Lake Erie, PA area activities

The first picture is of one of the five original generators that was in the building that has now been renovated and made into the Maritime Museum. They wanted to keep a part of the history of the area in place.

The next picture is of a model of the Niagara, as she would have appeared under full sail. The topsails would not have been used unless the winds were very light and the captain was trying to take advantage of what little wind there was.

The next two pictures show just how many lines it took to sail this ship. In all there are about 10 miles of working lines.

The last picture represents what would likely have been the damage caused by a cannonball hit in the area. You can imagine what would likely have been the fate of those firing this cannon.




8/25 Saturday We have been visiting the Erie, PA area for the last four days. We came down out of New York and some really nice cool weather into hot and humid conditions. No, it is not near as hot as some are enduring in places like Texas and Florida. We found a nice park in Lake City to hang out for a week. The sites are gravel with 50-amp power but no sewer connections. No real problem as we will go though the dump station on the way out.

We toured the Maritime Museum that was opened in a former power plant on the waters edge. They kept one of the smoke stacks in place as well as one of the five generators. It traced the history of Lake Erie and the battles fought on the lake between the French, English, and the Indians against the Americans. Much of the history focuses on the 1812 War at this museum.

Outside is the Sailing Ship Niagara that fought a decisive battle and established the Americans as a military force to be respected. This ship is about 110 feet long, 30 feet wide and draws about 10 feet of water. There are three levels of sails on three masts. The resulting running lines (ropes) to control the sails, booms, etc. total about 10 miles of lines. There are four men who live on the ship most of the year. The few months that the ship is draped for the winter, these men move to homes or apartments they have in town near the ship.

We went below and found that, because this is a training ship that goes out frequently with experienced and new crew members who are just beginning their training, the Coast Guard required that the ship be equipped with water tight doors. They look a little strange on a ship that goes back to 1812.

We toured below deck and saw the officer’s quarters and those used by approximately the other 180 men. About 70 men manned the guns and 110 operated the ship. There were two crews on 12-hour shifts, so there were at least 80 men below in a space that really looked as if it could not accommodate the number. Each man had his own duffle bag that included his hammock. The advantage of the hammock was its ability to remain fairly stationary from side to side on a pitching ship. The men put a stick in the ends of the hammock to keep it open, otherwise it would close around them and they could not turn, and getting out was almost impossible.

When looking through the officer’s quarters, we were told this is where they took the injured men to be patched up by the surgeon or even to have surgery. It was interesting that this surgeon thought his instruments cut well when he washed them with hot, soapy water before use. Without knowing why, we now know that cleaning the instruments made them more sanitary, so this doctor had a better percentage of sailors he performed amputations on who survived vs. his counterparts who did not clean their instruments.

Lighthouse on Lake Champlain, NY

8/15 Thursday Part two- On the way home we stopped at the Crown Point Lighthouse to see this unique lighthouse. This part of the US has so many old lighthouses one can make visiting these the purpose of a visit. There are more lighthouses in the northeast than in any other part of the US.

This one was originally a round brick structure, but that was later changed to eight columns outside the original brick making it the most unique light we have visited. It is an attractive lighthouse and should be going through restoration by now. This light has concrete wedge shaped stairs with one edge set upon the other to climb to the top in contrast to so many that have metal stairs. You are able to climb to an observation level just below the actual light where you can go outside and walk around. The light area is off limits as this is still a working light and they can’t afford to have people touching the working parts of the light.

Fort Ticonderoga, NY 8-07

8/15 Thursday Part one- Before leaving the area we took some time to look around the Champlain area and Fort Ticonderoga. At Fort Ticonderoga, they have restored the fort to the way it appeared when the French originally built it. When I was there 50+ years ago, it had mostly broken walls and little else. Now it is a real showcase. In addition to the fort complex they are building an educational building.

This fort is located at a narrow part of Lake Champlain so the guns could effectively destroy any enemy ships trying to pass. They have really done a fantastic job of restoring this fort.

Montreal, Canada trip

The first picture is of a major street in Montreal - nothing special about the street. The second picture is typical church exterior. There are a lot of churches around the city and they are all unique. The third picture is of the church we visited. This is often where State funerals are held. The 4th picture is of the organ pipe loft in the main church. Although this looks impressive, there are actually 7000 pipes up there. The final picture is of the 20,000 pound bronze piece at the front of the rebuilt chapel of this church. Note the 3 doors and the people looking up at Jesus and the Sun that represents God in this piece.






8/14 Tuesday The weather is wonderful, so we were off to Montreal as planned. The drive up went quickly and with almost no delay at all, we were on their version of Interstate 15. Most of this road is better than many of our roads. I began to wonder why AAA said the roads could be rough in Quebec, but I was to learn more in just a little while. Driving up, we had a little French lesson given to us by signs. Their deer warning looks more like a deer jumping over a fence with legs stretched out in front and back. Sud is south; Nord is North; Est is east; Fin is end; Sortie is exit; Arret is stop; warning of potential ice on a bridge is a car slipping with a thermometer to the side with a big “0” C reminding you of the freezing point.

As for the road, we were driving 100 – really flying in the little car. Oh, Leigh had switched the units from MPH to Kal, so the 100 was about 62 MPH. As for the temp, the 230C turned out to be 720F. Fortunately the little car easily switches from US to Metric through the computer. We had a problem with this in Campobello when we went to the FDR summer place. At that point we couldn’t find how to change the units. Canada appears to grow what we call Cat Tails in the median that blocks headlights of oncoming cars, but it also blocks your ability to see a problem developing that may require your taking defensive action. They do not keep the edges of the roads mowed. By comparison, New York is not a whole lot better, but NY does mow farther from the road; maybe two passes of the mower. The corn crop in this part of Canada is about as tall as that in New York; however, by comparison the corn in VT is much higher and appeared someone could go through and begin picking the VT corn. The Canadian corn appeared weeks away from being ready to harvest.

Most vehicles are like those we see daily in America; most are American models, but they can have a version that is Canadian that does not meet the safety regulations imposed on vehicles sold in America. We saw one of the amphibious vehicles we have come to refer to as ‘Ducks’, but this one was really finished and painted in a unique way. They had fixed it with clear curtains so the operators could enjoy a longer season. I took a picture of this and of a double decker bus that must have come from England; complete with right hand steering. We did see that the large dump trucks had two steering axles. Many of the larger trailer trucks that had Quebec plates had three axles with considerable spacing between each set of tires; maybe as much as 6’.

We visited the Basilique Notre-Dame De Montreal or Notre-Dam Basilica of Montreal. This structure was built in the late 1800’s with various woods used as the interior building material. As result, the acoustics in the building is superb lending the facility for exceptional for various musical events and concerts. The pipe organ in the back has 7,000 pipes with the shortest reported to be only ¼”. There are actually six organists who play this instrument, but the senior organist has been playing this organ for 36 years. Apparently the organ is only played at the five Masses each week. This facility has been used for many State funerals due to the size of the facility and the combined architecture and music that this building offers. Many celebrities have performed there over the years. This would be like saying you performed at Carnegie Hall in NY; great on your Vita.

Behind the main sanctuary is a smaller chapel. It is more for baptisms and smaller weddings. They have a bronze sculpture at the front that weighs 20 tons and raises a little over two stories. It was cast in England and brought over as 32 pieces, then assembled in its present location. I found it a little to ‘modern’ for my taste having been case about 1976. It shows three doors that represent birth, life, and death. The people are of all kinds, but all are reaching up toward God. God is represented as the Sun at the top while Jesus is a little beside and below the portrayal of God. In this facility, they have an organ that has about 1,600 pipes. The building is constructed of wood up to the top of the second level, then a metal roof and skylights cover the top. The metal is covered with Linden wood (a light wood with straight grain) as is most of the chapel. They did use walnut accents and oak for the pews.

Unfortunately, in 1976 someone vandalized this original chapel and threw a candle into a corner of the chancel setting the building on fire. Because the original building was built in about 1890, the wood was dry and burned quickly. The original building was 3-stories tall, but the replacement building was constructed only to be 2-stories high. It took four years from the time the original building burned until they were in the new facility.

Several observations we made include: 1) Where smoking appears to be on the decline in America, in Montreal it is pervasive. It is hard to walk anywhere outside and not be assaulted by second hand smoke; 2) It appears they have about as much trouble with graffiti as does Los Angeles and it appears much of it is just left there with no attempt to clean it off; 3) The roads within the city are quite rough; and 4) Drivers can be quite aggressive. The worst example we saw was one of the postal truck drivers who needed a class in anger management.

Bicycles are everywhere and the riders would squeeze between you and parked cars, frequently running red lights so they had a clear, or clearer, shot at the next block. We saw one fellow who probably cut it a bit too close and clipped a car sending him over the handlebars onto the pavement wearing shorts and a T-shirt; no helmet. The ground really rang his bell! The driver stopped, but the bicyclist tried to ride away only to realize pain was setting in, so he got off the bike and tried to walk away, at which time the driver just continued on his way.

The city is really quite beautiful with many large structures made of stone. Some of the architecture is quite attractive, but in our judgment, other parts of a multi-dwelling building appeared not to belong there at all. A large percentage of the streets are one way making driving a bit challenging. Most of the major areas had timers on the walk lights. In some cases it appeared the green light would begin to flash just before it went to caution giving the driver more time to react. In other cases the green would flash immediately after it changed from red as if to get your attention.

Parking meters are posts with numbers against the buildings; not at the street edge. You put money into a meter kossic that prints a ticket that shows the amount paid and the time the meter expires. This kossic takes change and credit cards. It costs $ .25 for 5-minutes of parking and you can put in up to $6. This is a very bilingual city, so it was not really difficult to find those who could speak English to help us get around.

Old friends found 46 years later

The first picture shows the lake looking down one of the Lagoon Manor roads past some of the homes Glenn and Susan have built and sold on the property. The next picture is a home that was built in the classic style of the Adirondack Mountains along the lake. The third is the Sagamore Hotel. Likely the rooms here are averaging $800 a night this weekend if there is a view of the water. The hotel is equally beautiful on the landside of the building. The next picture is another view of the lake from one of the few openings on Route 9N that really shows the splendor of the lake and its scenery. Finally is a picture of Glenn and Susan found after 46 years.

8/9 Thursday We were out rather early to do some serious touring around to see how the Bolton Landing area and the area to the north where Lagoon Manor is located. This is where I worked in 1960. Glenn Waehner was high school friend and I had come with his family almost every weekend in the spring to help get their summer resort ready to open. They had a grand manor house set high on a hill overlooking Lake George and about 16 cottage units scattered around the property.

Arriving at the property we found a friendly couple we struck up a conversation with. Telling them I had worked here in 1960 and mentioning Glenn’s name, they said he was due to be in the area on the 10th. I immediately began to try to figure how to stay in the area an extra night as I have been trying to find him on and off for about the last five years. The couple gave me Glenn’s cell number that I immediately called. After his shock of talking to me after 46 years, he asked where I was and I told him by the boathouse. He asked what boathouse and I responded Lagoon Manor boathouse. To my surprise he said he was just getting into his golf cart to come down to the boathouse! In a few moments, he and his wife Susan who is also my classmate were at the lake.

Over the next 3 hours Leigh and I had a wonderful time cruising some of the areas of Lake George in their boat he had pulled from storage after 12 years and made ready to use this weekend. The lake was much as I remembered it. They have restrictions on the number of trees that can be cleared on property, so Leigh was having difficulty seeing the lake at all. She had said she wanted to go on a boat tour, but not in our wildest imagination did we think we would have a ride like this on such a beautiful day on a pristine lake like we did. Finally Glenn and Susan had to get to the things they had come to town to handle, so we parted company, but at least we now know how to find them! This day had to be a God thing as we all had come to town the evening before and due to races this weekend we were only able to get a campsite in the area through Friday morning.

From NH to NY - a journey

8/7 Tuesday Today was a great day as we heard from good friends in Houston that God had answered several prayers that day. They were given news that her medical tests were clear, the auto insurance company made a settlement they could live with on a wrecked car and he found a CD he had taken out many years ago that had matured yesterday answering prayers for the money they needed to cover some bills. Yes, God does answer prayers!

We drove from Shelburne, NH to Tunbridge, VT to attend the Vermont Good Sam rally. The drive over was pretty going through the mountains and through many towns. I am sure the rig will have some poor fuel mileage with all the hills, but the drive was enjoyable, well, most of the drive. As a traveler in these parts, most of the better roads run north and south because they are running parallel with the mountains; we were running west so we had to go over and through the mountains. Coming into East Berre, VT and picking up SR-110 to head south into Tunbridge, it all got really ‘exciting’; the wife had another description. That road has large sections without shoulders, but no worry about running off the road as the rock faces of the cuts made for the road just beyond the edge of the asphalt will not let you wander off the pavement. Leigh was bracing for a crash or scrapes most of this part of the trip.

We arrived in Tunbridge to find the rally was on a small community fair ground primarily designed around agriscience activities. There were many buildings to house animals, a large show barn and a covered arena. Unfortunately the camping there was more like tent camping in rigs with wheels. The Vermont residents are apparently tougher as the temperature pushed 950 with humidity about the same and no wind as we were deep in a valley. With no power and no use of the generator allowed, we decided to head out in the morning.

8/8 Wednesday As if yesterday lacked excitement on the road, today turned out to have its own challenges. We headed for the interstate following our GPS route down this winding 2-lane road when we saw a sharp curve with reduced speed. I slowed and then saw the sign announcing the bridge height ahead was 12’-1” and we are more than a foot taller. Stopping in the road, we had to disconnect the car to get turned around. I am sure a few drivers failed to appreciate our antics.

Later, going through a town, the road was not marked, so we missed the turn. Circling a few blocks trying to get turned around, we attempted to make a sharp turn at a “Y” intersection, but a sign was in the way. We learned that it is possible to back a rig a short distance with a toad if you have a driver in the toad. Another crisis averted, we were on our way again. We have learned in places like Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, they do not post highway route signs and street signs like most other states and certainly what we normally rely on.

Driving down the winding roads in VT, we pulled into a town that had a cell signal just in time for Sherrell in Florida to call and inform us that the State of Florida had suspended my driver’s license for failure to have automotive insurance. She wanted Leigh to take over the driving immediately. On these twisting roads with frequent narrow clearance, that was not an option. After all, the license had been suspended in April, so what was another 100 miles or so? Seems Progressive Insurance notified the state I had cancelled although they knew the unit had been sold and had given me a refund on the unused portion of the policy. Then the State erred and recorded the insurance cancelled even though they had been notified the unit was sold. Sherrell went to the local driver’s license office in our home county and cleared up the problem and stood at the counter while the clerk completed the paperwork. Life does have its twists and turns. If you don’t believe this, read tomorrow’s blog notes!

We arrived at Lake George, NY and settled into a park. They have a slightly crazy Wi-Fi system here. They advertise it is free and it is, but it times you out after 30-minutes the first use, then you can get four 15-minute log-in numbers a day. The system is apparently a satellite system, but it is slow. Again we are finding cellular phone service is available only in parts of the campground. Given this area and the money here, this is surprising.

Tomorrow is Bolton Landing investigation day. Having worked north of there in 1960, I want to see what has changed knowing it will be a lot as the whole area has become very commercial. Just driving down Route 9 today, there is hardly a spot that does not have a building on it of some description, most of these being businesses.

From Maine to Canada

8/2 I will get the pictures posted later as the Wi-Fi location is not allowing them to be posted at this time. Please check back in a day or so. We will attempt this addition on the road to New Hampshire.
08, 34, 47, 64, 13, 96, 36, 44, 46
7/29 Sunday Although the fog was over us in the early morning, it had cleared by about 9. The weather forecasters continue talking about bad storms, but they have been wrong so many times we decided they would be again. With passports and dog papers in hand we headed for Lubec, Maine and Campabello, New Brunswick, Canada. The drive is almost 100 miles on US-1 winding along the coast and through several towns with multiple 25 MPH speed limits so you have time to enjoy their town.

We began seeing fog lying along the water about 20 miles from our destination. Upon arrival at the West Quoddy Head Light (lighthouse), we found fog all around. It had gone out earlier but had returned over the area. It made for some interesting sights with clear sunny areas sometimes divided by a thick band of fog.

The lighthouse is still a fully operational facility; many have been decommissioned due to things like GPS aides. The foghorn was sounding the whole time we were there. Later in Canada, we were still heard this horn. The area rocks resulted in many shipwrecks wrecks. The tide swings about 16 feet in about 6 hours, making the waters safe at one point but very dangerous only hours later. Photocells recognize the presence of fog and automatically activate the lighthouse foghorn.

After a walk on the rocks below the lighthouse, only inconveniently accessible by steep stairs that have been built so people would not attempt to climb the rock cliffs, we headed off to Canada. At the Canadian border, I guess I did not give the answers as smoothly required or maybe it was because I said we were from Houston and she could see a Florida plate on the car, but we were given extra attention through an inspection inside the car. The inspector was very happy I took the dogs out of the car during this inspection. Once completed we happily headed to the F.D. Roosevelt summer home.

Our personal tour began with a drive through the property that is now a part of the International Park. Establishment of this international park was the result of the Roosevelt property being equally divided, then donated to the US and Canadian governments to be preserved as a park. Future donated property adjoining the 10-acre property adjoining the property where FDR grew up and played now makes it now over 2,300 acres. Driving around we found another rock beach as well as various lookouts that were very restful. The temperature was about 720 with a breeze making it just close to being chilly.

On the way back to visit the boyhood home and visitor center we came up on a one-car rollover that landed in a gully. The driver was way over the 15 MPH speed limit and lost control on the gravel road. Making sure she was out and she appeared to have no injuries we headed to the visitor center to report the accident. The ambulance they called drove past the visitor’s center twice before I could flag them down to go down the park road. They transported the driver across the US border to a town 30 miles to the south on these same twisting roads we had earlier traveled. In my opinion, due to the distance and time it would take to transport a patient in this area of Maine plus an additional 15 miles from the Campobello Island, if the injuries were critical you may as well paint this patient dead.

We toured the F.D. Roosevelt summer cottage that has been nicely preserved from about 1900. It home is very large with 32 rooms. It was a home where FDR could have guests while housing four servants on the second floor. The home is three stories, but the third floor is not open because there is only one way up and down, so for safety reasons, they keep it closed off. The home is for us, beautifully landscaped with a wonderful view of the water. The difference between then and now goes back to the company that previously owned the land before the Roosevelt family. This company clear-cut the forest for various uses. For us, the new growth of the trees over the past 80+ years now made this place beautiful.

We were surprised at the size of the rooms. We know room size has increased over the years with new construction methods, but areas like the master bedroom appeared especially small for a president. The double bed and the whole bedroom was smaller than the opened front section of our RV. When the polio crippled him, it must have made his bedroom seem even smaller with the lounge chair he needed to sit in. His wife Eleanor was also his distant cousin, a fact I think we failed to know about. She really had her hands full when she had to take care of what had been a very active man who spent most of his time outdoors in the woods or sailing. Going there and taking a walking tour was very interesting.

We hurried off to the East Quoddy Lighthouse at the northern tip of the island. The Canadian government has maintained this lighthouse, although it would appear this is a decommissioned light as the Canadian government has given the deed to the light to a group who is dedicated to preserving the lighthouse. Further, the light shows only a steady red light and the revolving lens has been removed. It is reported this is the most photographed lighthouse anywhere and after going to the lighthouse, just the trip makes you take many pictures to chronicle your successful trip.

From the top of the light we were able to see a very large fin whale in the harbor. I think our view was better than those on the whale watch boat as the whale kept moving away from the boat as if to play with the captain. We were better able to see the size of this whale as they can reach 48’. Although not that large, it was very impressive.

Now to access to this lighthouse, first you may only access the area during low tide! The tide runs over 25’ in the Bay of Fundy, so the tide changes over one foot every 15 minutes; better keep a close track of time! If you are trapped on the lighthouse island, you are there for 8 hours and it can get really cold. Getting there we had climbed down a very steep rusty stairway (some of the bottom steps had rusted away), then across rocks bordered by wet sea grass, then up another stairway (more missing steps) to a high spot, then back down and across more rugged rock to the lighthouse. It was fun, but it did keep you on your toes – literally. There was a haring fish net everyone paid close attention to because if the water lapped a certain level, you better get out of there right then. The water is cold and the currents swift, so don’t challenge the water especially when you can’t see the worn path where sea grass has been destroyed by the constant walking. The thick, extremely slippery sea grass provides no footing on the rock.
Because the fog was coming quickly over the island, we decided to head south and eat somewhere in the US. Even eating in Lubec 30-miles south of the border, we found ourselves caught in fog for a large portion of the remaining 60-mile trip. It was a long day covering almost 230 miles, but well worth the adventure. In fact, the only problem was our failure to head out earlier so we could squeeze more into the day. By the way, while in Canada, we lost an hour as this island is on Atlantic time. Maybe that is why here in Trenton, ME, we have the sun rising at a little after 4AM.