White Woman of the Genesee

This fascinating monument is found in Letchworth State Park, near the small town of Castile in upstate New York.

Mary Jamison, the White Woman of the Genesee, was captured by Indians from her Pennsylvania home at the young age of fifteen and brought to the Genesee Valley. Here, she married, raised her children and lived peacefully to the age of 90 amongst her adopted Seneca Nation people. Her cabin on the Grandeau Flats, just North of the falls was her home for many years.

Inscription:
To theMemory of MARY JEMISON,Whose home during more thanseventy years of a life of strange vicissitude was among the Senecasupon the banks of this river;and whose history,inseparably connected with that of this valleyhas caused her to be known as"The White Woman of the Genesee."

Allegheny River, Pennsylvania - New York

The Allegheny River has its beginnings in northwestern Pennsylvania, loops briefly northward into New York State, then flows southward to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In Pittsburgh the Allegheny merges with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River, which flows into the Mississippi and hence to the Gulf of Mexico. The Allegheny River Valley provides the northeastern most drainage of the Mississippi.

The 325-mile-long Allegheny takes its name from the Delaware Indian language. The word is usually translated as "fine river", although the meaning is not definitively known. Some Indian tribes considered the Allegheny and the Ohio to be the same river.

The Allegheny River is particularly pretty here in Warren, Pennsylvania, surrounded by the hills of the upper Allegheny plateau. This photo was taken near downtown Warren in early July, when wild daylilies were in full bloom along the riverbank.

Mount Marcy, New York

Most people of the world probably think of New York only as a big city, but New York is also a state which contains some outstanding mountain wilderness areas. Principal of these is Adirondack Park, the largest state park in the United States, covering much of northern portion of New York. Is is crowned by majestic Mount Marcy, standing at 5,344 feet above sea level.

Mount Marcy is not the highest peak in the eastern United States, but it comes closest to being true wilderness. Lake Tear of the Clouds, below the summit, is the headwaters of the Hudson River. No road leads to the summit, or to within several miles of it, and the shortest hike to the top is a grueling 15-mile round trip. I made that trek one mid-October day, after camping the night before at the base of the mountain. Even in autumn there were already patches of ice near the alpine summit, but the dreadful black flies were long gone for the season. It was a glorious experience.

Despite the long rough trail, this is a very popular hike, and the views from the rocky summit are well worth the effort. If you decide to do it, start at sunrise, or even earlier, as it will probably take you most of the day. In my opinion this is one of the best ways a person could possibly spend a day, and the best way to get high, in all of New York.

Mount Marcy is in Essex County, northwest of Witherbee and southeast of Lake Placid.

The Fairport Lift Bridge, Fairport, New York

Perhaps the most unusual thing you will see in Fairport Village, New York, is the liftbridge which carries Main Street over the Erie Canal. It is said to be the only bridge in the world built on a bias. The south end is higher than the north end. Also, it is an irregular decagon, meaning no two angles in the bridge are the same. No corners on the bridge floor are square. Because of this oddity, the Fairport Liftbridge has been featured 16 times in "Ripley's Believe It or Not.

"The bridge lifts every half hour to allow boat traffic to pass under it on the Erie Canal.

Fairport, New York

Fairport is a suburb of Rochester, which is the third largest city in New York State. It is located on the Erie Canal, and only a few miles from Lake Ontario in northwestern part of the Empire State.

In 1825, not long after the Erie Canal opened, a traveler on that waterway stopped at Mallet's Tavern in what is today Fairport. As he was enjoying some refreshment he commented, "This is truly a fair port." A local merchant, overhearing the traveler, thought that was a perfect name. When the village was incorporated in 1867, Fairport was the name that was chosen.

Fairport is still a very lovely town and has been rated one of the top 100 places to live in America. Our daughter, Laura, and her husband, Brian, live in Fairport, which gives us the perfect reason to visit.

Braddock Point Lighthouse, New York State

Braddock Point Lighthouse stands just west of Braddock Bay on Lake Ontario. It was built to guide ships traveling to and from Rochester, NY and the Welland Canal in Ontario. When completed in 1896 the ornate 110-foot tower above a Victorian residence had one of the brightest lights on Lake Ontario. The structure was a copy of the Cleveland Light, which was torn down in 1895. The lens, lantern, and metal work were taken from that light. The lighthouse was removed from service in 1954. At that time the Coast Guard tore down the top two-thirds of the weather-beaten tower, due to structural damage.

The site has been in private ownership since 1957. The tower was rebuilt to 55 feet in 1995 and on February 28, 1999, the lighthouse was relit by the Coast Guard. As of 2006 Braddock Point Lighthouse was on the the market for 1.9 million dollars, so if you've got the money, here's an excellent chance to own your own historic lighthouse.

Directions: From the Lake Ontario State Parkway west of Rochester, turn north on Lighthouse Road and then right on Clearview Avenue. The lighthouse will be on your left. The lighthouse is a private residence and due to the large trees blocking the view from the street, the lighthouse is best viewed from the water.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail to New York

Walk to New York? That's exactly what I did while on a backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail in the mid-1970s. Most of the AT is a wooded mountain pathway, but in a few spots, and especially at highway junctions, it follows country roads for a short distance. Where the trail enters New York from New Jersey is such a place.

On this particular backpacking trip I had started about 72 miles away, where the Trail crosses the Delaware Water Gap from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. The Trail follows the beautiful Kitinnany Ridge for most of its path through New Jersey, reaching an elevation of 1,685 feet at High Point State Park - the summit of the Garden State.Where the Appalachian Trail enters the southern boundary of New York on Lott Road in the small rural village of Unionville.

That was as far into New York that I went on that particular trip, since I have never had the leisure to hike in the AT more than one week at at time. from there I hitch-hiked a ride back to my car at the Delaware Water Gap, and returned to my home, which was in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the time.The Appalachian Trail cuts across the southeastern corner of New York State, passing through Harriman-Bear Mountain State Park. It exits New York into Connecticut on it's 2,175-mile route from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mt. Katahdin, Maine, making it the longest continuously marked footpath in the world.

Erie Canal at Fairport, New York

The Erie Canal, proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. When built it was the engineering marvel of its day and some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.

The original canal included 18 aqueducts to carry the canal over ravines and rivers, and 83 locks, with a rise of 568 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. It was 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide, and floated boats carrying 30 tons of freight. A ten foot wide towpath was built along the bank of the canal for horses, mules, and oxen led by a boy boat driver or "hoggee". As traffic on the canal increased, it was enlarged. With the coming of the railroads, it became obsolete.

The area of the Erie Canal which runs through Fairport is very well preserved and is popular with recreational boaters. The Canal is still the focal point of the community, much as it was in Fairport's earliest days, although highways, cars and trucks have replaced the canal boats.

Bridal Veil Falls, Niagara, New York

The Bridal Veil Falls is the smallest of the three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls. It is located between Luna Island and Goat Island on the American side of the Niagara River. It is between the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, but closer to the American Falls, and more similar to it in character and appearance.

Although Bridal Veil Falls is dwarfed by the much lartger cascades on either side, it is still very impressive and would be considered a large waterfall if it stood alone. The Falls is 56 feet wide and has an initial clear vertical drop of 78 feet. After the vertical drop the water violently descends the talus boulders to the Maid of the Mist Pool 103 feet below. The total descent of the Bridal Veil Falls is 181 feet.

On Luna Island you can stand within a few short feet of the point where the falls makes it's plunge. By taking the Cave of the Winds tour you can get a soaking close-up view of the falls from below.

There is only one Niagara, but Bridal Veil is a very popular name for waterfalls. You can find a Bridal Veil Falls in such places as British Columbia, Oregon, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, although the one here at Niagara is the most visited of them.

Roses Frame the American Falls at Niagara

There are actually three waterfalls on the Niagara River, and all of them collectively are referred to as Niagara Falls. The largest and most famous of these is the Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the river. An island separates the Canadian falls from the American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls.

Unlike the Canadian Falls, which is essentially a sheer drop, the American Falls plunges into a jumble of huge bolders. Although overshadowed by Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls is quite maginificent in it's own right, and would be a major tourist attraction if it were the only falls.

At 56 meters (180 ft) high, the American Falls is slightly higher than its Canadian counterpart. Its crestline is 328 meters (1075 ft) wide.

It is estimated that 75,000 gallons of water flow over the American Falls each second, amounting to only 10% of Niagara's total waterflow. The American Falls look spectacular at night, when it is lit with various combinations of coloured lights.

All three of the falls are best viewed from the Canadian side of the river. However, it is only at Niagara Falls State Park in New York that you can stand on the very lip of all of the falls and see them close up as they make their thunderous leap.