Our first trip was to Kaaterskill Falls (kill comes from the Dutch language and means “body of water”). It is New York State’s highest waterfalls in terms of elevation from sea level. The falls became one of the most celebrated scenic sites in the early 1800’s and is still a popular vacation area to this day. It has been painted several times by Thomas Cole and nearly all the famed artists of the Hudson River School. It was also a favorite spot for American writers starting with Washington Irving’s first mention of them in his story about Rip Van Winkle. Kaaterskill Falls is a two-stage waterfall located in the eastern edge of the Catskill Mountains of New York. The two cascades total 260 feet from the top (on Kaaterskill Creek) to the bottom of two pools.
To get to the base of the trail to Kaaterskill Falls, we parked
up a steep hill at a pull-over along the highway. From there
we hiked along the highway’s edge (no designated lane) to
the entry point. The climb upward is through a boulder field.
The double cascade of Kaaterskill Falls in the eastern portion of the Catskill Mountains.
Though cold, teens enjoy playing in the pools of the falls. Older adults, such
as ourselves, were too exhausted from the climb to experience a dip in one of the pools.
From Katterskill Falls (with Haines’ Falls immediately below them on Katterskill Creek, we drove on west through the touristy town of Tannersville before turning southward for our return to the KOA at Plattekill. During the winter there are ski slopes giving life to the town and the small hotels and resorts. During the summer, visitors come to stay for days and weeks to escape the heat of the lower elevations and territory of the South.
Downtown Tannersville has sought to maintain the turn-of-the-century
look and feel. The buildings are quite colorful.
This is a view of the other side of Main Street with all it’s shops,
eateries, and boutique hotels.
In an open area on the west side of town stands All Souls Episcopal Church.
It is characteristic of many structures in the area since it is made of native stone
which was in plentiful supply when built more than a century ago.
Our destination was the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame. The museum collects and preserves the history of harness racing and serves as a hall of fame for The American Standardbred horse. Orange County is the birthplace of Hambletonian 10, the ancestor of all American Standardbred horses. Many of the early Hambletonian races were held in Goshen at the Good Time Park mile track. Established in 1838, the neighboring half-mile Historic Track is a National Historic Landmark, the oldest harness horse track still in use in the United States. Stables still operate on the grounds and races are held annually. The museum opened in 1951, during Goshen's Hambletonian Stake era.
As an aside, for a while the Hambletonian was held in Southern Illinois at the DuQuoin State Fair. DuQuoin is not far from Byron’s hometown of Fairfield. Byron and his dad went to one Hambletonian race in the early 1960’s. He and his dad enjoyed going to their county fair to see the harness races.
In the event you were wondering, the American Standardbred distinguishes the harness horse from other horse breeds such as Thoroughbred and others. The term identifies a horse’s ability to trot or pace in a “standard” time, as specified in the Standard of Admission to Registration. It means that a horse must be capable of trotting or pacing a mile within a prescribed time. Today, the top horses can regularly do the mile in under two minutes, faster than Thoroughbreds who aren’t gaited.
The half-timber building that houses the museum was built as a stable in 1913.
It houses artwork by famous equine artists and racing memorabilia dating back
to the start of trotting. Exhibits include more than 1,700 paintings,
lithographs and sculptures, a ton of photographs, hundreds of drivers’ uniforms,
racing sulkies, and a preserved stable which serves as a
walk-through display case for racing equipment.
Was horse, real Martha. In general, Martha like a fence between
her and a horse. One of the attractions is a racing simulator
where you sit in movable seating and watching a 3D film
from the vantage point of the driver. The simulator also
thrills you with sand and dirt flying at your face as well
as a thrown horseshoe.
In a prominent location near the town square is First Presbyterian Church.
The tall steeple as well as the whole edifice is built of native stone.
Visitors to the KOA come from all areas of the USA and Europe. Some arrive in vans and sleeps in tents on the property. One such group is Adventures X which seems to be attractive to adults of college age. Families from Europe tend to rent motorhomes from Cruise America or El Monte for touring the US. The most unique group of travelers, however, come from Germany traveling in a self-contained “hotel” capable of housing 27 guests. We have witnessed two groups who visited our KOA. The company provides tours of the lower 48 states as well as excursions to Alaska. The busses are housed in the US.
The front half of the bus has seating for the tourists while the back
half has births; three levels of nine each. The births are accessed
from a folding platform.
The groups are led by a driver and tour host who oversee the cooking
and commentary on the tour. All travelers assist with set-up and
take-down of the self-contained kitchen and dining equipment.
Our final trip for this post includes photos and commentary from our visit to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, about a three-hour drive from our KOA. The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, it’s formal name, is said to be the largest maritime museum in the United States. It includes a collection of sailing ships and boats, and provides visitor with a living display of the many crafts and related enterprises of an entire 19th-century seafaring village. Housed on the campus are more than 60 original, historic buildings. Most of the rare, commercial structures were moved to the 19-acre site and have been well preserved or restored. Established in 1929, the seaport was one of the first living history museums in the United States. In 1941 they acquired and restored the only surviving whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan.
The whaling ship, “Charles W. Morgan,” sits in the harbor and may be
boarded to get a feel for the small space for crew and cargo.
The village contains nearly all the types of general and specialized trades associated with building and operating a sailing fleet. They include a chandlery, sail loft, ropewalk, cooperage, shipping agent’s office, printing office, bank, general store, church, school and others. Also included is The Spouter Tavern. Each building is used both to show the original activity and to display multiple examples of objects sold or constructed; for instance, the nautical instrument shop displays sextants, nautical timepieces, and the like. Demonstrations at the cooperage show how casks are assembled. Visitors may also walk through the building where on-going restoration work is performed.
One of the three streets in the village at Mystic Seaport. The building on
the left is the office for the doctor and the apothecary.
One building displays the heads of several sailing ships. All have been faithfully
restored and include images of the ships for which they were fashioned.
The lighthouse, though not original to Mystic, was relocated from another
area of New York. The size, however, is correct showing that not
all lighthouses were tall. It always depended on the location.
A panoramic view of Mystic Seaport. The photo does not begin to demonstrate
scale of this living museum.
A final and closing thought: One is never far from home in one way or another. While seated at our table in Cracker Barrel in Fishkill, Martha noticed that the photo by our table was taken in from of the historic Kentucky Central Life Assurance Company in Anchorage, KY. While living in the Louisville area we were never more than three miles from this building which still stands beside the railroad tracks. The photo was made in 1917 at a convention of sales representatives.
