Letter 34 Homeward Bound

Harrington Travels 2009
Letter 34 Homeward Bound
Thursday, October 8 we officially started home. Of course, we had been heading that way since we left Nova Scotia, but today we were only stopping for important things, like rest. Well, mostly!

Driving south from Shelburne VT we crossed Lake Champlain into Crown Point NY and learned that Champlain and the upper Hudson Valleys held the keys to the tumultuous birth of our nation. New York and Vermont share the long border and history that made America. The lakes and rivers were the first highways in a new world carrying explorers, traders, and troops. Lake Champlain and the Hudson River have dominated the area’s political map.

We stopped briefly at Ft Ticonderoga, which had been attacked six times! Occupied by the French, British and Americans. The French began “Fort Carillon” in 1755 on the peninsula where it could command the waterways between New France and the southern colonies. Three nations have held it. Between 1755 and 1777 the Fort was attacked six times. Three times it fell, three times it was successfully held-a record no other fort can match. Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, Benedict Arnold, George Washington, Lord Howe, General Amherst and General Knox are among those who shaped America were here.

Heading west into the mountains we followed the

Hudson River upstream. The Adirondacks were beautiful with their

fall color. We were surprised it was also pretty. Just not as many maples (with their brilliant reds) as Vermont. We drove by

lake after lake after lake, all beautiful with homes and reflections of the foliage.

We spent the night at

New York’s Eighth Lake State Park and enjoyed all the leaves both in the trees and on the ground.

Friday, October 9, The colors waved goodbye to us (for a short while) as we

left the exit to the park. Heading Southwest across New York state we re-crossed some of our earlier paths and this time saw

Chittango Falls in full color. We headed on to our favorite, of all this trip’s campgrounds, Ives Run in northern Pennsylvania, but we were disappointed. We had not counted on this being a three day weekend and fall foliage put together in this area of the country, but Ives Run was FULL! So we looked in the Passport America book and found one close by. Unfortunately it was the worst campground of the trip. It was high on a mountain, which meant a climb and the last mile was dirt road, with an even steeper climb into the campground, then it was junky and ill kept. To make maters worse, the owner said he was not a member of Passport anymore and wouldn’t honor their price. The spot was between trees on a very unlevel mountain slope area on the grass. It rained all night and Olivia didn’t sleep very much. Both of us worried and prayed about being able to get out of the spot.

Saturday, October 10 with the help of a neighbor we were able to back up, then pull up the mountain slope out of the spot and we were glad to say goodbye to this campground. We headed south on

Hwy 15 toward Williamsport then southwest on 202/80 then I-99. All along the way we were on the

side or at the bottom of a ridge. Color was great! The hills were like a patchwork quilt.

The freeways were also nice.

Finally we can make some good time. The new I-99 showed us beautiful colors as we headed toward Pennsylvania’s

Blue Knob State Park. This park is on the top of a mountain close to a ski lift. Fred dreaded the return trip with the trailer, because we drove miles up a steep grade to reach the campground. Fortunately there were several vacant sites and we were thankful to have a nice level mountain top site in friendly territory.

Sunday, October 11 after a good night sleep we left the trailer for a day of sight seeing. On the road to Johnstown the

foliage was breathtaking. It is a nice surprise - the colors are traveling with us. We hope they stay with us all the way home.

After some wandering around we found the National Park’s Johnstown Flood National Memorial northeast of Johnstown and at the site of the

South Fork Dam. Inside the visitor center we were met with a

large life like three dimensional collage. It showed how the wreckage piled up as the water rolled down the river bed through town. We watched the movie and read the labels of pictures representing the breaking of the dam.

Outside Fred walked to the spillway below the visitor’s center.

This spillway

was not wide or deep enough to handle flood water and metal screens had been fixed to the bottom of the spillway bridge to keep game fish from escaping. The screens collected debris and impeded the water’s exit. Today the National Park system tries to keep trees from growing in the lake bed to show the broken dam.

Behind the dam is a newer freeway and a train track now follows the river through the hole left in the dam.
Along the twelve miles of river bed the 1889 flood water picked up houses, trees, rocks, anything in it’s path. The front of the water rolled debris in front of the wall wiping out several small towns along the way until it spread out in Johnstown where the Stone Bridge slowed it’s flow.

Across the lake bed remains the

Clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, the owners of the lake and dam at the time of the flood.

Johnstown is now a very

thriving town with skyscrapers and the river channels have been widened, straightened and paved to increase the flow of the water through town. We saw the stone bridge

(still there) where thousand of tons of debris scraped from the valley, along with a good part of Johnstown piled up against the arches. The 45 acre mass held homes, machinery, freight cars, railroad track, bridge sections, boilers, telegraph poles, trees, animals and hundreds of people. The jam was immovable, held against the bridge by the current and bound tight by barbed wire from a destroyed wire works. The jam caused a 10-30’ deep lake over Johnstown. Then the debris caught fire from oil and hot coals and burned for two days and more than 80 people died at this area. It still stands as a reminder of what has happened before. Flooding has happened in this town two times since the 1889 flood that took over 2200 Lives.

At this time we think of our Waxahachie friend Arlene Hamilton who lost an aunt and uncle in the disaster and her grandparents were involved in the rescur/cleanup.

From one disaster to another, we drove through the beautiful country to the remote sight of the Flight 93 plane crash of 9-11. The temporary memorial

is small but over 150,000 visit this site yearly. Donations are being taken for a more fitting memorial. In the meantime a wall is being filled with

flags, patches, flowers, hats and yes even license plates, as visitors leave their own memorial to these heroes. Other personal memorials line the fence from

granite markers to a cross filled with buttons, jewelry and other mementos from children. Across the field stands a

flag marking the crash site. Only family members may walk on these hallowed grounds.
This was an emotional day for us.

On the rolling and steep Lincoln Highway, US 30 toward Bedford,

we were reminded of God’s creations in the colors of the trees.

Monday, October 12 it was 38 degrees this morning as we rose to hit the road again. We traveled south on US 220, to Maryland and I-68. From there we merged into I-79 at Morgantown WVA and continued to a

Corps of Engineers park at Burnsville Lake called Rifle Run. There are five full time volunteers camped here and do all but collect the money for their spot for eight months.

We met our neighbors and visited around a prowling skunk, which reminded us of camping at Lake Whitney with the Daniels, Clemmers, Smiths, Burtons and others when Fred would call to the skunks, “Here, Kitty, Kitty!” That’s how he acquired his CB Handle, the Pole Cat! Our neighbors were one couple from WVA another from Connecticut. The Connecticut couple are from England and are traveling learning about their adoptive country. She told us of places to see in the middle part of the US for next year’s trip.

Tuesday, October 13 we left this nice place still heading home, but we did stop in Milton WVA at the Blenco glass showroom and museum. We saw some of

Wayne Husted’s (Fred’s cousin)

work,

but were not able to locate. Some of the men thought we might be able to find him through Osborne’s glass works down the road. They didn’t have a parking spot for us so we moved on after we read about him.

We visited in the factory,

where we watched men blowing glass, then admired lots of pretty glass bowls, pitchers, decanters and vases. Outside we saw

their discarded glass. They displayed many beautiful

works for sale, even some

signed pieces.

Then it was on to

Kentucky! We passed through Lexington and

horse country and made it all the way to Bardstown before stopping for the night. 318 miles. A record for us.

Wednesday, October 14 right after we arose, it started raining and looked like it was set in for the day, but about 8:30 it lightened up and the radar looked good so we headed through town and around the

old courthouse in the middle of a roundabout. Originally this building had an intersection in the middle of the ground floor. The two arches represent East/West direction. We don’t blame them for inclosing that space.

By noon we were in

Tennessee, Imagine that! Then in about 30 miles and passing some beautiful but hated

Kudzu and crossing the

Mississippi River, we were in

Missouri! Wow!

But only 30 miles further down the road, we were in

Arkansas! Four states in one day! We didn’t do that in New England where the states are tiny.

After 400 miles Fred put on the breaks and parked in Village Creek, Arkansas State Park. Whew! That’s too many miles for us slow travelers. Never again will we end a trip so far from home! The leaves in New England, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia were beautiful and we are glad we have done that, but from now on, we will see foliage closer to home. Of course that will also be later in the fall as it is usually November before they turn in Texas.

Thursday, October 15 we packed up and drove to the little town of Wynne and found a very nice Laundromat and did our washing, so we wouldn’t have to worry about doing it at home as we unpacked. Then we could smell Texas! We hit I 40 and it hit us back. We have never seen so many trucks in all our travels. Solid rows in front, behind and beside us going our way and the same meeting us. If the economy is so bad what are they carrying? In Little Rock we shifted to I 30 and they weren’t quite as bad, but still heavy traffic.

We crossed into Texas in RAIN! At Texarkana we turned south on HWY 67 to Maud and Malden Lake Corps of Engineers park on Lake Wright Patman. This was our last night out in a nice park.

Sometime in the quiet night Olivia heard a train. When was the last time we heard a train, or even saw one! We can’t remember, except at home.

Now we smelled home. Only 200 miles to go. A stop to get the car and trailer washed near Lancaster completed the trip. 20,000 miles, 220 nights.
We didn't really plan the trip home and our timing was a little off. When we pulled into town and close to our house, we almost arrived in the middle of the homecoming parade! Since it goes in front of our house we had a party to celebrate our homecoming too!

Our friends the Pushee's from New Hampshire sent us a picture of their

back yard, just about the time we arrived home. Beautiful. We left New England at the right time.

Our schedule has been very busy since we arrived home. It was fun seeing our friends at church and parties. The house needed attention with a new refrigerator and some plumbing repairs. Bob Phillips, Texas Country Reporter held his annual day of crafts and music on the square which out shown all the fairs and activites we visited on our trip. Our church held the annual Lord's Acre Nov 7 and we were very involved in preparations and celebration. All those and other activities is why we haven't made this last posting.

The leaves haven't started turning in this part of the country, and the temperature is still where we are wearing summer clothes, something we didn't do during the summer.

For those of you who have never been to Waxahachie this is our home port in our back yard. You'all come to see us!

We won’t be posting anymore to this blog. Go back and enjoy them again if you wish, by clicking on the dates to the right of the screen. Next year we will travel the middle of the United States and possibly go around the Great Lakes into that part of Canada. Let us know if you want to stay on our email list by contacting us at Olivia@bobheck.com or FredHarrington@yahoo.com