It’s been about 11 years since the last time I went to the Sterling Renaissance Festival (The RenFaire as it’s locally known). In that time it has added: several new stages, more places to get get food and drink and more shows. Amongst the things that didn’t change, the atmosphere and the fun.

The Festival is a grate escape from the mundane world. When you pass through the gates, you step in to the Shire of Warwick circa the 1580′s. You can choose to walk around in your mundane garb, rent a period costume or dress in your own period garb (the best way to immerse yourself).

The last time I attended I went in my own cranberry colored monks robes, complete with hood, belt and drinking horn. Unfortunately, as the Festival has grown, so have I Unlike my friends, Dan and Renee, I had to rent an outfit As a plus, the Shoppe had a Set of Friars robes, making me feel less out of sorts.

After my fitting, my traveling companions needed to check to see if some of the items, they previously ordered, had come in. First was a leather shop, carrying everything from purses and pouches up full hardened leather armor. Out next stop was a Tinsmith. Here, there were really amazing fountains, statues and amazing garden art.

Our final stop, before the serious wandering could begin, was to a chainmail worker, where both my companions picked up jewelry.

From here out day was wandering form shop to shop, show to show with occasional stops to fuel up on food, booze and water.

Amongst our wanderings we caught Don Juan and Miguel’s “Don Juan in Heck”. After an impressive display of Whip-play, Don Juan and Miguel dual to the death. Don Juan loses, then bargains with the Master of Heck for his release.

We also caught the Falconry Demo in the Jousting Field (We didn’t make the Jousting Tourney…this weekend ) The Master Falconer has several birds including an Owl and Hawk as well as the Falcon.

We encountered the pirates at the dunking pond, trying to decipher a treasure map. As chance would have it, two of the wards of Warwick stumbled in during the parley looking for their secret admirers.

My favorite of the shows was, Johnny Fox, a sword swallower, prestidigitator, and philosopher. Johnny Fox is one of the 50ish working sword swallower left in the world. He is amazing, engaging and funny. He also runs the Sweet Nut concession

how sweet is that?

Again, this is another performance you have to see in person…I did capture some video of his act tho

We finished the day at the Pub Sing. Along the way we did stop to eat, drink and be merry. I’m almost ashamed I waited so long to go back.

This journey is a little over an hour form my house. So far it’s the most expensive attraction I’ve been too ($24 to get in, food is all about $7). However, its the most entertainment for the money I’ve spent.

This is something you really have to do if yer in Upstate NY in July or the first couple of weeks in August.

Get out there any try it, you’ll not regret it!

Going Medieval at the Sterling Renaissance Festival is a post from: PhotoEscapist

I hadn’t heard of Secret Caverns until my trip to Howe Cavern.  The route to Howe Caverns is peppered with colorful signs for Secret Cavern.  After seeing a few of these I decided to go after my visit to Howe.

Secret Cavern is located about five minutes down the road from Howe.  The route is very clearly marked with a few more of the eye catching billboards.  The signs are as colorful as the front of the store pictured above.

When I arrived there were several cars in the lot.  There were two patrons who just completed their tour, and one guide.  With a twenty minute wait for the next tour, I was encouraged to look at the Ice Cave then the walls of memorabilia revolving around Secret Cave’s history.

The ice cave is a round trip walk of 30′ but, the sign helps setup the atmosphere of the Secret Cavern Tour.

The tour consisted of me and the guide (again the guide’s name would have been useful here), so we came to an arrangement where I could stop and take as many pics and ask as many questions as I wanted and, he would not leave me behind for the Lost Tour Guides, Aliens or spirits of the cow explorers to devour.  This was pretty much the flavor of the entire tour

Secret Cavern is more cave-like, than Howe.  I don’t think you could run 3 or 4 tours of  20 people through at once, no matter how well you staggered them.  Secret Caverns is also more natural than Howe.  The only major changes to the cavern involve the adding of colored flood lights, a foot path, a lowered pathway, and a shaved wall.  You are also allowed to touch the rock and calcite formations.   Enough of the comparisons, there are too many to list.  You need to experience both.

The tour lasted a little over an hour, had a great narrative and great formations of rock calcite and water.  The pathway is lit by colored lights, so I opted to shoot without a flash, to capture some of the ambiance.

(at some point, I’m gonna figure out how to post to pics next each other, and then the would will be in trouble, muhahahaha!!)

The halfway point of the tour features a 100′ waterfall.

It more like a water jet than a waterfall.  The air, as you approach the falls, becomes noticeably warmer and humid.  I had some problems getting a good shot because the moisture kept fogging up my lens and glasses

You can see more of my pictures of Secret Caverns on Flickr

This was really a great place to visit.  It’s campy, light hearted, independent spirt was a great way to escape!

Secret Caverns is a post from: PhotoEscapist

For those of you who don’t know, I work telephone tech support for a large company who feels weekends are for the weak and executives, director level and above.  Every other week (or every other two weeks) we, the workers, get two days off in a row.  Last weekend was one of those two days off for me.  On the weeks where we don’t have two days off in a row, we get a random week day off.  For me, that day fell on Tuesday…In a fit you ‘you stinking bastards’  I decided to burn a vacation day and get four wondrous days off.

Being the kinda guy I am, I decided to take a road trip and share my experiences with (all three or four) you!  It’s not that I’m trying to brush up on my ‘blogging’ and photography skills mind you 

After a bit contemplation, reflection and casting runes, I fired up Glenda, The Good GPS, and headed East, to Howe Cavern.  Follow the link, it’ll give you the skinny

The trip is about 2.5 hours, with no stops, from Syracuse, NY or about 120 miles one way.

Ohh, yeah…If you get a chance, have someone else drive you, some of the scenery is amazing!  Had I been in my right mind, I would have setup my second camera to take pics of the drive there.

After getting off at Exit 29 on I-90 I relied pretty heavily on Glenda.  The signage for Howe Caverns was a bit light (it may have been the route that Glenda selected) tho I did find plenty of signs for Secret Caverns (I did go there too, but they deserve a separate writeup).  It takes a little over 25 minuets from the exit to get to Howe Caverns, and it’s hard to miss when you get there.  I would have placed the pictures of the entrance right about here, had I remembered to take them

A quick note for those of you that have an iPhone, after you get off the Thruway (I-90) yer going to be on the Edge network, this is not really good for loading maps and driving at the same time, or streaming music from the internet .

Somethings you may need to know before buying your tickets and plunging in to the depths.  Bring a jacket, it’s 52 degrees Fahrenheit in the underhill. Photogs, bring a jacket with pockets if you plan to bring an assortment of lenses, there are no backpacks allowed.  If you plan on taking long exposure pictures, lay off the caffeine or bring pocket sized tripod, there are no full sized tripods or monopods allowed.  The normal tour is around 80 minuets (a little longer if you have some laggard in the group who looks at everything, and takes pics of almost every thing he looks at) there are no bathrooms in the caverns and no food allowed either.

There is a lot to look at while wanderin…following the tour.  I took 131 pictures while with the group, I would have taken more had I been given time to wander on my own.  I edited and posted about 40.  Most were rejected, due to the amount of shake from too many stimulants and low light shooting.  I went flashless to capture some of the atmosphere lent by the colored lights used to highlight rock features and calcite formations through out the caverns.

You can find all my pictures of Howe Caverns on Flickr.  In the future I’ll make sure I write descriptions for the pictures so you have a better idea of what yer looking at…

At the halfway mark of the tour, there is a short boat ride along the River Styx.  The tour guides push the boats along the river to a dam which marks the end of the currently finished section of the caverns.  I was really, really tempted to take a picture (using my flash, of course), but resisted the urge, fearing I would not only blind my boat companions, but, send one of the guides in to the drink (the water is 42 degrees).

After the boat ride, the tour continues back along the path you came in on, with a diversion to the Calcite Heart (as seen in the picture at the top of this article) then heading though  a narrow twisting corridor.  When you get to this point, you understand when they don’t want you to bring a back pack From here it’s back up the elevators and back to the sunlit world.

On my way out, I stopped by a shop, attached to the main building, that sells geodes, polished minerals and bags of sand.

The geodes are uncut and are priced by size.  After you pick your rock, you give it to the cashier, who then slices the geode open on a water cooled saw while you wait.  Mine took about 20 minutes to open.

I filled the time by getting a large bag of sand, and using the water sluice and panning screen provided, hunted for emeralds, pyrite, quartz and whatever else lay hidden.

As you see, I got a pretty good haul, but it wasn’t really enough to retire on

I may have to go back again and try the lamplight tour.  It’s a two hour trip by lantern light and sounds pretty amazing

Howe Caverns is a post from: PhotoEscapist