Day 4 - Compass Shift

I had been meaning to get to Saratoga National Park for a good while now.

There are places you should go to understand why this country is the way it is. What those places are, of course, will differ wildly, depending on whom you're talking to. And your travel budget. And your ethnicity, unfortunately.

I've been to many of the candidates over the years. I highly recommend Wheatland, the home of James Buchanan. They no longer pull a punch in showing why he's one of the worst presidents in history. I do not recommend Mount Vernon; last I checked, they're still butt-deep in the “But all his slaves wuvved him!” nonsense. Puh-lease. Talk to Ona Judge and Hercules Posey on that score. And why Martha had to free all the slaves when George died.

Knowing how slowly it takes for historical interpretation to catch up to the latest research, I'm glad we waited.

Saratoga did a phenomenal job of describing the battles that led to the birth of a nation. And, like many births, this was one covered in blood, messy, and with scars and repercussions that still echo through its growth stages. One room was dedicated to the rebellions that ours spawned, with casualty lists among the figures shown.

We drove the ten-mile route with stops and interpretive panels. There are also pathways to walk, most of which were too much for me in the heat, but we definitely stopped at the Neilson House. It's the only original structure still standing from the battle within the park. They also have bronze plaques and models for blind people to feel, to get a sense of the landscape and buildings.

Driving through the valley where the heaviest fighting was... it was powerful. And I live near Gettysburg, and have visited often. Having the encampments staked out, so you can see how the regiments would form and charge, and the hills they would have to climb. And the futility. So many boys, so far from home.

So damn young.

From Bemis Heights, you can see the valley all the way to Vermont, and get a sense of the desperation of the British forces and their allies. It's beautiful up there, solemn, and there's a presence of the sea change that followed what happened there.

We stocked up a bit at the visitor's center. They have shrubs – concentrated flavorings of sugar, vinegar, and fruit / herb combos – which we happen to love. Sekanjabin in Arabic, we usually make a mint or a spicebush shrub in the summer months. Blueberry, cherry, and lemon ginger may have been collected.

We decided to drive up the route that General Burgoyne's forces used to cut off the rebellious New England, trying to contain their poisonous uppity attitude and get their proper colonies back in line. We stopped at a boat launch, because Hudson River, of course I'm going to collect a few rocks! And I did. The weird thing is, there was a guy with a car with Virginia plates doing the same, and when I asked what minerals he was finding, he garbled something about rose quartz and took off. Hunh? Did I just scare off an artifact collector?

This is also where the butterflies caught up with me.

I raise butterflies throughout the summer, monarchs and black swallowtails mostly. Ever since early this month, when we visited the Navesink Twin lighthouses in New Jersey, I've been getting buzzed very closely by flutters. All species, all sizes. Hubs snickers about it, but what does he know, he's used as a duck blind for out local sharp-shinned hawk!

Well, at the Hudson, there was a Red Admiral butterfly playing in the air currents around me. I got some pics when he landed, very shiny-bright in the summer sun. I think it just eclosed (emerged from its chrysalis), the colors were so perfect. For the rest of the trip, I was followed by flutters as if they were personal little zephyrs.

So, further north. To Fort Ticonderoga.

We spent quite a bit of time going over the fort. They are having a wicked good time turning it into a historical re-enactment site, so we chatted with some of the people about the layout and displays and the differences between historical time periods. While we do medieval re-enactment, many things remain the same with only a hundred years' difference. And with the things that are different, it's fun to see the technological upgrades or differences in clothing or cooking or tool making. All sorts of fun things, surrounded by stone and wood beams and artifacts in the basement, including a cannon blown in half. Yikes.

And the butterflies. Another Red Admiral stopped for a photo shoot, and then when we got to the car, and a Speckled Wood came to visit. I'd never seen one of those before.

What was really weird, from a time traveler point of view, was the road rally of antique cars in the parking lot when we went into the fort. Of course, by the time we left, the whole contingent was gone. Typical... bloody time travelers....

Well, time to move even more northwards. We have a quite busy day tomorrow, and it will be intense and concentrated and intense. Did I mention intense? 'Cause it will be. Need sleep, and nutrition, and less driving. Wonder if I can get a backrub? That would be heavenly.

Up to Plattsburgh, our hotel home for the next three days.

Ooh, baseball on TV!

-zzzzzzzzzzz