By starting at 6:30 AM, I reached Sagamore Hill, now managed by the National Park Service, in time for an early house tour. The ranger leading tour, who reminded me of John McCain, gave an excellent presentation. His stories ranged from events at the house to personalities of those around Roosevelt. I especially enjoyed the personal belongings he highlighted like the elephant foot trash can.
Spoiled with easy morning drive to Sagamore Hill, the return to New Jersey was painfully slow through the thick Long Island traffic, but I arrived at Edison National Historic Site with time to visit both the laboratory and his nearby estate Glenmont. The highlight of the audio-tour guided lab was the library office, which like Sagamore Hill, included many personal belongings, among them the first academy award.
Full Screen Version
I stopped at Grover Cleveland's Birthplace in Caldwell on my drive to the Falls of the Passaic in Patterson, After seeing the falls and walking around the old mill sites, I drove west to stay overnight at a cheap motel near Scranton. I ate dinner a Viewmont Mall, a property for which I have some responsibility at PREIT.
Sunday morning, I visited a two transportation landmarks, Starrucca Viaduct and the John Roebling-designed Delaware and Hudson Aqueduct. I read about the former in William Least Half-Moon's, Roads to Quoz. In the early afternoon, I took a third and final house tour. Grey Towers was the estate of Gifford Pinchot, the first head of the US Forest Service, who has done a very nice job maintaining it and keeping it open to the public. I ended the day with two hikes, one in Big Pocono State Park and another along the Appalachian Trail near Allentown.
Sagamore Hill
Edison National Historic Site
Glenmont
Grover Cleveland Birthplace
Falls of the Passaic
Starrucca Viaduct
Delaware and Hudson Aqueduct
Grey Towers
View from Camelback Mountain in Big Pocono State Park
Panorama from Appalachian Trail near Allentown, PA
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