’s many board games.

Finally, we hit the sack after a very full, busy and enjoyable day.

Parked At The Tavenner's

Over the past few days the usually clear, fresh air of the Outer Banks has periodically become smoky.  The intensity varies from a slight smoke smell, to very brown skies.  Today we awoke to more heavy smoke smell and visibility which sometimes decreased to four or five blocks.

This is all due to a peat fire burning in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.  According to firefighters on the scene, the lightning-sparked fire will continue to burn for several months because this type of fire is so hard to put out.

So on a day with really nasty air and visibility, we’re off to see the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills about 12 miles north of where we’re staying in Nag’s Head.

Before that, please permit us digress for a moment to tell you about two small experiences we had in the last few days that illustrate how travel broadens one’s perspective.

1. We tend to think of Taco Bell as a pretty standardized, national fast food establishment.  You order a bean burrito in California or Oklahoma or North Carolina and it’s going to be pretty much the same.  Well, when I ordered a bean burrito here in Nag’s Head yesterday, I asked for green sauce instead of red and was greeted by a blank stare.  They had no idea what I was talking about.  They didn’t even know what red sauce was.  They pointed to the little individual packages of “hot sauce” and said that was the only sauce they had.  And if I hadn’t asked them if onions came with their burritos, I would have gotten just a tortilla filled with beans and some cheese.  Weird!
2. As we were driving today, we passed a truck with flashing yellow lights.  It was being lead by another truck.  In between were two, small ordinary passenger cars being driven near the center line.  As we passed, we saw that the driver of the first car was leaning out and squirting a dollop of glue on the center line and the driver of the second car was slapping a reflective bott’s dot on each splat of glue.  Primitive and labor-intensive yes, but it got the job done!

We drove to the memorial entrance, waved our magic National Parks Senior Pass and were soon walking into a theater to watch a movie about the Wright Brothers and their amazing accomplishments.  The film was a little didactic, and I worried about Diana falling asleep during a section which covered more physics and calculations that she usually is willing to absorb, but we both enjoyed learning more about these true American icons.

After the movie we explored the visitor’s center and listened to a lecture by a ranger who described and demonstrated an actual full-sized model of the 1903 Wright Flyer.  Seeing how it worked first-hand really surprised me.  The thing is made mostly of wood and cloth, with a bunch of wires (bicycle spoke wire, actually) and metal connectors holding it together.  But when you see how the parts work together and how many complex problems were solved with the brother’s patient, precise, skillful approach, the flyer transcends it’s common materials and becomes a thing of beauty.

There’s a great picture which shows the first flight with the flyer in the air, one brother flying it, the other brother running alongside, which dramatically depicts the actual moment in time when the world changed.  You’ve probably seen it before, but take another look and think about what was happening that instant.  Very cool!

One other thing which I particularly found exciting was a small piece of wood and scrap of cloth from that 1903 aircraft.  The letters displayed with the ordinary looking items verify that they were taken on the Apollo 11 flight and carried to the surface of the moon by Neil Armstrong.  What a massive amount of progress in just 66 short years.  Amazing!

After making sure we had our picture taken at the takeoff point when the smoke was briefly lighter than usual (although you can see smoke behind the memorial on the hill), we left the historic site, with a much better understanding of just how important the Wright Brother’s contribution was, and also how much work, study and failure proceeded that accomplishment.

We spent the late afternoon relaxing, napping, and recharging our batteries.  Tomorrow we will leave the Outer Banks and start heading north.  The saga continues!

Touching the first takeoff point at Kill Devil Hills!