Back in New York

I drove over from Vermont to drive through the Adirondack before the leaves were completely gone from the trees.  There was more rain in the forecast, which I thought would finish them off.  Unfortunately, the leaves were mostly gone but the drive was peaceful and delightful.

This is the view where I stopped for lunch ...

I really expected more of a "mountain" road and called the ranger station to be sure it was OK to drive it in my coach, but it was just a regular state highway, and pretty empty for a weekend.

I did end up taking the wrong Hwy 28 South and went way out of my way (having to spend the night), but I have plenty of time and didn't have a commitment anywhere.

The next day I visited several historical sights.


Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in Kinderhook, New York -

Martin Van Buren was born in 1782 in Kinderhook.  His parents kept a tavern and farmed.  He began a legal career at 14; married his childhood sweetheart Hannah Hoes, a distant relative, in 1807; and took his first appointed post as a county probate judge.

The two facts about the eighth president of the United States that I found most interesting:  he was the first to be born under the U.S. flag (previous presidents were born British subjects), and second, he founded the Democratic Party.

Saratoga National Historical Park -

Again, I had no idea (memory?) that this battle was so important to the Revolutionary War.  It was one of the most decisive victories in American and world history.

After these stops, I headed back into Vermont and New Hampshire.  Whooo, zigzagging across state lines gets confusing.  I will return to New York one more time after I visit Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.