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Published: October 28th 2007
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Day 60 - Obfuscator writes: We had been forewarned that we would have rain all day, and this was indeed borne out by subsequent events. Vowing not to have a hideously boring driving day, we decided to do our best to get in position for the following day, while still seeing some of the sights of upstate New York. After examination of our atlas, we found that there were a number of battlefields and forts on our way up to Watertown, as well as Boldt Castle up in the Watertown area, all of which could put us in position for the Adirondacks on Day 61, and it would keep us on a scenic drive along Lake Ontario.
Our first stop was at Fort Ontario in Oswego. Fort Ontario looked really neat, but like everything in New York, was closed for the season. We've become fairly convinced that the only reason Niagara Falls is still open is because of the illegal Canadian immigration on which much of New York's economy depends. Fort Ontario was apparently a strategically critical post that was inevitably surrendered every time it was attacked, first by the British, then by the French, then by the British, then
by the Americans, and then by the British again (they're a perennial favorite). The United States was apparently convinced enough of its use as a concession to keep it in service until 1901. It did have an interesting cemetery we were able to slog into that had British and American soldiers buried in it.
Oswego in general looked like a nifty town, complete with a huge and pretty Baptist Church. We didn't linger in it though, and moved on north toward the town of Sackett's Harbor. On the way we found the Battle of Sandy Creek, where American forces defeated British forces who were attempting to disrupt their supply lines in the war of 1812. A bit north of there, at Sackett's Harbor, we found a lovely little maritime town, which was one of the American's largest shipbuilding ports in the war. Sackett's Harbor was attacked by the British and Canadian forces twice during the war, and was successfully defended both times. The post stayed active for quite a while, and apparently U.S. Grant spent part of his career stationed there with his wife. They have a museum all about Sackett's Harbor and the battlefield, but it was closed
for the season.
Watertown was nearby, and provided a useful lunch break of gyros. The nearby Starbucks was intended to provide a wireless connection for some quick research on our next destinations. Now, in case any of you are under any misapprehensions about the nature of Starbucks, let me be the first to warn you that it is basically a useless and incredibly poorly run corporation, and the only reason it is able to stay in business let alone be profitable is because of the addictions of weak-minded slobs. Yet another blight on our society that can be blamed on addicts. If you would like to use the Starbucks' wireless connection, you get to pay T-Mobile $10 for a single day pass or, steal of all steals, you can pay T-Mobile $30 for access from *gasp* any T-Mobile hotspot for an entire month! That way if I'm an addict who spends every waking moment in Starbucks, I can get internet access all the time! Outstanding!
We drove up to Thousand Islands, where Boldt Castle is located. The town of Alexandria Bay is charming, or at least I think it would be if anything were open. It's also quite
the tourist trap. Boldt Castle, it turns out, closes in mid-October, and the last day they were open for the season was last weekend. The castle is only accessible by boat, but you can see it from shore. It's gorgeous, even in the rain. Perhaps someday we'll make it back there to see it in the sun. On our way back toward Watertown we stopped by a giant hedge maze that looked pretty fun. As you may have guessed, it was closed. Watertown itself also boasts many fascinating looking stone churches, all of which were, presumably, closed.
After a lot of closed places all day long, we decided it was time to head in the Adirondacks, where while everything may be closed for the season, at least the landscape is always open. We drove through a lot more rain, and eventually stopped in the tiny village of Cranberry Lake, where we found a decently priced motel (though with no phone or internet), and a fairly good dinner on the Lake.
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