Thursday, Aug 11
We took I-190 down to Buffalo and then I-90 along the Lake Eire coastline most of the way. There was an accident with a 30+ minute delay on I-90 just past Ripley, NY, so we took the suggested detour on US-20 through the village of North East for the last 12 miles of the trip. The campground was in the middle of a farming area, and we had to take a couple of miles of gravel road to get there.
Family Affair Campground
We arrived and checked in around 1:30. We were given a small drive-through gravel site overlooking green space and one of their fishing ponds. It did not have any shade. The transient sites were separated from the seasonal sites, which were farther back in some woods. The campground was large and occupied mainly by seasonal campers farther back into the woods, although most of the sites looked like the campers had stayed there year long.
When I hooked up my power, I only had about 104 volts, which was too low for my voltage regulator to pass electricity to the camper. I was able to get ahold of the campground owners, and after they checked the plug, they revealed that this was an ongoing problem and that there was nothing they could do about it. They had only owned the campground for a few months and were working with the local power company to fix it. I had to bypass my voltage regulator and surge protector to get electricity to the camper, which did not make me happy. Though I could run my air conditioner, I read that low voltage can degrade electronic components, so I hoped I was not causing permanent damage.
After we set up camp, I booked us for a Presque Isle Boat Tour at 5 pm. We left around 3 pm and headed toward Presque Isle, an hour away.
Presque Isle State Park
We drove straight to Eire and then down its coastline on Bayfront Drive to the entrance of Presque Isle State Park.
Presque Isle, which means “almost an island” in French, is a state park on a 5.6-mile peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie from Erie, Pennsylvania. It is sandy and marshy and continually impacted by erosion and deposition. Gull Point Natural Area is at the peninsula’s tip and is a protected habitat for resting, breeding, and nesting shorebirds. This area is restricted from April 1st to October 31st except for a trail and an observation platform. There are 13 different beaches at Presque Isle, but you can only swim on them from noon to 7:30 pm when lifeguards are present.
We were to meet our tour boat at around 5:15 at a dock near the Perry Monument. We arrived about 30 minutes early and decided to drive to the Presque Isle Lighthouse.
Presque Isle Lighthouse was opened in 1873 and sits on the northern shoreline of Presque Isle State Park. The brick tower is 68 feet tall, with a focal height of 73 feet. It is attached to a four-bedroom residence used by the lighthouse keeper. It was declared surplus by the Coast Guard in 1997 and given to the State of Pennsylvania.
When we got back, we walked over to the 101-foot Perry Monument. The Monument commemorates the victory of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie. September 10th, 1813.
Presque Isle Boat Tours – Lady Kate
We departed at 5 pm from the dock near the Perry Monument on a 65-foot boat called the Lady Kate. The Lady Kate is certified to carry up to 64 passengers but we had less than half of that. Most of the seating area had a roof over it, but we chose to sit in the uncovered stern of the boat.
We started in Misery Bay, where the guide told us about Admiral Perry, the War of 1812, and the Battle of Lake Erie. While the battle occurred off the shores of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, Misery Bay is where the ships endured hardship during the winter of 1813–1814 after the men returned there from the battle. As we moved into Presque Isle Bay, the discussion turned into a discussion about the history of Erie. Then, as we entered the lake, we learned about Lake Eire and the Gull Point Nature Preserve. We then followed the Presque Isle coastline, intending to make it to the Presque Isle Lighthouse, but the lake became too choppy, and we had to turn back. Since the cruise in Lake Eire was cut short, they extended our cruise along the Eire skyline and Presque Isle Bay before returning to the dock.
We got back to the dock around 6:30.
Sara’s Restaurant
After the cruise, we decided to stop at Sara’s Restaurant. Sara’s Restaurant is a classic burger and ice cream joint at the entrance to Presque Isle State Park. It was hectic, and the parking lot was tough to maneuver around with our big pickup truck, but I could find a spot. It had a lot of fun with 50’s era decor inside and outside the restaurant. They had a large drive-thru business, but much of it came from the next-door campground they owned. I ordered a Foot-long Smiths Hot Dog and onion rings, and Lisa got the regular Frank’s Hot Dog and Curly Fries. We also both got milkshakes.
Evening
After dinner, we returned to the campsite. We were back at the camper at 9:30 pm.
Friday, Aug 12
We took off around 9:30 and headed southwest along Lake Eire.
Eire Land Lighthouse
Our first stop was the Eire Land Lighthouse. This was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Though I did not intend to climb in it, I decided to pay the $6 entrance fee after talking with the docent there.
The Erie Land Lighthouse was the first commissioned lighthouse along the Great Lakes. It was positioned on a cliff overlooking the entrance to Presque Isle Bay, which is now the foot of Lighthouse Street in Erie, PA. The original structure was a 20-foot-high square wooden tower with an enclosed lantern room. This lighthouse aided travelers for nearly 50 years before the structure began to fail and had to be replaced in 1857. The new tower was 56 feet high, round, and constructed of “Cream City Bricks” from Milwaukee with a spiral cast iron staircase and a 16 ft lantern room. The soft ground and poor foundation proved to be a problem, and 10 years later, in 1867, the current lighthouse was constructed 200 feet east of the original site. To ensure this light’s longevity, it was built with a 20-foot foundation of oak timbers, crushed limestone, and Portland cement to support the round brick tower with Berea sandstone exterior. The lighthouse operated until 1880, when it was discontinued and reestablished in 1884 after public protest. The light remained active until 1899, when it was finally closed.
Eire Sign
We then continued into the city of Eire to Bayfront Park, where a 10-foot-wide, 5-foot-high “Eire” art project sits on a bluff overlooking Presque Isle Bay. After taking our pictures, we sat on a swinging bench, enjoying the view for a few minutes.
As we left the park, we drove through the poorest zip code in the United States, 16501, where the average household income is only about $10,000. Eire is one of the poorest cities in the country, and the average annual salary of an Erie resident is around $19,000 a year. Once a thriving industrial city, it was severely impacted when many manufacturing jobs were lost post-WWII. The East Side is starkly poorer than the West Side. Of Erie residents, 47% of the Black population lives at or below the poverty line. Over 15 percent of Erie County residents live below the poverty level. That percentage increases to over 25 percent in Erie, with 10 percent living in impoverished neighborhoods.
Schaefers Auto Art
Schaefer’s Auto Art is home to various sculptures made from recycled metal and automotive parts located in someone’s front yard a short distance south of downtown Erie. There is no parking, but we parked on the street and wandered around the various art pieces, including a bumble bee, spider, rocketship, automation, a two-headed dinosaur, and more!
Schaefer’s Auto Art began in 1988 when creator Dick Schaefer became interested in this unique style of artistic expression. From there, his art took off, turning old automobiles into some of the most inventive and unique pieces you’ll see anywhere.
While we were walking around, the owner and his family drove up the driveway and waved. There was a mailbox with feedback cards and pens where you could leave notes for the artist.
Lake Eire Community Park
We returned to the coast and continued driving west toward Eire Bluffs State Park.
Erie Bluffs State Park is a 587-acre park along the Lake Erie shoreline with a one-mile shoreline and 90-foot bluffs. We discovered the park was a low-impact natural area, and you could not drive through it. There was only a parking lot near the entrance, and you had to hike to get to the bluffs..
We decided to backtrack a couple of miles to the Lake Eire Community Park which let us drive up to the coast. This park also had high sandy bluffs overlooking Lake Eire. There we pulled out our chairs and had lunch while overlooking the lake.
Pymatuning Spillway
Linesville, a small town with a population of around 1,100, is affectionately known as “Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish” and is home to The Pymatuning Spillway. This spillway is part of the Pymatuning Dam, built in 1934 to control flooding, and with its creation, the largest lake in Pennsylvania was formed. The spillway has a large parking lot beside a sidewalk with guard rails along the shoreline. When we walked up to the guard rail and looked into the water, we saw hordes of ugly, creepy, writhing carp gaping back at us.
Since the 1930s, tourists have fed bread to the thousands of giant carp gathered at the spillway. The fish are so dense that legend says that ducks can be spotted walking over the surface of the fish (though we saw ducks and geese fighting for the bread, we did not see them walk on the fish). A local study found that, on average, tourists feed the fish an average of 2.4 pounds of bread per visitor. Many families were there with excited children running around with loaves of bread.
The concession stand sells a loaf of bread for a buck, but down the road at “The Bread House,” you can buy five loaves for three dollars. Because the bread is causing environmental issues, the state tried to ban its use and force them to use fish pellets, but people brought the bread anyway, so they gave up.
Pymatuning Deer Park
We then drove to the lake’s southernmost point, Pymatuning Deer Park near Jamestown. As we drove through Jamestown, we stopped at a quirky display in front of a building featuring Wonder Woman in a phone booth, a big Adirondack chair, and a silhouette of Snoopy on a dog house.
Pymatuning Deer Park is a family-owned and operated Animal Park located at the southernmost point of Pymatuning Lake in Jamestown, PA. Established in 1953, it was more like a small zoo than a park where we got to feed the animals.
One of the highlights was feeding the Parakeets in the Budgie Barn. We had to buy popsicle sticks with bird seeds stuck on them and walk into the cage where we were swarmed. Some people had no birds landing on them, but I had a dozen at a time. One parakeet was more interested in nibbling on me than the birdseed. No matter what I did to shoo it away, it returned.
We also saw a short show under a pavilion where they introduced us to some exotic animals and another show where we saw a pig race. We ate our packed lunch in their snack bar area with their permission.
We learned later that PETA won a lawsuit against Deer Park last February, forcing the park to give up some birds, lemurs, a bear, and three big cats. The animal rights agencies claimed that animals protected under the Endangered Species Act have endured mistreatment at the park. The animals were moved into the custody of The Wild Animal Sanctuary. PETA still has other ongoing suits against the park, including accusations of mistreatment of animals that had died recently in their care.
PennDOT Road Sign Sculpture Garden
On our way back north, we stopped at the PennDOT Road Sign Sculpture Garden in Meadville, PA. Officially named “Read Between the Signs,” the sculpture garden is a nearly quarter-mile-long fence covered with colorful art made from repurposed road signs. The fence encloses a large maintenance area belonging to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). On a small knoll in the corner of their parking lot is another art piece of repurposed road signs titled “Signs and Flowers.”
Amara Geffen, an art professor at nearby Allegheny College, worked with PennDOT and her students to create this sculpture. They began work in 2001 and spent a decade completing the art piece.
Along the sculpture garden’s 10-foot mural wall, you will find oceanic waves made of blue hospital signs, a barn constructed from red stop signs, and an adjacent silo made of white junction signs. Turkeys, sombreros, oil wells, kayakers, farm animals, a roller coaster, rainbow hot air balloons, and Allegheny College’s Bentley Hall. There is even a Ferris Wheel that can be rotated.
We parked in the PennDOT front parking lot, which was empty, and I walked the entire length of the sculpture, admiring the work.
Family Affair Campground
We returned to the camper around 7:30 pm, just in time to see the campground gathering for Bingo at the pavilion in their golf carts. We decided not to participate because of COVID. Since it was Friday night, all the transient spots looked like they had been filled. It was a popular campground. We heard Bingo numbers being called out over the loudspeaker late into the night because the pavilion was only about 100 yards away. Bingo did not end until after 11 pm, and then I heard someone driving around the campground with a megaphone announcing the 50-50 raffle winners.
Saturday, Aug 13
We left the camper around 9:25 am and headed east along the Lake Eire coast back into New York.
Abraham Lincoln meets Grace Bedell
Our first stop was to see the “Abraham Lincoln meets Grace Bedell” sculpture in Westfield, which had an interesting story.
A few weeks before he was elected President, Lincoln received a letter from Grace Bedell, an 11-year-old girl from Westfield, New York, who urged him to grow a beard to improve his appearance to help him get elected. In Lincoln’s response of October 19, 1860, he gave no promises but, a month later, allowed his beard to grow. By the time Lincoln left his Illinois home to start his inaugural journey to Washington, D.C., he wore a full beard. The trip took him by rail through New York state, where he stopped briefly in Westfield on February 16, 1861. Once at the train station, he called into the crowd for Grace. When they finally met, Mr. Lincoln stopped, kissed the child, and talked with her for some minutes.
We then walked through the farmer’s market in the park across the street from the sculpture. We bought a vanilla scone, Amish donuts, blueberries, and cherry tomatoes for later. We had to make room in our cooler since we were out for the day.
Barcelona Lighthouse
We then continued down the coast to the Barcelona Lighthouse.
Finished in 1829, the Barcelona Lighthouse (Portland Harbor) was the country’s first natural gas lighthouse. The 40-foot conical tower was constructed using native, rough-split fieldstone, with a base diameter of twenty-two feet. The outer ends of the wooden treads in the spiral staircase were embedded in the tower’s masonry, while a massive timber standing at the tower’s center supported the inner ends. A keeper’s dwelling and outhouse were fashioned out of the same local materials, and, like the lighthouse, they were each given a double coat of whitewash. It was in the Federal Lighthouse Service until 1859. At that time, it became privately held through various owners until 2008, when the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation acquired it. Though it is no longer used for navigational purposes, it is still lit and visible today through an agreement with the Town of Westfield.
We did not go up into the tower, but we did walk through the lighthouse keeper’s house, where one room was set up as a general tourist information center and the other a tiny museum.
Lake Eire Grape Discovery Center
We then continued east to the Lake Eire Grape Discovery Center, the official Visitor’s Center for the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt managed by the Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association.
The Concord Grape Belt is located along the southeastern shores of Lake Erie in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. It is the largest and oldest Concord grape-growing region globally. The Concord grape is native to North America, and it was brought to western New York in the 1870s, where the temperament climate, geography, and loamy soil proved to be very suitable for its production. Today, approximately 30,000 acres of grape vineyards are along a 50-mile stretch of the Lake Erie shoreline between Silver Creek, NY, and Harborcreek, PA.
The Center had a large gift shop and exhibit room. There were interactive exhibits that allowed us to see, touch, smell, and feel different components that make this area unique. The gift shop was filled with “grapey” apparel, art, vinaigrettes and sauces, and crafts made by local artisans. We could also taste some different types of grape jam and a few types of regional wines.
Welch’s Factory
While still in Westfield, we passed a large Welch’s factory. The largest Welch manufacturing plant is in the northeast of PA.
Dunkirk
We continued along Lake Eire until we reached the city of Dunkirk and Point Gratiot Park on the western headland of Dunkirk Harbor. We drove through the lovely park with picnic tables, playgrounds, and bluffs overlooking a wide beach and Lake Eire.
As we approached the Point proper, Point Gratiot Park gave way to Dunkirk Lighthouse Park. Here, Dunkirk Light sits where the sandy beach gives way to exposed limestone and shale bedrock at the waterline. Also known as Point Gratiot Light, this lighthouse was established in 1827 to guide ships to the safety of Dunkirk Harbor. The current 61-ft tower was first lit in 1875, automated in 1960, and is still operational. The square-shaped tower is made of rubble stone encased in brick, with the lantern housing in red, the upper two-thirds in white, and the lower third left natural. The foundation is made out of dressed stone. The lighthouse keeper’s house was converted into a military and maritime museum.
We walked around the grounds, which had various maritime and military displays. The South Buffalo North Side Light, formerly in Buffalo Harbor, is at the park entrance.
We then drove back to Point Gratiot Park, set up our chairs on one of the bluffs overlooking the lake, and ate lunch.
Lily Dale Assembly
We continued to drive along the coast until we reached Silver Creek, and then we turned around and headed south to Lily Dale.
Lily Dale is a hamlet located on Upper Cassadaga Lake with a year-round population of about 275 people and 160 private residences. It is the world’s largest center for spiritual development and the practice of the Spiritualist religion. Each year, approximately 22,000 visitors come for classes, workshops, public church services, mediumship demonstrations, lectures, and private appointments with mediums.
It was 2 pm when we arrived, and we were surprised to see that the community was gated. Lisa’s admission fee was $15, but mine was free because I was a veteran. The fee included admission to the grounds and a glossy brochure with a schedule of the complimentary sessions and events that day. Since it was late, we almost decided to turn around, but we decided to go in anyway.
I did not know anything about Lily Dale except that it was a community of spiritualists, so I did not know what there was to see. We followed the map to a parking lot and then decided to stroll over to The Inspiration Stump in their wooded area called Leolyn Woods. Inspiration Stump is known as a spiritual energy vortex, so it is a sacred place for the spiritualist community.
As we walked toward the woods, we admired the beautiful Victorian homes throughout the hamlet. Some were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags, and others with fairies and mushrooms. Most homes had a sign in front of them stating the name of the registered Medium.
A large group of people was leaving the woods when we arrived. We learned later that during the summer, Inspiration Stump is used twice a day as a site for spiritual services. We had just missed their afternoon service.
We saw a sign pointing to their pet cemetery as we entered the woods, so we decided to visit it first. The path through the graveyard wound through the woods, where we saw little statuary and memorials. This cemetery has been a resting place for the beloved pets of Lily Dale residents since 1900.
We then walked over to Inspiration Stump, which had a bunch of wooden benches in front of it. We found that it was no longer a wooden stump but a concrete platform that looked like a stump with stairs leading to its top.
We then continued on a path through the woods, marked with various information signs that talked about the trees and other natural features within the woods.
We walked through the hamlet, admiring all the homes when we exited the forest. We peeked into their auditorium, which seemed to be giving an orientation, and then we strolled past their cafe, restaurant, and hotel. We continued our walk to the Lily Dale Community Beach, just a gazebo and boat launch near the lake. The pond there was filled with lilies, which inspired the hamlet’s name. We then walked the Boulevard Nature Trail before looping back into the town. We walked to the Forest Temple, where people gathered for an upcoming service, so we decided to stay.
Since about 30 minutes before the service began, I decided to explore the nearby Fox Sisters Memorial, the Gazebo, the Healing Temple, and the museum.
The Fox Cottage of the Fox sisters fame was moved from Hydesville, NY, and transported to Lily Dale in 1915, although on September 21, 1955, it was destroyed by fire. The spot where it sat was made into a memorial.
The Healing Temple is the only place where healing is approved and endorsed by the Lily Dale Assembly. It is prohibited to conduct healings in our public buildings or on the grounds of Lily Dale. Each summer, a meditation service, and two spiritual healing services occur here. Since the sessions had occurred earlier in the day, I did not go into the building.
The Lily Dale Museum is in a historic one-room schoolhouse filled with photos, artifacts, documents, and memorabilia from the early days of the Spiritualist movement in Lily Dale. Highlights of the museum included a section dedicated to Susan B. Anthony and the women’s suffrage movement; various tools used to communicate with Spirits, such as chalkboards, spirit paintings, and spirit trumpets; and a collection of signs that belonged to the mediums of Lily Dale who have passed on.
I then returned to the Forest Temple, where we saw a spiritualist service led by a local, registered medium. More than a half-dozen local and visiting mediums students took turns delivering messages from the Spirits to individuals in attendance. An example of the dialogue:
“I’ve got a gentleman here. He is sort of a lumbering character, big and clumsy, and I see a beard. In life, he had a job similar to yours. Is this connecting with you?” The medium would provide a little more description if necessary until the person acknowledged that they knew who they were talking about. Then, the medium would deliver a message that generally expresses love and positive affirmation.
After the service, we walked down the fairy trail, a fun collection of miniature porcelain and clay figurines and fairy houses on another winding trail through the woods.
Campground
When we left Lily Dale, we headed back to the campground. We returned to the camper around 6:20. That evening, the campground had a DJ at the pavilion that played loudly and well past midnight.
Sunday, Aug 14
I left the camper at about 10 am and drove east to Chautauqua Lake.
Jamestown
We drove along the shore to the southern tip of the lake to the city of Jamestown, the hometown of Lucille Ball.
Lucille Ball Memorial Park
We first stopped at the Lucille Ball Memorial Park to see the Lucille Ball statues and the Celoron Lighthouse. There are two statues of Lucille Ball ]in this small park; one has been nicknamed “Scary Lucy,” and the other “Lovely Lucy,” and it was not hard to see why. “Scary Lucy” was installed in the park in 2009, and it became an internet sensation because it gave Lucy a zombie-like appearance. “Lovely Lucy” was installed in 2016 with a much prettier likeness, but because of the popularity of “Scary Lucy,” both statues exist in the park 75 feet apart.
The Celoron lighthouse sat in the parking lot next to the lakeshore. It was relatively small and unimpressive, but it was a lighthouse! I could never find any information about its purpose. Standing near the lighthouse gave us a great view of the lake, which was very crowded with houses.
Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum
We then drove into the downtown area of Jamestown to visit the Lucy-Desi Museum and the National Comedy Museum. The Lucy-Desi Museum opened in 1996, and the National Comedy Museum spun off in 2018. We first visited the Lucy-Desi Museum and bought a combo ticket to both museums. We were given a wristband, which we were told would become more critical when we got to the National Comedy Museum.
The Lucy-Desi Museum was divided into two buildings: one dedicated to Lucy and Ricki, the show, and one to Lucy and Desi, the actors. The museum featured exact re-creations of studio sets, including Ricky Ricardos’ New York City apartment, Hollywood hotel suite, and the Tropicana Room. The sets were roped off, but for $10, the staff would let you go into the area, and they would take your picture. Other displays and memorabilia included screen-used costumes and props, Emmy Awards, Ricky’s bongo drums, film footage, and scripts from this legendary TV series. The second building had a lot of information about their life and the Desi Arnez Studios.
National Comedy Center
We had to walk a few blocks to the National Comedy Center. When we arrived, we scanned our wristbands at a kiosk where we chose our favorite comedians, TV shows, and movies from current selections to back in the 50s. We then walked through about 50 immersive exhibits in the museum that became customized to our tastes. As we entered each section, we scanned our bracelets, and the displays or films would change based on our preferences. The same information would be presented, using examples of stand-up performances, movies, TV and radio shows, cartoons, or other forms of comedy that we preferred and could relate to.
There were green screen rooms where we could try our hand at being comics and plenty of static displays and memorabilia about the history and evolution of comedy. They even provided earbuds so you can listen to exhibits without disturbing others. There was an auditorium with a holographic tribute to Johnny Carson hosted by Jimmy Fallon that featured his original stage curtains. In the basement was an age-restricted area to explore more “blue” humor.
We spent almost four hours there as there were plenty of things to do and see and places to sit and watch the endless presentations.
JWilly’s Que and Cream
It was about 5 pm when we left the National Comedy Center, so we Googled local popular restaurants. We first drove down to The Fifties Grill & Dairy but because it looked too new and we wanted something a little more “local”, we drove back to an outdoor restaurant we passed that seemed more authentic.
JWilly’s Que and Cream is a street-side family-run BBQ restaurant operating out of a shipping container with picnic tables out front. I got their Combo Plate that included ½ chicken, ⅓ rack of ribs, and a great macaroni salad. Lisa got their Pork Bowl, which included Pulled Pork served over fries. The owner came and sat with us and asked about the food, and I admitted that though it was good, I usually prefer a less smoky taste. He then sat with us for a while, and we talked about various things, including the local area, his business, and Kansas City BBQ.
After dinner, we headed back to the campsite and were back at the camper around 6:30 pm. The weekenders were gone and the campsite was much quieter.
Monday, Aug 15
Though Lisa had started coughing the day before, it got a lot worse overnight, so we decided that she should test herself with one of the free COVID test kits we had with us. Unfortunately, our worst fears were realized when she tested positive. She immediately masked and stayed that way for the next two weeks.
We packed up, left around 11 am, and headed to Punderson State Park outside Cleveland.