Palisades NJ

Road Trip: Palisades, Pilgrimage, and Niagara Falls

Posted by carol.fletcher@rocketmail.com
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October 25:  Autumn drive across New York to Niagara Falls.  Starting mileage:  31,117.

You have to wonder about a weekday that starts with a drive through Manhattan at 8:00 a.m.  But we were following Siri to Niagara Falls, and that’s what she said we should do.

We eased out of the skinny Best Western parking spot and hit the streets of New York. Our hotel was in Long Island City, Queens, and we could see the crowns of the Queensboro Bridge from our room. Thankfully though, Siri guided us to the hidden foothills of the bridge. We passed over the East River with a herd of food trucks and entered Manhattan at the Silver Cup Studio sign. As we drove north on FDR Drive, through Harlem and the Bronx, and past Yankee Stadium, Siri told us about detours and the lanes we needed to be in. Eventually, we crossed over the Hudson and into New Jersey on the George Washington Bridge.

The Palisades

We drove north with the Hudson to our right. The trees were in full autumn blaze and we stopped for a stroll in the Palisades Scenic Overlook. The wide Hudson River shined below, and Yonkers looked so far away across the water. We walked separately, and together–basking in the fresh air and the flaming reds and oranges of the trees. It was a surprisingly peaceful place for being so close to the chaos of the city.

Mama Lucy overlooking the Hudson River in the wilds of the Palisades, NJ.
Mama Lucy overlooking the Hudson River in the wilds of the Palisades, NJ.
Autumn trees and a stone fence in the Palisades Interstate Park.
Autumn trees and a stone fence in the Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey.
Fall colors on trees along the winding road in the Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey. Steep cliffs down to the Hudson River are just to the left of the road.
Fall colors on trees along the winding road in the Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey. Steep cliffs down to the Hudson River are just to the left of the road.

 

Pilgrimage:  Finding Mark Twain in Elmira

Somewhere along the way, we entered New York again and were now headed northwest across the state. As we skirted past the colorful Catskills, we stopped for lunch at the Roscoe Diner. Lesson #6 of our trip…whenever possible, eat at a local diner. For the next couple of hours, we rode near the Pennsylvania border, passing in and out of New York until we curved north towards Elmira.

Yellow tree in a rest area in Hancock NY, at the Pennsylvania border.
Yellow tree in a rest area in Hancock NY, at the Pennsylvania border.

Back when we were plotting the trip, I realized we would pass through Elmira, a little town that was so special to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain. And since he’s special to me, we paused there to find traces of the man who dreamed up Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain’s Study

First, we found his study on the campus of Elmira College. His in-laws built this cozy room for him on their Quarry Farm hill overlooking Elmira in 1874. Samuel and Olivia and their girls came to visit her sister here every summer and this was where Twain went to write. I’ve seen pictures of him at the window of this study when it was covered in summer vines. Now, here it was–alone in the midst of a busy campus.

I believe he would have mocked the “progress” that necessitated moving his study here among young adults, today with noses glued to cell phones. I smiled, imagining what sardonic thing he’d say about cell phones. The building was closed, so I just held the door knob and peeked in at the small room. A stone fireplace, wooden floor, and walls of windows surrounded a round table. I tried to imagine him sitting and writing, but instead a fleeting image of him pacing and pipe puffing crossed my mind.

In 1874, Mark Twain's in-laws built a study for him to write at Quarry Farm. The octagon-shaped room sat on the top of a knoll overlooking Elmira and is where he wrote major pieces including Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The study was moved to this spot at Elmira College in 1952.
In 1874, Mark Twain’s in-laws built a study for him to write at Quarry Farm. The octagon-shaped room sat on the top of a knoll overlooking Elmira and is where he wrote major pieces including Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The study was moved to this spot at Elmira College in 1952.
The door knob to Mark Twain's study.
The door knob to Mark Twain’s study.

 

Mark Twain’s Grave

Within fifteen minutes of touching his study’s doorknob, I was standing at Samuel Clemens’ grave in Woodlawn Cemetery. Mama walked with me as I read and made photographs of each grave, and then she returned to the car for a rest.

Mark Twain's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira NY. He is buried next to his beloved Olivia, and surrounded by his children.
Mark Twain’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira NY. He is buried next to his beloved Olivia, and they are surrounded by their children.

Meanwhile, I sat down on the cold stone stoop at Mark Twain’s headstone. I thanked him for writing by hand the stories that mean so much and for taking the time to find the right word to give us lightning and not a lightning bug. You know that game about who you’d have at an imaginary dinner party? After family, he’s always my first invitation. I told him that too.

Mark Twain's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira NY. Someone put autumn mums on his grave, but no one has added an epitaph to his stone.
Mark Twain’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira NY. Someone put autumn mums on his grave, but no one has added an epitaph to his stone.

An old dime laid on his grave among acorn bits and leaves and twigs. I picked up a maple’s “helicopter” to keep. I thought of his sarcastic tales of souvenir seekers in The Innocents Abroad and how many bits of “the one true cross” there must be. Of course, he would have laughed at me. And I would have hugged him.

On Mark Twain's grave: an old dime and leaves.
On Mark Twain’s grave: an old dime and leaves.

 

October 25-26:  Niagara Falls

We drove into the rain and the dark. As we neared the town of Niagara, Siri rerouted us because of an accident. We checked in to the Quality Hotel well after sunset, not realizing just how close we were to Niagara Falls.

A lot of people have described Niagara Falls. I should have been prepared. I was not. Mama Lucy and I were shocked and wowed by Niagara Falls…by the scale of it, the mighty sound, the urgent rushing river, the new clouds, the soaking mist, so many rainbows, precarious islands, and those massive falls that drop the river down, down, down. We spent the day there, walking and sitting–taking photos, getting soaked in mist, and admiring the rainbows.

A bird watches us at the Niagara River before the Falls.
From Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, the Niagara River races to the Falls.
Three waterfalls at Niagara Falls, NY.
Three waterfalls at Niagara Falls, NY.
The mighty Niagara Falls as seen from the Observation Tower.
The mighty Niagara Falls as seen from the Observation Tower.
Niagara Falls on a sunny day means rainbows over rainbows!
Niagara Falls on a sunny day means rainbows over rainbows!
From an island in Niagara River, at the falls.
From an island in the Niagara River, at the falls. The Observation Tower in the top right, and the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in the background. 
Niagara Falls creates mist and its own clouds.
Niagara Falls creates mist and its own clouds.
Walking up the path puts you beside and below the thundering, misting Niagara Falls.
Walking up the path puts you beside (and below!) the thundering, misting Niagara Falls.
The Observation Tower above Niagara Falls.
The Observation Tower above Niagara Falls.
Mama Lucy photographing Niagara Falls from the Observation Tower.
Mama Lucy photographing Niagara Falls from the Observation Tower.
Watching the Maid of the Mist approach Niagara Falls for a shower.
Watching the Maid of the Mist approach Niagara Falls for a shower.

Finally, it was on this day that we began making souvenir pennies. Let’s just call that the 7th lesson of the trip:  Always stop at the penny press machine!

Mama Lucy pressing the first souvenir penny at Niagara Falls.
Mama Lucy pressing the first of our souvenir pennies at Niagara Falls.
Mama Lucy surprised me climbing up into this giant chair after our comfort-food dinner at Niagara Falls. What a day of surprises.
Mama Lucy surprised me climbing up into this giant chair after our comfort-food dinner at Niagara Falls. What a day of surprises!
Mama Lucy with rainbow and sunshine at Niagara Falls.
Mama Lucy with rainbow and sunshine at Niagara Falls on a brisk Autumn day.
Carol at Niagara Falls.
Carol at Niagara Falls.

 

Our route from NYC to Niagara Falls

Map of route from Long Island City Queens through Manhattan and north along the Hudson.
Our route from Long Island City Queens through Manhattan and north along the Hudson.
Map of our route from NYC around the Catskills in NY.
Map of our route from NYC around the Catskills in NY.
The map of our route across New York state to Elmira and Niagara.
Our route across New York state to Elmira and Niagara.

You can read more about our decision to take this trip here. Select photos will be available on Etsy soon.

Thanks for reading!