Cooperstown

We left the Walmart in Exton, PA and drove out in search of fall foilage and found peak color in northwestern Pennsylvania.  We stopped at a campground there, and when I turned on the automatic leveling system to get us ready for the night there was a loud mechanical scraping sound, and the coach pitched left to right.  One of the four leveling arms got bent, so we will be unable to level the coach precisely until it's repaired.  The owner of the campground said, "I'm pretty handy and can fix almost anything."  He volunteered to unbolt the damaged mechanism and secure it to the undercarriage so we could safely drive the vehicle - and he and two buddies did just that!  Good samaritans are still out there.  I expressed our gratitude with a fine bottle of Ridge cabernet sauvignon.  He was not offended at the offer of an alcoholic beverage.

Driving through the countryside of Pennsylvania and upper New York state, the fall colors were spectacular.  Entire hillsides were covered with brilliant jujube pastels.  If you haven't been to New England during October, I highly recommend that you add that trip to your wish list.

We pulled into a campground in upstate New York.  When Nancy walked over to the office, everything inside was piled up in an ungodly mess.  It turned out that there had been severe flash flooding when hurricane Irene hit the east coast a little over a month before.  Many of the RV's in the campground had been damaged before the owners could get them to higher ground.  The same thing had happened at the previously mentioned campground in Pennsylvania, by the way.  Out on the West Coast most of us weren't aware of just how severe that storm had been on the Eastern coastal states. 

So the park was not in great shape, but the owners found us a nice level spot.  They mentioned that during the summer the campground is always packed, because so many people come to the area to see the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  We weren't even aware that it was almost next door; that's what happens when you are on a schedule and don't investigate what there is to see nearby.

The next day we drove into Cooperstown.  It's extremely charming.  They haven't allowed any chain stores or restaurants to spoil the ambiance, so it's fun to explore.  Across the street from the Hall of Fame building, we saw four protestors - three elderly women and one middle aged man holding up anti-war signs.  We told them that being from Santa Cruz, California, their protest made us feel like we were back home.  They were Quakers, and one of them had been to Ben Lomond.  I joined their protest, briefly sharing a "War is bad" sign with the gentleman, while Nancy took a photo to commemerate my dedication.

The Hall of Fame museum is wonderful if you have any interest in baseball - and is quite nice even if you don't.  There are statues of many of the greats, and a lot of historical movies and photographs.  Sections honor African-American, hispanic, Asian, and women baseball players.  The all-time statistical leaders in hundreds of categories are listed.  There is a small section honoring the current reigning world champion San Francisco Giants.  In one room are bronze plaques for every player inducted.  All in all, it's fascinating and extremely well done.  See it if you can.