From I Love Lucy To The Lily Of The Valley

Approaching Chautauqua Lake in Western New York State.

After leaving Westfield, on our way to Virginia, we traveled through Jamestown, New York. In addition to having a beautiful lake in the area, the first Wegmans we ever visited, and a great little parking spot that puts us in the middle of the action but not in the middle of the public eye (because we know how finicky people are when they see trucks parked all willy-nilly), Jamestown also has a connection to one of the most famous women in TV history.

Lucille Ball.

She was born in Jamestown.

Lucy's birthplace houses a museum and an annual comedy festival in honor of TV's wackiest redhead. 

This building, on the southern end of town, features the world's largest I Love Lucy mural. It depicts an image of Lucy, Ethel, Desi, and Fred as they cross the George Washington Bridge on their way to California.  The episode was called "California, Here We Come."

It's at 34 West Harrison Street - we were traveling South on Washington Street to get to State Route 60 - and it was visible on the left side just as we crossed the Chadakoin River.

We've been to Jamestown a few times now but have still not visited the museum.  And no, we haven't seen that hideous sculpture either. One of these days I'll take a tour of all things Lucy to pay homage to the woman that brought us Vitameatavegamin (a skit that I actually memorized and performed in middle school).

We eventually left New York and crossed into Pennsylvania for a scenic drive through the Allegheny National Forest. Along the way we drove through Ridgway - a place that was once "the home of the Gilded Age lumber barons", and whose historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 - where I was able to snap a quick picture of the Elk County Courthouse, completed in 1880.  

This next home is also located in what Ridgway calles their Lily of the Valley Historic District. I photographed it because I just love all the stone.  It is the the 1890s Hyde House, one of the few stone buildings still in existence.

According to Living Places, Harry R. Hyde (1872-1954) was a leading local lumberman who served as president of the Elk County National Bank and the Russel Snow Plow Company, who were producers of plows used to clear snow from railroad tracks.  In the Historic District document it says that he and his brother George erected this house for their widowed mother, Elizabeth.

I really love when we're able to get off the interstate and travel through small towns across the country. My favorite part of the entire U.S. is the Northeast, so to be able to get through New York and Pennsylvania these past few days has been a real treat.  

And, although I love winter, I kinda think the best time to see these towns nestled in the mountains is during the time of year when the trees are lush and the lawns are green.

Next up, the Cumberland and Shenandoah Valleys of the Appalachian Mountains. 



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2014: We Were Ear!!
2013: This Disturb's Me 
2012: Not Sure The Money Will Follow
2011: Trucking Al Fresco
2010: 3000 Miles To Squidland
2009: It Could Be Africa If It Weren’t For The Schlitterhahn
2008: How To Ace A Job Interview
2007: Diver Down
2006: Day Tripping
2005: Nipple Rock