Just by chance the lady that had led up to the first floor of the Indiana capital mentioned that there was an Abraham Lincoln Museum very close to the Illinois state capital, highly recommended it, and said that it was done very much in a manner in which Disney would have done. With such a high recommendation we had to go. On our ride over, we were fully aware (if we hadn't been after the capital) that Lincoln is more than highly regarded in Illinois and in India...

Souvenir Shop, Niagara Falls, Cruise, dinner We made our way from Seneca, NY to Niagara Falls, Canada without incident. Michael had everyone in an uproar that the Canadians were going to confiscate everything or at the very least plunder through all of our belongings. Katherine was pretty sure she was going to get a body pat down and an exam that required gloves. I, on the otherhand, was sure it was going to go just the way it did - we dr...

Herkimer Diamond Mine Today we sought our fortunes with hammers and eyewear in hand at the Herkimer Diamond Mines. We stayed at the KOA which owns the mines which made our adventure very convenient. The Herkimer diamond is not actually a diamond but rather a really nice quartz crystal that is doubly terminated. Some of the A grade crystals were extremely beautiful. In our hacking, chipping, impaling, scattering rocks we only found a cou...

Oneida Community Mansion The Oneida name is something is well known but not so much for its origins but rather what it became - a company that produces flatware. I as much as anyone was surprised to get all of the details on what were the true beginnings of the Oneida name, beyond the Indian tribe. The Oneida Community (1848-1881) was begun by a man named John Humphrey Noyes who saught to have a community of men, women, and eventually children that would coexi...

New York State Capital and Empire Plaza