Two Lane Adventure in New York – Sunday, June 9th 2019

I had to dip my toes in the water … if you know anything about me … you know I have to do it every time we are near a body of water! Okay, I’ll admit earlier in our trip … I skipped Lake Erie, but it was May and I am sure there were still chunks of ice in it! This was warmer than I expected for a lake!

The four-legged neighbors were out in force this morning … they must know it is the day most visitors clear out!

The view of the lake is spectacular as you leave, we came into the park from the west, so we missed this view. We departed Tompkins COE campground and are heading back to Donny & Donna’s in Cohocton New York.

Along this side of the lake there was an Osprey nest. Oh, they are such majestic birds! In 1986, there was only one osprey nest in Pennsylvania. Today, they are nesting in more than 20 counties, which is quite a revitalization! An Osprey is a very distinctive fish-hawk, formerly classified with other hawks but now placed in a separate family of its own. Landowners put up poles near the water to attract nesting Ospreys. This Osprey nested atop a utility pole!

Traveling on Old Route 15, we came upon a Monolith Solar Farm. Like so many other great companies, the story of Monolith Solar starts with two guys in a garage. Ten years, a hundred more employees, two outgrown offices, and over forty million watts later, they have become one of the most prominent solar developers and installers in the Northeast. They are headquartered near Albany New York.

We turned onto NY Route 415, also called East High Street. This moniker follows the route into the town of Erwin and its village of Painted Post. The Town of Erwin is considered the crossroads of the Southern Tier. It has the Southern Tier Expressway, NYS Route 17, and the major Route 15 that travel through this small town, next to Coring. The Town is host to a variety of industry, commercial and residential developments, including two Fortune 500 companies, over 50 stores, and an 8 screen movie theater. During the Colonial period, the valleys of the Chemung River tributaries comprised the domain of the Seneca's. This unit of the Iroquois Confederacy was called the door of the Six Nations through which passed all communications. This was a central crossing of the principle Indian trails as well as a resting place and rendezvous for Indians traveling north, south, east and west. Early settlers were said to have seen some kind of post or monument located where the Tioga and Cohocton Rivers join to form the Chemung River. 

Much hearsay has taken place about the painting of the post - some say with red berry juice or blood. There have been many descriptions of the post. Whatever the previous descriptions, a post did exist and it still does in the Village Square complex in the Village of Painted Post in the form of a monument with a sculptured statue of Chief Montour, a Seneca Indian chieftain, who reportedly was victorious in a battle in this area. Thus, the name "the land of the painted post". The post was there until 1801 or 1802, then replaced with a new one. The old post was taken to the tavern of Captain Samuel Erwin where the post was eventually destroyed by souvenir hunters. In 1824 an Indian warrior carved of sheet iron was placed atop a 30' shaft as a weathervane. In 1880 a second sheet iron Indian was dedicated to replace the first. In 1893 a cast figure of Chief Montour was erected on a 15' stone monument and dedicated in 1894. In 1948 the Chief was blown down and shattered during a violent windstorm. In 1949 the citizens of Painted Post voted to replace the deposed Indian chieftain. Norman Phelps, art teacher at Painted Post High School, was chosen to sculpt the in May of 1950. The bronze figure shows a warrior, arm raised in greeting, standing before a representation of the original post. Following the construction of the new Painted Post business district, the monument was moved from its original location in the middle of the street to a safer corner at the Hamilton and Water Street intersection.

On Route 415, you pass north of the Corning Museum of Glass. This route narrows from four lanes and parallels the course of the nearby Chemung River. The route soon passes into the adjacent village of Riverside. The next town on NY Route 415 is the hamlet of Coopers Plains, a small residential community centered around the route's junction with Meads Creek Road. Past Coopers Plains, NY 415 enters the town of Campbell.

In Campbell, NY 415 runs through mostly wooded, rural areas, save for a handful of homes in hamlets along the route. In Curtis, located a few miles from Coopers Plains, NY Route 415 follows the curves of the Cohocton River. NY 415 heads northward across generally open fields along the base of the river valley to the town of Bath and its village of Savona. After Savona, Route 415 is running alongside the Southern Tier Expressway and the Cohocton River in a narrow section of the valley populated by farms.

Wanting to avoid the Village of Bath, long stretches of residences and the congested commercial areas of the village. We opted to get onto the Southern Tier Expressway. Besides further down Route 415 has round about construction in Kanona and a bridge project in Avoca.

We arrived safely in Cohocton NY, back at Donny and Donna’s house.