Rochester, NY (continued)

Thursday we went out for breakfast and drove around Rochester exploring various places.  Ended up at Granite Mills Park for an outdoor concert.  The park is at the opposite end of the walking bridge from Seneca Brewing Company.  We really enjoy walking around and seeing the various old buildings which were centered round the falls.  Because of the waterfalls, there was lots of power generated which ran flour mills, carpentry shops, and various other enterprises.  It was intriguing how the water was channeled through various races and chases to power the businesses. 

The concert was performed by the Dady Brothers – a guitar and banjo playing pair.  Wouldn’t you know that as soon as the concert was due to start, the rain started to fall.  People broke out umbrellas or scurried for cover.  Thankfully, it didn’t last long.  We left early as our parking meter was due to expire.

Friday we drove out to Geneva and then south to Sampson State Park.  It used to be Sampson AFB where I went through basic training back in 1955.  Both Tim and Tom III had been there previously.  Vi and I had been there back in 1980 when I went to Cornell in Ithaca and then again later when we were traveling across the country.  However, recently some veterans had taken it upon themselves to renovate one of the old buildings (actually it was the brig) into a museum outlining the history of both the Navy – the original occupants of the base and the Air Force which was there from the early 50’s through 1956. 

The park has a marina, campgrounds and hunting areas on the shores of Seneca Lake - beautiful country.  Brought back a lot of memories.  Across the highway was the old Seneca Army Depot which was a once-secret installation which housed nuclear weapons.  It has recently been sold and a developer is turning it into a industrial park and, I gather, some housing and farm areas.

We spent some time looking through old yearbooks to find the one from when I had been there.  It took a while, but Vi finally found my old flight and picture.

 

There was also a Sampson Veterans Cemetery further down Hwy 96 which, from the looks of it, has just recently been established.  They have a chapel which is still in the process of being finished, a memorial walk, and several grave areas.  It was funny because when we entered Sampson State Park, I asked if there was a reduced rate for airmen who had gone through basic training there.  The guard said "No, but if you are 72 or older, you can get in for free".  Guess who's older than that :-).

Visited a couple of breweries on our way home.  One was particularly noteworthy – the Bottomless Brewery.  It was in an old dairy barn which had been extensively renovated and had tasting rooms upstairs and downstairs.  In the men’s room was the back half of a dairy cow over the sink – I’ll leave it to your imagination as to where the water came from J.  Vi later found the front half of the cow in the ladies room.  Clever.

 

Friday evening we went to dinner with Jackie (Kathy’s Mom) in Brockport.  Ate in the Stoneyard Tavern which is right on the Erie Canal.  As we were having dinner, the bridge in the center of town went up to accommodate a barge coming down the canal.  The canal trail looked like it got a lot of hikers and cyclists (and no wonder, it is really flat and easy to travel).