BALLOON HUNTING (BORDER OF FORT EDWARD
Okay, this isn’t really an
“interesting place I’ve been,” but more of a reminder to the reader that you
need to keep aware of your surroundings. Sure it’s great to go out in
search of adventure, but keep your eyes open for when an adventure opportunity
finds you.
Considering how Glens Falls hosts the Adirondack Balloon
Festival in the Fall, it’s not uncommon to see a hot-air balloon hanging in the
sky any time of year. Many times in my youth my parents would be out for
a drive, we’d spot a lone balloon in the sky, and give chase. The van
(which the balloon would be packed into) was easily located, and they enjoyed
having the attention. Wherever a balloon happened to land, the property
owner would receive a customary bottle of champagne, and some tethered rides
would be done at point (as long as the conditions permitted it).
I was driving back from Glens Falls to my parents’
place (as that’s where I stay when I come up for a visit), and spotted a
balloon hanging far lower than it should in the sky. It was out in the
middle of a field, in an area not very accessible by vehicle. Not the
best place to set a large nylon object down, especially with the large number
of trees nearby. There wasn’t much room to pull off of St. James Road (thanks to the drainage
gully), and I briefly went into someone’s driveway. For the few moments
I watched, I could see while the balloon got a little altitude, there was no
wind to send it in any significant direction. Yeah, sometimes the weather
doesn’t cooperate with you.
The orange flash of the burner
provides the hot air which gives the balloon lift, and that was visible from
where I was. Each time the balloon went up, it would then drift a few
yards further when it descended. If the pilot could get close to Route
197, the chase van (wherever it was) could assist. Once I went to the
corner of St. James & 197, I found the chase van waiting (with a few other
spectators).
I spoke to Tuanya, who was the
co-owner of Equinox Balloons, and she let me know the pilot had just started
about 30 minutes ago from a location not far from here. She said it looked like the pilot was heading
for the nearest farm house, as the wind was being rather uncooperative.
We also talked about my travel blog (as I mentioned I was snapping
pictures for this), and balloon rides. I’d been about twenty years since
I’d ridden in a balloon, but my Mum really likes them. Tuanya suggested I
have her contact them to arrange a ride. We exchanged our business cards.
It was a few tense moments as we
made sure the balloon would clear the small grove of trees, and soon it was
working its way towards the Roberts’ residence. Having a huge yard, and a
house which set back from the road, made it the best way for the chase van to
access it. We all left the busy corner we were parked at, and moved our
vehicles into to the Roberts’ driveway.
As a spectator to the action, I
hung back and left the balloon professionals do their job. They rushed
out to meet the pilot, as the balloon’s wicker basket was skimming the tops of
the field grass. Once it was over actual lawn, the professionals
maneuvered the balloon to the best area to deflate it.
I went up to owner to let her know
that I was just a passing spectator, and hoped it was okay that I’d parked on
their property (as it was the polite thing to do). I was given the
response of “You’re Dean’s brother aren’t you?” What the hell? I
haven’t lived here in a decade, how does someone I don’t know know who I am?
It turned out the owner was one of my brother’s classmates, and someone
who still interacted with him. It must be the family resemblance.
The pilot had exited the basket,
and gave the bottle of champagne to Denise Roberts. He commented that
normally he’d ask if anyone wanted to any short (tethered) rides, but the
stillness of the air would prevent it from being very enjoyable. The
decision was made to put the balloon away.
In order to pack up a hot-air
balloon, a ripcord is pulled to open a panel at the top. As the warmer air escapes, the balloon begins
to deflate. The professionals know to tip the basket on its side, so the
large nylon mass collapses in the direction they want it to. A bent bar
(or piece of PVC pipe) is slid along the length of the balloon, which forces
the hot-air out the top panel. As that is done, fabric belts are placed
around strategic locations to keep the lines and material from becoming a
tangled mass. Once all the air is out, the whole thing gets rolled up.
Watching this remaindered me of what we do when Austin Planetarium packs
up our inflatable Discovery Dome mobile planetarium at the conclusion of a
show.
As the professionals did that, I
could see two other balloons off in the west heading this way (from their
positions, they were just south of the direction of Fort Edward
Any time I get to see hit-air
balloons in the air, I find them to be pretty fabulous. I’m glad that I stopped to watch and interact
with the chase crew, instead of noting it hanging in the sky and driving on.
As I said, sometimes adventure finds you, so be open to it.
I was still having trouble wrapping
my head around the idea that the United States Navy had its birthplace in Whitehall . How does
an essentially land-locked little community create such a world-spanning
organization? I knew the Navy was in place after the Revolution, because
we used it to fight the Barbary Pirates, but I thought it had been created
after the War for Independence
was over. Still, how the hell does Whitehall
have the notoriety of having the Navy born there? That would require a trip
to there to find out. Our destination was the Skenesborough Museum
Mum
mentioned she didn’t think that museum would be too extensive, but there were
potentially other things to see in the area. Our game plan was to hit as
many small venues as we could this day. The Champlain
Canal goes right through Whitehall , which connects the Hudson River (in Albany ) with Lake Champlain ,
which this small town was on the shores of. Okay, so it’s not completely
land-locked. Whitehall
was founded in 1759 by British Loyalist Philip Skene (the settlement was
originally called Skeneborough as a result).
The historic homestead of the founders, known as Skene Manor, overlooks
the area.
Skene
Manor was built in the 1870s on land previously owned by Philip Skene, although
it wasn’t named that until 1946. While it
was a private residence, the first floor was transformed into small
restaurant. The mansion went through
several owners, until it was purchased by the town in 1995 to help preserve
it. A restoration project is currently
ongoing, and visitors are still allowed in to see the progress. We chose
not to go up there today, simply so we could hit other places. I still
would’ve liked to get a few shots from there looking down upon the area.
I liked not only the style of the architecture, but it’s placement on the
mountain side. The green of the trees provided a very nice backdrop, and
it must look fabulous when paired with the fall foliage.
The Skenesborough Museum
The
caretaker made a comment that a recent visitor had sailed over from Norway , and was
taking is boat down the Canal. That’s quite a feat, and would’ve liked to
meet this person, as there would be a lot of stories to tell. I don’t
think the caretaker was intentionally exaggerating the tale, but being
second-hand some of the facts might’ve been muddled in the retelling. I
keep in mind that about a half-century ago my favorite Norwegian (Thor Heyerdahl)
built a reed boat and sailed across the South Pacific just to prove a point.
A diorama
(complete with audio track) provided the answers about the creation of the U.S.
Navy we were seeking. As the British had prevailed over the French for
control over Lake Champlain, they controlled the access to area from both
directions (St. Lawrence and Richelieu
Rivers to the north, and the Hudson to the south).
In the early days of the Revolution, American rebels seized
Skenesborough, and captured a British ship. In a matter of months, the
local sawmills and wrights produced a half-dozen small combat vessels.
These vessels were then sailed up Lake Champlain
were they were used to achieve an American victory in October 1776 at the
Battle of Valcour Island, which ended British control of the lake. With a
few ships and a decisive battle, the U.S. Navy was officially formed.
As we continued through the Museum,
there was information about the role the Champlain corridor played in America ’s attack on Montreal
during the War of 1812, and notes about the New York regiments which served in Civil
War.
I rather enjoyed the commemorative
plates showing some of the earliest ships the U.S. Navy had commissioned,
including the Constitution (to fight the Barbary Pirates), and the Enterprise
(a familiar name that has been used in just about every major class of ships
we’ve ever produced, space ships included).
The building was filled with items
from the Canal’s and the town’s history, although not everything had
informational cards on them to saw what they were, or how they related.
The quilt which was crafted for the country’s bicentennial was a nice
touch, but I wondered how a particular red chair (which looked like it had been
made out of Texas Longhorn horn) was relevant to Whitehall history.
Wandering around the grounds of the
area yielded some additional interesting finds. Besides the information
on the Canal (which was only a matter of yards from the Museum), an enclosure
had the ruins of the U.S.S. Ticonderoga, which was first commissioned in
1814. While a wire fence keeps people from climbing on this, and there’s
a roof on the enclosure, there’s nothing here to protect the remnants of the
hull from any of the harsh elements the region gets. I’m sure it would be
difficult to move those beams, and keep them in reasonable condition, but
because these are wood they will disintegrate eventually. Steps should be
taken to seal this up for its preservation.
Next to the Skenesborough Museum
In section of the park was what
appeared to be a randomly-placed wood-carved statue of Bigfoot. It’s not
as random as it first appears. Whitehall is known as a
“hotbed” of Sasquatch sightings, many which date back to Samuel de Champlain’s
explorations in the early 1600’s, and even earlier with folklore from the
Iroquois nation. There was nothing in
Museum even referenced the hint of the Sasquatch legend in the slightest
bit. My love of cryptozoology aside, I think
that was something important enough to warrant a mention somewhere in there.
Beyond this stuff, there was a
historic main street, and a few other old buildings, but nothing of which was
of immediate interest in Whitehall .
Some of the structures were past the point of historical preservation,
and should look at being demolished for safety reasons. As a stop on the
Canal tour this wasn’t a bad place, but it needed a serious infusion to the
infrastructure to provide some other draws. Any place with such
historical significance should be an area that you want to hang out in, not
simply pass through.
More information can be found on the places we visited (or
were mentioned) at:
Equinox Balloons: http://www.equinoxballoons.com
Skene Manor: http://www.skenemanor.org/
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