Day Fifteen ... a cross state adventure

Today we undertook a cross state journey leaving behind Saratoga Springs and heading all the way to Niagara Falls. We left just after 8.30 with the vision of driving through as many quirky named towns as we could. Whilst we didn't have any specific things to do on our list today we knew there would be Ad Labs, waterfalls, a big lake and eventually Niagara Falls.

We began by heading to Amsterdam, which sadly was a little disappointing (sorry dad). We drove through the town but it was pretty industrial and not at all scenic. We headed on to Utica where we drove through the town before heading to Rome which was lovely. 

Rome is the home of the Fort Stanwix, a colonial fort built in the 1700s and used as a fortification during the American Revolution.  During this time it never succumbed and remained undefeated after a 21 day siege. The wooden structure is amazing ... large wooden slats interlocking with a drawbridge and spikes to prevent the enemy getting in. We completed an Ad Lab there where we learnt that the purchase of a handkerchief cost 1 middling beaver or 1 buckskin! We also went to the grave of Francis Bellamy who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance.

After Rome we drove to Verona Beach on the edge of Lake Ontario to see the Verona Beach Lighthouse.  This is one of three functioning lighthouses on the shore of the Lake that have been keeping ships safe since 1915. The lighthouse sits amongst private houses on the lake edge.

We then drove through the town of Cicero, past the exits for Phoenix, Mexico and Hannibal before arriving in the town of Clay where we stopped at a Circle K for petrol, a toilet, drinks and some treats to have after our lunch. We ate as we drove as we had so many unplanned things to do we didn’t want to waste a single minute. The Circle K was an eye opener to the sweet snacks available in the US and the complexities of coffee drinking!

Onwards we headed to Wolcott where we stopped to view the Wolcott Falls which are right in the centre of town. Whilst the Falls are small they are very pretty.

We stopped to do a sweet little Ad Lab in Williamson where quite by accident we came across a store that had been closed down and illegal cannibis seized! We also saw the hardware store that has 3 floors of WOW for your man!

Continuing on we passed the towns of Ontario and Webster as we headed to Rochester to view the High Falls - that are again in the middle of the city (Rochester has a population of about 250,000). The Falls were beautiful! I can't believe they get very little mention in tourist information. 

We headed north out of Rochester ... passing the town of Greece, and drove along the Lake Ontario State Parkway which (unsurprisingly) runs alongside Lake Ontario. When you looked to your right you saw a massive expanse of water and your brain thinks oh that's a sea ...but no, you are wrong! It is one ginormous lake, around 30% the size of Tasmania and 100 times the size of Washington DC! We pulled off the parkway into one of the side streets which end as dead ends as they hit the lake. The houses on the lake are lovely and have wonderful views.

As we drove today we finally came across agriculture.  We saw fields of corn, apples, vineyards, vegetable farms (something in the brassica family) and dairy farms. We passed a horse and buggy and discovered that NY state has the fifth highest Amish population in the US (and it is growing rapidly).

At the town of Olcott, where we needed to begin our journey south towards Niagara Falls, we stopped for a toilet break. Which as it turned out was a fantastic place to stop because we came across the most scenic little town, with a log cabin, a lighthouse, a strip of colourful shops and a couple of great murals. One of those magical stops on the journey that you hadn't anticipated. 

Driving on we decided to make one last stop at Lockport to complete another Ad Lab and again, purely by accident, came across the Lockport Locks District on the Erie Canal. These locks have been restored and you can walk down and see the massive wooden gates that are operated by hand. 

We completed the Ad Lab that took us to some of the notable features in Lockport - the old flour mill, the freestanding clock and the engraved papers acknowledging some of the notable residents. We also found another LOVE sculpture so of course we had to grab a photo.

And so we headed on to Niagara Falls stopping at a Chinese restaurant to grab some dinner to take back to our hotel. We arrived in the dark but somewhere out there in the darkness are the Falls.  We can see the lights of the buildings in Canada from our window. Tomorrow we will explore!

And so ends the day ... we left just after 8.30 and it is now 8.41. Another long but fantastic day!

Today's tally ...

Photos - 568

Steps - 7,326

Kms walked - 5.61 km

Kms driven - 340 miles/550 kms

Ad Labs - 3

Waterfalls - 2 (plus one we haven't seen but we know is there)