July 26, 2011

Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

The next morning I got up bright and early and decided to go hiking to Carpenter Rocks which is a short trail in the campground. I saw the trailhead on the map and saw it was by another campground loop so I set off with no water or trail map figuring I’d just grab water from the next loop. Well the next loop is arrived at by walking along a mile long road uphill and by the time I reached it I realized that I was basically on a loop above my campsite. I went back to my site and got the map and some water and set out again. I walked around the Mill Pond trail for a diversion from the road. The trail to Carpenter rocks was nice and short and I had a great view of the forest. After getting back to my site I packed up and headed out for another day of adventures. My plan for the day was to drive the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The Corridor is dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, including mill towns stretching across 24 cities and towns. My first stop was Purgatory Chasm. No trail in the Chasm was more than a mile long so I hiked to Little Purgatory first. Then when I made my way back to the start of the Chasm I saw a group of loud little children so I decided to hike the upper chasm trail first. Finally I made my way into the chasm and it was awesome! The Chasm runs for a quarter of a mile between granite walls rising as high as 70 feet. The trail is basically spray painted rocks and it requires some maneuvering to get from one end to another. It’s a very unique little trail and I’m very glad I stopped.

I then followed the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor down to Providence, RI and stopped at several interesting places along the way including:

Lookout Rock

Riverbend Farm-a very charming visitor center

Stanley Woolen Mill was a large and prolific woolen mill that produced cloth for some of the premier designers like Pierre Cardin

Triad Bridge-Built in the late 1800's, this tiered bridge crisscrosses the Blackstone River at three different heights to allow three railroad lines to intersect and cross the Blackstone River.

Stone Arch Bridge

Blackstone Gorge

Great Neck Road Historic District- a nice spot to stop for lunch

Slater Mill-the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution

Sylvanus Brown House
Slater and Wilkinson Mill

Roger Williams National Historic Site-he was the founder of Rhode Island

My favorite part of the day was walking along Benefit Street in Providence. It is known as the Mile Of History because it is filled with some of the most historic homes in America. The architecture is so pretty.

It seemed like at any moment Ben Franklin would come walking outThe Nightingale-Brown House, which dates back to 1792, is one of the largest eighteenth-century wood frame houses in North America.

I also strolled through Brown University (so I could say I've been to an Ivy League school) and the Rhode Island School of Design. It was quite the workout as the streets are very steeply pitched. These students must be very fit. I left just as it started raining and made my way to Sippewisset Campground for the night. It was the only place that would take a one night reservation for July 3rd and I was very grateful to have a guaranteed spot to sleep. What a day!

July 23, 2011

Chesterfield Gorge and Springfield Armory

I then headed into Massachusetts to see the Chesterfield Gorge. Heading over through the Berkshires though I caught sight of some really brightly painted historic buildings so I pulled over to see what it was. Turns out it was the Hancock Shaker Village and it’s a living history museum. It costs $17 and I didn’t have a lot of time so I contented myself with taking pictures of some of the buildings from the road. It looked like a really charming place. I finally arrived at Chesterfield Gorge and took some time to eat my lunch at a lovely picnic spot. There is a trail that runs along the gorge so I strolled down along the river. When I hear the word “gorge” I think of Watkins Glen and Ithaca and this really wasn’t in that league but it was a nice spot for a stroll. I thought this access point was really funny because you must be short and skinny to pass through. Even I had to turn sideways to fit through. I found a nice spot by the river to dip my toes in and relaxed for a bit. The Gorge is run by the Trustees of Reservations and a nice gentleman handed me a brochure of other preserved spots. I decided to stop by Dinosaur Footprints on my way to Springfield. It's just a pulloff with a short trail to a large rock with dinosaur footprints in it. I then drove into the city of Springfield, MA to go to the Springfield Armory. It’s a unique spot because it is a part of a community college and the armory blends right into the campus.

The Springfield Armory, located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts, was - from 1777 until its closing in 1968 - the primary center for the manufacture of U.S. military firearms. It features one of the world's largest collections of historic firearms. The Springfield Armory became the site of numerous technological innovations of global importance, including Interchangeable parts, the assembly line style of mass production, and modern business practices, such as hourly wages.

In 1843, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visited the Armory and wrote his poem "The Arsenal at Springfield.” The anti-war poem described the rows of finished guns, by that point 1,000,000 stockpiled there, stored vertically in open racks: "Like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms." This “organ” was really cool. The entire factory is now a museum showcasing guns from the Revolutionary War until the Vietnam War. It was really interesting to see and learn about the importance of this armory. The grounds were really nice too

I made my way over to Wells State Park for the night and it is an excellent campground. I had a site close to the beach and I spent much of the night reading down by the quiet beach.

July 19, 2011

Thomas Cole and Martin Van Buren

Well this blog is really living up to its name now! I’ve been “burnin up the road” since April and knocking out many more National Park Service sites. I got both Monday and Tuesday off for July 4th so I enjoyed a nice 4 day weekend. I left after work on Friday and drove east to Oneonta where I made camp for the night. When I made my reservation they told me to get there before 9 and I showed up around 8:30. The lights were on and the sign said open but no one was around. There was a gate to get in so I couldn’t really drive in and set up. I decided to just call the number and just as I rang a guy pulled up on a golf cart and got me squared away. He gave me an incredulous look when I told him it would just be me for the night. Why do people find it so hard to believe that A) some people travel alone, and B) some of those people are young women!? Anyway I had a nice spot by the water and despite an annoying neighbor and a training blowing through at 3:00am, I slept well. The next morning I headed out bright and early in heavy fog. It burned off in time for my first stop in Catskill, NY. For some reason the Thomas Cole National Historic site is a hidden part of the NPS. A few years back Mom and I had traveled around this area so I could check off a few more NPS sites and I never knew this place existed because it’s not on any map or listing of the NPS. I forget where I even stumbled across it but I knew that I had to stop by and check it off my list. It encompasses the home and studio of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The front porch has a great view of the Catskills and the gardens were landscaped very nicely. On my way out I saw a brochure for The Hudson River School Art Trail that takes you to the sites that inspired America’s first great landscape painters. Two were right in town so I decided to check them out. The first was a view on the Catskill Creek but it has lost its charm as you have to stand on a busy highway bridge to see it. The next sight however was stunning! Olana State Historic Site was the home of Frederic Edwin Church one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The stone, brick, and polychrome-stenciled villa is a mixture of Victorian, Persian and Moorish styles. I’ve never seen a house with so much detail. I was there too early to go inside but I really enjoyed the exterior, the views from the hill top and especially the gardens which had some really beautiful flowers.


I then raced over to Kinderhook, NY to make the 10am tour of the Martin Van Buren house.
When Mom and I had come to this area a few years ago we got to Martin’s house after dark and were nicely escorted off the grounds by some rangers and told to come back when it was open. Well I am really glad I came back because the tour was really great. Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative and I learned a ton. She even asked some trivia questions and I got them all right! I was very proud of myself. The house was huge and it seemed half of it was servant’s quarters. I really liked the main dining room because of the wallpaper depicting a hunt.

This room was also interesting because of the arch. I also got to look up at the 4 story tower.

Lastly I got to see MVB’s room where he had a cane given to him by Andrew Jackson. I had no idea but those two were quite the BFF’s. I really like the presidential sites that are preserved by the NPS because they teach me so much about the Presidents and where they come from and how they became President. For instance, MVB was known as the Red Fox and Old Kinderhook (which is partially where we get the term o.k. from). He was also the first President to be born in the United States