Over The Bridges, Into The Woods

Rambling around Michigan we were awed by the beauty of the great lakes, and looked forward to visiting Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and Lake Ontario in New York. Our route took us from Ann Arbor through Ohio and Pennsylvania into New York. With the many lakes and waterways in the area, we crossed some beautiful bridges - including this one in Toledo, Ohio.

The Toledo Veterans Glass City Skyway Bridge - also known as the Toledo Skyway Bridge - crosses over the Maumee River which flows into Lake Erie. Its triangular shape reminded me of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge in Portland. The bridge's name acknowledges Toledo's history as the "Glass City", a center for glass manufacturing and artwork. Several glass manufacturers are headquartered here, including Libbey and Owens-Corning. Glassmakers were drawn to the city by the abundance of resources located in the area - silica sand, natural gas, a plentiful water supply and a well-developed rail and port system - all essential for making glass. Natural gas, discovered here in the 1880's, was also a less expensive way to fuel the high energy needs of glassmaking and encouraged glass companies to move to Toledo.

Edward Libbey moved his company from Massachusetts to Toledo in 1888. He hired Michael Owens, who had learned the glass business as a young boy, becoming a glassblower at the age of 10 years old. Owens transformed the industry by inventing machines that revolutionized the glass-making business. He created a machine to automate the glass process for making lightbulbs, and in 1898, an automated machine for making glass bottles. He standardized the bottle shapes and sizes which greatly increased the rate of production and lowered the cost of manufacturing bottles. This made it much more affordable for other businesses to purchase containers to hold their bottled products. In 1917, Owens developed an automated process for mass-producing window glass. His achievements "made glass a commodity instead of a luxury. It also helped to eliminate child labor, which was rampant in the early glassblowing days. His work also made it possible for thousands of jobs to be created - jobs that are still in existence today."

We stayed in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the coast of Lake Erie. Here we visited Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula that extends into the lake. There are three lighthouses in Erie. The first one, Erie Land Lighthouse, was built in 1818, and is located on a bluff overlooking Presque Isle Bay. It has been rebuilt twice due to structural issues, with the current version completed in 1867. It was used for navigation until 1899. The tower is surrounded by a lovely grassy park.

The lake has a lovely wide beach at Presque Isle and the water was calm on the day we visited. The beach is bordered by a tree-lined road perfect for skating, biking, or a leisurely walk in the shade.

Presque Isle Light keeps watch over the lakefront. It was built in 1873. Originally the light was set as a fixed white beacon that flashed red every 60 seconds. In 1882, a new set of lenses was installed and the light pattern changed to flash alternating red and white every 10 seconds, earning the lighthouse the nickname of "The Flashlight".

In 1924, the lighthouse was converted to electricity with an oil-powered generator as back-up in case of power outages. The Fresnel lens was replaced in 1962 with a modern beacon. Still in use today, the beacon can be seen on the lake from as far as 25 miles away.

In Presque Isle State Park, we came across Horseshoe Pond, a sheltered cove that hosts a group of privately owned houseboats. The community of houseboats has a unique history. It began in the 1890's when immigrants who couldn't afford traditional homes built houseboats in Presque Isle Bay. In time, the community grew to as many as 36 boats, moored throughout the bay. In 1937, management of the area was given to the Park and Harbor Commission. The Commission set standards for maintenance of the boats, and required them to be moored in a designated area at the end of the peninsula known as Misery Bay. In the 1950s, Misery Bay was connected to Horseshoe Pond by the Coast Guard and the houseboats were required to move to the new location in the pond.

The boats are subject to rules about size and are limited to 2,000 square feet. The only access to them is by boat. While it's possible to buy an existing houseboat, no more can be added to the pond, because it is in a state park. Interestingly, houseboats that originated as a low-cost option alternative now can sell for as much as $300,000, and are rarely up for sale. You know what they say - Location, location, location!

Presque Isle is a haven for wildlife, and has a special preserve for turtles. They were sunning themselves on a floating log while Canadian geese enjoyed the water.

Our next stop was Rochester, NY to visit with son Rob and his girlfriend Erin. We had a lovely visit with them and really enjoyed exploring the area in and around Rochester. It is a college town with University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology. located there and several others in nearby areas. It is located on Lake Ontario, on the border between the United States and Canada. Rochester reminds me a bit of Portland because of the Genesee River flowing through the center of town. I loved the interesting architecture and unique neighborhoods.

We also got out of the city and into the woods hiking at Stony Brook State Park, about 50 miles south of Rochester. It's a beautiful area, with a stream carving its way through stone gorges. The trails follow the stream bed to a waterfall and natural pools.

The trail crosses a lovely stone bridge above the stream and you can walk down to the water below. Murphy and Alan took a rest on the bridge -

Erin and Rob were great tourguides!

The trail winds through the gorge, alongside the water. The shallow stream bubbles over the rockbed here and farther on, it widens and deepens at the foot of the falls.

Natural pools below the falls offer hikers some cool and refreshing wading!

Afternoon sun streaming through the trees -

The next day we went apple-picking at Lagoner Farms! A perfect fall day, full of family fun and apples for pie!

Alan and Murphy taking a stroll in the orchard -

Nothing like freshly picked - definitely the Big Apple :)

Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone but...Murphy! He loved relaxing in the cool grass.

Lagoner Farm had lots of pumpkins ready for Halloween as well as fresh baked pies, jams, giant pretzels, wine tasting and fresh produce for sale.

They also had a quiet porch where Alan and Murphy rested in the shade while I wandered through their wide variety of houseplants and chrysanthemums!

We also visited the Finger Lakes region. The Finger Lakes are eleven long and narrow freshwater lakes that are located to the south and east of Rochester. They are oriented north and south, extending like fingers from Lake Ontario. The area is known for beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. We explored the Canandaigua Lake. At 15.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide it's the 4th largest of the lakes. Steamboats ran on the lake from 1827 to 1935. A replica paddleboat, the Canandaigua Lady, cruises on the lake today.

There is a beautiful park along the lake, with walking paths, a swing and lots of spaces to just relax and enjoy the view.

The community of Canandaigua also has very interesting architecture including the Canandaigua City Hall with its classic columns, and the Ontario County Courthouse. The courthouse is famous for the historic trial of Susan B. Anthony. She was arrested for voting illegally in the presidential election of 1872, and was tried and convicted here in 1873. The judge - Justice Ward Hunt - directed the jury to return a guilty verdict without hearing any arguments for her defense. He then fined Anthony $100, which she refused to pay. In 1878, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony arranged for Senator Aaron Sargent of California to introduce legislation to Congress for the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. The amendment finally passed both houses in 1919 and was ratified in 1920, 14 years after Anthony's death in 1906. Not only was she a key activist for women's rights, she was also strongly abolitionist, and advocated for equal rights for black men and women.

The Finger Lakes are part of a network of waterways that empty into Lake Ontario via the Genesee and Oswego Rivers, and the Erie Canal. The canal runs east and west from Buffalo, NY on Lake Erie to Albany, NY on the Hudson River. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and was the first navigable waterway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. When it was constructed, it was the second longest canal in the world, at 363 miles long! During the early 1900's it was enlarged several times creating the "Barge Canal" that exists today. The Barge Canal is 351 miles long. It connects with several other canals which together make up the New York State Canal System. The canal system makes use of several rivers along with man-made canals to create a total barge route of 525 miles.

There are 36 locks along the canal, enabling navigation through the many changes in water level. The canal uses these and the Black Rock Lock on Lake Erie, and the Troy Federal Lock on the Hudson River to travel through a total elevation change of about 500 feet.

The Erie Canal was used historically for cargo transport, but is not deep enough to accommodate the big commercial vessels in use today. The St. Lawrence Seaway was opened in 1959 and is the route used now by large ships to get to the Atlantic. However, the Erie Canal is still used mainly by recreational boats.

We had the opportunity to see Lock #30, at Macedon, in action. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to go through the lock.

A barge with heavy equipment waits its turn down the canal to pass through the lock.

Lowered to the appropriate water level, this barge can continue on its way.

While in Rochester we went for a stroll on the beach of Lake Ontario. The lake is so large that it feels like the ocean, but with trees decorating the edges. We stopped for lunch at a lazy little pub at the Port of Rochester. Murphy Loves Rob!

Rochester has great urban spaces, a wonderful mixture of eclectic neighborhoods and modern buildings. The Genesee River runs through downtown and the city is decorated with lots of public artworks, sculptures and many interesting murals.

Rochester is also the headquarters of Eastman Kodak. Founded in 1892 by George Eastman and Henry Strong, they developed the first film roll camera, becoming a giant in the production and development of photographic film for cameras and the motion picture industry. The company also diversified into many other types of technology including digital cameras and printing, scanners and chemicals production, Eastman Kodak, with its focus on technology and science, was a significant force in the development of the city of Rochester, and Eastman was a major benefactor to the University of Rochester, founding the School of Music and contributing to the development of the Schools of Medicine and, Dentistry.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Rochester was the wide variety of architectural styles. We wandered the neighborhoods, admiring the unique houses and appreciating the businesses interspersed nearby, including a vegan restaurant and the local pub.

Had a great time here and we look forward to future trips to this lovely city. And as the sign says: