See America 2008

We arrived in Cooperstown just in time for the Hall of Fame to open. However, upon inquiring several times, it became apparent that the hope of meeting Dave Niehaus in person would be dashed. That didn't diminish the experience of the Hall of Fame, however. We were in awe of the sheer magnitude of exhibits and depth of coverage of the stars of the game through the generations.

I will say that the opening movie presentation focusing on the baseball experience was either too short or should spend more time focusing on the games and plays that have become lore over the years. If you want to evoke emotion in your visitors, that's certainly a good way to start.

We spent 3.5 hours wandering the 3 floors, which again was not enough time for Jake who was drinking it all in. We had to break away and move on to Palmyra, or we would not get in to Niagara until the wee hours. We were also disappointed that the Induction Ceremony was not until 1:30. So, we would not be able to see Niehaus' induction speech in person as we had hoped. Let me say, however, that in no way was our experience diminished - the Hall of Fame exceeded my expectations completely.

By 3:30 we made it to the Smith Family Farm and the Sacred Grove sites. We took the full tour then wandered through the Sacred Grove. You really need that experience to help bring to life the many artist renditions of what took place there. The Church has done a great job of restoring the farm and preserving the current grove.

We next ventured into Palmyra and visiting the original printing site of the Book of Mormon and got another full tour of that original building. By the end of that tour it was after 6pm, and we were tired and hungry. So we quickly drove to the top of the Hill Cumorah and walked out to the Moroni monument.
























We finally made it to the Buffalo metro area in the 8:00 hour, and set to looking for food and gas. We happened upon a small Chinese take-out joint called Gin Gin by chance and found it to be surprisingly good and cheap for a change. By about 9:45 we were checking in to the Niagara Falls Quality Inn, which turned out to be somewhat of a flea bag, but the price was right. The motel had undergone several renovations over the years, and out second floor room had what used to be an exterior window that now overlooks the inside of the new lobby. Need I say more?

Plan for tomorrow: We would like to get over to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls reasonably early, and hopefully avoid what Monday traffic there might be. Then its on to Kirtland, Ohio, to see more LDS history sites in that area. We plan to stay in Westlake, a western suburb of Cleveland, Monday night.