Monday, Aug 1
As we drove south, we could see the Adirondack Mountains off to our right, which was beautiful.
Whispering Pines Campground
We arrived at Whispering Pines Campground around 1300. This campground was eight miles from Saratoga. We were only going to be here for two nights.
Saratoga National Historical Park
After we set up, we took off to see Saratoga National Historical Park. We got to the Visitor Center about an hour before closing to see a 20-minute orientation film, a fiber-optic light map, and a timeline and artifact display about the battle. We also joined a ranger talk about “camp followers,” which was very interesting. I especially enjoyed hearing about the difference between the camp followers of the English and American armies.
We then drove around the Saratoga battlefield. The Battles of Saratoga in 1777 marked the climax of the English Saratoga campaign, which gave a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion army of 7,200 men southward from Canada to take Albany, New York. He fought two battles 18 days apart on the same ground. Though he won the first battle, we lost the second and had to surrender his entire army. News of the surrender was instrumental in formally bringing France into the war as an American ally, although it had previously given military aid.
The historic site had several pull-offs where you could see the two significant battlefields. The British and American lines were marked with painted posts. There are a few cannons scattered about to show probable firing positions. Several monuments to military forces and leaders also dotted the battlefields. Though the leadership of Benedict Arnold is considered instrumental in America’s success, he only has a small unnamed monument to him nicknamed the “boot monument” since it only displays a general’s boot.
Several pull-offs were under repair, but plenty of turnoffs were available to understand the terrain better.
Saratoga Surrender Site Memorial Park
We then drove to the Saratoga Surrender Site Memorial Park about nine miles away. This marked the precise location where British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army to General Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777. The park included some explanatory plaques, signage, and two cannons.
Saratoga Battle Monument
The Saratoga Battle Monument is a 155-foot granite obelisk located in the village of Victory that commemorates the surrender of British forces led by General John Burgoyne to the Americans under General Horatio Gates. Statues on each side have life-size bronze statues of the American commanders associated with the Battle of Saratoga: Horatio Gates (North), Philip Schuyler (East), and Daniel Morgan (West). An empty niche was originally for Benedict Arnold (South). It was closed when we arrived, so we could not go inside.
We were back to the camper around 7 pm, where we ate dinner and settled in for the night.
Tuesday, Aug 2
Saratoga
We left the camper around 10:00 am and headed toward Saratoga. We found a parking spot across from the Saratoga Spring Visitor Center in Congress Park. We immediately saw two mineral fountains, so we took some glasses I had brought to try the water. The first fountain was not very cool, and you could taste the heavy minerals. The second fountain was much colder and had fewer minerals.
We then walked over to the visitor center in a 1915 building known historically as “The Drinkhall.” It was built as a trolley station and had a very decorative front. Inside, there were cases of brochures, but some of the original structures, such as benches and a drinking bar, still existed. The people inside were very helpful and friendly.
We then returned to the small park and walked around Congress Park. It was formerly the site of the Congress Hotel, a large resort hotel, the Congress Spring Bottling Plant, and the 1870 Canfield Casino, which brought Saratoga Springs international fame as a health spa and gambling site. At the peak of its popularity, it was where the wealthy, prominent gamblers and stars of the entertainment world mingled.
Crescent Power Plant
On our way to Cohoes Falls, we passed Crescent Power Plant. We pulled over at the boat launch near it to look at their spillway.
Cohoes Falls
We then headed toward Falls View Park, where we could see Cohoes Falls. The four-acre Falls View Park is adjacent to a hydroelectric plant and offers a great view of the scenic Cohoes Falls that spans the Mohawk River between Cohoes and Waterford, New York.
The Cohoes Falls, also called The Great Falls of the Mohawk, were regarded as the second-most beautiful cataract in New York State after Niagara. Cohoes comes from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) word, which means “a boat is in the water / is actively submerged.” In the oral and written tradition of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), the falls are where The Great Peacemaker performed a feat of supernatural strength, convincing the Kanyenkehaka (Mohawks) to become the founding nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
Oakwood Cemetery
Samuel Wilson moved from Massachusetts to Troy, N.Y., in his early 20s and built a meatpacking business. During the War of 1812, he shipped barrels of beef to the Army stamped with the letters “U.S.,” which soldiers joked stood for Uncle Sam. After the war, the Uncle Sam moniker grew, especially after the iconic “I Want You” poster was created in 1817. The legend of Uncle Sam grew over time, eventually evolving into the image of a white-bearded man wearing the stars and stripes. The image became particularly iconic during World War I and World War II. Others had claimed they were Uncle Sam, but Congress passed a resolution in 1961 that Samuel Wilson was the official Uncle Sam.
He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, which has a simple tombstone that lists his name, age, and death date. Then, his granddaughter erected a much larger stone and brass plaque on the spot 77 years later, declaring that Samuel had been Uncle Sam. A flagpole went up nearby, its stars and stripes dutifully raised and lowered by local Boy Scouts.
The cemetery also contains grave sites of civil war generals, industrialists, and pioneer female educators. The most significant building on the property is the Gardner Earl Memorial Chapel and Crematorium, built in the 1880s. We did not go inside, but it is noted for its imported marble walls, oak ceilings, bluestone floors, and five original Tiffany stained glass windows.
Big Moose Deli and Country Store
We then headed to the Benning Battle Monument. On the way, we passed the Big Moose Deli and Country Store in Hoosick, which had an extensive collection of full-size kitschy statues of cows, gnomes, moose, and other critters on its roof and scattered everywhere about the grounds. We even spied on The Blues Brothers, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe.
It was great fun seeing and taking pictures of all the statues scattered about, but inside the store, we found a huge and fascinating collection of signs, gadgets, candy, food, sodas, and other items. We looked at everything and walked out with retro candy, chips, a Moxie soda, and a box of cider donuts.
Benning Battle Monument
The Bennington Battle Monument is a 306-foot-high stone obelisk built between 1887 and 1889 to commemorate the Battle of Bennington in 1777. This battle occurred just before the Battles of Saratoga defeated two detachments of General John Burgoyne’s British army, who sought to capture a store of weapons and food maintained where the monument now stands. While the battle is termed the Battle of Bennington, it occurred about 10 miles away in Walloomsac, New York.
We bought a ticket in the gift shop that took us up to an observation level 200 feet high, where we could see the surrounding area. On the ground level is a kettle captured from General Burgoyne’s camp at Saratoga, a diorama of the second engagement, and information on how the monument was built. Statues of John Stark (famous for the New Hampshire slogan “Live free or die”) and Seth Warner (a Captain in the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont) ornament the grounds.
Mount Greylock
While we were up in the Bennington Monument, we could see Mount Greylock, a 3,489-foot mountain located in the northwest corner of Massachusetts and is the highest point in the state. It is part of the Mount Greylock State Reservation, which has over 70 miles of designated trails for hiking, mountain biking, back-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, including an 11.5-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
I also read that JK Rowling identified Mount Greylock as the location of Ilvermorny, the North American school of witchcraft and wizardry in the fictional universe of Harry Potter. Since it wasn’t very far away, and I saw a road to its summit, I decided to head that way.
It was a nice drive to the summit, where we saw the Veterans War Memorial Tower, which I could climb to get sweeping views. We also saw the Bascom Lodge, built between 1932 and 1938, now providing lodging and a restaurant mostly for hikers.
We took a different road down the mountain and were able to peek into the visitor center before it closed. It only had a few exhibits and appeared mostly an information desk.
Mohawk River Canal Lock 7
We saw a directional sign for a Lock as we drove back and decided to follow it. We eventually arrived at Lock 7 on the Mohawk River. The lock was unmanned in Niskayuna, NY, so we could wander around the structure, though I respected their chains and signs blocking certain areas. We were also able to see the water rushing over the dam.
Dunning Street Station Diner
As we returned to Saratoga, I searched Google for a diner and found the Dunning Street Station that looked like a restored 50s diner. When we arrived and sat down, we discovered it had been converted to a high-end restaurant serving $20 hamburgers using Wagyu beef. We decided to stay anyway, and Lisa ordered the hamburger, and I had a Rueben. Neither sandwich ended up being very good.
We returned to the trailer a little after 8 pm and settled down for the night.
Wednesday, Aug 3
Saratoga Race Track
Left at 7:15 to go to the Saratoga Race Track. Every racing day during the summer meet, you can have a buffet breakfast on The Porch of the Clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course and watch the horses work out. They also feature free, guided 45-minute backstretch tours on a first-come, first-served basis. You also have access to all the front stretches, which include exclusive areas. We all had to be off the grounds by 11 am when it opened for the ticket holders and the races.
We decided to skip the breakfast but thought the tour would be fun. We parked in the VIP area, another perk of the early morning breakfast and tours. We loaded a tram just outside the entry gates and drove to the backstretch, where they housed the horses. A guide walked us around and explained some of the activities there. The racehorses and their handlers walked around us all the time we walked around. We saw plenty of excited horses, and we were warned that sometimes, these high-strung horses would get loose, so we had to be careful.
After we finished the tour, we walked around the front stretch and the fancy seats in the grandstands.
We made it back at the camper around 9:30 am and finished packing it. We took off at 1030 for Burlington, Vermont.