A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
The reason it was late in the day when I arrived in Saratoga Springs was because when I left the Bellow Falls, “Greta” told me to head north 27 miles when I should have been heading south! What was that all about? Even though I had missed seeing a couple of museums, it had been a very delightful day’s journey, as the changing of the tree colors had been growing more beautiful as I traversed thru northern New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
Even though it was late in the day, I hustled down to Glenville, NY to check out the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, but missed getting in to see their hangered collection by 30 minutes (they closed at 4:00 pm). I was really hoping to visit this museum as I was looking forward to seeing their restoration hanger projects, which I understood was extensive. I was however, able to get a few pictures of their outdoor static display aircraft, but had to shoot through the chain-link fence. But, oh well, you can’t see them all. Maybe next time.
I ended the day by taking a leisurely drive thru Schenectady, NY to Albany, NY where I had a wonderful meal of Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant, and then it was just a matter of finding my motel for the night.
The next morning I headed south again thru Germantown, NY to be re-acquainted with some really old friends (aircraft) at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Red Hook, NY. I had visited the Aerodrome back in 2011, during a trip to the up-state New York area, and wanted to check out any new aircraft they might have added to their collection.
I also wanted to see their freshly restored 1917 Albatros D.Va replica. This Albatros replica had been built in the 1970s by Aerodrome founder Cole Palen, and finished in the colors of WWI Bavarian fighter ace Eduard Ritter von Schleich of Jasta 21 in 1917.
The plane had been an Old Rhinebeck Airshow favorite for many years. Part of the recent complete restoration included a new paint scheme depicting one of the aircraft flown by another well-known WWI Bavarian fighter ace in 1918, Lieutenant Walter Boning of Jasta 76b.
Two more of my favorite aircraft in the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome collection are the 1911 Curtiss Model D Pusher, and the 1909 Bleriot XI, which has the distinction of being the oldest flying aircraft in the United States.
1911 Curtiss Model D Pusher
1909 Bleriot XI
It was hard to pull myself away from this museum, but I needed to keep moving if I was going to see all the places on my list for that day. So, heading south a short distance, I skirted the Catskill Mountains on my way to visit the Trolley Museum of New York in Kingston, NY. This small museum wasn’t open until later in the day, but the lady saw me at the door and let me in any way. That was nice as I had the entire museum and its rolling stock all to myself. The museum operates a trolley line ride from Gallo Park to Kingston Point providing scenic views along the Hudson River.
As I was leaving the Trolley Museum I noticed that the surrounding area looked very familiar. I had been so intent on finding the Trolley Museum that I had driven right past the Hudson River Maritime Museum, one of the museums I had visited during my Upstate New York trip back in 2011. I stopped long enough to take a couple of photos of the “Mathilda” which is a 1898 steam tug boat, and then I was on my way again.
—–To Be Continued—–
Old Things R New 