I drove a lot today (upstate New York is big) and enjoyed the three stops I made.
First was Steamtown National Historic Park in Scranton, on the site of the huge railyard of the former Delaware, Lockawanna and Western freight and passenger railroad. There were plenty of trains but more interesting was the history of this railroad and the railroad way of life in America over the last nearly 200 years. The coal discovered and mined in Pennsylvania provided the iron and steel to build the railroads, the steam heat to power them and the cargo for them to transport. Not surprisingly, the railroads owned the coal companies, until Teddy Roosevelt broke them apart.
The National Comedy Center is in Jamestown NY (south of Buffalo) because Lucille Ball was born there and already had a museum. But the Center would be famous if it were in a big city. It really is a hoot. The hook is you get a wrist band with a bar code and you start out by using it to set up your profile – a screen asks you for your favorite comedy films, sitcoms, standup comics and overall comedy stars. Then you swipe your wristband when you play interactive or trivia games. And when you get to the TV or movie sections, clips and narratives will be shown customized to your interests (I was usually the only one at each station, but if there were others, they would come up with a consensus program). And any place that has a whole section on George Carlin with some of his voluminous files of developing his word plays is worth the trip!
It was already early evening when I arrived at Letchworth State Park, the unheralded “Grand Canyon of the East (or at least of the Genesee River)”. You will see pictures of the spectacular waterfalls and canyon walls.
Today’s song is the Grateful Dead singing “Truckin’ (up to Buffalo)”.
A good view of the canyon walls at the Lower Falls 
The forests and hills around the Genesee River 
A view of the Muddle Falls, the Upper Falls and the highway bridge, from Inspiration Point 
The massive Middke Falls 
The Upper Falls and the spray it generates 
A hilly road in very rural upstate New York 
A political humor section, showing Tina Fey from an SNL Weekend Update clip 
The George Carlin exhibit 
A farm in the hills of upstate New York 
Mail was picked up, sorted and delivered on the mail car of a moving train 
A steam locomotive is ready on the turntable 
The big train roundabout at Steamtown
Mark's cross-country trip 