Cloudy skies and cool temperatures greeted us this morning, but as the day went on it warmed up considerably and by afternoon we had a little sunshine. The trees are dropping their leaves pretty fast, but there is still a lot of color. 
Hopefully it will continue to follow us as we move west and south.
Earl, Eunice, Jenna an I left the campground around 9:30 and headed to Fly Creek, a small community southwest of Cooperstown. 
Fly Creek has an apple cider mill and store that sells all kinds of food products - jellies, dips, sauces, soups, pastries, baked goods, wine, etc. Lots of things are apple based. 
We grazed our way through the main store and picked up a few goodies as we grazed. Samples of hard cider and wines were given out to entice us to buy these products, and by golly, they succeeded! Upstairs they had their apple cider making equipment. A water powered hydraulic press made in 1889 presses apples into cider after a rotating drum with knives powered by a 1924 gas engine grindes the apples into a thick paste. 
It takes about 36 apples to make a gallon of apple cyder.
Outside we fed the ducks and admired their fall displays before indulging in ice-cream and apple fritters. Fly Creek was a fun, interesting and filling place to visit.
Back in Cooperstown we went to the Farm Museum. 
The Farm Museum features an 1840s village containining 19th-century building relocated from across central New York and restored at the museum. The barn, creamery and herdsman's cottage are original buildings still located on the 120 acre farm. Interpreters dressed in period clothing show you how to make a nail, print a newspaper, or make medications like the did nearly 200 years ago. 
The pharmacist showed us how to make ginger pills for an upset stomach and explained how leeches are still used today for healing purposes. The ladies in the kitchen were roasting meat on a spit in the fireplace and had made applesauce and biscuits for dinner. The flies in the kitchen were thick enough to carry off all the food, but they said that was just part of life in the mid-1800s. The blacksmith made a nail hook and the printer showed us how he sets type and then prints materials to use at the museum.
The Empire State Carousel is also located at the farm. 
It was built in the 1980's by individuals across the state of New York. 24 different animals and murals represent the history and folklore of New York State.
Also at the farm is a 19th Century working farm. Turkeys, sheep, pigs, chickens, oxen, cattle and horses help with farm chores, provide food and add to the realism of the farm.
After a mid-afternoon lunch in Cooperstown we returned to the campground to rest up for another day of travel. Tomorrow we go to Corning, New York with a stop at the Corning Glass Museum.
I'll tell you about what we saw next time. Until then, Happy Trails!
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