Happy Holiday

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I am taking this week off.  Enjoy your Holiday, I will be back next week with a new destination!

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Howe Caverns, New York

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  A recent trip through the Catskill Mountains in New York provided an opportunity to revisit one of the favorite tourist attractions of my youth. My family used to rent a bungalow in the Catskills, and Howe Caverns was a place we visited every year.  Howe Caverns Reception Center. CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=165578696 Howe Caverns is a limestone cave system, complete with a river passing through it that is named the River Styx. The caves were discovered in 1842, when Lester Howe noticed that, on hot days, his cows would gather in the same spot, near some bushes. When he investigated, he found cool air streaming out of a hole in the hillside. He dug out the entrance, and began leading tours in the caves in 1843. Unfortunately, over the years Howe ran into financial difficulties, and had to sell off his land. The area around the caves was bought by a quarry company, and they closed off public access. In 1927 an organization was formed to reopen t...
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The Locks of the Erie Canal

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There is something about setting a series of tasks for yourself, especially if there is a time limit to complete them. It sets in your mind. After an initial burst of energy it becomes zen, a focus that blocks out other things. In this case I gave myself 33 tasks and 72 hours. Some were longer than others. Some were more interesting. I set out to photographs every lock on the Erie Canal. This year is the bicentennial of the beginning of construction on the original Erie Canal. Finished in 1825, the Erie Canal opened the west to the direct transport of goods. Prior to that everything had to be taken by cart over land. The canal spurred the settlement of western New York and Pennsylvania by taking a trip of up to 45 days and shortening it to about 9. It provided a faster and cheaper way for farmers to send grain to the cities along the coast and for industries in those cities to send manufactured goods to new settlers. It also allowed industry to develop along the rivers ...
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Callicoon NY is a beautiful place to visit

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