Hail to the Greats!

On Monday we headed east, traveling U.S. 20 across the top of New York's Finger Lakes area.  Glimpses along the route: blue water lakes and green mountain slopes on either side, and quaint villages, some more modern and prosperous than others.

We entered mountainous terrain.  The highway went straight up and straight down. Mountain after mountain. Up. Down. Up. Down.  The grades were steep. Jamie was happy to be pulling the SolAire with a diesel powered engine.

Arriving mid-afternoon at Glimmerglass State Park on the northern shore of Lake Otsego, we set up camp and prepared to welcome Jamie's cousins Mark and Pam for dinner.  This pair of Mercers live only about thirty miles from here, so it's not often we see each other.  They arrived bearing gifts of home-sourced maple syrup; we returned the favor with some bags of Mitchell County pecans.

Becky served us pancakes Tuesday morning so we could try the syrup. Yummy!

After checking out the covered bridge at the park, we followed the eastern shore of Lake Otsego south to Cooperstown.  The main drag is filled with tacky souvenir shops set in historic downtown buildings.  Of course, we picked up a couple of baseball themed items.

Covered bridge at Glimmerglass State Park in New York

Inside of the covered bridge

John & Jamie walking through the bridge

Historic marker for the bridge

The baseball Hall of Fame held a wealth of memorabilia, telling the story of America's Great Pasttime and celebrating the Greats. Tour bus after tour bus unloaded baseball enthusiasts and hopefuls.

Buster's locker recreated in the Hall of Fame

Buster's shoes -- I guess they're here so South Georgian's like me can find something to take a photo of in the Hall of Fame!

Signatures on the plaque markers for the 2017 Class

Gaylord Perry's plaque in the Hall of Fame - took a picture only because we met him at a family wedding several years ago and we have an autographed picture of him from his playing days

After browsing the HoF, Jamie and I found a fun little spot on a balcony down an alley to wait for the Coach and Becky to emerge.

The Cooperstown Trolley took us to the Farm Museum, where we saw antique farm implements and a lovely carousel. 

Carousel at the Farm Museum

Awaiting the Trolley

We also did a drive-through of Dreams Park. The park boasts twenty-two fields and dozens of dormitories. One hundred teams of 12-year-olds play tournaments here every week for thirteen weeks of summer. At $995 per player and coach per week, well, you do the math! 

Dreams Park

Dreams Park

We returned to camp via the east side of Lake Otsego, completing a 360° tour.

Views of Lake Otsego from the west side

Lake Otsego

Early to bed, early to rise, we have miles and miles to travel as we turn south toward home.