A Couple Of Museums , A Hike, And A Winery

Road Tripping

Well, I am back in the saddle again, as Gene Autry used to sing, sitting here in the dark, drinking my coffee, having gotten up early at 5:30.  It's 59º, overcast and we are supposed to have rain and winds most of the day.   The blog is late but I had trouble downloading the photographs.

Yesterday we woke in Corning, finished the blog and were ready to continue our visit at the Corning Museum Of Glass at 9:00.  We started with the one gallery we missed yesterday, the Heineman Gallery of  Contemporary Art.  It's difficult to describe the unique designs of the objects, few if any functional, most imaginative and innovative.  The range and creativity of glass were spectacular and we enjoyed the colors, shapes, the whimsy of many of the pieces.

Cityscape at Sunset

Art Nouveau

Dove of Peace, Unrestrained By Borders

We then went back to the 35 Years of Glass Gallery which we had started on Tuesday afternoon but it was so vast that we decided to go come back on Wednesday. Again, the range, the imagination, and the creativity of artists over a couple of centuries was almost too much to take in.   We also learned much about Corning, NY, which became the center of glassmaking in the early 20th century. People came from all over to the Hawes Crystal Glass Company to buy their pieces, both functional like teapots or decorative.  It was overwhelming to walk through the rooms filled with the history of glassmaking.

Resurrection By Tiffany

We left the Museum by 11:00 and drove a half-hour to Watkins Glen State Park, stopping at a Burger King for a meal.  I had no idea of what to expect from the park, thinking we would be hiking alone in the woods.  How wrong I was.  Instead, we, along with many others, hiked a mile and a half along a gorge, starting at the base and climbing some 800 steps and 400 feet to the summit, the end of the Gorge.  We passed 19 waterfalls, 200-foot cliffs, bridges, passed pools,  the spray of Cascade Cavern, caves took photos, got wet but loved it even if the steps seemed neverending.  It was a spectacular hike, with grand vistas of the stream which leads to Seneca Lake.  Once on the summit, we hiked the Indian Trail back down to the entrance, along the rim of the gorge.  We were out for two hours and hiked three miles, a bit of a contrast to the Museums.

Indian Trail

Blooming Cairns

We left Watkins Glen around 2:00 and drove through the hills to Hammondsport, a town on Keuka Lake, to the Glen Curtiss Aviation Museum.  I had never heard of Curtiss like most Americans until I read Hammondsport and the Aviation Museum.  He was one of the great but little known industrialists of the 20th century and hung out with the likes of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

"Curtiss was an aviation pioneer and early motorcycle manufacturer as well as founder of the U.S. aircraft industry.  Curtiss made the first officially witnessed flight in North America, won a race at the world's first international air meet in France, and made the first long-distance flight in the United States. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. His company built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were predominant in the interwar and World War II eras."

We spent an hour walking around a vast warehouse looking building, filled with 22 airplanes, many replicas of Curtiss's early planes, motorcycles, bicycles, automobiles, wooden boats, fire engines, almost any form of motorized transportation. It was amazing to think that this small town on Keuka Lake was the center of the aviation industry in the early 20th century.

One For The Road

View Of Keuka Lake

After two museums and a hike, it was time to relax so we drove to the Bully Hill Winery, overlooking Keuka Lake and had a light lunch around 3:30.  We were the only ones in the restaurant and sat out on the terrace overlooking the lake.  We ordered a couple glasses of wine and the special, roasted garlic, with goat cheese and tomatoes, served on slices of a baguette, topped with olive oil.  It was a perfect lunch, with a great view as we ruminated over the past 36 hours.

Needless to say, it was good to get home even though we loved our trip.  We quickly unpacked and relaxed until dinner time,  Neither of us was that hungry so Evie made us BLT's, perfect for our evening dinner.  We watched a couple of Colberts, some news, then the first five innings of the World Series.  And like the previous night, I went to bed with the Nationals losing 2-0 only to wake up this morning to find out they were World Series Champions.  I think I bring them good luck by going to be early, giving up on them.

Corning Museum Of Glass

24 Hours In Corning, NY

Rail Road Station Arch

We are staying in a Holiday Garden Inn, just a few steps away from the Museum and I am sitting in their lounge at 6:25 while Evie sleeps peacefully upstairs.  They have free coffee but the breakfast buffet is twelve bucks, not free like at a Hampton Inn.  I will stick with coffee since I don't usually have much breakfast.

Late Fall Colors

Route 86 East

We left the lake about 8:30 Tuesday morning and had an easy two and a half-hour ride to Corning.  It was a pleasant ride on Interstate 86, as we drove past rust-colored mountains or hills, as the fall colors are about gone.  Still, like always, on Interstate 86, it was a beautiful drive, mountains, small towns, and farms, but mostly just open land, uninhabited and forested.  Because our hotel was next to the Museum, we checked in and were able to get a room so we took our bags upstairs, washed up and walked over to the Museum.

Corning Museum Of Glass

Museum Entrance

It's modernistic shell contrasts with the surrounding mountains and is situated on the campus of Corning International, its multiple research buildings with the world headquarters, across the Chemung River, a half-mile away.  We bought tickets for both the Museum and Rockwell Western Museum in town.  Our first stop was watching a demonstration of glass blowing, replete with a couple of kilns in a small auditorium.

Glass Blowing Demonstration

We then walked through the gift shop to the Contemporary Glass Collection where various artists' works were displayed. The objects ranged from still lifes of three-foot-high fruits, to old fashion glasses, to abstract, to functional.

Every Day Glasses

Still Life

Trash

After an hour, we enjoyed a root beer and pizza in their cafeteria.  We then walked through the Innovation Center which emphasized glass making, from bits of minerals to bottles, to Corningware, to lens for glasses and telescopes, to glass insulation.

Innovation Center

These two sections were interesting and easily done although the last was section was technical.  We then ended our visit for the day with the 35 Centuries of Glass Wing which was overwhelming with its glass objects, from the Greeks to the Romans, up through the centuries.

An Ancient Greek Glass Cup

It was almost too much to take in because there was so much to see. For example, the Glass In America Gallery must have had thousands of glass bottles, cups, and bowls in 15 to 20 glass lit cases. By 2:00, I had enough so we decided to return Wednesday morning and catch the rest of the Museum when we were fresh.

Centerway Walking Bridge

We went back to our hotel and relaxed watched some of the news before walking across the Centersway Walking Bridge to Center Way Square, Centennial Park and the Gaffer District downtown where we visited the Rockwell Museum.

Center Way Square

Unfortunately, the third floor was closed because of a party so we did not get to see everything.

Native American Applying Make-up

The galleries we did see celebrated Western art, landscapes of the West, with an emphasis on Native Americans.  It also depicted many modern themes, like the painting and sculpture below, celebrating the unleashing of freedom for women and child abuse.

A Modern Allegory Of Delacroix's Liberty

Explanation of Painting

Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Do No Evil

Victims

We stayed for a half-hour but enjoyed what we did view.  We then walked along Market Street, the center of downtown Corning, with its quaint shops and well-restored buildings, making it visually interesting.

Centennial Park

We stopped for a beer, of course, at the Burger and Brewpub.  It was fairly quiet so we didn't' get to meet anyone other than the barkeep, then walked through Centennial Park and across the bridge. We were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel.

It felt luxurious to just relax on our beds and watch TV for an hour or two. We had grand plans for the night but settled on walking just up the street from our Holiday Inn to Captain Morgan's Sports Bar, a bit of a dive but it was fine. They had a beer, burgers, and fries so we were happy enough.  It was a quiet night although the back room seemed to be busy.  We ate and did not linger because we were whooped from our day at the Museums.  I think I would be less tired if I had hiked all day.  There's something about standing around for hours, looking at object de arts, that tires me out and brings on a backache.  Needless to say, it was good to get back to our room and fall asleep watching the World Series with the Astros up 2-0.  Imagine our shock when we woke up this morning with the Nationals winning 7-2.

On The Road Again

6

Dahlias

6:03

7:30

8:03

I was up at 6:30, this time because we hope to be on the road to the Corning Museum Of Glass by 8:00, a little less than a three-hour drive. We are hoping for a couple of nice days because tomorrow we want to do some walking at Watkins Glen State Park before heading home, perhaps stopping at the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum in Hammondsport, NY also.

Yesterday was an amazingly beautiful day, the kind that makes you want to do something outside.  Maybe that's why we are heading on a road trip today.  Yesterday began with a  good paddle despite the fog, the lack of waterfowl.  After kayaking, I headed to a crowed yoga class, a good one as always.  I hurried home because I wanted to get somethings done because of the good weather. We had a couple of potholes in the road so I went to get some millings at Tri James.  Unfortunately, it was closed so I drove down to Mayville where all of the asphalt dredged up when redoing the road was taken and helped myself to a couple of buckets.  I don't think they would mind.  It took me a 15 minutes to fill the holes, then drive over the millings with my car to pack it down. 

Chai Time

When I was done, Evie had my lunch ready, soup and a bagel with cream cheese and tomatoes and I watched my show, another shocking ending to Episode Three.  We then relaxed until 2:00 when we left for Lakewood to make a couple of purchases and see a health care broker.  First, we stopped at Lakewood Furniture and bit the bullet and ordered a couch and a love seat.  Then, we drove to Home Depot, ordered a carpet and a Home Depot card, saving us a hundred bucks, enough for a  pair of shoes according to Evie.  We ended the day talking about Healthcare options for next year, something everyone should do every couple of years because the options keep changing. 

We had hoped to mulch the leaves when we returned home but we were too tired from spending money so we opened a bottle of wine and relaxed and toasted our new purchases until it was time to make dinner.  Evie sauteed mushrooms, fried up some home fries with sweet onions, and grilled two New York strip steaks on her grill pan.  O, yea, I forgot the salad and corn to complement our great dinner. We watched The Circus, a political show, then Succession because there was nothing else to watch and went to bed early.