ROAD TRIP DAY 22: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Yesterday, the temperature was 86 degrees, we were wearing shorts, and sipping on cold water to stay cool. Today, it was rainy and a cold 46 degrees when we started out towards Vermont.

Although it was a dreary day, the drive east was beautiful. We passed through small villages and towns on back country roads, enjoying the lush scenery. At various times along the way, we also passed three Amish families in their buggies being pulled along the shoulder of the road the old-fashioned way: by horse.

320

Scarlett (our Toyota Prius) had her first ferry ride as we crossed the state border at Lake Champlain into Vermont. Due to the rainy weather, we passed on outdoor activities upon our arrival in Burlington and opted for a brewery tour at Magic Hat Brewery. What a trip. This brewery definitely had a vibe like no other.

On the tour, the question was asked by our guide, “Who knows how our brew ‘#9’ got its name?” I shouted out, “From the song, ‘Love Potion #9!’ ” Although I won a large “Magic Hat Brewery” glass for answering the question, the guide confessed he didn’t know if that was the correct answer. Nobody seems to know how that beer got its name!

322

323

324

325

We enjoyed our free beer samples (especially “Circus Boy”) and were on our merry way.

As there isn’t much else to report on this transit day, I will add a few comments about two observations we made in New York State that warmed our hearts.
First, along one of the highways, we saw this sign:

IT CAN WAIT
TEXT STOP 6 MILES

Do I hear a round of applause? There were many other “TEXT STOP” signs along the highways, and I applaud New York for reminding drivers to put their damn phones down when they are behind the wheel!

Our second obervation was the extremely high price for a pack of cigarettes ($10!!!) which we assume included a huge amount of taxes piled on to the pack price. AMEN! Perhaps a price like that will prevent kids from taking up the nasty and unhealthful habit of smoking. We wish Georgia would do the same thing.

OK, I’ll get off my soap box now. Cheers!

ROAD TRIP DAY 21: ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CASTLE

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

We have been enjoying our stay in Alexandria Bay very much. Once again, we landed at a great little motel recommended by Trip Advisor reviewers, and it has served as a comfortable home base for our Thousand Islands visit.

The Rock Ledge Motel is well-managed by Cindy and Jim, our warm and friendly proprietors. If you are ever in the area, stay here. It’s ranked #1 in Alexandria Bay, and its great reviews are well-deserved.

Today, we used the second half of our combination ticket with Uncle Sam Boat Tours to see Singer Castle. Our one-hour boat ride each way to and from the castle was narrated, and we had a guided tour of the castle.

Our view of Boldt Castle as we pulled out from the dock for our cruise to Singer Castle

Built by Ernest Flag in 1902-1905, Singer Castle is now owned by a European castle enthusiast group that restores castles and opens them for tours. This particular castle also has one room of accomodations available if you are willing to fork over $725 per night (which includes breakfast and dinner). As the only guests, you would be treated as a king and/or queen.

The most interesting thing about this castle were the many secret passageways running throughout. I also happened to like one of the rooms with large windows on three sides. If you gazed out the windows to the east during an early breakfast, you could watch the sun rising over the United States. Return at the end of the day for dinner, and watch the sun setting over Canada.

Although we enjoyed the castle and tour, it wasn’t nearly as impressive as Boldt Castle. It also wasn’t as well-maintained. The difference? Singer Castle is privately owned and for-profit. We’re guessing they’re going to get what they can out of tourists and possibly sell it before sinking any more money into renovations. Just a guess…

Boldt Castle, on the other hand, is continually being meticulously renovated by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, and it’s quite evident they are not sparing any expense in the materials and methods used for construction. It is well-funded and will always be well-preserved.

After our tour, we returned to Clayton for a leisurely walk around town. Here, we came upon an Amish man selling beautiful baskets and baked goods. After buying some cookies (six thick and hefty cookies for $2), I was able to shoot his photo inconspicuously from the shop across the street.

ROAD TRIP DAY 20: BEAUTIFUL BOLDT CASTLE

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Can you imagine designing a castle to be built as a symbol of your love for your wife, hiring 300 men to build it over a four year period, and your wife dying suddenly just two weeks before the castle’s completion? This was the tragedy that broke George Boldt’s heart in 1904 as he neared completion of the castle he designed to have built on Heart Island, named for the heart shape of his private one-home island.

After this happened, he sent a telegram ordering his 300 employees to immediately stop construction. They dropped their tools, left the island, never to return. George Boldt never returned either, and the 127-room castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Vandals looted the castle and obliterated the walls with graffiti, adding to its sorry state.

In 1977, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority assumed ownership of and immediately began a rehabilitation program. No government funds are used in its ongoing renovation, and it is completely supported by tour revenues and private donations.

George Boldt was quite the self-made man having come from a poor family who immigrated to America. Ultimately, he became the most successful hotel magnate in the U.S. and is most known for managing/ profit sharing the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, and the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia.

You’ve heard that phrase, “The customer is always right.” Right? George Boldt coined that phrase.

Today, Bruce and I hopped on an Uncle Sam’s Boat Tours sternwheeler cruise for their “2 Nation Tour” of islands belonging to both the U.S. and Canada. The narrated tour ended at Boldt Castle where we did a leisurely self-guided tour before taking a shuttle back to the mainland.

272

Fortunately, we had PERFECT weather today, a dream scenario for an open-deck tour of one of the most gorgeous places we had ever seen. To say this was the highlight thus far in our road trip would be an understatement. It was magnificent!

275

276

277

278

279

The view from the boat of Boldt Castle’s outer “playhouse.” We later returned on foot for a closer look.

285

The view of the “power house” from the boat. This is where power was generated for use by the castle.

Boldt Castle’s Boathouse

The boat tour continued before returning to the castle. We went from viewing mansions, to Boldt Castle, to, well, this humble little cutie. This is the one I would love to rent for a late-spring vacation!

This bridge connects the United States to Canada.

Following our narrated boat tour, we were dropped off on Heart Island to tour the castle.

290

291

293

294

There was a “before” photo in each renovated room of the castle showing the damage done by vandals. The “after” was exquisite!

295

296

The remainder of the afternoon was spent exploring the nearby village of Clayton where we visited the Antique Boat Museum and wandered through the quaint historic village streets. Lovely.

ROAD TRIP DAY 19: (TWO) THOUSAND ISLANDS, NEW YORK

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

It’s called “Thousand Islands”, but there are nearly 2,000 islands along the St. Lawrence River that divides Canada and the United States.

Ever wonder where Thousand Island Dressing got its name? Wonder no more; it was created here, in Upstate New York.

This is just one of the reasons why we’re here: http://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/ . Make sure to scroll down the page to see the aerial shot of the castle. When I first heard about Boldt Castle from two different people in our Sun City Peachtree community, I looked it up in Google and landed on this photo that literally made me jump out of my chair and run to get Bruce. I just had to show him how gorgeous it was here. Watching a video of aerial footage of the islands had me drooling to see this place.

Before driving to Alexandria Bay where we would be staying for our three-night visit to Thousand Islands, we drove around Cornell University. What a gorgeous campus! The neighborhoods around the campus are beautiful, too, full of lovely large homes on spacious properties.

The drive to the islands was also pretty, especially along State Route 13 and Lake Ontario. We took the longer route to enjoy the views, and we enjoyed the drive even though the skies were cloudy.

265

By late afternoon, the clouds blew out, and it is a gorgeous clear evening. We are looking forward to what’s predicted to be a lovely day tomorrow!

268

Meanwhile, we poked around the little town of Alexandria Bay and shot a couple of photos across to Heart Island where Boldt Castle is located. This photo is of just the power house and clock tower for the castle. More on the castle tomorrow…

267

This is the Boldt Yacht House on Wellesley Island. It is located very close to Boldt Castle on Heart Island.

These Alexandria Bay Townhomes have boat garages rather than car garages. Just open the garage door, and motor your boat right on in!

ROAD TRIP DAY 18: FALLS, FALLS, EVERYWHERE FALLS!

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

The drive along State Route 13 from Elmira to Ithaca was breathtakingly beautiful. Atlanta may be the “City of Trees”, and there are plenty of them along the roads in Griffin, but not quite the abundance of trees like here.

Yesterday was all about the local wineries, and today it was WATERFALLS. They’re everywhere!

Our first stop was at Robert Treman State Park where we had a short hike in to see Enfield Falls. Here, swimming is allowed as long as a lifeguard is on duty. It is still too early in year, because the water is c-c-c-c-COLD! Trust me on that; I tested it by dipping a hand in the water, and that’s as far as I would get, even if swimming had been allowed today!

250

If I hadn’t seen it with my very own eyes, I NEVER would have believed a state park waterfall (or ANY waterfall for that matter) would have a– get this– DIVING BOARD! Yes, you read that right.

During the off months, the board is removed from the frame, and it is replaced with a “NO DIVING” sign. See below, if you don’t believe me.

251

There was also a roped off swimming area, and I could just see grabbing my cap and goggles (in the summer months) for some laps back and forth.

Our next stop at Robert Treman State Park was the hike in to see Lucifer Falls. Seeing only six other cars (and no tour buses!) in the parking lot was a delightful sight after the throngs of tourists we encountered on Memorial Day at Watkins Glen. We hiked the Gorge Trail to the falls enjoying the peacefulness of being the only ones during much of our hike.

252

This was the most interesting of the falls, because of the ups and downs, and twists and turns. It was just stunning!

253

255

For perspective and scale, that tiny person in the upper right corner is Bruce!

257

258

After a short drive, we arrived at Taughannock Falls and first took in the view at the Falls Overlook. At 215 feet, Taughannock is the tallest free-falling waterfall in the northeastern United States. It was quite a perspective from the top looking down at the tiny specks of people below. Soon, we would be those tiny specks looking back up to the overlook.

259

Although the hike in wasn’t as interesting, because it was fairly flat, it was still gorgeous. The thick tree canopy provided a nice, cool shade from the sun, and the path followed along the river.

261

Crossing the river on a small bridge, we could view the full length of the falls and see just how high we had been on the overlook. WOW!

262

260

Our final hike of the day was a very short one at Ithaca Falls, located in the city of Ithaca. When I say “in the city” I mean IN the city. It was in a residential neighborhood, and there were houses just across the street.

What we enjoyed most about these falls was the ability to get right up to the waterfall, just 25 or 30 feet away. Fabulous!

264

263

Although there were other waterfalls in the city (including some on Cornell University’s campus), it was late in the day, and we were getting hungry for dinner.

Just a short walk from our hotel was the #3 ranked restaurant on Trip Advisor in all of Ithaca, a city that is a foodie haven for excellent ethnic cuisine.

Saigon Kitchen was fabulous, and at $12 for my “Saigon Kitchen Curry”, it was reasonably priced. It was the happening place, too, because the restaurant was packed with people pouring in and out. For a Wednesday night, they were sure doing a great business!

Tomorrow, we hit the road and head for Alexandria Bay at Thousand Islands.

ROAD TRIP DAY 17: FABULOUS FINGER LAKES

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Admission to the Corning Museum of Glass includes a return visit the following day, so Bruce took advantage of it this morning while I went next door to the YMCA and got in a good swim. What a perfect way to start the day– swimming and beautiful art glass!

The day continued exploring another “finger” of Finger Lakes: Keuka Lake. Although the skies were cloudy and a bit washed out for photography, the area was absolutely gorgeous anyway. The trees were so bright green, and the area quite lush.

120 of New York’s 380 wineries are in the Finger Lakes region, and today we focused on three on the Keuka Lake Wine Trail: Bully Hill Vineyards, Dr. Konstantin Frank (est. in 1962, a very good year!), and Heron Hill Winery(just for a look around the tasting room).

236

235

We had some time to kill at Bully Hill Vineyards before our tour, so we tasted some wine and had a look around. Kelsey made us feel right at home, and we immediately realized this was NOT a winery for wine snobs. They are all about humor there, and their motto is, “Wine with Laughter.” One look at their labels (created by the artist owner), and it was evident they don’t take themselves too seriously. After all, their symbol is a goat, and Billy is the star on a few of their labels. We immediately thought of my best friend, Laura, when we saw it. “Bring in the goat!” (Only Laura would understand…)

239

240

241

238

As we learned on our tour, the winery has an interesting history, and we found it all quite humorous. Our one-hour tour was very entertaining and interesting, and I was surprised to hear that Bully Hill Vineyards was the largest privately owned winery in New York.

242

243

We left with a bottle of Foch, a dry Tuscan-style red wine from a rare varietal I had never heard of before. The wine is only available at the winery, and I’m looking forward to enjoying it with one of Bruce’s great pasta dishes.

Our next stop was Dr. Konstantin Frank, New York’s most award winning winery since 1962, my birth year. Originally from Ukraine, Dr. Frank was the “Father of Vinifera” in the Eastern United States.

Although they are best known for their dry riesling (which earned a score of 93 from Wine & Spirits in 2008 and a number one ranking in Wine Enthusiast in 2009) and Gewurztraminer (which earned 90 points from Wine Spectator in 2007), I most enjoyed their Brut. I also liked and purchased a bottle of their Rkatsiteli, a varietal from the Ukraine that dates back to 3000 B.C. When Dr. Frank first came to New York, he (illegally!) brought in clippings from the Ukraine to start his vineyard.

245

By the time we arrived at our third and final winery of the afternoon, Heron Hill, neither of us were up for tasting more wine (believe it or not!), so we just had a quick look around before heading to the little town of Hammondsport for a brief walk around the town square. It was quite charming, and just a lovely place to end our day in the Fabulous Finger Lakes.

246

The View from Heron Hill Winery (ab0ve).

Hammondsport, on Keuka Lake, is a charming little town!

ROAD TRIP DAY 16: CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS- WOW!

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

There is no other word I can use to better describe the Corning Glass Museum. WOW! Just, “WOW!” That is the word I uttered time and time again as we made our way through the museum. Between the brand new 100,000 square foot, 64 million dollar extraordinary contemporary art wing of the museum to the ongoing glass blowing demostrations in their new state of the art amphitheater, it was all fantastic!

We we were so enthralled with everything we saw that we spent 7-1/2 hours there soaking it all in. We even returned to one of the glass blowing demonstrations again at the end of the day.

From Dale Chihualy to Louis Tiffany, and all of the best glass artists in between, the museum houses the most extensive and incredible collection of art glass glass in the world. The glass pieces on display span almost 2,000 years.

Dale Chihualy

Louis Comfort Tiffany

Louis Comfort Tiffany

The 500-seat glass blowing amphitheater and more intimate glass blowing studio each house the most modern and top-quality furnaces in existence.

This was a narrated glass blowing demonstration in the smaller studio. There were large screen TV’s overhead.

215

It just doesn’t get any better than this!

224

223

228

225

229

230

231

218

219

216

217

This huge bowl of fruit measured approximately four feet in diameter.

ROAD TRIP DAY 15: MANY WINERIES AND ONE WIENERY

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

After crossing the border back into the States this morning, we made our way down Highway 14 along Seneca Lake, one of New York’s beautiful Finger Lakes. Geneva was a particularly charming town, and many of the gorgeous homes had incredible views of the lake below.

It seemed like there were wineries everywhere, because this is one of New York’s premier wine regions. What a beautiful area to winery hop! We’re saving that for Tuesday, though, when we tour the wineries around Hammondsport.

Today, we opted to make our way instead to the south end of Seneca Lake to Watkins Glen State Park. On the way, we stopped for lunch at FLX Wienery (yes, you read that right) a place recommended by Karyn, our tour guide from yesterday’s wine tour at Konzelmann Winery.

198

What a trip. As it turns out, the owner and Executive Chef of this wiener and burger joint is an award-winning chef who is featured in the current (dated May 31, 2015) issue of Wine Spectator.

Click on the picture below, and check out the menu. There were some, uhhh, interesting creations to say the least. We chose “Wiener Art: The Kraut.” I call it “Heart Attack on a Plate,” but it tasted great! (For dinner, I’m having a Wegman’s Grocery salad, though…)

199

200

201

After waddling out of FLX Wienery, we continued south to Watkins Glenn State Park with the idea of walking off a fry or two during our hike up the falls. The sign informed us there would be 800 stairs to the top, so do you think each stair was worth one calorie?

Along with everybody and their brother (and sister… and mother…) here for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, we made our way up to the top, enjoying the gorgeous falls along the way. Avoiding selfie sticks (Bruce calls them “Narcissist sticks” was a challenge at times, but we were bound to have this problem anywhere we traveled during the holiday weekend. Still, the falls were breathtaking, and it was well worth fighting the crowds.

202

204

205

206

207

209

210

Tomorrow, we’re off to the Corning Glass Museum for my first visit and Bruce’s second visit. They have expanded a great deal since Bruce was there 20 years ago, so this will be a great day for both of us!

ROAD TRIP DAY 14: WINE, CHOCOLATE, AND FALLS

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

What a gorgeous day we woke up to this morning! We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.

We drove the scenic route along the river north of Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a lovely little town on Lake Ontario. I had read about it on Trip Advisor, and then my friend, Concetta recommended it as well.

She wasn’t wrong when she said it was beautiful and a must-see place to go in the Niagara Falls area. We were most struck by how meticulously maintained all the homes were, especially the landscaping. It was obvious these homeowners take pride in their gardens, and we were amazed by the variety of trees and plantings we saw while driving through the neighborhoods. The one in the photo below was just across the street from Konzelmann Winery where we visited in the afternoon.

189

As they say, “Life’s short. Eat dessert first.” Taking that advice to heart, we began our day at Chocolate F/X for a chocolate tour and tasting. We arrived early for our tour, so we took their advice and sampled chocolates while we waited. Having skipped breakfast this morning, that was our breakfast. Life’s good!

188-ChocolateFX

The tour by Barb was informative and entertaining, so it was a great way to start our day!

Next up was our tour and tasting at Konzelmann Winery. We had planned on going there anyway, because of its #1 ranking on Trip Advisor for Niagara-on-the-Lake, but Simeon gave us a voucher for a complimentary tour and tasting when we checked in to The Rex Motel, so that was a nice little bonus!

190

We were fortunate to be on our tour with just four other people, so it was a cozy little group with Karyn, our knowledgeable guide who was just delightful.

Our tasting was at a table they set up out in the vineyard– perfect on such a gorgeous day. It was so clear that we could see Toronto across the lake!

191

After lunch in town, we explored the area, visited another winery, and then headed back to enjoy the beauty of the falls.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Emelia had suggested checking out the view from the bar on the 34th floor of the Hilton Hotel, so we headed there after a walk through the Fallsview Casino & Resort.

WOW. Check out this view!

194

195

195-

197

ROAD TRIP DAY 13: A LITTLE BUTTERFLY AND A LOT OF BUTTERFLIES!

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

This post was written yesterday:

I have felt like a fish out of water without getting in my daily swims, so we started out the day at the YMCA just up the road from our motel. While Bruce walked the path outdoors, I got in a short swim before the attack of the noodlers- all 30 of them who invaded the pool for their 9:30 Aqua Fit class. For the next 45 minutes, I came up with inventive ways to get in a good workout at the deep end of the pool. At 10:15, I finally got to stretch out and get in a little butterfly. Ahhhh.

171

From a little butterfly to a lot of butterflies, the day continued at the Butterfly Conservatory, another highly rated Trip Advisor recommendation. Bruce and I had enjoyed the one in Washington, D.C., and my sister, Gail and I had a great time at the butterfly house at Callaway Gardens, in Georgia, so we were excited to see the varieties of butterflies here in Niagara Falls.

Wow, what a sight! In addition to the gorgeous variety of tropical plants and flowers, the 40 varieties of butterflies currently flying about were beautiful! One landed on Bruce’s pant leg and managed to hitchike a ride around during our entire visit. We finally had to remove it before we left, so it wouldn’t escape.

177

173

176

182

174

180

181

178

175

The drive along the the falls and river between the various Niagara parks was beautiful. There were several places to pull off and enjoy the view, and it was fun meandering along for a casual exploration.

185

186

The day ended with a delicious dinner at Paris Crepes Café with with a couple who stayed at our house a few nights before we left for our trip. Tom and Bonny are members of ATC (Affordable Travel Club) like we are, and they stayed with us on their way from their home in Florida to their home in Fort Erie, Ontario. Although we won’t be staying with them while we are up here, we were able to arrange to meet them for dinner tonight.
Dinner was fabulous, and we topped it off with a Canadian Cabernet Franc and Merot tastings at Tom and Bonny’s home in Fort Erie. What a fabulous day and evening!