I have a second blog “Bicycling the beauty around us” that went live a few weeks ago. I created “Bicycling the beauty around us” as a logbook, of sorts, to track my husband and my bicycling adventures. The new blog contains content from 2016 to the present (in chronological order)
I added a widget on the right hand side of this blog, “The Beauty Around Us” (circled in yellow) that previews the last three “Bicycling the beauty around us” blog posts.
Widget for “bicycling the beauty around us” blog posts
You will see the blog previews, however, only when reading “The Beauty Around Us” blog posts.
This is an invitation for each of you to follow separately my “Bicycling the beauty around us” blog, which may be found by clicking here. Doing so will alert you to new “bicycling” blog posts.
This is a screenshot of the latest “Bicycling the beauty around us” blog post. Note the section circled in yellow on the left side of the page. This section explains one way to follow my blog. There are other ways to follow my blog as well. If you have a WordPress account, you can add my blog to your reader. Personally, I use the free version of Feedly to keep up with blogs that I read.
I still plan to use this website, “The Beauty Around Us”, so please don’t stop following me here!
I have had this blog post in mind for almost two weeks, ever since my granddaughters and I visited our local Audubon Center. I wanted to share a few photographs of my granddaughters, as it has been a while since I did so in this blog. Also, I wanted to showcase the Nature Play Area at the Audubon Center.
According to its website the Audubon Community Nature Center “is a 600-acre wetland preserve that includes over five miles of trails, a native tree arboretum, picnic areas, a natural play space, and educational gardens for you to explore daily from dawn until dusk. … The Nature Center itself is home to the Blue Heron Gift Shop and three floors of interactive exhibits, including live animals, which inform and engage visitors of all ages. … You can visit Liberty, a non-releasable Bald Eagle, in her enclosure near the [Nature Center] building.”
The Audubon Center is located approximately 12 miles from our house at 1600 Riverside Road in Jamestown, NY. We walk the trails and visit Liberty frequently. We have visited the Nature Center building, as well, but just a few times. This blog post, though, is about the nature play area only.
The nature play area is located near the Nature Center building.
In Mar 2016 the nature play area had a tunnel made out of a tree and stepping “stones” made out of trees.
Mar 2016 Our granddaughters climbed through and on the tree tunnel.
Mar 2016 Bob and our granddaughters check out the stepping “stones” made out of trees.
I can’t recall if there was anything else to play on in the nature play area during our visit in March 2016.
During our visit to the Audubon Center on October 7th the girls found three new additions to the nature play area.
The girls had fun pretending they were stuck in this shelter.
The girls are sitting on Tank, a 12-foot and 1,500 pound concrete turtle.
Last fall, Tank the Turtle was created and donated to the Audubon Nature Center by Mike Whitmire of Whitmire Block and Outdoor Living, Starbrick, PA.
Spotted Salamander
The most recent addition to the Nature Play Area is this spotted salamander, which was also created and donated to the Audubon Center by Mike Whitmire of Whitmire Block and Outdoor Living. The spotted salamander measures roughly 14 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail. The spotted salamander had not yet been named.
Well, we made it to Allegany State Park after all the day after our day trip to Letchworth State Park. (See today’s earlier post about changing our destination, when en route to Allegany State Park.)
Allegany State Park is located near Salamanca, NY. The park is divided into two sections: the Red House area and the Quaker Run area. The Red House Area is the northern half of Allegany State Park. Its attractions include Stone Tower, Red House Lake, the Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge, and the Tudor-style Administration Building. The Quaker Run area is the southern half of the park. Its attractions include Quaker Lake, Science Lake, an Amphitheater, and Thunder Rocks.
Allegany State Park is a frequent destination for Bob and me, as the park is less than an hour’s drive from our house.
With the exception of one weekend camping trip several years ago, our visits to the park last only a few hours. We visit various attractions, which I photograph. We sometimes shop at the gift store and eat lunch at the Red House Restaurant, both of which are located in the Administration Building. I would like very much to spend a weekend, once again, at Allegany State Park.
We entered Allegany State Park from Interstate 86 and entered the Red House Area on ASP Route 1. We gained free entry by showing our New York Empire Pass. It would have cost us $6.00, if we did not have an Empire Pass.
ASP Route 1 Overlook
Red House Lake
Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge
Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge
There is a new trail off ASP Route 3 that goes on the other side of Science Lake. The trail was opened in late Spring or early Summer this year. We hiked some of the trail, for the first time, during our visit to Allegany State Park. I learned afterward that there is a kiosk at the front of Science Lake that provides information about “school in the woods” ruins that can be reached by hiking the Science Lake trail. We didn’t hike far enough, so we didn’t see the ruins … next time 🙂
Science Lake Trail Trailhead. The creek feeds Science Lake.
The trail was well marked. The blue hiking sign indicates that the trail is easy.
Science Lake Trail; Science Lake in the distance.
The people who built this trail did an EXCELLENT job!
Feeding Science Lake
Science Lake, with fishing platform in the distance
Science Lake Trail. This is another instance of a well-built trail.
The trail was a bit rocky in places. Some rocks were strategically placed, though, to keep one out of the mud!
Looking across Science Lake
OH! I see the kiosk that provides information about the “school in the woods” ruins!
The bridge over Science Dam was fenced off several years ago.
It would be nice, if funds were made available to make repairs to the dam / bridge. A great loop trail would then be possible around Science Lake.
Bob hiked over to the bridge. I stayed on the trail. This is where we ended our hike. We turned around and returned to the car.
One last parting picture of Science Lake
While we were at Letchworth State Park the day before, I remarked often about “so many people” being at the park. My oft-spoken remark, while at Allegany State Park, was that there were “too many bugs”! No bugs bothered us, while at Letchworth. We should have applied bug spray, especially before hiking behind Science Lake.
Leaving Science Lake, we continued on ASP Route 3 past Quaker Lake. We exited the park onto Interstate 86, just 10 miles south of where we entered the park.
On Saturday, October 5, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day by going for a drive. We hoped to see some pretty Autumn colors. Our original plan was to go to Allegany State Park, near Salamanca NY. This park is about a 45-minute drive from our house. We were about half way to Allegany State Park, when I asked Bob how far it was from our location to Letchworth State Park. “Hey Google. How far is it from my location to Letchworth State Park?”, Bob asked. Well, we didn’t have a signal, so that question had to be repeated a short while later. Instead of turning right onto Interstate 86, we went straight ahead, and that is how we ended up at Letchworth State Park instead of Allegany State Park.
Letchworth State Park is located 35 miles south of Rochester, NY. The park, often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the East”, is a spectacular place. The park’s magnificent scenery includes waterfalls (three major ones on the Genesee River) and a gorge. We have visited Letchworth State Park many times over the years. We enjoy our visit each time we go.
We arrived at the park a little after noon, entering via the south (the Portageville entrance). We have the New York Empire Pass, which provides unlimited day-use vehicle entry to New York State Parks. We made stops at the Upper and Middle Falls between the Portageville entrance and the Archery Field exit.
Upper Falls
Middle Falls
Rainbow at Middle Falls
We ate lunch at the Charcoal Grill in Perry, NY. This is a great place to eat, if you are in the area. There are three food places — the grill, a pizzeria and an ice cream stand. We have stopped at the Charcoal Grill a few times, while in the area. So far we have eaten at each food place, except for the pizzeria. The pizza smells really good, though … maybe next time. I ordered broasted chicken with coleslaw and french fries. Bob ordered beef on weck and onion rings. As always, the food was delicious.
After lunch we drove farther north and reentered Letchworth State Park via the Mt. Morris entrance.We drove south, making a few stops to take pictures of the gorge, before exiting the park via the Portageville exit.
Hogsback Overlook
The photographs (and video) that follow were taken in the Great Bend area of the park.
We watched several rafters go down the Genesee River.
Not much color yet
This was the most color that we saw, while at Letchworth State Park.
Many people took advantage of the nice day, as we did.The park was full of people!
We had a wonderful day.We returned home around 6:00 pm.
We spent 3 nights September 20 through September 23 in Hudson, OH. We rented the Hudson Home AirBnB. The location of this AirBnB was ideal for our activities. We went bicycling on trails in and near Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and we visited the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. A food market and restaurants were within walking distance from our rental.
We were en route Hudson, OH at 7:15 am on Friday, September 20. We stopped for breakfast in Youngsville, PA at Richard’s Family Restaurant. “That was good; it was enjoyable”, Bob said after breakfast. Bob had a Greek omelet with home fries and toast. I had French toast and bacon. The service was fast, as we were back on the road at 8:10 am.
We told Google maps to take us to Hudson OH, using an off highway route. From Youngsville Google maps said it was 133 mi 3 hours and 25 minutes to our destination, with an ETA of 11:23 am. A deer ran across the road in front of us, shortly after leaving the restaurant. If there had been a second deer, it is likely we would have hit that deer.
We arrived in Hudson around 11:45 am. We passed by our AirBnB and drove to Szalay’s in Peninsula for lunch. The farm market was open; the outdoor eatery was not. We drove back to Hudson.
We ate lunch at Johnny’s Diner, located in Hudson at the Acme Market plaza. This is what the webpage says about Johnny’s Diner:
“Go back in time to the glory days of malt shop diners. Johnny’s Diner is a delicious blend of 50’s style diner and hometown Hudson.”
Johnny’s Diner
Johnny’s Diner
I liked the diner’s 50s ambiance; the service and food was good as well. We didn’t order anything that the diner appears to be noted for i.e., burgers and shakes. We can, though, attest to the fact that the Chef’s Salad and melted tuna sandwich are delicious.
After lunch, we drove to the AirBnB that we rented for 3 nights. The AirBnB is located about 1/4 mile from the Acme Market plaza. We “checked in”, carried in our baggage and got settled in. Checking in involved entering a combination for a lockbox and using the key inside the lockbox to open the front door. Once inside we returned the key to the lockbox. Near the kitchen door was a key to use for the rest of our visit. That key was for the back door, which happens to be the most convenient door to use. Parking is at the back of the house.
Our rental AirBnB – living / dining room
Our rental AirBnB – back yard
Our rental AirBnB – Our host left snacks for us.
Later in the afternoon we walked the quarter of a mile to the Acme Market and purchased a few groceries (mainly breakfast items, beverages and snacks).
We ate dinner at Perkins Restaurant, located in the Acme Market plaza.
This AirBnB does not have a TV. It does, however, have the Internet and a computer monitor. Bob didn’t bring the Fire Stick, as the AirBnB listing said there was no TV. Therefore, Bob assumed that there would be nowhere to plug in the Fire Stick. He could have plugged the Fire Stick into the monitor. We were able to watch Amazon Prime and Hulu, though, by hooking up Bob‘s Surface Pro tablet to the computer monitor.
The next day (Saturday, September 21) we ate breakfast at the house from purchases that we made the day before. Then we went for a bicycle ride, which you can read about here.
We ate lunch at Szalay’s Outdoor Eatery. Bob had a polish sausage, and I had a hot dog. For dessert we had fruit sundaes–vanilla soft serve ice cream with pineapple, blueberries, strawberries and bananas.
After lunch we returned to the house, where we stayed until late afternoon.
We ate dinner at Subway in the Acme Market plaza. I am sure that you can tell that we made good use of the nearby shopping plaza.
After dinner we drove to the Ira Trailhead on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where we went for a short evening bicycle ride.
We returned to the house around 7:30 pm.
On Sunday, September 22, we went to the zoo. We felt that the zoo was a better choice, given the extreme heat, than riding bicycles.
We were en route Cleveland Metroparks Zoo at 9:00 am. We arrived about 50 minutes later. Our tickets were half price because we are members of the Erie Zoo. We visited all seven zoo locations.
I put together a slideshow of some of the zoo animals that we saw during our visit.
Bob put together a short video too.
What a hot day! The car thermometer read 94 degrees, when we returned to the car. We had an enjoyable time at the zoo. Our time there, though, would have been more enjoyable had it been about 20 degrees cooler. The animals may have been more active too.
We departed the zoo at 2:00 pm. We were back at the house by 3:00 pm. We were both whipped, and our feet hurt. Still the day’s activities were better than riding bicycles. At least we were able to find some relief in air conditioned buildings.
We departed Hudson at 7:30 am on Monday, September 23. We stopped for breakfast at Bob Evans Restaurant in Streetsboro, OH. We both ordered Classic Breakfast – 2 eggs, 2 pancakes and bacon. Filling and delicious!
When we left Hudson it was cloudy and a comfortable 68 degrees. It started raining in Conneaut, PA and the rain stayed with us rest of the way home. We returned home around noon.
I have a new blog “Bicycling the beauty around us”. I created the blog as a logbook, of sorts, to track my husband and my bicycling adventures. I have spent the past few days putting the blog together, adding content from 2016 to the present (in chronological order) My new blogging website may be found by clicking here. Please check out my new blog. At present there are 36 published blog posts. I still plan to use this website, “The Beauty Around Us”, so please don’t stop following me here!
We checked out of the Red Roof Inn in Utica NY, and we were on the road by 7:00 am.Neither of us slept well last night, but our lack of sleep was no fault of the hotel or other guests.We were just restless (to get home, I believe).
We ate breakfast at the Port Byron Diner in Port Byron, NY.Bob ordered an omelet with potatoes; I ordered chocolate chip pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon.Breakfast was filling and delicious.
After breakfast we drove to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, where we drove around the Wildlife Loop.We saw an eagle today and a few other birds.There wasn’t much activity. We prefer coming to this wildlife refuge in the Spring. I talked with a man who was photographing the eagle.The eagle had not left his roost in 1 1/2 hours! We spent about 30 minutes waiting for the eagle to fly.
Eagle on its roost
I thought for sure that the eagle was going to fly.
What a stubborn eagle!
Leaving Montezuma, we drove to UBREAKIFIX in Buffalo.Bob had arranged to have his Google Pixel 2 phone repaired.The thumbprint sensor quit working.He was quoted a price of $80-100 a couple weeks ago and told the work would take a couple hours.Today he was told the cost of the repair would be $150 and would take 3 hours to fix.Bob opted not to have his phone fixed.
On our way home from Buffalo we made two stops.Our first stop was at Tim Hortons in Fredonia, NY.We ordered coffee/tea, two cookies (for Bob) and an apple fritter (for me).Our second stop was a fuel stop at Mobil in Fredonia, NY.
We returned home around 3:00 pm.Bob drove 2,070 miles total, while we were on vacation.
This blog post concludes Day 10 of our 10-day Maine vacation (June 28-July 7, 2019). We are already talking about returning to Maine some day, perhaps in the fall. We really enjoyed our stay in Maine!
