Experiencing High Country Wyoming: 6/2 - 8/1

Byron’s rendering of one of the license plates used in Wyoming.
The rider on the bronc is a rather common symbol as is
the view of the Grand Tetons over the Snake River.

We have now been in Wyoming at Snake River Park KOA for a full month. One of the main reasons for being in this beautiful area of the USA is to support our joy of exploring the region. Though we’ve been to Wyoming before, we have enjoyed returning and seeing things we hadn’t in our other two trips.

The month of May is the month the snow in the mountains begins melting. With about 50% more snow this past winter than normal, that meant dealing with high water, rapid currents, and some flooding. At the campground we weren’t able to open the nine tent sites along Horse Creek (south boundary) or the eight sites along the Snake River (west boundary) until June. Once the waters began to recede the sites were opened one or two at a time. The last sites to open were those that were totally covered by water along the Snake.

Due to the abnormal amount of snow runoff, the Snake River grew

to invade the tent sites along the river. In this photo the water

is covering the roadway that goes past the sites. Near the top

of the photo it is possible to see where the beach connects

to the roadway. Once the water receded sand replaced

the chipped wood that formerly surfaced the sites.

Since we’re past Memorial Day, the unofficial first weekend for camping and RVing, our work schedule has become fixed. We work Tuesday and Wednesday from Noon to 8 PM. Having the “late” shift means that we are also responsible for providing after-hour assistance and security for the campground. On Thursday we have the mid-day shift and are at work from 10 AM to 6 PM. The final two days of our work week involve Friday and Saturday hours starting at 7 AM and getting off at 3 PM. The schedule allows us to have an extended “weekend” if desired. Typically we go out for an early dinner with another work kamper couple and then ride around the area by going somewhere we haven’t been before.

Our first evening out was at Bar-J Chuckwagon Dinner at Show.

Bar-J has been in operation for 40 years. The meal is served

chuckwagon style (glorified cafeteria) with meat, beans, slaw,

cake, and drink. The show, with a western theme, features

five excellent musicians though only four of the performers

actually sing and speak. The fifth guy just picks whatever it is

he’s playing from steel guitar to dobro. Pictured with us are

the work kamping couple mentioned above, Russell and Sherry.

The next two weekends we spent on horseback on separate trail rides.

The first ride was up about 500 feet to a plateau toward some open

land operated by Wyoming Fish and Wildlife. The second ride

was at Mill Iron Ranch where we ascended 2,000 feet above

the level of the campground into some higher ground. Though we

briefly encountered some rain and clouds, we could still see over

the neighboring buttes and peaks to see the Grand Tetons 30 miles away.

At the end of our ride we enjoyed the best steak dinner

we have had in several years.

Then came our whitewater trip down Snake River Canyon. We were

the first to get on the raft so we worked our way to the rear. As it turned

out, this was the place where we could see the action in the front

as well as the waves as we encountered the several sets of rapids.

Between rapids it was a nice float trip with wet suits and protective gear.

When we went, the flow rate and the river were still high. Since we

traveled with seven other rafts, we felt safe.

On two evening we drove up Moose-Wilson Road to different destinations.

Both times we were fortunate to see a moose that tends to feed in the

marshy area near Teton Village which is at the base of the Teton range

on the south boundary of Grand Teton National Park.

One of our evening trips was through Kelly past the Moulton Barn

on what is called Mormon Row. If you’ll look back in the previous blog,

you’ll see a photo of the same barn with more snow on the mountains.

Though the details of the old barn aren’t visible, the tallest of the

Grand Tetons is just to the right of center with the rays of the sun

being visible in the early evening haze.

On another evening, we took the Gondola to a restaurant 3,000 feet above

the valley floor. From that height it is easier to see the Hole of Jackson Hole.

Teton Village may be viewed at the base of the mountain. Jackson, the town,

is beyond the butte in the center of the photo. The Village is one of

two ski areas in Jackson Hole. The other is Snow King which is

immediately south of downtown Jackson.

To the south and east is an area called Granite Hot Springs. It is in the

Gros Ventre range which is older than the Teton range. One of the features

is this gigantic cathedral tower near the peak of the range. At it’s base

is a 50-foot waterfall that is a part of Granite Creek.

Above the falls (pictured above) is a lengthy, cascading portion of

Granite Creek. The creek is near the Spring which feeds

Granite Hot Springs Pool, which was built by the Civilian

Conservation Corps in 1933. The elevation of the pool is

6,987 feet above sea level. The average snowfal in the area

is 400 inches annually. In the summer the water temperature

in the pool averages 93° but in the winter it is 112°. The reason

for the difference is that the snow melt comingles in the stream

from the Spring and, thus, lowers the water temparature.

Grand Teton National Park is in the path of the solar eclipse. The campground

has been booked since early spring. The town of Jackson is expecting about

100,000 thousand to be present that weekend. For only three ways in or out,

traffic will be heavy and facilities in short supply.

In June we had visitors from Central Illinois; Larry and Peggy Stahl and Peg’s sister, Shirley. It was their first trip to the area and, of course, they got to see some of the wonders of the Teton’s before making their way back home through Yellowstone.

Martha works in the store/office at the campground. Her duties involve handling reservations by phone, welcoming and registering guests, helping stock store products, selling rafting trips (for company owned by the campground owner), and fitting people in wet suits for the whitewater trips. It provides a busy day for her even though there may be one to three co-workers in the facility.

Byron works outside with the other maintenance members. At times he is the only person though, on average, there are three. The duties of the maintenance team are escorting RVers to their sites, picking up trash and debris, collecting the linens from the cabins for the laundry, making routine repairs, and troubleshooting problems.

We’ve signed a contract for next year’s engagement. We’ll return to New York to work near a small town called Copake which is near the Connecticut border. Copake is about a two-hour drive from Boston.

Until next time, we’ll say “good-bye from Jackson, Wyoming.”

To Wyoming via Louisville: 3/27 - 6/1

Our travel back to the Louisville area, our home base, took us through Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee on I-75. We had scheduled our annual maintenance for the motorhome at Buddy Gregg Motorhomes near Knoxville. From there we headed westward spending a night at the Bowling Green KOA before heading into the Louisville area. While in Bowling Green we visited with friends from nearby Scottsville while eating at Cracker Barrel. Another friend, Pat Stewart of Bowling Green, visited us at the KOA.

Since the tolls were in place on the bridges crossing the Ohio River (the new Lincoln Bridge as well as the Kennedy Bridge), we decided to cross into Clarksville by way of the I-64 bridge (Sherman-Minton). Since this was to be our fifth time to stay at Add-More Campground in Clarksville it sure felt like we were “coming home.” The difference is that we were a couple of weeks ahead of other schedules in returning from Kissimmee. Still, it felt good to be back in Kentuckiana where things were starting to bloom and the trees starting to leaf out.

Springtime in Kentucky. For us, it offers more beauty than can

be seen any spring in Florida because dogwoods and redbud

trees don’t exist there in addition to the expanse of grassy areas.

While in Louisville we visited with Candice and Jeremy and Jody as well as spent time with a few other friends. On Sundays we attended our home church, St. Matthews Baptist, and Highland Baptist (known as Louisville’s liturgical Baptist church) where we were married 13 years ago by Joe Phelps, the church’s pastor. We also had medical appointments and took care of other business. One of the appointments was to the veterinarian to have Redford, our male English cocker, checked. We had him to the vet four times fighting some type of infection. As it turned out, the infection led to the determination that he was dealing with a cancerous growth as well as prostate cancer, which is really rare for a neutered dog. We decided to give him some medication to keep the cancer at a distance so we could enjoy our summer commitment. He has tolerated it well and seems to act like normal.

<-- This is Redford sitting proudly

in the captain’s chair on the driver side

of the motorhome. He’s showing off

the new seat pads made by Martha

coordinating with the seat pad

for our couch and new,

rocking recliner we got before

leaving Kissimmee.

We headed for Jackson, Wyoming at the end of April so we could be in the Jackson Hole area by the first of May ready to start our summer engagement at the Snake River Park KOA. Our plan was to drive it in six days and visit with our son-in-law’s parents in Jefferson City, Missouri. While we did make it to Jefferson City but the plan changed two days later because of the weather in the Jackson area. We wanted to beat the predicted snow and icy roads on one of the passes through which we’d have to drive between I-80 and Jackson.

  --> While traveling on I-80 east through southern
Wyoming we were quite surprised to find
this monument of Abraham Lincoln at
Summit Pass. The monument sits at
an elevation of 8,640 feet in the
Laramie Range between Cheyenne
and Laramie, Wyoming.

You can imagine our surprise at finding anything related to Lincoln in this part of the USA. Following is the reason why. In 1912, construction began on the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway. Since Lincoln was engaged in the effort to build a transcontinental railroad, it only made sense to name the highway in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Long stretches of the highway ran alongside the first transcontinental railroad route and which was later designated as US Highway 30.

In 1958, philanthropist Dr. Charles E. Jeffrey sponsored a project to erect a Lincoln memorial on top of Sherman Hill – the highest point of the highway. It was for the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. The 13 1/2 foot bronze bust was designed and created by Robert I. Russin of the University of Wyoming.

By the way, it isn’t unusual to view long trains passing in opposing directions on the rail line in this part of Wyoming or western Nebraska. By “view,” one can see either end of the trains in the distance. That is a sight the can’t be seen in any other section of the country through which we have traveled.

Snake River Park KOA is 12 miles south of Jackson on the Snake River. It is at the northern end of the Snake River Canyon that cuts between the Gros Ventre and the Snake River ranges. The owner of the campground also owns a company that offers whitewater rafting through the canyon. The campground, itself, is a bit different than the typical KOA in that this one has many more cabins than it does RV sites. In fact, there are 53 cabins and only 18 RV sites in addition to the five sites for workers. The campground also has 10 tent sites along Horse Creek on the southern edge of the property and eight tent sites along the Snake on the western border.

Tent sites along Horse Creek which flows from the Gros Ventre

range into the Snake River by the campground.

In preparation for opening the campground we worked on cleaning

the recreation room. This photo was taken when we had completed

cleaning the hanging lights, dusting the timbers, cleaning the floors,

and arranging the furniture. The room is in traditional mountain design.

When we arrived the runoff from the snow melt was just beginning though the flow was yet to reach the peak stage. Evidence of how much there was to go could be seen anywhere along the Teton, Snake River or Gros Ventre ranges. Seeing all the snow became typical as we made our first trips on our days off.

In early May we journeyed through Jackson Hole to Jackson Lake, the man-made reservoir that is the first in line on the Snake River. This photo was taken from the dam on the southeastern edge of the lake with Mount Moran to the fight of center (it's peak almost touches the clouds) and the highest peak of the Grand Tetons on the left side (it’s peak is covered by clouds). As can be seen, snow exists from nearly the base of the mountains (valley floor) all the way to the peaks.

The same afternoon we drove around to Jenny Lake which is fed

by one of the glaciers. Jenny is always so peaceful looking. This is looking

northwest from the southeastern shore nearest the observation deck.

There is a new deck and walkway being constructed so getting

to this point meant going around a temporary path that

had hardly been used. That changed in a month when

foot traffic picked up along with park attendance.

One of the most photographed barns in America is the Moulton Barn

in Jackson Hole. What make it so photogenic is that the Grand Tetons

are the backdrop as witnessed in this photo. The eastern side of the

Tetons have no foothills. This is why they seem so majestic since the

rise more than 6,000 feet from the median elevation of the Hole

(the valley between Jackson and the south entrance of Yellowstone).

Each year the elk, mule deer, and moose loose their antlers (horns are

permanent, antlers grow new each year). Jackson Hole houses

the National Elk Refuge where thousands of elk spend the winter.

In the spring, Boy Scouts in the area gather the shed antlers

and make them available for sale at the annual Antler Festival.

Antlers are sold by the pound, in general, except for the very fine sets that match well. Elk antlers and moose paddles may bring as much as $3,000 if they match well. An attached skull can even add to the value. Of course, a skull with antlers means an elk perished some time during the winter. By the way, did you know that elk have canine teeth? They do. They, like elephants tusks, are of ivory, are extracted and sold separately. The more than one-half of the proceeds the Boy Scouts receive go to some designated charities in the region. The remaining funds are retained for use by the Scouts.

This blog covers nearly nine weeks of activity on our part. The next report will cover a six-week period so be sure and check back.

Winter Solstice: 11/6 through 3/26

A barn, live oak tree, and Spanish moss are sure signs you’re

somewhere in Florida. As a matter of fact, this is a common

sight in rural Oseola County of which Kissimmee is the county seat.

With the passing of many more days than intended, it’s time to do another update to the blog. So, here goes.

The entrance to Great Oak RV Resort — our third season to be here.

Arriving at Great Oak RV Resort in Kissimmee for our third season felt a lot like coming back home. Traveling in for the last few miles involved looking around the Kissimmee area to see what had changed over the summer and what was the same. As to the park itself, little has changed. We were just among the early ones to return. Many other snowbirds don’t come in until after Thanksgiving. Most of the Canadians, of course, plan to be here no longer than five months but the do come to avoid the chance of snow.

We allowed ourselves a few days of being here before returning to our previous positions. The crew at Chick-fil-A was thrilled to see Martha return. Some fellow cast members at Walt Disney World were glad to see Byron return as well, some are also seasonal and a few year-round. For sure, it didn’t take long to get back into the routine. We were also welcomed back to our Sunday School class at First United Methodist in Kissimmee. In fact, Byron started teaching the third week after arriving. He continued to teach until the last Sunday on March 26.

Inside Casey’s Corner — lined up placing orders.

Thanksgiving and Christmas at the RV park means gathering for a group meal in the club house. Those are the opportunities that about one-half of those present get together in one place. Some who live in the park year round tend to stay away.

Martha worked between four and five days per week each week that we were in Kissimmee. Byron, as a seasonal cast member, gets to set his availability which was Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. To maintain employment he must complete 150 hours in a calendar year. For 2016 he ended up with 328 hours. Before leaving at the end of March he had already logged 162 hours. Of course, we set aside some time off to go to Westin where Ashley, Michael and grandchildren live. After Christmas Candice came for a week.

Our new “tradition” is attending a performance of the

Candlelight Processional with several performances

annually at EPCOT. It involves a guest narrator,

a core choir and orchestra, and choirs from

area high schools and colleges.

When Candice was with us after Christmas, Ashley and the

grandchildren came to Kissimmee so we could go to

Magic Kingdom together. Here we are with “Boss Mickey.”

Another tradition we’ve developed is taking visitors to WDW to ride the monorail. We stop at the three resorts on the route (Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian) or drive to the Wilderness Lodge (built like the Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone) to see the Christmas decorations.

Annually a crew at the Grand Floridian builds this

large gingerbread house.

This is the interior of Wilderness Lodge decorated for

the Christmas season.

In January we went to Legoland Florida, which is on the property of the old Cypress Gardens that was founded in the 1930’s. It is in Winter Haven. This was our first time to Legoland and were impressed by all the colorful sculptures made with Legos. The kids, of course, enjoyed the rides. We all had a good day together though it was a bit cool with a high of 62 under partly cloudy skies.

Our gift to Michael, Ashley and family was a trip to

Legoland Florida. Here they are at the entrance.

It was cool when we visited.

We both made some new friends at our respective places of work. Martha took to a couple from Venezuela. They left their home country because the danger and corruption feeling their children deserved better. He is a software engineer and she is a food scientist. They are getting their start in the USA by working at Chick-fil-A while looking for better opportunities where they can put their university degrees to work. Elvis, the name of the woman, and Martha worked on learning about each other’s languages. Byron struck up a conversation at work with an International student from Australia. She was born in Thailand and left there with her mother when she was 13. Riya said she wanted to taste some Mexican food. We arranged to meet her one Sunday, took her to church and then a local Mexican restaurant. A few weeks later we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

The young girl in the photo is Pariya Singhanatnitirak, our new

friend who enjoyed a Mexican meal with us at Chevy’s.

We tend to participate in two activities at our RV resort: Hand and Foot card game and karaoke. For karaoke Byron sings and Martha listens. For Hand and Foot we both win some and lose some but do enjoy playing with others from the park.

The primary perk of working at Chick-fil-A (for Martha) is getting to food at a 50% discount. If it has been an especially productive week, she may get a meal at no cost. The perks of working at Disney World (for Byron) is getting dining discounts at many of the restaurants at the various lodges. The discounts are from 25% to 40% off. We take advantage of these when we can. This year we went to the luau at Polynesian Resort and to Sanaa in the Disney Vacation Club lodge at Animal Kingdom.

Our karaoke friends from Great Oak went with us to the

Polynesian Resort for the luau and program.

 Like the men, the female dancers at the luau were amazing.


The view outside the window of the lodges around
Animal Kingdom allows visitors to see the zebras, giraffes
wildebeasts, antelopes, and other animals grazing
in the early evening.

We took a day to go to Magic Kingdom by ourselves enjoying

things as adults and grandparents – there is a difference.

We got to even see the fireworks as guests. Byron usually works the

Fireworks Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace and

doesn’t get to see the whole show. It is an amazing

program of fireworks and music.

Fall Update: 9-5 through 11-5

For those of you that follow us from time to time, it has been a while since providing an update. As has been the habit, during the decreased time of travel we relax from posting information every three weeks and take a breather. Still, since leaving the Mid-Hudson River Valley we have experienced some things we’d like to record here.

Our contracted time at the Newburgh/New York City North KOA came to a conclusion near the end of September. We headed out on Monday morning, September 26. Yes, in a way, it was sad to leave. After all, the Mid-Hudson region is beautiful. As Byron always remarked, the river is wider and deeper than we imagined and the hills (mountain foothills) on rising on either side by several hundred feet give true meaning to the word “valley.” We enjoyed traveling throughout the area and felt we were leaving a part of ourselves behind. Even several members of the church we regularly attended wished us well and thanked us for making it our church home for the summer. Gardnertown United Methodist Church, though small, has a large heart.

We traveled through New Jersey and into Maryland to visit one of Martha’s aunts and uncles just north of Washington, DC near College Park. We parked at a very nice campground called Cherry Hill Park, which is also in College Park. We had stayed there two years ago and knew it to be a fine location. That it was less than three miles to the home of her relatives made it quite handy. This time, however, we didn’t have the time to experience all that Cherry Hill has to offer.

After leaving Cherry Hill, we headed out on Wednesday morning for the fall convention of GMC Motorhomes International. The club is one of the larger Family Motor Coach Association clubs. He has designed their convention graphics (two per year) since 2010. Though we no longer have a GMC motorhome we have retained our membership and do enjoy renewing friendships when able to attend. Since the fall meeting was in Mansfield, Ohio, we had a long day of travel ahead for us. It didn’t help that we encountered rain and two traffic accidents while leaving metropolitan DC during the morning drive time. We arrived at Mansfield in time to get settled and go to bed.

By the way, the graphic (shown above) features an image of the classic GMC motorhome. Having a GMC on the graphic is an unwritten requirement. Also shown are a state flag, an illustration of a Wright Brothers plane, a cardinal (state bird), and an image representing buckeyes and a leaf. Not so obvious, on the horizon, is a silhouette of the penitentiary used as the filming location of Shawshank Redemption.

On Monday, following the GMCMI convention, we returned to the Louisville area. For three weeks we stayed at Add-More RV Campground in Clarksville, IN which is about five miles north of the Ohio River and downtown Louisville, KY. Though the campground is far from being a four-star RV resort, it is very handy for us and the managers are familiar with us and seem to treat us with well. For sure, we are able to be among some mature oak trees for shade.

While in the Louisville area we got the opportunity to visit with daughter Candice and son Jeremy, which is always welcomed. We also visit our physicians and take care of other business essential to maintaining our residency in Kentucky. We also attended Sunday School and a service at St. Matthews Baptist Church and a worship experience at Highland Baptist Church. Highland’s pastor is Joe Phelps who performed our marriage ceremony in April of 2004.

As the end of October approached, it was time for us to “hit the road” and head toward Kissimmee where we spend the winter months. We first headed toward Fairfield, Illinois to visit with a few of Byron’s cousins at the home of Michael and Margery Simpson. They live across the street from the parking lot of Cumberland Presbyterian Church where we park the motorhome for a one-night visit.

We next journeyed to the home of Danny Songer, Byron’s brother, in Lone Oak, Kentucky just south of Paducah. The next day (Tuesday), we drove to Henry Horton State Park near Chapel Hill to spend the night in the campground. While there, we visited with Jacque Songer, Byron’s sister-in-law.

Back on the road again, we spent one night north of Atlanta at a KOA next to I-75 and one night just across the Florida line at Lake City RV Resort. On Friday, October  29, we arrived at Great Oak RV Resort in Kissimmee. The first order of business was to pressure wash the concrete parking pad and the attached patio. After it has dried, we then park the motorhome and start setting up. Then comes our walk through the resort with the dogs and checking on who has arrived and who has yet to come. This year it felt like “welcome home.”

So, we have “landed” in our winter surroundings. This will be our third season here. It will also be Byron’s third season of working at Walt Disney World in the Magic Kingdom. Martha was welcomed back to work Chick-fil-A where one of the managers remarked: “When she left, she took a part of our hearts with her. Now we’re whole again.”

Summer's End - 8/15 - 9/5

At Labor Day weekend we passed the three-quarter mark for our sojourn in the Mid-Hudson River Valley. Though the temperatures and humidity have been higher here than our location of a year ago (Wisconsin Dells), we have found it to be very tolerable making it a pleasant summer. Yes, there were a couple of weeks that we didn't get out much on our days off but, in general, it was cooler on us that had we been in our home state of Kentucky. We've also had much less rain than the Louisville area.

The biggest event of this reporting period was the brief trip back to Louisville for the wedding of Jeremy and Jody. It was something that likely would have never come about had it not been for the changing times in which we live.

Jeremy Songer (left) and Jody Caldwell (right) exchange vows

in a ceremony conducted Saturday evening, August 20, in the

presents of family, friends, and neighbors.

Jody and Jeremy each comment about the cake and

the joyful feelings the evening brought.

Our weekend began by driving to White Plains, which is on the eastern side of the Hudson just north of New York City. Since we weren't familiar with that airport, we figured we needed to plan to arrive two hours ahead of flight time. The White Plains airport, as we learned later, caters to business travelers since IBM's Armonk office is nearby. It doesn't cater to the general public. By that we mean that the ticket lobby, TSA security line, and waiting lobby were all be within 20 or 30 steps of each other. Even though there were two people ahead of us for the security scan when we arrived, getting through took less than ten minutes. (Later we found that the average is twelve minutes). Since the four gates all share the same lounge, the announcement of flights was funny. It went something like this. "We are now boarding flight 1234 for Atlanta. If you've not yet come through security, please do so now to avoid further delay." The announcement is made over two or three speakers since the space is so tight. In other words, there was no need to be at the airport more than twenty minutes before boarding. That was quite a change from the procedure in Orlando or Louisville. The convenience, however, came with a cost since parking was $30 per day with four hours constituting a day (a business expense for companies but a high price for individuals).

Since Byron enjoys planes, trains and other forms of transportation, we went to Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. It was a pleasant drive across the Mid-Hudson Bridge and northward through rolling countryside to the historic town of Rhinebeck. Though the website stated they had an admission we were pleasantly surprised to find there was no one to collect money. Apparently the admission policy only applies on weekends or busier times of year. Though there were a couple of personnel around and a handful of other visitors, we were able to tour the four museum buildings housing the static displays of aircraft.

Some of the hangars are used for static displays of models of early

aircraft while others are used for those flown regularly in the air shows.

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome was started nearly 50 years ago by a World War I aviation enthusiast. He had acquired a few planes (mostly of German origin), purchased a grass airstrip on the outskirts of the small city, and set out to create a flying museum. And fly, they do. Nearly every weekend several of the planes (all are still operational) take to the air for a show. Not only does it have one of the world's largest collections of early "aeroplanes" but it also has a few automobiles, motorcycles, and memorabilia spanning the period from 1900-1939. In fact, several of the planes restored there are now on loan to the Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian in Washington. They even have a full-scale and flying model of the Spirit of St. Louis, Lindbergh's famous plane. According to their website they will even fly the 1909 Bleriot (the oldest flying aircraft in the United States) on Saturdays if it isn't too windy. The Sunday shows feature a World War I dogfight.

In addition to models or refurbished antique planes, the Aerodrome

also has some antique vehicles available for viewing.

The Friday before Labor Day Weekend we took off for a hike around Storm King Art Center. Storm King, as it is commonly referred to and named after its proximity to Storm King Mountain, is an open-air museum located in Mountainville, New York about a 30-minute drive south of our campground or one hour north of Manhattan. It contains what is perhaps the largest collection of contemporary outdoor sculptures in the United States. Founded in 1960 by Ralph E. Ogden as a museum for Hudson River School paintings, it soon evolved into a major sculpture venue with works from some of the most acclaimed artists of the 20th century. The site spans approximately 500 acres and is divided in two with a north and south field for the structures.

A view of the South Field from near the Visitor Center. And, yes, the structures
would be classified as contemporary art.

The southern boundary is marked by a rock wall. As rock walls, created
by moving the stones from the fields, are common in New England the
logic thing was to make it decorative by winding it around the trees
after it rises from the lake.

One of the larger "objects of art" is the Three-Legged Buddha.

For the disabled, a tram will take visitors from sculpture to sculpture. Able-bodied people, however, are allowed to walk the paths on the 500-acre grounds; not enjoyable on a hot day with widely scattered storms -- which is what we encountered.

As to Labor Day Weekend, the campground was filled to capacity. Since we're off on Thursdays and Fridays, we worked the weekend.

More from Newburgh - 7/19-8/14

Has it been nearly a month since the last post? Yes, it has. Time does fly when you’re working and having fun. So, how about some essential highlights and a few photos of the last three weeks or so?

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 second jaunt was to Goshen, New York which is on the western edge of nearby Orange County. Goshen is also the county seat. Newburgh, by contrast, is on the western edge of Orange.

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.