8 February 2012 Back in New York

I had a short trip to New York and was lucky to once again have no snow and mild temperatures. I stopped on the way for a little walking and a couple caches near Erie at Elk Creek.

My last stop of the day was near Westfield, New York. I often try to bypass at least part of the Thruway to break up the monotony of the drive so I have driven through Westfield hundreds of times. On the west side of town, there's an Old Ford dealership that closed a few years back. We once used the drive to turn around in a snow storm and seek shelter in Westfield for the night. These days, the building is a visitors center for promoting the local wineries. There is a cache at the back of the property which shares some history of the area which I never noticed. The vineyards behind were at one time an airfield. The only real evidence of the old airfield is an old beacon. The weathered sign on the tower calls back a time before the Federal Aviation Administration and points to the Department of Commerce Aeronautics. It was an unexpected great piece of history.