Back Roads Driving is NOT for the Faint of Heart

We started our trip along the scenic US Route 6 across Pennsylvania early from our campground in Gardiner, New York. We had been dissatisfied with the route getting to that campground because the road was narrow, curvy, and in need of some repair. In our driving around this area we had discovered state route 208 which was not far from our campground and it intersected with I-84 allowing us to also miss the awful road New Yorkers refer to as the “New York Thruway”. Since we had driven route 208 we knew there were a couple small towns in which the road narrowed as well as two left hand turns. All in all, 208 was far superior to any of the other options to the interstate.

Guess it doesn't matter which road goes
where since the road is closed anyway.

We were driving along minding our own business and everything was great—the sun was shining, the traffic was light, and all was well in our world. Well, Peanut was a little unhappy but he is always a little unhappy at the beginning of a drive. Our first left hand turn in town had worked out fine. At the second town we were about the 3rd car from the light. In the oncoming lane on the other side of the light was a tractor-trailer. He was also about 3rd from the light. When the light turned green all the cars went on their way. We were on the downhill side of the intersection so we were much slower getting to the intersection than the tractor-trailer. He, without using blinkers to indicate the direction of his turn, made a wide turn facing his left. That was great since we were turning left we continued on toward the intersection. All of a sudden he turned his cab in the opposite direction and swung out all over the intersection and made a right hand turn. Fortunately, we were on the downhill side and had, with the help of gravity, time to stop, but the shock effect was intense.

As luck would have it, we got to town just as school was starting. This is a rural community and children from all over the county come here to learn their ABCs and 123s. There must have been 20 school buses on this narrow, Main Street, as we turned the corner after the tractor-trailer. Our hearts were still pounding when we noticed the paraplegic driving his electric wheelchair along the side of the street in the line of oncoming school buses. Of course, all those buses moved across the yellow line into our lane to avoid hitting this poor man. Once again we were able to stop before anything awful happened.

It is our practice to refuel the truck at times when we don’t have the trailer attached. But today, the cheapest price for diesel was at the TA Truck Stop at the interstate. So we had waited. Now, I don’t know how truckers are paid and I guess it really depends on the company they drive for, but I have noticed that speed seems to be an important issue with most professional drivers. I understand they don’t like RVs coming through the truck lanes at the truck stops because it just slows them down. So whenever possible we try to use the pump designated for RVs at the truck stops. We approached the TA, saw the sign “Cars and RVs”, turned right into the drive and then noticed the sign further down the drive attached to a steel beam over the drive stating, in large letters, “CLEARENCE 12 feet”. We need at least 13 feet. Fortunately, we were out of the road and had room to straighten up in the drive to allow for cars to pass. We got out of the way of others, then tried to collect our thoughts. I got out to look and I felt like we could get under the sign. Gene got on top of the trailer, I got behind the wheel, and we inched forward until it was obvious we wouldn’t lose an air conditioner. Since we know we are taller than 12 feet, we were curious about that sign meant. Perhaps it was the height of the canopy over the pump. Our decision was made, we were turning around and going to the “big boys” pumps.

When we exited the interstate onto Route 6, our troubles started anew. We had 30 miles to travel to our campground in Honesdale. The directions were simple—stay on route 6 to route 191, right on 191 then left on 670 to the campground. Early on in the drive a tractor-trailer pulled out in front of us—this one hauling a light pole. I don’t know how long those things are, but it seemed just to keep coming. We barely got stopped in time. Fortunately, a little further down the road we had a few more stopping feet to our advantage when the lady walked across the street in front of us carrying a baby in her arms. When we got to the junction of 191 the road was closed forcing us onto a detour where we eventually missed our turn requiring a U-turn.

In this 100 mile stretch, all of our driving nightmares had come true. God worked hard all day long keeping us safe. Thank you, Lord! We spent the rest of the day looking for a way to move the Montana over interstates and exploring Route 6 with only the truck.

The End of the New York Journey

What a fantastic summer with so many wonderful memories. But, alas, our time has come to start heading south. Of course, we haven’t seen all there is to see in such a large state, but that just gives us reason to come again.

This entry will end the New York adventure and I will be starting a new journey with tomorrow’s posting. We are officially turning south now to head home for the holidays. We are heading back to Tennessee by way of Columbus, Ohio to visit with Gene’s family there. Gotta get across Pennsylvania some way so we thought it would be fun to take one of America’s most scenic highways, US Route 6, across the northern tier of the state from Milford to Erie, a distance of about 400 miles.

I have struggled to determine the best way to include this 10 day to 2 week sightseeing trip across Pennsylvania in my trip journal. It definitely is not part of New York, but not quite in the home for the holidays category either. So I have decided to let it have its own separate space—Pennsylvania’s Route 6. I always seem to lose a few regular readers every time I create a new journey, however, I also want anyone interested in Pennsylvania to be able to find the entries easily without them being buried in New York or family holiday stuff.

So, adjust your favorites list to Pennsylvania’s Route 6 and come on along for the ride from the Poconos to Lake Erie.

Hyde Park, New York

Springwood, Home of FDR

The small community of Hyde Park, New York is located just 5 miles north of Poughkeepsie on US Route 9 and is where Franklin Roosevelt made his home. The old home place, Springwood, was purchased by FDR’s father and it is the home in which the 32nd President of the US was born, raised, and eventually laid to rest. Following the death of Roosevelt’s father, the farm was owned by his mother until her death in 1941 at which time it was inherited by Franklin. Upon his death, he gave this beautiful place on the banks of the Hudson to the people of the United States.

Tree-lined driveway

Gravesite of FDR and Eleanor

Also located on the farm a few miles from the “big house” was a small get away place for Eleanor—the Stone Cottage. She was not especially happy living in her mother-in-law’s home so Franklin built the stone cottage as a place she could call her own. She started a small business here to teach skills to the local residents in the hopes that they would remain in the community rather than leaving for the “the city”. The buildings used for the furniture making business were eventually converted to the home where Eleanor lived following Franklin’s death. In this small house she entertained such dignitaries as John Kennedy and the Queen of England.

Val-Kill, home of Eleanor

The Stone Cottage

We wanted to take a final driving loop in our exploration of the Empire state so we did not take the time to visit the Presidential Library and Museum. As it turned out, the drive was not very scenic so we would have probably enjoyed the library and museum better. Oh well, sometimes choices made are not always the best. We’ll just add it to the list of things to do when we come back.

West Point Military Academy

In our spare time (ha!) when we were not running back and forth to New York City, we took a quick afternoon trip down to Highland Fall, New York to visit West Point. Since 9/11 things have changed on military posts and, although visitors are welcome, there are new restrictions in place. At West Point you have to be part of a tour group to enter the campus and even then cadet areas are off limits to the general public. So we selected the 2-hour tour for our visit. The tour was good, the guide knowledgeable and the bus air conditioned. I wonder why we don’t do more guided tours.

West Point Shield

West Point was opened in 1802 and has educated some of the most elite figures in military history. Most of the generals whose names we remember were graduates of West Point—Bradley, Westmoreland, Patton, Eisenhower, McArthur, Grant, Lee. In fact, according to our guide, during the Civil War 95% of the battles were led by generals on both sides who had been taught the tactics of war by the same instructor.

Cadet Chapel

Inside the chapel

We made three stops on the tour. The first was at the Protestant Chapel. It was a beautiful building, but the day was overcast so we didn’t get the full effect of the gorgeous stained glass. We noticed right away the precision and exactness of placement of the hymnals in the racks on the backs of the pews. Now that is a straight line that the army can do best. The chapel, as well as most of the buildings on campus, is of the military gothic style which simply means they are of the gothic style but with a flat, fortress-like top rather than spires. Hanging along both sides of the sanctuary are replicas of battle flags from the 1812, Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American wars.

Custer's last stop

Our second stop was at the cemetery. Only West Point graduates (and spouses and dependent children) or those serving at West Point at the time of their deaths are allowed to be buried here. That has not always been the rule, so there are a few exceptions. There are some impressive names on the tombstones here.

Parade Ground with Mess Hall, Student Dorms
 and Chapel in background

Our final stop was at the athletic fields. From here we walked across to Trophy Point which overlooks the Hudson. A little too hazy today, but you can imagine the fine view from this fortress on the hill. Adjacent to the athletic fields is the parade ground with the cadet dormitory and mess hall in the background and the Chapel overlooking it all. Our bus driver took us through the academic area, pointing out the different buildings along the way, on our way back to the Visitor’s Center.

We really enjoyed the tour. This is an impressive campus graduating some very impressive people.

Scenes from New York City

I realized I had shared descriptions and pictures of certain well known places in New York, but hadn’t shown you what may be the essence of the city. Standing on any corner you can experience New York—street vendors, traffic noise, flashing neon signs (I guess today they are mostly computerized digital images), and a jagged skyline of skyscrapers, church spires, and midrise tenements.

It is a city of sculpture and elaborate design making a walk along city streets almost like a museum tour. It’s a noisy place with so much traffic and so many people crowded into the space between the rows of buildings. The smell is a rich mixture of an aroma that can only occur in a large city—the blending of exhaust fumes, street food, and the mass of humanity. Then there are the people, thousands and thousands of people from the far corners of the globe. You may hear 10 different languages spoken as you wait to cross a street. Colorful people in a colorful city.

Here are a few shots taken as we made our way along the city street. I didn’t add captions; they are just street scenes that will hopefully give you a little flavor of the Big Apple.

So, I end this posting with the same sentiment as yesterday—this is an awesome and awe-inspiring city worthy of many more visits.

Midtown New York, Part II

Rockefeller Plaza

Our next stop was Rockefeller Center. Of all the places we were, this was my favorite with its park-like setting and beautiful flowers. The ice skating rink was being used as a restaurant on this warm, muggy day in September.

Rockefeller Plaza

From here we headed north up 5th Ave. passing Sacs, Cartier’s, Trump Tower, and a host of other famous and not so famous shops and hotels. Along the way we took a quick look inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. What a beautiful place. It was amazing to see so many tourists milling around taking photos while mass was in progress. It would be pretty distracting to me as a worshiper, but I guess they are used to it since St. Patrick’s is open all day every day for tourists. There were guards posted to confine the tourists to the periphery of the sanctuary.

Cartier's

Trump Tower

Sacs 5th Ave.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

At the southeastern corner of Central Park stands the regal Plaza Hotel. The outside is being renovated. I tried to take pictures with as little scaffolding as possible. It was flat out gorgeous inside.

Central Park Mall area

We just skirted the edge of Central Park staying close to 5th Ave as we made our way up to E 81st St where we were meeting Gene’s nephew for lunch. We really didn’t see much of this huge expanse of green in the middle of Manhattan. We were just too tired by that time to spend much time wandering around. We met Scott and Para for a quick late lunch and then jumped on the subway for the short ride to Grand Central Station and our north bound train to Poughkeepsie.

Central Park

Food can be found anywhere in Central Park

It was a very full day of sightseeing. Although we saw lots of stuff there is so much more to see of this great city.

Residences across from Central Park

I started out this adventure to the Big Apple by being overwhelmed at rush hour in Grand Central Station. I leave the city with the same impression. I am overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions of one of the largest cities in the world. It is truly an awesome and awe inspiring place worthy of many more visits.

Top of the Rock (GE Building)

Midtown New York

Grand Central Station Main Concourse

Saturday, after a day of rest on Friday, we went back to New York City. This was a real “big city” experience. We got up and hit the road early for the 35 minute drive to Poughkeepsie Station to catch the 6:30 AM train to Grand Central Station. This trip was a little less expensive because it was not a “peak” time train and parking was free. It was not an express train so it was nearly a 2 hour ride.

Doorway to tracks

Bryant Park

Grand Central Station is a marvel in and of itself. It is a huge place and takes some getting used to, especially during rush hour. But Saturday we were just tourists like so many others there with camera in hand exploring the passageways, admiring the chandeliers and ceiling in the main concourse, and hunting for the bathroom. We were also in need of a cup of coffee so we took a short break in the food court. One can satisfy any food craving here with foods ranging from pretzels, bagels, and muffins to full course meals in a number of ethnic flavors. Not only are there fast foods, but there is also a full scale bakery and the famous Oyster Bar Restaurant. For the number of eating places there is at least an equal number of shops offering everything from a newspaper to cashmere sweaters. This is a “train” station, after all, and it is the hub for 2 different types of trains—the subway and the Metro North commuter train. There are 117 tracks to accommodate these trains. To get to the city we rode the Metro North Hudson line, then would come up from the tunnel, cross to the other side of the station, and go back underground to get the subway to our ultimate destination.

In Time Square

New York Public Library

After seeing the sights in Grand Central we decided to see the rest of the neighborhood so we walked instead of taking the subway. Our first stop was the Public Library. It was too early for it to be open so we were unable to see the magnificent Reading Room. On our way to Time Square we passed Bryant Park, an oasis of green in this desert of concrete and steel. In the Time Square area we saw Radio City Music Hall and the historic Embassy Theater which was opened in 1925 by MGM to cater to high society. It is now an Information Center and undergoing renovation. We stepped inside the Toys-R-Us just to take a picture of the Ferris Wheel. We couldn’t leave Time Square without seeing the old New York Times Building and imagine the ball dropping to usher in each New Year.

St Mary's Church

As we turned back east, we stepped into St. Mary’s Church. I love seeing the elaborate alters and stained glass that are so prominent, especially in Catholic Churches.

Old New York Times building

That’s all for this posting. Stay tuned for the rest of the story tomorrow.

Ellis Island

After thoroughly exploring the Statue of Liberty, we grabbed a bite of lunch from the cafe there which had a great selection of fast food and was surprisingly good. Then we got on the next ferry bound for Ellis Island. It was a quick 10 minute ride. Although there are several buildings on the island, the only one open was the main processing building.

View of registry room from second level

The Immigration Service opened Ellis Island for business January 1, 1892 and during the next 25-30 years some 12 million people passed through here on their way to a new homeland. Some days 5,000 people may have walked through the front door. April 17, 1907 saw almost 12,000 folks disembark. Remarkable!! After 1924 immigration laws changed and a different agency took over the immigration process, greatly reducing the number of souls passing this way. In 1954 Ellis Island closed all together and in 1965 it became part of the National Park Service system. Today, thousands of folks walk through the front door each day, not searching for a new homeland, but exploring the great land they call home or searching for ancestors who passed this way.

Dorm Room

Luggage Line

Train schedules displayed at Ellis Island

Not all immigrates passed through Ellis Island. Anyone in first and second class who did not appear ill were sent through customs and right into New York. If you were unfortunate enough not to look in good health, to Ellis Island you went along with all passengers in steerage and third class for “further inspection”. In the Registry Room hopeful immigrants stood in long lines to be processed. Inspectors would walk along the lines and make chalk marks on clothing to alert doctors or other inspectors of possible ailments. At the end of the line, immigrants were sent on to New York or to other rooms for further inspection. Most exited the process and made their way within a few hours to New York. I cannot imagine how frightful, humiliating, and frustrating this process must have seemed. We would not tolerate it today. It would fall into the category of discriminatory and probably inhumane. But for those millions of people, this was America, the land of the free, the land of opportunity and nothing done to them here could begin to compare with the suffering associated with their old homeland.

Registry Room

Sinks in the Dorm room

We opted for the audio tour and listened to the narrative explaining each site on the tour. The Park Service recommends 3.5 hours for this tour. It would definitely take that much time. We finally left on the 4:30 ferry almost too exhausted to stand without seeing everything there was to see. It was sobering and sorrowful to finally understand the process so many endured to enter the United States. As I stood in line waiting for the ferry to take me back to Manhattan, I looked around at the hundreds waiting in line with me. Some were definitely old enough to have come here as an infant or small child. Perhaps they had come for another reason—to remember the past.

Wall of names

Enjoy the photos. They are not very good because so many were taken inside without proper lighting, but hopefully you will get the idea. The building has been restored to its 1918 French Renaissance-style glory.

Manhatten Skyline