Moving On Up

The area of Pennsylvania in which we were staying had much to see and do. We spent several more days so that we could visit Gettysburg National Military Park and then take a tour to Philadelphia. Gettysburg was interesting and one of those places that we felt we needed to visit since we were so close. One could take a 24-mile driving tour to visit exhibits, monuments and various battlefields. Twenty-four miles of history was a bit much for us so we hit the sights that most interested us and moved on. It was interesting even though we're not hugely interested in Civil War memorabilia. The cemetery was very quiet and moving. Imagine a small town finding itself in possession of thousands of dead bodies after three days of battle and having to find ways to bury the dead and care for the wounded. It must have been a daunting task. Gettysburg remains a small town today.







Our guided tour to Philadelphia was fun. We were both able to ride and look at the sights along the way rather than one having to drive and the other one having to read a map and navigate, with both of us missing a lot along the way. We visited "the most historic square mile in America" which included Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, Old Christ Church, a Quaker Meeting House and several other key sights. One very interesting point of interest were the "busy-body mirrors" that were on the houses in Elfreth's Alley during Revolutionary times and now. This alley is lined with row-houses that have been continuously inhabited since the 18th Century. Even back then, there were 'nosy Nellies' who wanted to keep up with what was going on around them. It would have been nice to spend another whole day visiting the Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum. We did see the steps that Rocky ran up at the Museum of Modern Art but we were not allowed to get off the tour bus to run up them ourselves. A funny thing about the 'city of brotherly love' - if the traffic is stalled just lay down on the horn (no, it did not speed things up), but apparently it's how this city shares the love.

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On Thursday (June 5) we drove up to Saugerties, NY to stay in the Saugerties/Woodstock KOA. We have enjoyed a little down time during our stay here. The little town is at the southern edge of the Catskill Forest Park. Jerri did some hiking and visiting waterfalls. There was a moderately challenging hike to Kaaterskill Falls. The rocks, roots and mud were well worth the steep climb to the top to see the 260 feet high waterfall, the highest in NY.











Today we visited the Saugerties Lighthouse. Who knew there was a lighthouse here? It is a stone lighthouse on the Hudson River at Esopus Creek originally built in 1838. The lighthouse is a half-mile hike best done at low tide since the trail is only four feet above sea level and high tides can cover part of the trail. It has a full-time keeper and the upstairs is a B&B now [really expensive].






We were a little disappointed in the village of Woodstock. Not sure what we expected but what we found was not it. Lots of shops with antiques and tie-dye stuff (even head shops) but it was very touristy. Most of the shop owners were either really old hippies or newbies to the area. We passed a couple of 'old' hippies on the sidewalk and couldn't help but notice that personal hygiene is still not a priority. The Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 was originally scheduled to be held here but the venue was changed to Bethel, NY. There's a new museum at the Bethel Center for the Arts paying homage to 'Woodstock,' but it was a whole day trip in itself with advance tickets highly recommended. At least we can say we've been to Woodstock, NY....



We really wanted to visit Opus 40 and Quarryman's Museum, a six-acre environmental bluestone sculpture built from an abandoned quarry over 40 years' time. Just our luck, Opus 40 was closed when we arrived because a wedding was being held there. Maybe another time.





So, we are off to Lake George, NY in the Adirondacks tomorrow. We will spend a few days there and then move over into Vermont, where we want to visit Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, VT. We have admired the work of the artist who founded and who lives and works at Dog Mountain. There is also a Dog Chapel there where we and our dogs will be welcome.
















For those of you wondering about our three dogs Troubie, Homer and Frannie, they are doing fine and have adjusted to the traveling life pretty well. It seems that one couch is about as good as any other one. "Home is Where the Couch Is."

"Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Until next time...


our journey continues.





J&K