Vermont and the Great Lakes

         On September 15, we left our campground in Lake George, New York; and arrived at our new campground near Stowe, Vermont.  I had never been to Vermont before, so I didn't know exactly what to expect (other than mountains and delicious maple syrup, of course).  But I had a great time in this state!  It reminded me of Pennsylvania, in fact.  The farms, roadside stands, green meadows with grazing cows set against rolling blue mountains, and covered bridges were all very reminiscent of Pennsylvania. I really enjoyed the local scenery and food, and I am so glad we got the chance to spend some time here!  On our first day we did a mini road trip and explored Stowe and the nearby town of Waterbury. This was my favorite day, as well as our longest one.  I'll put the pictures below in chronological order of how our first day was laid out, and as always, I'll add captions. 

On our way to Stowe, we made a quick detour to this covered bridge. 

The mini cascades at the top of Bingham Falls

Bingham Falls. Isn't it beautiful? 

The short hike to Bingham Falls was a pleasant trail through the tranquil fall forest that warmed us up on the chilly morning

After the short hike to Bingham Falls, we drove up to the Trapp Family Lodge. This was the actual home owned by the Von Trapp family singers from the Sound of Music when they fled from Nazi Austria to America. The Von Trapp family said the Vermont Green Mountains reminded them of the mountains in Austria, and so they chose to make their new home here in Stowe, Vermont. 

One of the highlights of our Vermont trip was our visit to Nebraska Knoll Sugar Farm, a family owned and operated sugar farm that's been making maple syrup since 1980. The lady who lives and works on the farm gave us a tour (complete with maple syrup samples!!) of the room where they boil the sap down to make it into syrup. After the tour, we purchased some of their darkest maple syrup. 

The lighter golden syrup is considered the finest maple syrup. 

The machine where they boil the sap into syrup. The sap is actually 98% water, so it has to be boiled down a lot to make a decent amount of syrup. The syrup is boiled down over a wood fire, which is a technique typically only used by small syrup operations (like Nebraska Knoll!)

If you're planning a trip to Stowe, you're probably going to see a lot of stuff promoting a place called Cold Hollow Cider Mill. We stopped by here in the afternoon for some hot cider and donuts and they were well-priced and very yummy.  I liked how neither the donuts nor the cider was overly sweet, and I definitely recommend a stop here if you are in or near Stowe.

 

Our last stop of the day before heading home was Emily's Bridge, the only haunted bridge in Vermont. The story goes that a young woman named Emily, who was jilted by her lover, died on this bridge and still haunts it today. During our visit to the bridge, we didn't see any strange activity...but I wasn't too unhappy about that. 

Quick evening photo at Emily's Bridge!

        The next day, my mom and Mia and I went back out to Stowe to finish up the stuff we hadn't gotten accomplished yesterday.  After strolling down Stowe's Main Street, we took the super short Sunset Rock trail up to the overlook of the Main Street, including the famous Stowe Community Church. This was a pretty good viewpoint, and also the spot where a lot of people get their pictures of the church steeple. After hiking back down Sunset Rock trail, the three of us drove to another short hike called Moss Glen Falls, which was so beautiful and a must-stop on a trip to Stowe. My mom loved it so much, she named it one of the best waterfalls she'd ever seen!

Sunset Rock 

Moss Glen Falls

We were driving by and spotted this pretty mural in downtown Stowe. Of course, we had to stop and take a picture.

        The next day we went to Burlington, Vermont and visited the Ethan Allen Homestead (which I really enjoyed), Church Street Marketplace, and the Lake Champlain walk.

  

I loved this mural that we saw when we were heading to Church Street Marketplace

A view of Lake Champlain from above

A cute mushroom and gnome statue as we were walking 

Lake Champlain

As we were walking, I saw these pretty flowers

        My dad and I were the only two who did the Ethan Allen Homestead (unlike me, Mia isn't super into history) and the people there were so nice. The tour was very informative and interactive, and we got to go inside Ethan Allen's home, which is the oldest house in Vermont! If you're wondering who this Ethan Allen guy I'm rambling on about is, let me tell you: Ethan Allen was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys, an unauthorized militia group originally started to defend the rights of New Hampshire property owners. You see, Vermont didn't become a state until 1791, and until then, it was a part of New York. New York disputed New Hampshire's right to grant land west of the Green Mountains. Both states were issuing charters to the same sections of land, which as you can imagine, caused some conflict between those with New Hampshire charters to a section of land and those with New York charters to the very same section of land. Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys took it upon themselves to drive out the New York land owners. Later, during the American Revolution, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys took Fort Ticonderoga, which was the first offensive victory for American forces in the Revolutionary War. 

One of my favorite parts of the tour was when our tour guide demonstrated the process to turn flax into linen. Here the flax is drying. Ethan Allen's second wife, Fanny, was quoted as having said, when faced with the possibility of losing her house after Ethan passed away, "I'll have either the house or a whole chest of linens." That just shows how long the process of turning flax into linen was.

The view from Ethan Allen's attic window

Ethan Allen's house

        On September 22, we left Vermont and went back to New York, but this time, we were staying at a campground right on Lake Ontario.  We got to see some of the famous Lake Ontario sunsets during our stay here, and it was really cool being just a short walk away from the lake's nice beach.

Mia and I went down to the beach one morning to do our Bible study together

        One of my favorite days here was spent in Oswego, only about a half-hour drive away. Our first stop (after Dunkin Donuts🍵🍩, which we have become big fans of during our time in the northern United States) was Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum in Fort Ontario Park, which was so so good and informative. The museum told the story of the refugee shelter set up here in Oswego for Holocaust survivors.  This was the only Holocaust refugee shelter in the United States.  The 982 Jews who came here were mostly families, from southern and eastern European countries. They lived here from 1944-1946, and after the war was over, most of the refugees chose to stay in the United States instead of returning to their former homes in Europe. Many refugees moved to California or other locations in New York. During the time the Oswego refugee shelter was open, it gave these people who had endured danger and persecution in their countries; a safe haven to live, work, play, learn, and begin the return to normal life. 

An information panel in the museum, describing the diversity of refugees who came to Fort Ontario in Oswego

        After the museum, we went to the actual fort in Fort Ontario Park, dating back to the 1840s.  The current fort is built on the ruins of three earlier fortifications, which were the site of French and Indian War and War of 1812 battles. The fort was occupied by the US Army through World War 2 as well.  The fort has a unique star shape, and we enjoyed exploring the historic buildings, climbing to the tops of the ramparts for views of Lake Ontario, and exploring the tunnels inside of the ramparts, where soldiers would hide out and fire their guns through the narrow slits in the walls at the approaching enemy. 

Inside the fort

On top of the ramparts, with Lake Ontario behind me

The ramparts were blooming with purple and yellow wildflowers

One of the buildings inside the fort. I think this one was an officers' house. 

        The next day, we drove to Salmon Falls Unique Area and did some hiking.  The waterfall here is gorgeous, and the semi-turning leaves added another layer of beauty to the scene. The Gorge trail was the most fun; we hiked down the steep rock steps into the gorge where the waterfall ends, and the force of the pounding waterfall hitting the river below was so intense it formed a heavy mist that thoroughly wet us. 

Upstream of the waterfall

The lovely Salmon River Falls!

You could walk out and stand at the top of the falls which had fabulous views

        Syracuse was another spot we visited during our stay on Lake Ontario.  We spent the morning at the Erie Canal Museum, which was so informative.  A quick history of the Erie Canal: This artificial waterway was an engineering marvel at the time it was built and at 363 miles long, held the record as the world's longest canal.  The Erie Canal was built in 7 years for $7 million, and the labor for this enormous task came primarily from local landowners and immigrant Irish. But when completed, the Erie Canal stretched across New York, from Albany to Buffalo; and changed New York drastically. The population in canalside towns doubled, tripled, and in some places, quadrupled. The economy was improved, and transportation times for goods and supplies was cut much shorter. 

Following the construction of the Erie Canal, canal profits were deposited in New York state banks (such as The Bank of the Manhattan Company depicted in the image above) and the revenue began the development of a reliable system of state banks. New York's banking industry was the model for the national bank system created in 1863. 

A canal boat model outside of the museum was very fun to explore. This boat is a line boat, used to transport passengers and cargo on the Erie Canal. Boats were often painted in bright colors to attract customers in the form of passengers. 

A journal kept by one of the Erie Canal boat workers.  Canal boats were often owned and operated by families with children. 

Canal boats needed jugs, jars, crocks, and pots; so almost overnight, potteries sprang up along the canal route to fulfill the need. 

Entertainment groups also traveled the Erie Canal, stopping in towns like Syracuse along the way. People like Jenny Lind, Charles Dickens, and Buffalo Bill Cody performed in this city. 

        After the museum, we went to Green Lakes State Park which was just outside of downtown Syracuse where we'd been at the Erie Canal Museum, but it felt like we were much more secluded.  Several locals were out for an afternoon walk around the beautiful meromictic lakes (Round Lake and Green Lake are the two lakes), and we joined them on the trail.  The first of the two meromictic lakes, Green Lake, was the first meromictic lakes discovered in the United States. A meromictic lake is a beautiful blue-green clear lake, and it looks that way because the layers of water don't mix, unlike in most lakes, where there is a physical intermixing at least once a year. 

Big doors in the environmental education center opened out to a lovely view of Green Lake

The colors of the lake changed based on your angle and the location lighting

        Our last adventure out at this campground was in the Thousand Islands, about an hour north of us.  We took a boat cruise through the islands, which range in size from not big enough for a house to large enough for a castle and grounds--there's a literal castle (Boldt Castle, which we toured after our boat ride) on one of the islands. This was a unique and fun experience, and I hope you enjoy the pictures below!

One of the grand houses situated on one of the Thousand Island

I loved the color and architecture of this house

A house on Pullman Island, which was owned by George Pullman, who invented the Pullman sleeper railroad car

The Swiss chalet where George Boldt housed the workers building his fabulous castle. The Swiss chalet is now a condominium.

You can see the roof and tower peaks of Boldt Castle rising above the island's treetops. The mini castle at the front of the island was built for recreational purposes. It housed a bowling alley, library, and biliard room. 

The smallest island, Tom Thumb Island.

A portion of the bridge that spans from Canada to the United States (we crossed into Canadian waters on our boat tour!)

This little niche between the island and water is called Devil's Oven. It got its name when river pirate Bill Johnson hid out here for two days and nights after sinking a British mail carrier. He was discovered when people followed his daughter Kate, who was sneaking him supplies, to the island, and he ended up taking the job of lighthouse keeper at Rock Island Lighthouse in the Thousand Islands. He stayed there until he died in 1870. We found it funny how the names of this father and daughter criminal duo were the same as the names of my dad and I. 

        Boldt Castle has a love story filled with tragedy. The man who ordered the castle constructed was George Boldt, who wanted to build the castle as a monument of his love to his wife, Louise. But before the castle was completed, Louise passed away and construction on the castle halted.  Over the years, people graffitied the inside of the unfurnished castle and it fell into disrepair.  But in 1977, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority started rennovations on the castle, and today it has been restored to the glory it may have known if the Boldts had moved into the castle and Louise hadn't passed away. 

The island that Boldt Castle is built on is named Heart Island, and the castle and grounds have hearts, both hidden and obvious, everywhere. It's really cute. 

One side of the castle. Unfortunately there wasn't a good angle to take a photo of the whole castle, so this is the best I have.

The Great Hall had a pretty stained glass skylight and ornate staircase (this photo was taken from the side of the staircase)

The kitchen

The library. I would've loved to curl up with a book in this cozy room

There were some beautiful landscape paintings hanging on the walls in a section of the castle

Louise Boldt's bedroom

The castle's power house

The shell fountain was a great place to do a photoshoot with Mia. So consider this...#BoldtCastlePhotoshoot

The Italian Garden

In this picture, you can see that a couple of the plants in the Italian Garden have been trimmed into the shape of hearts

The recreational tower called 'The Children's Playhouse' on the grounds of the castle, where the Boldt family lived while the castle was being constructed. 

This short door and green-rimmed window on a balcony of The Children's Playhouse made me think of a hobbit home from Lord of the Rings

I couldn't resist snapping a couple of shots inside The Children's Playhouse; here's one of them

A heart-shaped keyhole at The Children's Playhouse

        On October 3, we left New York and went to our new campground near Lake Erie in Ohio.  We were here for a week, and one thing we did during our time here was visit Cuyahoga National Park, about an hour away from our campground. Cuyahoga is a smaller national park, originally started to protect the highly polluted Cuyahoga River and the old Ohio and Erie Canal. On our first day in the national park, we hiked Bridalveil Falls Trail and Ledges Trail. 

        

We found this giant oak tree on Bridalveil Falls Trail

Lock 39, one of the Erie and Ohio Canal locks. In the summer they do demonstrations at this lock.

Some mushrooms and fallen leaves on a tree stump

These big, bright mushrooms caught our eye

I love fall hikes, with all of the beautiful colorful leaves!

Bridalveil Falls

The falls weren't super strong at this time of year, but still pretty

My mom did a photoshoot with me on our hikes today, so here's a few of the photos 

The Ledges Overlook

A cool tree

Ledges hike has these cool rock cliff faces all along the trail

The rocks on the right side of this photo reminded me of a large human face

We were driving along and stopped the truck for a moment to snap a photo with the bridge and turning leaves

        The next day (Thursday, October 5) we were hanging out at the camper when another camper belonging to a very special family pulled up outside--it was our friends, the Hendricks!  We kids were totally surprised, and so happy to see one another (we hadn't met up since earlier this year).  For the rest of our stay here in Ohio (for the next five days) we were next-door neighbors in the campground, and we got to hang out every day.  

My dad and Mr. Tim (I think they look like brothers, especially in this picture)

Having a campfire

The Hendricks boys, Mia, and I built forts near the campground's lake (pictured above) and played there a few days

        The day after the Hendricks' arrived, we all went apple picking at a small family-owned orchard and then drove around to see some of the covered bridges in the area.  Apple picking was so much fun, I don't think I've ever picked apples myself before then.  The apples tasted so good (my favorites were a kind called Jonathan apples--they tasted so delicious and were a pretty red color on the outside), and we wandered among the rows of the trees sampling apples and picking some to take home.  After we had gotten our fill of apples, we hopped in our trucks and did a self-guided tour of the covered bridges in the area.  One of the bridges we visited was West Liberty Street Covered Bridge, aka America's smallest covered bridge.  I like visiting places or landmarks that are the 'country's smallest', 'world's biggest', etc., so this was right up my alley!

Riding through the orchard with my little buddy, Luke!

They were selling acorn squash at the orchard store and I thought the squash made a pretty autumn photo

Farm kitty🐈

    

 

America's smallest covered bridge!

I love all the farms in this area of the country (Vermont, Pennsylvania, Ohio)

        But all good things must come to an end, and on October 10 my family and I packed up and headed to the thumb of Michigan to work the sugar beet harvest for the next few weeks.  My next blog will include details, stories, and pictures of our time at the beet harvest, so be sure to keep an eye out for that post!  I'm so glad we got to hang out with the Hendricks family this week in Ohio, I had a great time and I hope to see them again soon!  

Love you, Hendricks family! ❤

Beet harvest, here we come!