Where's Liz-2013?: Mohawk Valley, NY

I left the crowds and hoopla of the Good Sam Rally in Syracuse to visit a friend in a quiet town in rural New York. Fireworks are from Saturday night at the rally.

Carolb is a fantastic hostess and tour guide extraordinaire. You will see from the pictures that we managed to pack a lot in to our 2-day visit. Who'd a thunk out in the middle of farmland, you would see this? It's the Holy Trinity Monastery and Russian Orthodox Church, and we had our own personal tour given by the daughter of one of the priests. (Priests are allowed to marry here.)

The Russian Orthodox Church.

A peek inside through the window. She tried to get us inside, but couldn't find anyone to open it.

She did show us the very ornate crypts of former bishops and priests.

"His eye is on the sparrow..."

Inside the living quarters of the monks, we were shown the refectory with its beautiful frescoes.

Among scattered showers we drove through picturesque countryside.

Carol indulged my request to go to Van Hornesville to look for the farmhouse once owned by author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Of Cross Creek, FL, famous for "The Yearling"). She wrote some of her later books here. We did not find it, but did find evidence of her friend Owen D. Young who persuaded her to buy the farmhouse. The public school here looked like an exclusive private academy.

Next we toured a local cemetery, soon to be added to the National Historic Registry. Among those buried here are soldiers from both the Revolution and the Civil War.

Who remembers reading "An American Tragedy" in your high school years?

The hanging place.

Also buried in that cemetery are members of the Quackenbush family, known for making nutcrackers in this factory. Another big industry here is Remington Arms, still in business. They have a museum that we did not visit.

This old diner brought back memories of my childhood.

There are several places to see the Erie Canal. There is a scenic trail along this section.

Historic Fort Herkimer Church, 1767. The nearby fort served as refuge for pioneers from the Indians and the French, and during the Revolutionary War, the church was a place of defense and base of military supplies.

We visited the home of General Nicholas Herkimer, hero of the battle of Oriskany during the Revolution. He returned here after the battle and soon died of his wounds. This is a view from his house to the Mohawk River.

General Herkimer home.

He is buried in the family cemetery where a monument has been built in his honor.

We came across this marker by accident and stopped to look.

A roof has been added to protect the oven which could bake 100 loaves of bread. To find such an oven preserved this well is rare.

Carol operates what is probably a flue or perhaps bellows.

Carol took me on a driving tour through Little Falls, a city rich with history and with many historic homes and buildings.

1895 school still in use.

This Mason Lodge was built in 1914, and was purchased by an artist who lives here and has a pottery studio on the ground floor.

Canal Place has been modernized with shops and parks, as well as upscale apartments in the old factory buildings.

You can see the "little falls" that gave this city its name.

Balcony built on one of the old factory buildings renovated into apartments overlooking the Mohawk River.

The original bridges had arches, so when a new bridge was built they artistically recreated the arches look.

Parallel to the river is the Erie Canal with picturesque walkways/bike trails for several miles where you can observe working locks.

Some canal homes across the way.

Next we drove (Carol did all the driving, so I could look) to Cooperstown, known for the Baseball Hall of Fame among other things. We were there for the other things. This road winds around Otsego Lake.