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| The mums in downtown Corning were enjoying the rain...….and so were we! |
The New York state line is just a short drive of around 30 minutes from where we are staying in Wellsboro, PA. A few miles further, and located on the Chemung River, is the town of Corning. This town of around 12,000 is the corporate headquarters of Fortune 500 company, Corning Incorporated. There are probably very few homes in America, or around the world that don't have some type of cookware that was manufactured by Corning. While they are most commonly known for their cookware, they are also a major player in numerous arenas of the glass industry including eyeglasses, optical fiber, emissions control technology and scientific glass products. In other words, they've earned their spot as a Fortune 500 company.
The weather, as promised by the weather channel was pretty soggy, so it was suggested by our host here at the Bear Mountain Lodge to visit the Corning Museum of Glass. In spite of the rain, the drive was easy and the color of the leaves seemed to be enhanced by the gray clouds. The museum is a very large, modern building located just a block from the Corning corporate headquarters and the Chemung River. It was the perfect rainy day activity. There were numerous displays tracing the history of glass back to the time before Christ up to it's uses in so many aspects of our lives today. Additionally, there were demonstrations of glassblowing, flameworking and glass breaking (safety glass).
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| The entrance to the Corning Museum of Glass |
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| Glassblowing Demonstration inside the museum |
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| Crystal Punchbowl....one of the largest made. It weighs over 50 pounds empty. |
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| The pumpkin on the right is the largest glass pumpkin ever made. It weights over 97 pounds, making it slightly larger than the one I made |
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| This and the pictures below are from the Contemporary Glassworks Display |
Beth and I even tried our on hands at creating our own glass masterpieces out of 2,000 degree molten globs. Beth made a lovely flower with a curly stem. I stayed more seasonal, making a pumpkin. Beth was able to do some actual hands on work with her creation, bending and shaping the flower and the stem. Thankfully mine just required some hot air, something I've been told I'm full of on numerous occasions.
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| Decked out and ready to create a masterpiece |
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| Beth's instructors' unprotected arm is close to something very hot! |
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| A quick picture of the finished product! |
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| Blowing hot air into my pumpkin...……... |
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| or taking a hit off a bong! |
As soon as we were finished with our works of art, we snapped a quick picture before they had to be placed in the 900+ degree "cooling oven". They cool down overnight. The finished product can then be picked up the next day or shipped to the address of your choice. Ours will hopefully be waiting on us when we return to Anna Maria Island. Unless some high level art thieves get wind of them and intercept them in route between New York and Florida. I'm sure they're worth a fortune!
The museum offers a continuously running bus that will take visitors from the Corning Museum of Glass a short distance over the river to the downtown area of Corning where there is another museum, The Rockwell Museum. Although we read nice things about this museum, which is a Smithsonian affiliate museum, we didn't have time to visit it. Also, if you plan to visit it, just note, it's artwork collected by the Rockwell Family of Corning and not affiliated with Norman Rockwell.
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| Corning Town Square is located in the Gaffers District of the city |
As we were leaving the museum the weather began to clear, giving us enough time to make the 20 minute drive from Corning to Watkins Glen, NY. This small community is most famous for it's motorsports race track, but it is also known for it's state park (Watkins Glen State Park) and for being on the tip of Seneca Lake, one of the five main lakes of New York's Finger Lake Region. There are eleven lakes altogether.
The leaves between Corning and Watkins Glen were the best we have seen so far. We enjoyed a short hike along the gorge trail and a walk out on the gazebo over the lake before heading back to Wellsboro.
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| Spectacular color between Corning and Watkins Glen |
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| One of the numerous waterfalls along the Watkins Glen State Park Gorge Trail |
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| Seneca Lake Marina |
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| Gazebo over the lake in Watkins Glen |
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| The pier over Seneca Lake with the town of Watkins Glen in the background |
Rain or shine, a day in Corning and Watkins Glen are sure to make some special memories!
