Central Vermont

 We scooted next door to one of our very favorite destinations last week, Lake Champagne Campground near Randolph, VT.  We've stayed here 3 or 4 times, going back to summer 2017 on our way to Newfoundland.  Here are some pics from the latest visit.

Good old spot A3 at Lake Champagne.  You get a ton of room, a great view, peace and quiet, 

all for a reasonable price.

Ottauquechee River

This was something new for us in Vermont, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.

It's a preserved mansion and grounds, dedicated to some rich folks that were champions of 

preservation.  That hill over behind us, above our heads, was clear cut when they built the mansion

in the 1880s, along with about 80% of Vermont.  They cut so much the hills were melting into the streams.  Good to see the turnaround, because the entire state is again blanketed with mature trees.

Stairway in the foyer.  Pretty grand for 1885.  It remained a private residence

until the late 1990s, but the family did a good job preserving a lot of antiques.

Front porch.

Another view of the mansion.  You can visit the grounds free of charge, really pretty.  We paid $6 to

see the inside, thank you National Park system!

Upstate New York

 I'm getting lazy, too long since the last entry.  Moving east, we stayed in 3 separate areas of New York.  First, we camped near Lake Chautauqua in the western part of the state.  It's a lovely area, and we were invited for a visit with some MacDill friends if we were passing through, so of course, we stopped!  After a few days there, we headed east to the Finger Lakes region to stay at a campground we've used a couple times before when visiting the area, Cayuga Wine Trail Campground, formerly Snedacre's.  We were there for 10 days through the 4th of July holiday.  After that, we moved on to someplace new, the Saratoga Springs area.  We'd been in the Adirondacks before, but never this particular area.  We were at Saratoga RV Park, about half way between Glen Falls and Saratoga Springs.  It was a great week, some pics from the last few weeks.

Atheneum Hotel at the Chautauqua Institution

MacDill friends Brian and Michelle

Nice waterfall hike to Taughannock Falls near Ithaca, NY

Buttermilk Falls.  Lots of folks came out during the Heat Dome, almost 100 degrees

I honestly don't remember the name of these falls, somewhere in the Finger Lakes region

I lucked into an open mic night on Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake from Wagner Vineyards

Moving on to the Saratoga Springs area, we had to visit the final residence of 

President Grant.  He was finishing his memoirs, suffering from late stage 

throat cancer, and a wealthy friend put him and his family up on

Mount McGregor in this house/hotel.  He was photographed sitting

right where I am.  The actual chair he was sitting in is inside.  We got a personal

tour of the downstairs where he lived and wrote for the final 6 weeks of his life.  His bio on 

Netflix was really good.

View from the top of Mount McGregor

The actual flower arrangements used for Grant's funeral, 

fresh cut flowers individually dipped in wax still recognizable after

140 years

Grant Cottage

Our spot at Saratoga RV Park, nice corner lot