SEPT 17th - 19th Border to Elmira,New York

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Continuing from the border to Skowhegan, Maine was pretty country after we got off  Hwy. 95. The main thing we noticed was that Fall has come. I was sick so we stopped early and I slept all afternoon. The motel was a nice little Mom and Pop business, where the couple did everything from laundry to cooking breakfast. They heated up some soup for me that Steve had brought from a restaurant and asked after me the next morning.



Ferry Landing on East side of Lake Champlain



Sunday the 18th, was more lovely scenery and changing leaves. We stopped at a covered bridge that was built solely for agricultural use. IE: So the farmers could get to their fields. It is built very tall so a load of hay could pass through and have a cattle gate inside the bridge. Because of all the flooding in the area it is the only agricultural bridge that has survived. The ferry across Lake Champlain was short and very pretty with the colours of the changing leaves. We stayed the night in Lake Placid, and the next morning were disappointed to find that there is no public access to the lake itself. The nearby Mirror Lake was pretty though. How many more ways can I say 'beautiful scenery'. The Adirondack Mountains were yet again another gorgeous drive.  

Then in the Finger Lakes area we started to look for a place to sleep. We didn't realize that due to the severe flooding of the Susquehanna River, all the hotels in the area would be full. Not only were the families whose homes were flooded, in the hotels but all the FEMA responders, as well as the contractors come to fix the damages.  It took us over 3 hours and 60 miles of checking every hotel we passed to finally find a bed in Elmira, New York. All the damaged areas were covered in silt. We could see the water line on the trees along the highway and peoples possessions were piled up in front of their houses, waiting to be taken to the dump. 70% of the businesses in one town were shut down due to flood damage. It was very sad.
Anyway, it was our last night together for awhile, so we all went out for a nice Italian dinner. Richard and Linde were heading North for a family visit in Winnepeg, and Steve and I to Chicago to visit our dear friends,  Mike and Lanky.