2018 Exploring New York - Stop #3 - Letchworth State Park

Stop #3: Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY. This park was voted the "#1 State Park in the United States" and is lovingly referred to as "The Grand Canyon of the East," and for good reason. It is meticulously maintained and provides a multitude of breath-taking vistas to behold.  After visiting this park, I clearly saw why it garnered such accolades. 

The park is a direct result of the original 1,000 acres and home that were donated by William Pryor Letchworth (1823-1910). Letchworth was a Quaker, visionary, conservationist, humanitarian, author and reformist. The Senecas named him “Hia-wa-ye-is-tah,” which means, “The Man Who Always Does Right.” He also fought for the rights of patients in insane asylums, epileptics and children from inner-city Buffalo. 

He saw the need to preserve what Indian heritage remained in the area and did so with utmost respect and honor. His generosity guaranteed that the history and beauty of this place could be enjoyed by the many generations who have followed.. The sheer magnitude of what he accomplished in his lifetime is documented and displayed aptly in this awe-inspiring place.

We were the exception to the rule.

We were parked in Loop 300, site 311, which was a large, partly shaded and very private site. We were nestled among tall pine, elm and chestnut trees. Our neighbors’ accommodations ran the gamut of pup-tents, large tents, pop-up trailers, pull-behind trailers and 5^th wheels. We were in the company of only about one or two other Class A’s in our loop during our stay. It was quite an education as we watched the tent campers go about setting up their sites. 

We decided that it is a camping option for the young and fit, of which we are neither. We watched one couple set up their space for over three hours hanging hammocks, tarp shelters and a tent. Just as they finished, it began to rain and it rained, and rained and rained for the remainder of the day and throughout the night...I felt so badly for them, but perhaps they enjoying the challenge.

There are so many great things to say about this park, but no matter what I write here, it won't give it the justice it deserves. It is best seen in person. Even though we worked our way from one end to the other over the course of four days, it was impossible to see it all. It took over 12 miles to drive from one end of the park to the other. Most of the road hugs the coast of the Genesee River and several overlooks provide you with breathtaking views of the Falls, river, gorge and the tracts of land that the Seneca's once called home.

My favorite spot...."Wolf Falls."

Some of the more popular viewing areas were of the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls of the Genesee River Gorge. Surprisingly, the smaller-scale Grey Wolf Falls turned out to be my favorite because I was able to dip my hand into the water, walk down to water-level and sit on a stone wall in quiet reflection. The only sounds I could hear were birds chirping and water trickling over and around the rock ledges. It was just me, George and nature.

On one evening we had dinner reservations at William Pryor Letchworth's former home, "The Glen Iris," which has been turned into a dining hall, catering venue and inn. When we arrived, we noticed there was an outdoor wedding being held under a huge tent. From our perfect vantage point we were able to eavesdrop on the happy occasion. When we left the restaurant, I suggested we crash the party and step inside the tent to dance, but George wasn’t up to the adventure. If my friend, Berni, had been there, it would be a much different ending to this paragraph.

Despite having to take a daily 10-mile drive to get a couple of "bars" of LTE cell service and needing to use public showers (no sewer hook-ups), I would stay here again in a heartbeat. I've used public showers before, but for George this was a first. “He went, he showered, he survived!” Life is good. I found myself loving this park more than I had Niagara Falls for the simple fact that it was pure, peaceful and accessible.

We pulled out of Letchworth in a heavy rain storm and felt badly for all those tent camping. There were puddles all over, dampness filled the air, and the fog and mist made me grateful to be snug inside Little Miss. If I didn’t think I could tent-camp before, I surely knew at this point.

What follows is a pictorial and video essay of our time spent in beautiful Letchworth State Park.

No stop is complete for me without walking through a cemetery.
On the right, the school Letchworth built - recreated after a fire.

The Glen Iris Inn provided us with a couple of delicious meals.

The beautiful flowers around Glen Iris

Video of Lower Falls

Upper and Middle Falls, and you know who.....

Letchworth fought for the rights of the insane and epileptics. The Seneca gave him the honorable name: Hia-Wa-Ye-Is-Tah," which translates "The Man Who Always Does Right." 

Me posing in front of the home built by Mary Jemison, known as "The White Woman of the Genesee." George in front of the "Seneca Tribal Council House" that Letchworth relocated, restored and re-dedicated.  

Upper and Middle Falls.

For anyone reading this entry who does not own an RV or is not a "camper" - there is no excuse for you to miss this gem if ever in the area. There are many rustic cabins and cute cottage homes right within the park as well as bedrooms in the Glen Iris Inn.  There is a place for everyone...and oh, what a place.


Deep thought for the day: 
Sometimes big is not better. 
I find that less can be more. 
Words withheld - unspoken, 
can comfort a soul for sure.  ~vc

2018 Exploring New York - Stop 2 - Niagara Falls

Our second stop found us in the Niagara Falls KOA located in Lewiston, NY. While it was not the closest to the Canadian border, it was affordable, clean, had good washers and dryers (that I needed to make serious use of) and an owner who went above and beyond to make my stay productive and pleasant.

While exploring the US side of the Falls, we were shocked by the sheer number of foreign travelers. I know that sounds like a strange comment - after all, we were at one of the biggest tourist destinations in North America, but there were SO MANY more here than I've ever seen anywhere else, including Walt Disney World. 

I determined on this trip, that while it took nature millions of years to create Niagara Falls, it took mankind only about 100 years to turn it into a tacky tourist trap. 

If only it was THIS GOOD.

The US side was very run-down. The roads were in terrible condition and Niagara Falls Park provided dirty restrooms and a horrible 'pay-to-ride' "hop on trolley" that had people crammed to "standing room only." The putrid smell of body odor on a hot and humid day had us opting to walk instead of ride. 

I found it sad that on both sides there was no way to access the falls without having to participate in a paid group tour. I was expecting to experience a serene moment hiking down to the Falls, but that didn't happen on either side. I don't mean to come across as cheap, but I was looking for an intimate encounter, not something resembling a flash mob scene. The Canadian side was full of neon lights for Ripley's Believe it or Not (yup...I couldn't believe it), wax museum, motorized car track, Ferris Wheel, t-shirt shops, and loads of fast food restaurants. It all just seemed out of place to me.

The act of "Border Crossing" was interesting. On one day, we waited over an hour on line, and the very next day we breezed right through. It didn't really matter the time of day, it mattered only by the Border Guard occupying the booth on the line you chose. It was very similar to a supermarket check-out line...We always choose the wrong line! I do hope there is a lot of discrete metal detecting and covert surveillance going on at the crossings, because it seemed way too easy to cross. Interestingly, even though we were not carrying any contraband, it was a bit nerve-racking having to answer the simplest of questions. 

On the third day up in Niagara we experienced heavy rains and it was "THE DAY" that I needed to book Fast Passes for an upcoming Disney Trip. This neck of the woods, like the last, had terrible cell service so I was a little worried that I would need to drive somewhere early in the morning to find a location where I could find cell signal to book the passes, but the KOA owner, after I explained my dilemma, very generously offered to provide me with the password to her personal Internet. I'll be giving kudos in that campground review.

As it turned out, since I was working on the front porch of the KOA in the torrential rain at 7:30 AM, there was a strong signal that allowed me to get the job done. Everyone else, including George and Lucy, seemed to have slept late. It took me four hours to get the job completed, but in less than 40 days, Disney, here we come! 

Small Talk Winery - a young vineyard - comfortable and casual.

The rest of that day and most of the next found us in Niagara on the Lake in Ontario - a town noted for its great Rieslings and Ice Wines. It was a wine-lovers haven. My designated driver was very generous and patient while we made stop after stop and I explored and tasted to my heart's content.  I added a few more bottles to my collection of "wines from the north." I was impressed with most of the wines I tasted. You won't find any heavy-oaked Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, but they were interesting and tasty. As I look back now, it seems like the wineries all blended together, but some stick out more than others, like Small Talk Winery.

Acres and acres of vines. Rancourt was bigger and a tad more formal. 

Strewn provided a very nice tasting. I was offered tastes of two additional wines, which was not a common occurrence.

Months ago, I had booked reservations for dinner at The Skylon Tower's revolving dining room in Ontario. It was an experience I would recommend to anyone wanting the most spectacular view of both the US and Canadian Falls. The acoustics were awful and the hostesses disorganized, but the meal - despite the din of clattering dishes, tinkling silverware and clinking of glassware - was delicious enough to distract from those negatives. 

Skylon Tower, US and Canadian Falls-bottom right, lit up at dusk.

Lobster Dinner with a killer view.

Canadian Falls top right, US center.

A trip up to Niagara Falls had been on my bucket list for years. Perhaps the hype, expectations and anticipation were to blame for my "less-than-stellar" experience.  The Falls are magnificent. The commercialism is disappointing. My "Deep Thought" sums up my feelings.

Next blog - Stop #3 - my favorite of the entire journey! Letchworth State Park.

Deep thought for the day:  Big expectations often lead to small gratifications. ~vc

Exploring Upstate New York

When I opened my blog to start this entry, I realized how lazy I had become. Either that, or I hadn't been doing anything worthy of documenting. However, every day should be treated as it's special, so I'll give a quick synopsis of what's been going on since our Valentine's Day bash. 

A lot of time was spent in the pool, a trip out to Colorado for a week to babysit, a couple of trips to see “The Mouse” with friend, Amanda, a couple of lunch dates with friend, Tricia and too many doctor and vet appointments filled most of my days.  

Friends Kristin and Rob flew down to FL a few times and during one of their trips the subject came up that I liked to make cards. Then, almost out of nowhere, Kristin "commissioned" me to make Thank You cards for her daughter's upcoming bridal shower. I hadn't made any cards in a long time and all of my supplies were up north, but the thought of tapping into my creative side sparked an interest, so I agreed with eager anticipation. 

I didn't realize how much I had missed crafting and this project catapulted me into creative heaven. A few trips to the craft store had me well-supplied and on the "production line." It felt good. It also helped to fill the days while George worked lots of hours at Lowe’s. His little part-time hobby has started to resemble a full-time job.  

Here is a sampling of the cards I've made:

Rainy days seem to have me making sympathy cards.

We arrived in NY the beginning of June and had plans to take a few weeks to explore some of upstate NY's treasures, including Niagara Falls, the beautiful Finger Lakes Region, Letchworth State Park and Lake George. 

I’ve lived all of my life in NYS and it dawned on me that in my 60+ years, I have traveled so little within the “Empire State.” While I have a lot of negative feelings towards NY – in particular, the taxes and Governor Andrew Cuomo, I had visited some very beautiful places over the years and wanted to visit and re-visit some this summer.

Croton Point Park is our NY home base, and it has changed very little since our last visit. It is still in desperate need of some TLC and better management. It is a beautiful location, situated on a peninsula that juts out into the majestic Hudson River and depending upon the time of year, you can view owls, eagles, red-tailed hawks and woodpeckers, along with a multitude of song birds, such as warblers, cardinals, robins, wrens and sparrows. The park is also host to coyotes, fox, rabbits, deer, squirrels and a group of feral cats of which I find myself getting too attached.

We are in site 47, which has us nestled beneath two pine trees. After the blasting sun in Florida, the shade was a welcome respite. Although only 30 amps and low water pressure, we were enjoying our little piece of the park to the fullest. As time passed, pine needles and dripping sap made a mess of the roof of the RV and ground. We have plans to move to a different site, but can't do so until September 1st.

The 2018 vacation began on August 1st when we hooked up in the parking lot on a day threatening heavy rains and storms. We headed out for Stop #1 of five: Cayuga State Park in Seneca Falls.

The photo speaks for itself......We're the little Blue Dot.

Stop #1, - Two nights at Cayuga Lake State Park, in Seneca Falls. It was a lovely park and campground that provided us with water, electric, nice showers and was conveniently located at the top of Seneca Lake, the longest of the Finger Lakes. It’s also smack dab in the center of wine country – my favorite type of country.

Tents

Cabins

Little Miss parked at the end of the road

Dumpsters - Cayuga...vs..

Croton Point Park Dumpsters.....

Lake Seneca Welcome Center

Lake Seneca-very cloudy day, but a welcome break from the rain.

We still haven't mastered "The Selfie."

Very common site in our travels, but I never saw these in such perfect bloom before.

Welcome Center lunch - where you can even buy a glass of local wine!

Lunch along the lake.

One of the best photos I took on the trip...Driver's Ed car...must have been after the "Parking" instruction.

We were able to visit three vineyards while in the area:  Ventosa, Fox Run and 3 Brothers Winery. I stocked up with at least a bottle or two from each one. I can't wait to sort out all the wines and my tasting notes.

Ventosa Vineyard-wish they gave you the glass....

3 Brothers Winery

To be continued...with Stop #2, Niagara Falls.

Deep thought for the day:  Find JOY in the little things. I find I get too caught up on the trivial things. We all need to focus on the PRESENT.....the actual gift that is TODAY. ~vc