07-09 National Soaring Museum

Thursday afternoon, July 16th, we drove over to Elmira, NY to tour the National Soaring Museum. This is the only museum in the United States dedicated to soaring. There is only one other in the world.

I have always been interested in soaring, so this was a real treat for me. There are over 80 gliders or replicas on display dating from the late 1890’s to the late 20th century.

We recently watched a show on PBS about WACO gliders used in WWII to land soldiers behind enemy lines. So it was interesting to see the inside of a WACO replica.

There are also two excellent displays with models of I assume every modern era glider ever made. There are over 100 models on display.

The museum is next to a soaring field high on a hill top over Elmira. Below is a glider being pulled aloft. Tourists can take a 15 to 20 minute ride. I hope to do this before we leave.

Here is the view just below the rim of the airfield. You can see how high it is above the valley below.

07-09 Rockwell Museum of Western Art

Painting by William R. Leigh tilted “Master of His Domain”

Wednesday July 15th we drove back to Corning, NY to visit the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. Here is the origin of the museum copied from their web site:

Bob and Hertha Rockwell, local business owners who had amassed an incredible collection of Western art and artifacts, Carder Steuben glass, firearms, and antique toys, originally displayed some of their vast collection in their family department store, at the site now known as the Rockwell Center.

However, the store allowed only a small portion of their growing collection to be shown, without the benefits of temperature and humidity control, security and, most importantly, the interpretation that a museum could bring. The Rockwell's generously decided to donate the majority of their collection so that it could be protected, seen and enjoyed by many more people.

The museum is excellent. It has galleries on three floors with outstanding works of western art. It has paintings, sculpture, pottery, and a collection of bead work. Many of the top western artist’s works are included. Two of the best known are Frederick Remington and Charles M. Russell.

Below is a bronze work we liked by Edward James Fraughton tilted “The Spirit of Wyoming”. I thought I had seen some of the bronzes in other museums. I may be right. I learned that an artist will sculpt the statue and then go through a process to make a mold. Once made, multiple copies are often poured. The artist finishes each molded piece to remove mold lines and possibly add color or other finishing touches. I saw some pieces in the museum that ranged from 1 of 10 to 1 of 200.

Here is another favorite by Cyrus Edwin Dallion titled “ Appeal to the Great Spirit”

There were two versions. The one above is about 3’ high the following is about 1’ high.

Here is an illustration titled “The First Shot” by Remington for a magazine short story written by Teddy Roosevelt.

A painting by Charlie Russell titled “Sun Rise War Party”

The following painting by Frank Earle Schoonover titled “ Ojibway Indian Spearing the Maskenozha (Pike)” caught our eye because of a conversation we had with a nice couple that morning in the campground. Jim and Nicky had come from Grand Rapids, Michigan to attend a unique seminar at Keuka College. The seminar has a series of classes about how to restore various types of old canoes. Jim and Nicky showed us a picture of a wooden canoe their son recently acquired that is over 90 years old. It was built by a man who once worked for Old Town Canoe in Maine. They also showed us pictures of 2 birch bark canoes their son had made with the aid of 5th and 6th grade students in a unique school near Grand Rapids. The canoes were beautiful. Jim has helped his son on the other canoes and wanted to learn more about how to restore the old wooden canoe that among other things needs canvas restored to its outer surface. Nicky plans to improve her skills in cane weaving to restore the seats to their original form. We were fascinated to learn that a seminar with several days worth of classes had been established just about restoring different types of antique canoes. We hope to hear in the future how the restoration goes.

Monique said her expression would look just this horse if she ever encountered a bear. The painting is by Charles Schreyvogel and is titled “An unexpected enemy”

This last picture was one of our favorites since it reminded us of touring the Grand Canyon. Likewise it reminded us of the colored sand formations we saw earlier this year at Providence Canyon, Georgia. The painting is by Thomas Moran and is titled “Clouds in the Canyon”.

07-09 Letchworth State Park

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

Monday July 13th we drove northwest about an hour to Letchworth State Park. Locals call it the Grand Canyon of the East. It is a large park that follows a deep, wide gorge created by the Genesee River. It is much different than the Grand Canyon in looks, primarily because there are so many trees and such different rock formations. However it is very beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour.

This was a trip where we could take our dog Clay. We stayed close to the car most of the time. Primarily we were driving from one overlook to another. Periodically we would lift Clay out of the car for a brief stroll. He is now in a state where he can not jump in or out. So Monique and I jointly lift him.

Our first stop was at the Mt. Morris dam. It is used for flood control in the spring when snow melts in the surrounding areas and during periods of heavy spring rains. There is no water backed up at present and some work is underway at the base. You can just see the large trucks that look like small insects in the pictures below.

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

We progressed along the river stopping at different overlooks. The park stretches about 17 miles along the river and the gorge.

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

In the shot below I have zoomed in to show a couple of folks in kayaks far below on the river.

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

The highlights were the three large water falls. Here are several pictures from different angles and locations.

Lower Falls:

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

Middle Falls (the most spectacular) from a distance and the mist from the upper falls still further in the distance:

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

Water just about to plunge over the middle falls with a rainbow in the mist

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

Just beside the middle falls:

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

From the front of the middle falls:

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

The upper falls. Note the tall railroad trestle overhead. It must be breathtaking to cross. In the picture below there are people standing on the bridge. They are just tiny dots if you can see them. (I do not believe you are supposed to walk on this bridge.)

From 07-09 Letchworth State Park

When originally built in 1852, it was the largest wooden railroad bridge in the world. It took 300 acres of timber to build it. Then it burned in 1875 and was replaced by the iron and steel structure seen today.

This was our favorite outdoor excursion so far. We would love to go back and camp for a few days. We saw a motor home coming in as we arrived so we know they could accommodate ours. I have read that one publication has rated it one of the top 100 campgrounds in America. However they only have water and some sites with 30 amp electric hook-ups. So we could only stay a few days at that campground.

07-09 Butterfly

From 07-09 Butterfly

A lovely butterfly visited our flowers this afternoon (7/12/09). It is a beautiful day with the current temperature at 73 degrees at 1:45pm. Not bad for a July Sunday afternoon,

From 07-09 Butterfly

From 07-09 Butterfly