2026 GREAT AMERICA 250 ADVENTURE - GRANT'S COTTAGE

 

WEDNESDAY – JULY 8, 2026: I was up late last night trying to figure out a plan for today. I looked at traveling from the Hampton Inn here in Rutland, Vermont up to Fort Ticonderoga and then crossing the Hudson and heading down to Grant’s Cottage in Wilton, New York.

But the drive from Rutland to Fort Ticonderoga was over an hour according to Google Maps. From what I have read, I should plan on spending two to three hours touring the fort. Then it’s another hour and a half to two hours down to Grant’s Cottage. 

When I plug in the numbers and hope nothing goes wrong, I the earliest that I could arrive at Grants Cottage would be about 1:30 or 2 in the afternoon. That doesn’t leave much wiggle room if something goes wrong.

My second option was to remove Fort Ticonderoga and drive straight to Grant’s Cottage and them have the afternoon free to either visit some sites around Albany or drive back down to Kinderhook and try again to visit the Martin Van Buren National Historic site.  

Then return to the Holiday Inn that I spent the night at a few nights ago and make the drive down to the Baseball Hall of Fame Tomorrow. There were a couple of other options that is briefly considered but this option was the one that I settled on before turning in last night.

This morning, while having breakfast at the Hotel, I checked the National Park Service Website and found that the Martin Van Buren Historic Sites were still closed due to storm damage. So, Grant’s Cottage and Albany were the plan for the day.

It took me about an hour and a half to make the 60-mile drive from Rutland, Vermont to the Ulysses S. Grant’s Cottage near Wilton, New York. I left the Visitor’s Center to my tour, I watched a 15-minute film about President Grant’s time at the Cottage. It was really interesting and gave me a great overview of what I was about to see. 

President Grant was writing his memoirs and was in the Final Weeks of his life when he arrived at this small cottage on Mount McGregor north of Sarasota Springs, New York. He was suffering from Throat and tongue Cancer and need to escape the heat of New York City.

President Grant, a few members of his family, and his medical attendants arrived at the Cottage on June 16, 1885. He could barely speak and when he tried to speak, he could not speak above a whisper.

His pain was severe and his medical attendants swabbed his throat several times a day with cocaine water. He would spend most of his day sitting in the living room or on the front porch putting the finishing touches on his memoirs.

It was so painful for him to swallow that he had to sleep sitting up in two large chairs, and he could not eat food that wasn’t pureed.

At 8:08 a.m. on July 23, 1885, President Ulysses S. Grant passed away at this small Cottage, just five days after finishing his memoirs. President Grant’s son Frederick walked to a small clock on the mantle and stopped it at 8:08, forever freezing the moment in time.

Following his death a private funeral service was held on the Front Porch of the Cottage. Funeral wreaths from the Grand Army of the Republic and Leland Stanford arrived at the Cottage prior to the Private Service.  Those funeral Wreaths are still on display at the cottage.

These fragile Victorian-era floral wreaths are exceptionally rare because they survived intact without being coated in wax or encased in glass. Lighting inside the rooms where they are kept remains dim to protect the faded arrangements from further light degradation.

Following the private funeral at the cottage, President Grant’s body was transported to New York City by train. On August 8, 1885, the official state funeral was held. The Funeral procession stretched for more than 7 miles and was attended by an estimated 1.5 million people.

Among those attending the New York City Funeral were the sitting President Grover Cleveland and former Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur. Honorary Pallbearers were Union Generals William Tecumseh Sherman, General Phil Sheridan. Confederate Generals Joseph E. Johnston and Simon Bolivar Buckner also served as Pallbearers. The Funeral of President Ulysses S. Grant still remains as one of the Largest in in New York City History.

I was the only person at the cottage for the 10:30 tour so I got a personal tour from my Guide Ron. Grant’s Cottage has been on my bucket List for several years and I must say that it more than lived up to my expectations.

I ended up spending more than two hours at the cottage, but all good things must come to an end and it was time to head back down the mountain for my next stop at the Albany Rural Cemetery.

It took a little over an hour to make the 50 miles drive to the Albany Rural Cemetery which I visited the grave of our 21^st President, Chester A. Arthur. President Arthur served as the the 20^th Vice President under President James Garfield from March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881.

When President Garfield was assassinated and died on September 19, 1881, President Arthur assumed the Office of President. He served from September 19, 1881, until March 4, 1885.

After spending the summer of 1886 in New London, Connecticut, he returned home where he became seriously ill.  On November 16, 1886, ordered nearly all of his papers, both personal and official papers, to be burned. The next morning, Arthur suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and never regained consciousness. He died the following day, on November 18, 1886, at the age of 57.

He was laid to rest here in the Albany Rural Cemetery. His grave is marked by a large sarcophagus and a large angel. The "Angel of Sorrow" is a life-size bronze sculpture created by Ephraim Keyser. It features a mourning angel laying a palm frond over a polished black granite sarcophagus.

Before leaving the cemetery, I tried to make a reservation at the Same Holiday Inn I stayed at a few nights back. But it was sold out, on whim I checked hotels closer to Cooperstown. All of them were sold out.

July is induction Month at the Baseball Hall of Fame and from time to time it will be closed to the public for special induction events. So, I checked and sure enough, the Baseball Hall of Fame will be closed tomorrow and Friday for a special event.

So, I decided to put some miles behind me and start the journey home. Leaving the cemetery, I made my way back toward Interstate 90 and eventually to Interstate 88.

As I was traveling down Interstate 88 toward Binghamton, it dawned on me that I still needed a place to stay tonight. Just before I got to Binghamton, I stopped at the Rest Area near Worcester, New York and explored accommodations in Binghamton, New York, Scranton, and Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

It took me about 30-minutes, but I finally settled on the Holiday Inn near Hazleton, Pennsylvania which was about 4 hours away.

On the way I encountered a couple of area of stop and go traffic around Scranton and Wilke Barre, Pennsylvania. Because of these delays I decided to stop and get supper at a Cracker Barrel in Wilkes-Barre.

After supper I still had a little over and hour to drive to the Holiday Inn and I did encounter one more area of stop and go traffic which delayed my arrival. I didn’t arrive at the hotel until 7 p.m. but check in was quick and I soon settled in my room.

Tomorrow will be all about miles and getting Home. I still have just a little less than 500 miles to home. Looking at things, I will probably stop a couple of times along the way for coffee but tomorrow will be a straight shot down Interstate 81 to home.

THURSDAY – JULY 9, 2026 – I slept in this morning and didn’t check out of the hotel until after 9 a.m. I managed to fill up both of my tumblers with coffee before leaving the hotel so I was good for a while.

Like I said it was a straight shot down Interstate 81, and I did not encounter any delays as I made my way around Harrisburg. The miles clicked by as I exited Pennsylvania and made my way through Maryland and West Virginia.

Back in Virginia I made my first stop of the day at Love’s in Toms Brook. I thought about getting gas here but decided to push on to Buc-ee’s south of Harrisonburg.

From Tom’s Brook to Buc-ee’s I was playing gas tank roulette and when I arrived, I had 4 miles left on the mileage meter. After gassing up and getting a drink and a couple of brisket sandwiches, it was time to hit the road for the final push home.

From Staunton South, Traffic was nerve racking to say the least. But this is the norm on Interstate 81. But I encountered no real delays and arrived home at 6:20 p.m.

I had planned on being going until Saturday, actually arrived back home two days early. I still managed to cover 1,889 miles and visit the grave of 6-President and some of Baseballs Greatest Players.

While a lot of things didn’t go as planned, A lot did and I can say Without a doubt, Grants Cottage was the highlight of this trip.

Now, it’s time to rest up, and start planning my next adventure.

2026 GREAT AMERICA 250 ADVENTURE - PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY

 

TUESDAY – JULY 7, 2026: I started today with breakfast at the Holiday Inn here in Manchester, New Hampshire. I enjoy the Holiday Inn Pancake roller way more than I enjoy the waffles that most hotels feature.

While I am on the subject of breakfast, in addition to the pancake roller, Holiday Inns now feature Costa Coffee with is a bean to cup automated machine that grid coffee beans and brew them by individual cup. This takes a little longer as the average brew time seems to be about 2 or two and a half minutes. So during busy mornings you may have to wait for that morning cup of coffee. But the fresh brewed coffee is far better than most other hotels.

Last night while I was putting the finishing touches on todays plan, I found that many of the historical sites and attractions in New England are only open seasonally and most are closed either on Monday’s and Tuesday's or Tuesday's and Wednesday's.

So today being Tuesday, several places are closed so I sort of had to do some rearranging. With that being said, today is going to be a little hit and miss.

I checked out of the Hotel at about 8:30 a.m. and made the 20 mile drive up to Concord, New Hampshire which is New Hampshire’s Capitol City.  Concord is a rather small city of only a little over 40,000 people.

Being a small city, I found metered parking right on the capital square in downtown Concord. The current State Capitol Building was built in 1819 and has been the seat of New Hampshire Government ever since.

I went in and got my state capitol passport stamp from the Visitor Center and then I was allowed to walk around both the building and the grounds.  Like most state capitals, the grounds are dotted with statues of some of their notable historical figures. New Hampshire is no different.

One of the more prominent statues is that of New Hampshire native Franklin Pierce who served as our 14^th President. Daniel Webster and Teacher/Astronaut Christa McAuliffe also have statues on the capital grounds.

I paid for an hour of parking and had 4 minutes left when I finished my visit to the capitol grounds. It was time to move about a mile up the street to the Pierce Manse.

Franklin Pierce and his wife Jane Pierce moved here after she persuaded him to resign his seat in the United States Senate and leave Washington, D.C. They owned the home from 1842 to 1848. Pierce resumed his law practice and served as district attorney and chairman of the Democratic Party. During this time, Pierce campaigned on behalf of James K. Polk's in his bid to become president. Polk appointed Pierce U.S. Attorney for the State of New Hampshire as a reward in 1845. The Pierce Manse is the only home ever owned and lived in by President Pierce.

This is one of the sites that is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so I was only able to walk around and view the home from the outside.

Franklin Pierce served as the 14^th President of the United States from March 4, 1853, until March 4, 1857.  One thing that I learned about President Pierce from talking to one of the ladies in the Capitol Visitors Center was that he was actually very good Friends with future Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

After leaving the Presidency, President Pierce remained active in democratic politics but was not particularly fond of his successor, James Buchanan. Pierce was known to drink to some excess throughout his adult life. In later years following the death of his close friend Nathaniel Hawthorn and his wife, his drinking worsened.

President Pierce died on October 8, 1869, from cirrhosis of the Liver which was attributed to his life of heavy drinking. He is buried in the Old North Cemetery here in Concord, which is my next stop here in Concord.

The Old North Cemetery was established in 1730. President Franklin Pierce is buried here along with his wife Jane and two of his three sons. The Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

After visiting the grave of President Franklin Pierce, I had one more stop in Concord. It was just a short drive to the Blossom Hill Cemetery where I wanted to visit the grave of Christa McAuliffe,

Christa McAuliffe was the New Hampshire Teacher who was to be the first civilian to fly into space.

In 1985 she was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to be NASA's Teacher in Space and was to fly into space on the Space Shuttle Challenger. On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle exploded and broke apart jut 73 seconds after lift off form the Kennedy Space Center.

Before leaving Concord, I stopped at a little coffee shop that was right near the capitol. While there, I plugged my next stop into Google Maps and almost immediately realized that I had a problem.

Upon leaving Concord, I had planned on making the two hour drive up to Montpelier, Vermont so I could visit the Vermont Capitol Building. But when I plugged the destination into Google Maps I saw that Interstate 93 about 10 miles south of Montpelier was red indicating that there was a severe traffic problem.

The travel time from Concord to Montpelier was usually about two hours. Today, it was show that it would take me a total of 4 hours and 35 minutes to make the drive. Before leaving the coffee shop I decided to head up toward Montpelier and see if the traffic issue cleared up.

If not then I would head toward what would have been my first stop tomorrow.  So I hit the road and headed north on Interstate 93. About an hour later I crossed into Vermont, and the backup had not subsided. So, I made the decision to turn south on Vermont Route 107 and head toward Plymouth Notch and the Calvin Coolidge Historical Site.

The 40-mile trip down Vermont Route 12, U. S. Route 9 and Vermont 100 took almost an hour. Vermont is rural and it was a very pretty and relaxing drive. I arrived at the Village of Plymouth Notch, Vermont which is the birthplace and family home of President Calvin Coolidge.

All of the Village of Plymouth Notch is part of the Calvin Coolidge Homestead Historic District and is designated a National Historic Landmark.

When President Warren G. Harding died in 1923, then Vice President Calvin Coolidge was visiting his parents here in Plymouth Notch. Vice President Coolidge’s father was the Justice of the Peace for the Village and administer the President Oath in the Kitchen of the Family Home.

In addition to the Coolidge Family Home the village includes a General Store where President Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872. While three Presidents have died on July 4, (John Adams and Thomas Jeffers both died-on July 4, 1826, and James Monroe died on July 4, 1831), President Coolidge is the only President to be born on the 4^th of July.  

The home where President Coolidge took the Presidential Oath was undergoing extensive repairs to it foundation and was closed during my visit. The rest of the village was open and I was able to visit the General Store where President Coolidge was born in a small bedroom in the back of the store. I was also able to visit the Cheese Factory that is still in operation today.

After spending a little over an hour an a half in the Village, I made my way down to the Plymouth Notch Cemetery where President Coolidge is resting with other members of his family.

The Coolidge Family Graves are located on a hillside above the road. It is a tradition that the sitting
president sends a wreath of flowers to past presidents on their birthday.  I visited President Coolidge on July 7, just 3 days after his birth day and the Presidential Wreath was still at his grave.

It was a little past three in the afternoon when I finished my visit to Plymouth Notch and it was time to make the 30-miles drive to Rutland, Vermont where I have reservations at the Hampton Inn.

My drive took me through the small ski town of Killington, Vermont and I stopped at a small coffee shop for a cup of coffee and a fresh baked pastry. Then it was on to Rutland where I arrived at the Hampton Inn just a few minutes before 4 p.m.

After checking in and getting settled in my room I decided that I would walk next door to the Taco Bell for supper. This Taco Bell has not counter service, you have to order using the kiosks. Service is nonexistent and it took almost 30 minutes to get my order.

Back my room it was time to once again reorganize my plans because I am two full days ahead of schedule. I picked up on day when I couldn’t get the train into New York to visit Grant’s Tomb.

My original Plan for today was to visit Concord, New Hampshire, and Then Drive up to Montpelier, Vermont and visit the Vermont Capitol Building and finish the day off with a drive over to Burlington, Vermont where I would spend the Night.

Tomorrow, I would have driven from Burlington down to Fort Ticonderoga and toured the historic fort in the morning before heading over and touring Grant’s Cottage in the afternoon. I had planned on returning to the Holiday Inn at East Greenbush and spending tomorrow night before heading down to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.

Well, all of that is pretty much gone by the wayside as I am having to rework the rest of the trip. We will see what tomorrow holds when I get things worked out.  

2026 GREAT AMERICA 250 ADVENTURE - A MEDIOCRE HALL OF FAME

 

MONDAY – JULY 6, 2026: I spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express in East Greenbush, New York. This hotel sits up on a hill and afforded me a nice view of the Albany Skyline. I really liked this hotel, as it was off the road and was very quiet. It was exceptionally clean and the employees were very helpful. Plus, it’s always a good stay when the Pancake Roller is working.

I don’t have a lot planned today other than to make some miles and travel almost al the way across Massachusetts into New Hampshire which will set me up for the next few day.

I was lazy this morning and slept in. I think the last few days of 100+ degree temperatures took its toll and I was a little lazy this morning. I didn’t get out of bed until a little after 8:30 a.m. After breakfast, I finally checked out and hit the road at 9:30 a.m.

I headed east on Interstate 90 which is a toll road here in New York and for some stretches in Massachusetts. A few years back I got an EZ Pass, and I reloaded it before I left so I do get a little bit of a discount.

About 30 minutes into my trip I stopped at the Love’s Travel Stop in Canaan, New York. I have the Loves app on my phone and usually get a10 cent per gallon discount when I scan the QR Code at the pump. This time when I scanned the code at the pump, I got 20 cents off which was a nice surprise, especially with these high prices here in the Northeast.

After gassing up and getting coffee, It was off to my first stop of the day. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. I was here back in 2009 when I spent a couple of weeks touring New England with Stephanie Young and her family.

Senior Admission to the Hall of Fame is $25. If I was still young admission would have been $34.  I have been to all of the major sports Hall of Fames, (Baseball, Football and Basketball) and of the three the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is my least favorite.

To me there is very little that is special about this Hall of Fame. At the Baseball Hall of Fame you have all the memorabilia and the Hall of Fame Plaques that makes it really special. The same with the NFL Hall of Fame. It has an abundance of Memorabilia and the Hall of Fame Busts.

Here, there is nothing really that special. The memorabilia that is on display is mostly ceremonial basketball, some game worn uniforms and a lot of sneakers. There is nothing special about the Hall of Honor or whatever it’s called. There are no plaques or busts honoring those who have been inducted. It is only a list of names on a glass wall. Really very plain.

I didn’t spent much time at the Hall of Fame, I did have lunch in one of the adjacent sports themed restaurants. While the food was pretty good, it was nothing to write home about.

After visiting the hall of fame and having lunch, I made my way back to Interstate 90 and headed east across the northern part of Massachusetts. This was really a pretty boring drive, nothing to see or do along the way. So, I just clicked off the miles.

Just east of Worcester, Massachusetts I left Interstate 90 and headed north on Interstate 495 and traveled up to Interstate 93 which took me into the State of New Hampshire.

A few miles in to New Hampshire I left the interstate and traveled to the Forest Hills Cemetery in East Derry, New Hampshire. I wanted to come here and visit the grave of Alan B. Shepard, the first American to fly into space.

He became a naval aviator in 1947, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of NASA's original Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959, and in May 1961 he made the first crewed Project Mercury flight, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. His Technically entered space, but was not capable of achieving orbit. He became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space.

Just for the Record, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first person in space on April 12, 1961.

Alan Shepard made his second space flight as commander of Apollo 14 from January 31 to February 9, 1971. It was America's third successful lunar landing mission. He became the fifth and, at the age of 47, the oldest man to walk on the Moon, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to walk on the surface of the moon.

Alan Shepard was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 1996 and died from complications of the disease in on July 21, 1998. He is resting in the family plot in Forest Hills Cemetery in his hometown of Derry, New Hampshire.

While I was in this cemetery, I discovered that there was another notable person resting here. So, I made my way down to the far end of the cemetery and found the grave of murder victim Gregory Smart.

Greg Smart married Pamela Smart in 1989 and the couple lived here in Derry, New Hampshire. Gregg was 24-year-old insurance agent, and Pam was the director of media services at Winnacunnet High School in nearby Hampton, New Hampshire.

It was at the high school that Pam met and seduced a15-year old student named Billy Flynn. In order to sustain the relationship and not lose possession of her dog, furniture, and condo in a divorce, Pam conspired with Flynn to murder her husband.

On May 1, 1990, six days before the couple's first wedding anniversary, Billy Flynn used a handgun to kill Gregg Smart execution style as Gregg entered the condominium.

What followed was a sensational murder trial. It was one of the first murder trials that I followed closely on the old Court TV Channel.

Pam Smart was convicted of murder-conspiracy and accomplice to murder. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The case received international media coverage and inspired the made for TV movie "Murder in New Hampshire."

Billy Flynn pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and was sentenced to 28 years to life in Prison. In 2015 at the age of 41, Flynn was granted parole and was released from Prison. Today, he is more or less living a quiet life in Maine with his wife Kelly, whom he married while incarcerated.

After finishing my visit to Forest Hills Cemetery I made my way back to the interstate and headed toward the Holiday Inn Express in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Before checking into the Holiday Inn Express, I stopped at a nearby Olive Garden for supper. Then it was off to my room to finalize my plans for the next couple of days.

2026 GREAT AMERICA 250 ADVENTURE - HUDSON VALLEY PRESIDENTS

 

SUNDAY - JULY 5, 2025: I Spent the night at the Comfort Inn just off of Interstate 84 in Fishkill, New York. I use to stay almost exclusively at Choice Hotel Properties, but after COVID the cleanliness and service at their properties deteriorate and since then I have stayed mostly at Drury Inn, Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn. 

I still have a significant amount of Choice Loyalty points; I chose to cash in some of those points for a free stay at the Fishkill Comfort Inn. I must say this is an excellent hotel. The employees were outstanding and the hotel was very clean. If all Choice Properties were like this one, they would still be my primary choice for lodging.

One of my goals is to visit all of the Presidential Libraries and Museums and visit all the presidential graves. Currently there have been 45 men who have served as President of the United States, 5 of them (George W. Bush, Barak Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump) are still living.  There are currently 39 presidential gravesites and of those 39 at the end of this trip I will have visited 28 of them.

On this trip alone I plan to visit Grover Cleveland, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Van Buren, Franklin Pierce, Calvin Coolidge and Chester A. Arthur.

 I still must Visit Both John and John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

From my hotel in Fishkill, it was a short 30-minute drive to the Village of Hyde Park. Here I visit the Franklin Roosevelt National Historic Site.  The site is home to Springwood, President Roosevelt’s Birthplace and lifelong home, and his Presidential Library and Museum. President Roosevelt, his wife Eleanor and his pet Scottish Terrier, Fala are buried in the rose garden.

Because I was visiting on the 4^th of July weekend, admission to the property was free. The guided tour of the home was somewhat abbreviated with our guide giving us a short overview on each floor. Then were left to explore each room at our leisure.

After finishing my tour of the house, I was free to explore the rest of the property. Between the house and the presidential museum is the rose gardens, which is undergoing extensive renovation.

The large marble monument is still in the rose garden is still there but the white marble ground stones that mark the actual graves of the President and Eleanor have been removed to protect them from damage while the side is renovated.  Also, the sundial that marked the grave of President Roosevelt’s Scottish Terrier Fala has also been removed.

The FDR Presidential Museum has a large collection of artifacts relating to every aspect of President Roosevelt’s life. One of the more historical artifacts on display is the original draft of President Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech that he delivered to Congress the day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

I arrived at the FDR National Historic Site just a few minutes after it opened at 9 a.m. and spent a little over 3 hours on the grounds.  There is one more site in Hyde Park that I want to visit before moving on up the Hudson Valley.

Val-Kill is officially known as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Val-Kill is a small stone cottage where Eleanor Roosevelt would spend most of her time whenever President Roosevelt was at the White House or at the Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia.

Following President Roosevelt death in 1945, Val-kill became Eleanor’s primary home as she and the family made the decision to donate Springwood to the National Park Service.

Wrapping up my visit to Hyde Park, it was time to head north toward my next stop in the Village of Kinderhook, New York. The drive up along the Hudson River from Hyde Park to Kinderhook took about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Just south of the Village is Lindenwald, which is the Home of President Matin Van Buren. It had been my intention to take the guided tour of the house and then walk around the grounds.

But a couple of nights ago a line of very sever storms passed through the area with 80 mph winds and baseball size hail and several locations up and down the Hudson Valley have suffered some rather significant damage.

That was the case here at Lindenwald.  Several tree on the property were either completely blown over or received significant damage. As a result, the National Park Service closed the property.

So, I was unable to tour the house or even walk the grounds. Since I could tour Lindenwald, I made my way to the Old Dutch Reform Cemetery just north of the Village of Kinderhook to visit the Grave of Martin Van Buren, who served as the 8^th President of the Untied States from 1837-1841.

From Kinderhook, it was a short drive to the Holiday Inn – East Greenbush just east of Albany, New York. After a quick supper at a new by Cracker Barrel, I settled into my room, which had a great view of the Albany Skyline in the distance

Today, was a little disappointing because I didn’t get to tour Lindenwald, because of all the storm damage. But the FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites were excellent.  I only have a couple of stops scheduled for tomorrow as I need to head across Massachusetts which will set me up for a busy next couple of days.

2026 AMERICA 250 ADVENTURE - CEMETERIES OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY

SATURDAY - JULY 4, 2026: Well, Today didn't go as planned. I spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Hawthorne, New York.  I decided to stay here because had planned on driving over to a nearby train station and takin the Metro North to the Northern Part of Manhattan and walking over to visit Grant’s Tomb on Riverside Avenue. I got up a little early and went to purchase my train ticket. But went I started to enter my information an alert came up that the station that I needed to get off a was closed “due to police activity.”

So, I walked down and had breakfast and came back to my room and once again tried to purchase a ticket. But once again I was met with an alert, only this time it was “service interruption,” which I think means that the train I needed is not running at all.

I still had plenty of time before I had to check out of the Hotel, so I set about replanning my day. This Hotel is only about two miles from two really large cemeteries that have a lot of notable people buried in them. So, this is going to turn into a cemetery day.

After checking out of the Holiday Inn I drove around to the Gate of Heaven Cemetery. This is a very large Catholic Cemetery. When I large cemetery, I mean more than 250 acres large and has more than 200,000 graves.  Because it is so large, I logged on to Find-A-Grave and used the coordinates listed for individual graves.

Immediately upon entering the cemetery from Stevens Avenue there is a large group of crypts situated around what appears to be a large chapel. It is here that I find the first person that was on my list. Academy Award winning actor James Cagney rests in one of the end crypts.

James Cagney is regarded as one of the finest actors that ever to appeared camera. He is best remembered for such films as “Public Enemy,” “Angels with Dirty Faces,” “The Roaring Twenties,” and “Taxi.” He won an Academy Award for his role of George M. Cohan in the 1942 Musical “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

He was 86 years old when he passed away from a heart attack on March 30, 1986.

Gate of Heaven cemetery is the final resting place of a number of notable baseball figures, and I was able to visit 4 of them during this visit. 

First I stopped and visited the grave of long time National League Umpire John McSherry.  During his 25 years as a National League Umpire, John worked Two World Series, Two National League Division Series and eight National League Championship Series.

Big John as he known around the league was very popular with the Players, Managers and fans. On April 1, 1996, John was scheduled to work the plate for the Opening Day Game between The Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

Seven pitches into the game, John Called time and started to walk toward the tunnel that leads to the Umpires Dressing Room behind home plate. John collapsed and was immediately tended to by trainers and medical staff.

He was taken from the field and transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. John McSherry was 51 years old.

Next up I visited the grave of the man who gave up one of the most famous homeruns in Major League Baseball History. Back in 1951 the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers ended the regular season in a tie. The National League order a three-game playoff to decide the National League Champions.

With the Dodgers ahead 4-2 in the Bottom of the 9^th inning Giants third baseman Bobby Thomson stop to the play to face Dodger Pitcher Ralph Branca. With two runners on base, Thomson sent Branca’s pitch over the outfield fence for a three-run homer, giving the Giants the National League Pennant.

Today, here at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, I paid my respects to Ralph Branca, the man who gave up that three-run homer that has come to be known as “The Shot Heard around the World.”

Just around the corner from Ralph Branca are the graves of two of the great New York Yankees.  First, I stopped at the grave of Yankee Player and Manager, Billy Martin. 

Billy who wore uniform number 1, was a scrappy second baseman for the Yankees and a lifelong friend of Yankee Greats Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. After his playing days were over, Billy turns to managing. From 1969 through 1988 Billy managed the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and Oakland A’s.

But his is best known for being the Manager of the Yankees on 5 separate occasions. Some people joked that the only reason George Steinbrenner hired him was so he could fire him. Billy’s fiery temper that he showed as a player followed him as a manager. Not only did he have some well documented dust up with Yankee Owner George Steinbrenner, but he and Yankee Star Reggie Jackson came close to coming to blows in the the Yankee Dugout and had to be separated.

Billy was still a special consultant to Steinbrenner when he was killed vehicle crash on Christmas Day in 1989. Some say that Steinbrenner was prepared to name Billy as the Yankee Manager for the 6^th time before the team reported to spring training in 1990.

Just a short walk from the grave of Billy Martin is the grave of, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, one of the greatest and most beloved Yankees of all time. During his career he had a lifetime batting average of 342 with 2,873 hits and 2,214 Runs Batted In. His 714 Home Runs stood as the Major League Record until it was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. The Old Yankee Stadium was known as the House the Ruth Built. 

Babe Ruth passed away on August 16, 1948, from the complications of Cancer.

After finishing up at Gate of Heaven, I moved next door to Kensico Cemetery where I wanted to visit the grave of another Yankee Great. But first I stopped at the Memorial Bench where the Cremains of Singer/Actor Danny Kaye are interred. 

Danny Kaye starred in 23 films, including Wonder Man in 1945, The Kid from Brookly in 1946 and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  But he is perhaps best remembered for co-starring with Bing Crosby in the 1954 Holiday Hit, White Christmas.

From the Danny Kaye Memorial Bench, I made my way to the gave of the man baseball fans know as “The Iron Horse,” Yankee Great Lou Gehrig.

Lou was named as and All-Star seven consecutive times and won the Major League Triple Crown in
1934. He had a career 340 batting average, 2,721 hits and 1,995 runs batted in. He played in 2,130 consecutive games. A Major League Record that stood until broke the record by playing in 2,632 games.

Lou Gehrig died on June 2, 1941 from the complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) which is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

My final stop of the day was at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York. This area was the setting for Washington Irving’s Story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” featuring The Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane.

Washington Irving is buried in this cemetery along with a number of other notable people. But due to it being the 4^th of July, I couldn’t get to his grave because of a private function that was being conducted by the historical society.

So, I spent the next hour or so driving around the cemetery admiring some of the elaborate private Mausoleums. It is hard to believe that some of the private mausoleums are more than 10 time more expensive that the Average American Home.

In addition to William Rockefeller, Walter Chrysler and his family are resting in the Chrysler Mausoleum. My last stop of the day was at the mausoleum that holds the remains of Harry and Leona Helmsley.

The Helmsley’s were successful real estates executives and hotel operators. Leona was often referred to as “The Queen of Mean,” for the way she treated employee, family and friends. One former employee said following her death, “there won’t be many mourners at her funeral. Nobody liked her and nobody is sorry she is gone.”

Finishing up at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery it was time to make the 35-mile drive up to the Comfort Suites just off of Interstate 84 in Fishkill, New York.

I cashed in some Choice Hotel Point for a free night stay. After a good supper at the 84 Diner, I settled into my room for the night. But about 10:30 p.m. my phone started going off with severe weather alerts. Severe storms with 80 mph winds and baseball size hail were approaching the Fishkill Area.

After looking at the weather radar, I decided to hustle down and move my car under the hotel’s entrance awning.  Just before the storm hit a couple of other people had the same idea.

This turned out to be a good move. Five minutes later the storm hit and it was a humdinger. I have never been in a storm this bad. The wind blew over two trees across the road from the hotel and the area was peppered with grapefruit size hail for about 10-minutes. Most of the car windows were busted and the vehicle bodies were pretty much destroyed. The next morning most of the hotel guests were accessing the damage and on the phone with their insurance.

 I am so thankful that I was able to get my car under cover and avoided damage.  The hotel clerk told us that we could leave out cars under the cover for the rest of the night, Which we gladly did. Even though no more storms passed through, that kind gesture allows me to get a fairly good night’s sleep.

For the last several day temperatures have been in the High 90’s and into the 100’s, but with the passing storms, the temperature has now dropped back into the lower 70’s. Tomorrow promises to be a much cooler day.