After enjoying New Jersey, we waved goodbye to the Statue of Liberty and pulled out of the Liberty Harbor RV Park in Jersey City. Our destination was some various locations in New York State, but we had to travel there via Pennsylvania first.

Our first night was spent in a Milford Walmart parking lot which is really in Matamoras, Pennsylvania. We Googled around to see if there was somewhere nearby to hike and came up with a place called Raymondskill Falls. We hopped in the Jeep and drove for just a few minutes before reaching the trailhead. There were several different nearby trail options besides the one to the falls.

First we walked down to the falls on the Hacker Falls and Raymondskill Falls Trail Loop.

Above is Raymondskill Falls.

We felt like walking some more so we took the Cliff Trail .

We were able to see this overlook view of the Delaware River.

The next day we drove to Bethel, New York which was the site of the August 1969 Woodstock Festival.

The festival was held on a dairy farm owned by a guy named Max Yasgur. It’s actually about 40 miles away from Woodstock, New York. It was named after the business group, Woodstock Ventures, that backed the event.

Today, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts sits on the grounds. The facility hosts events, concerts and programs.

Inside it has a great museum exhibit about the 1960s and the event. We ended up spending a total of five hours going through the exhibit – there was that much to look at and read. Of course, we broke for lunch in the middle of our time; they have an “upscale” little place to grab organic salads and hot sandwiches, etc.

Just down the road from the arts center is the Woodstock Festival Monument. It overlooks the field where most of the activity took place.

We struck up a conversation with a man sitting at the monument. It turns out he was Duke Devlin, a concert attendee who after hitch hiking across country to attend the festival, ending settling in the town. After everyone else left, he started taking odd jobs such as painting, etc. He ended up marrying a local girl and I think he said that they ran a farmers type market. For many years, he has been a major volunteer at Bethel Woods. Although he is now supposedly retired, he still comes out to lead tours when people request him.

The next day we went to Suffern, New York and parked at the Suffern/Airmont Walmart. We drove the Jeep on US Route 9W which goes along the Hudson River to West Point. Unfortunately, we arrived too late in the day for visitors to come in so we could only see the outside of it.

The following day we headed up to Potsdam for the weekend to see our Florida friends Ed and Ruby. (Ruby is the best cook, ever!) On the way we stayed at a campground with the main purpose of fully hooking up so we could do laundry. Unfortunately, once we got there, we were told they don’t allow people to run the washers in their RVS and laundry could only be done in their coin operated machines. I was obedient to the campground’s request, however in protest, I won’t give them the favor of mentioning their name here.

On Monday we checked into the 2019 Newmar Rally at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. We attended the seminars and talks in the new convention center, but a lot of the programs were in the older buildings. My absolute favorite session was a pizza making class. It was life changing 🙂 ! Now it’s the only way I make pizza!

The Horticulture Building was built in 1937.

The closest sightseeing adventure to the fairgrounds was the old Erie Canal. We went to the Erie Canal Museum in downtown Syracuse. In its day, the canal actually ran straight down the middle of town. The street in the photos above, Erie Avenue, was the Erie Canal. The museum is a weight lock building. Its the only one that is still standing.

I was fascinated by the history I learned. The Erie Canal was 363 miles long and connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie. Apparently New York City was nothing special until the canal transportation of goods and people enabled it to become a major commercial center. It played a major role in increasing population, trade and farming in the west since it provided a route to the Midwest.

We also took a short drive out of the city to see where the canal remains are still visible.

At Camillus Erie Canal Park we walked along the canal for a couple miles and then headed back.

Along the way, we saw the restored Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct. It was originally built in 1842.

After the rally ended, we went to the Branches of Niagara Campground so we could visit the falls. Its actually in Grand Island, New York which is very near to Niagara Falls, New York.

I highly recommend this campground; it was well cared for and the full hookup was appreciated. It also had cabins to rent besides RV sites. Roy caught a fish, but he threw it back in!

We visited the American side of the falls first. With its walking paths and overlooks, Niagara Falls State Park was in pretty good shape. The City of Niagara Falls USA was not maintained as well. Sadly, it is shabby looking and embarrassingly depressing compared to the Canadian side.

We drove right into the park and found a parking space right near the entrance.

We walked just a short way to get to the main part of the park.

The overlooks are amazingly close to the falls!

Above is the Cave of the Winds attraction. It costs $19 for adults and $16 for kids. They give you sandals and a raincoat to keep but I imagine it would be hard to stay dry anyway! Roy and I didn’t opt to do it – the day was overcast, on the cool side and all the mist floating around was already getting us damp.

The next day the sun was out when we went over to the Canadian side. The consensus is the views of the falls are much better on this side. I think both sides have their own attributes, but there is no doubt that the shops and restaurants on the Canadian side are much more attractive and inviting. When the sun is shining, the mist makes rainbows everywhere. The section of falls off by itself on the very right is the famous Bridal Veil Falls.

This is a statue of Nikola Tesla, the man who discovered AC current. In 1896 he worked to transmit electric power from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, New York.

The Canadian side grounds are filled with lovely little gardens.

The Maid of the Midst boat floats all around the falls. It gets really close to Horseshoe Falls. Roy and I actually went on it years ago in 1985 and remember getting really wet even though I was wearing the raincoat they gave me. These days the cost of a ride is $22.50 for an adult and $13 for kids 6 – 12 years old and as with the Cave of the Winds, children 5 and under are free.

After US Vice President Aaron Burr’s daughter Theodosia honeymooned there in 1802, Niagara Falls became the honeymoon capital of the world. It’s not that way anymore, so it was really fun to see this car in the parking lot.

So, our 2019 fall trip came to a close and it was time to head home to get ready for upcoming holiday adventures!

Just for fun here are some other Yates social media sites! I love to hear about other people’s experiences, so please leave a comment!

                        

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