Friends, Old and New

 

Grey Towers National Historic Site - Pinchot Estate

ancestral summer home of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service,

also past governor of Pennsylvania

View from the terrace of Grey Towers overlooking Milford, PA

The Finger Bowl at Grey Towers, a unique outdoor dining space

that allowed platters of food to be floated between diners.

Sundial on one tower wall

closer look at the sundial

We attended a geocaching event in New York, hosted by CaptainMath, and enjoyed a 

nice evening view of the Delaware River from the New York side

Gravity Railroad car in Hawley, PA

https://www.waynehistorypa.com/research/historictopics/gravityrailroad

Here is the "old friends" part: a 60-year friendship

Peter Miller and Brian

Seen while geocaching:

near Sackets Harbor, NY

We traveled another short section of the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania

Near Leesburg, Virginia

Brian's input:

 As usual. Kris has done a great job summarizing our adventure, but she asked me to add a bit to explain some of the connections with people.

Another road trip is behind us, and I am already thinking about the next one and how to plan it around doctor and dentist appointments.

This trip was quite different in many ways.  Having to plan in advance and make reservations, scheduling and coordinating with others for part of the trip, meeting with family and friends, as well as the fact that we are slowing down a bit, made for a few adjustments.

Although we didn’t go to any new major destinations like National Parks, enjoying lesser known areas and attractions is very enjoyable in its own right.

Plattsburgh, New York is only 63 miles from Montreal, so my first cousin, once removed, Travis doesn’t get many visitors that are just passing through.  We have been there several times though, and always enjoy the time together.  We had a stress-free, relaxing time with him, and unlike during family reunions, no other relatives to compete with to talk.

 After we left Travis’s and were on our way to Peter's, I got a message from a geocaching friend in Pennsylvania.  I met Kevin (CaptainMath), who is a fellow county chaser, last year in Texas.  He has a unique cache that I wanted to find, but it was out of commission when we headed north.  He was on the road, too, and couldn’t fix it, but said he hoped to soon. I learned he had repaired it, and would like us to find it.  We had reservations for camping 100 miles away, but we are flexible. He offered his front yard for ‘camping’, so we headed his way.

He has created quite a few complicated geocaches that tell a story, and his wife, Joy, has created artistic containers for many of them. Kevin took us on a tour of some (not all, by any means) of his favorites.  Although our stay was brief, we had some great conversations and saw a few excellent caches.

While visiting Peter Miller, it occurred to me that we have been friends for almost 60 years.  I moved to Houston in July 1966, and met him when school started that Fall.  We became friends through High School, and have kept in contact through the years.  We have stopped to see him in many states when travelling over the years. He was the one that went with me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2 years ago.

If I don’t say it aloud every day while on our trips, I do think it, that we are so very blessed to be able to travel where we do and the way we do, together.  Life is good!

New York and More Dambo Trolls!

 June 17, 2026

Before crossing Lake Champlain by ferry, we saw a few interesting things in Burlington, Vermont.

Black granite sculpture of two whales' tails

World's tallest filing cabinet

Burlington Earth Clock

looking through the stones toward Lake Champlain

Next, we drove up to Grand Isle and took a 15-minute ferry ride across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY.  We delivered an early birthday gift to our favorite Girl Scout, Nora.  We buy cookies from her every year to help her meet her sales goal.  She promptly names her stuffed bear "Minty."   

We spent a few days with these Luther cousins, including some geocaching.  Brian took Nora to find a Girl Scout-themed geocache.  

We stopped at an unusual outdoor sculpture garden, too.

The Last Supper

I am not sure what the firing squad and begging figures represent

We traveled on to Tupper Lake in the Adirondack Park, to the Wild Center, and found five more Dambo Trolls.  We watched river otters in their indoor tank and heard a talk about bird adaptations.  A screech owl named Luna was in the lobby afterwards.

Luna at the Wild Center

Rainy weather caused us to change our camping plans and head to Watertown to a motel.  We have many memories of this part of New York when our son, Joel, was posted at Fort Drum, and we drove up there for his deployment ceremony before he left for Iraq in 2009.

                                            World's Largest Life Saver near Watertown.

We camped at Fillmore Glen State Park near Moravia, NY, where Millard Fillmore, 13th  president of the United States, was born.

reproduction of the Fillmore cabin

On to the Green Mountains

 After leaving the White Mountains, we made a stop in Concord to visit another capitol building (our 20th one, I believe).  

sculpture of Christa McAuliffe in the plaza

"I touch the future. I teach."

St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester

Roaming the back roads of New Hampshire and Vermont  . . . 

Sunrise at Hapgood Pond, Green Mountains National Forest, Vermont

We drove a good portion of the Vermont Scenic Route 100. passing through Norman Rockwell country - literally as he lived in Arlington, VT where, according to Wikipedia, "his work began to reflect small-town life."  We saw numerous red-painted buildings - not just barns, but houses, businesses, general stores, bridges, and sheds.  I thought they must look quite beautiful contrasted with snow in the winter.

Moving to the northern part of Vermont to the Waterbury area, we camped in a state park next to a reservoir built by the CCC and US Army Corps of Engineers.  We stopped at Moss Glen Falls and "section hiked" the Appalachian Trail for half a mile to Thundering Brook Falls.

    We were very entranced by the artistry of granite sculptures and cemetery headstones

in Barre, VT ("Granite Capital of the World"), when we visited 10 years ago.  Vermont granite has been used in several famous landmarks, such as the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, the United States Supreme Court Building, and in the construction of the Washington Monument.  We found interesting sculptures around Barre and in Hope Cemetery.  The artistry of the Italian stonemasons is very impressive, and many headstones in the cemetery are inscribed with Italian surnames.

husband and wife monuments

A small granite house - impressive detail

intricate bas-relief details on a headstone

We have been on a quest to visit state capitol buildings in the past few years. Here is the smallest in the country in Montpelier, completed in 1859.  The legislative chambers contain original furnishings still in use.  There is a beautiful dome, but no rotunda.

    We drove through the town of Stowe and the Mount Mansfield ski area, and the serpentine drive with blind hairpin turns through Smugglers Notch.  There are areas at the top and bottom of the notch that you drive your vehicle through to make sure it can negotiate the narrow and curvy road ahead safely.  Our van made it through just fine.

    After driving through Smugglers Notch, we found references to the 10th Mountain Division created during WW II and made connections to last year's visit to Camp Hale National Historic Site and Tennessee Pass in Colorado.  Many of the original ski troops came home from the war and helped to establish the ski industry in Colorado.

Quite the view from the Trapp Family Resort!