Ashford Hollow NY | The Beauty Around Us

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An All-Day Motorcycle Ride

In the late afternoon on Friday, July 24th, a friend posted a status in the 2 Scoop CycleTherapy Facebook group, asking if anyone wanted to go to Springville, NY to the vintage motorcycle museum at Northeast Vintage Cycle. Bob and I said that we would go. We left home at 8:30 Saturday morning and departed from Herb’s house in Scandia at 9:00 am.

We rode to Springville, making one brief stop (a stretching break) along Route 219 in Ellicottville, NY.

There was a pretty flower bed near where we stopped in Ellicottville.

We located Northeast Vintage Cycle without any difficulty. Unfortunately the store/museum was closed and will be closed for the next two Saturdays, while the owners attend vintage motorcycle shows in the area.

We turned around and rode back to Ellicottville. Prior to reaching Ellicottville, we stopped at Griffis Sculpture Park (Rohr Hill Road Site) in Ashford Hollow.

Griffis Sculpture Park – Rohr Hill Entrance

We walked among the towering sculptures set in fields and woods just off the road.

Rohr Hill Sculpture

Griffis Sculpture Park – Rohr Hill Entrance

It was Herb’s first visit to Griffis Sculpture Park, and he enjoyed the visit. A question that kept coming to mind, while he walked in the park was “why?”. This Wikipedia article provides the following explanation for “why”.

“The idea for an outdoor sculpture museum came to artist Larry Griffis while he was touring Italy with his family. While watching his children play on the ruins of Emperor Hadrian’s villa, Griffis realized the value of interactive art. As Simon Griffis recalls, his father said, “This is absolutely remarkable. Look at my kids. I’ve taken them to the finest museums and galleries but they’ve come alive in this environment where they can interact and they can smell the flowers and they can touch things.”

Upon returning to the United States, Larry Griffis looked at many possible sites for the park, but had a vision that included site-specific terrain. He required a combination of valleys, woods, lake and open space. Kissing Bridge Ski Resort and Lewiston’s Art Park were possible candidates for the vision, but were passed over by the artist.

In 1966, Griffis purchased 100 acres…of Ashford Hollow in the Southern Tier of Western New York and placed 15 of his own 25 feet…welded steel works on a hillside along a country road. The Ashford Hollow Foundation acquired another 325 acres…and drummed up commissions for additional sculptures.”

We made a fuel stop in Ellicottville, and then continued on Route 219 to Bradford, PA. In Bradford we turned onto Route 346 and headed toward the Allegheny Reservoir.

We stopped briefly at Marilla Reservoir.

Marilla Bridges Trail

It was Herb’s first visit to Marilla Reservoir.

From Marilla Reservoir we stopped for lunch at the Giordano’s Corydon Hotel. We planned to stop at The Willows, but the place was packed FULL of motorcycles and motorcyclists participating in the annual Kids & Cancer Benefit Run. Lunch at the Corydon Hotel was a good choice. Herb and I enjoyed our burgers. Bob enjoyed his Cajun Chicken Salad.

Our last stop before parting ways was at Kinzua Dam.

Kinzua Dam

Herb headed home via Dorcan Road. Bob and I decided to take a ride to the other side of Kinzua Dam.

We got up close and personal to Kinzua Dam, the closest I have ever been!

We returned home at 4:00 pm. We rode 196 miles. It was a beautiful day for a ride. The ride was most enjoyable, even though its original purpose was not realized.

Memorial Day Weekend: Saturday

On Saturday, May 23, we spent the day riding. We left home at 8:30 am. I had put the liner back in my leather jacket and dressed in layers, as it was only 36 degrees when we left home en route Niagara Falls.

Approaching Peace Bridge

We crossed into Canada via the Peace Bridge. We had no delay crossing into Canada; however, the border crossing guard was a bit brusque. After we (and others) had entered the lane to his booth, he closed the lane. I believe his brusqueness was due to his desire to take a break or to end his work shift. The guard had us remove our helmets, not an easy task when one hand is holding passports. He could see I was having a little trouble handling my helmet and handing over the passports to him. He made no effort to help ( e.g. he did not step closer to reach the passports). I had trouble putting my helmet back on. I was wearing a dew rag that came off, as I removed my helmet. I needed two hands to put the dew rag back on, so I just put on my helmet. I stuffed our passports in my jacket pocket. We stopped soon after getting on Niagara Parkway so that I could put on my helmet properly, with dew rag underneath it. Bob placed our passports in a locked cubicle on the dashboard.

We drove along Niagara Parkway to Niagara Falls, enjoying the beautiful views of Niagara River along the way. We drove through Niagara Falls to Rainbow Bridge.

The crossing into the United States was more hectic than the crossing into Canada. There were cars and people EVERYWHERE! Niagara Falls State Park’s parking Lot 1, located near the Niagara Falls Visitor Center, was full. Niagara Falls State Park’s parking Lot 2, located on Goat Island near the entrance to the Cave of the Winds tour and Top of the Falls Restaurant, was full as well. We were directed to another parking lot somewhere on Goat Island, but the line was very long entering that parking lot. We decided not to go for a walk in Niagara Falls this trip. I much prefer visiting Niagara Falls off season, or at least not on a holiday weekend!

We began our ride back home. We traveled by way of Route 219. We made a fuel stop in Springville, NY and ate lunch at the nearby Ponderosa Steakhouse.

Prior to arriving in Ellicottville, NY we stopped at Griffis Sculpture Park–the largest outdoor sculpture park in the United States. For over 42 years, the steel sculptures of Larry Griffis, Jr. and other international artists have been residing in the woods, fields, and even ponds of Griffis Sculpture Park. The 400 acre park is located eight miles outside of Ellicottville near Ashford Hollow, NY (Cattaraugus County). Griffis Sculpture Park is split into two sections, the Rohr Hill Road Site and the Mill Valley Road Site. We visited the Rohr Hill Road Site, where a majority of the sculptures are visible from the road.

We wandered about the meadow and the woods of the Rohr Hill section of the park, while I snapped pictures of some of the sculptures.

Griffis Sculpture Park

Who would have thought that you could find something so beautiful in a meadow in the middle of nowhere!

Rather than take Interstate 86 home, we drove through the Allegany State Park via ASP Route 1. Our NY State Empire Passport provided free entry to the park. We made two brief stops, while in the park.

We stopped at the Red House Administration Building, where we purchased a bottle of water at the Gift Shop.

We stopped alongside Quaker Lake.

From Allegany State Park we took Routes 280, 321 and 59 home.

We returned home at 5:45 pm. Our trip odometer indicated that we put approximately 280 miles on the motorcycle. By the way, it began to reach a comfortable temperature around 3:30 pm!

Come, Walk With Me

Come, Walk With Me
a poem by Emily Jane Brontë

Come, walk with me,
There’s only thee
To bless my spirit now –
We used to love on winter nights
To wander through the snow;
Can we not woo back old delights?
The clouds rush dark and wild
They fleck with shade our mountain heights
The same as long ago
And on the horizon rest at last
In looming masses piled;
While moonbeams flash and fly so fast
We scarce can say they smiled –

Come walk with me, come walk with me;
We were not once so few
But Death has stolen our company
As sunshine steals the dew –
He took them one by one and we
Are left the only two;
So closer would my feelings twine
Because they have no stay but thine –

‘Nay call me not – it may not be
Is human love so true?
Can Friendship’s flower droop on for years
And then revive anew?
No, though the soil be wet with tears,
How fair soe’er it grew
The vital sap once perished
Will never flow again
And surer than that dwelling dread,
The narrow dungeon of the dead
Time parts the hearts of men -‘

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Bob and I went to Niagara Falls yesterday to celebrate my birthday. En route Niagara Falls we made a brief stop at Griffis Sculpture Park – Rohr Hill Road Site – in Ashford Hollow, NY, where I took the photograph shown above. I feel that the poem “Come, Walk With Me” fits the photograph very well. Do you feel the same way too?

Griffis Sculpture Park and Lunch in Ellicottville

We spent the morning and part of the afternoon of April 26, 2009 on a Sunday drive. Even though it was a beautiful summer-like day, I didn’t feel like riding the motorcycle. I know that Bob would have rather ridden the motorcycle; however, he agreed to take the Nissan.

Our destination was Griffis Sculpture Park, which is the largest outdoor sculpture park in the United States. For over 42 years, the steel sculptures of Larry Griffis, Jr. and other international artists have been residing in the woods, fields, and even ponds of Griffis Sculpture Park. The 400 acre park is located eight miles outside of Ellicottville near Ashford Hollow, NY (Cattaraugus County). Griffis Sculpture Park is split into two sections, the Rohr Hill Road Site and the Mill Valley Road Site. We had hoped to visit both sections of Griffis Sculpture Park; however, the Mill Valley Road Site was not yet open. That section of the park opens on May 1st. The Rohr Hill Road Site, where a majority of the sculptures are visible from the road, is open year round. We wandered about the meadow and the woods of the Rohr Hill section of the park, while I snapped pictures of many of the sculptures. Who would have thought that you could find something so beautiful in a meadow in the middle of nowhere!

We stopped in Ellicottville, for lunch, on our drive back home.

Ellicottville is home to two ski resorts, Holiday Valley and Holimont. I was surprised to see that there was still snow on the ski slopes.

We ate lunch at The Gin Mill, a full service bar and restaurant. We both ordered one of the day’s luncheon specials — bourbon burgers and french fries. We ended our delicious lunch with dessert — apple pie for Bob and chocolate peanut butter pie for me. Here’s a couple photographs of The Gin Mill. The first photograph shows the bar; the second photograph shows Bob surfing the Internet on his iPOD.

After lunch, I took a few more pictures of Ellicottville before continuing our ride home.

Ellicottville Town Hall and Park

Daffodil in Town Hall park

The Gin Mill, where we ate lunch, is located behind the last two motorcycles on the right.