Castile NY | The Beauty Around Us

Lunch and Leaf Peeping at Letchworth State Park

We enjoyed a daycation on Friday, October 7th. We drove to Wellsville NY (an approximate 2-hour drive) to go to lunch with Cynthia and Larry, Bob’s sister and our brother-in-law. Wellsville is the approximate halfway point from our house and where they are vacationing at Cayuga Lake NY. We arrived at our agreed-upon meeting place — the Beef Haus — about 30 minutes before Cynthia and Larry did, which allowed us time to drive by one point of interest — the Pink House. The Pink House is a pink Victorian mansion nestled on the corner of West State Street and Brooklyn Avenue in Wellsville.

According to a Wellsville Sun article, “Edwin Bradford Hall had this home built in 1866–it was finished in 1868 and has remained in his family ever since. E.B. Hall was a well known, highly successful pharmacist in Wellsville, had eclectic tastes and it is believed this grand residence was modeled after one that Hall took a liking to in Lake Como, Italy. He liked the color pink, had the paint mixed in his pharmacy and it has remained that way for generations.”

From the Pink House we returned to the Beef Haus and found metered parking in front of the restaurant. We inserted four quarters in the meter for 2 hours of parking. We would need to insert a couple more quarters in the meter before our time in Wellsville was over.

Bob and I went inside the Beef Haus and obtained seating for the four of us. Cynthia and Larry arrived a few minutes later. Everyone except me ordered a beef dish. I ordered a Beef Haus Club with Ham, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, American Cheese on Wheat Bread. Bob ordered a Bleu Bayou Burger (Cajun Spiced, topped with Crumbled Bleu Cheese, Side of Buffalo Ranch dressing). Both of our meals included chips and a pickle. Larry ordered French Onion Soup, a salad and Beef on Weck sandwich. Cynthia ordered Bay and Beef (Hand Carved Beef with Lemon Butter Broiled Scallops) accompanied by a salad and red skin mashed potatoes. Cynthia and I ordered dessert, Peanut Butter Pie, which we shared with our husbands. By the way I ate only one quarter of my Beef Haus Club and chips and three bites of the Peanut butter pie. Since I started taking Trulicity for diabetes, I don’t have the appetite I used to have (which is a good thing). I boxed the leftover club sandwich; Bob finished the pie. Our lunches were delicious, and the service was very good.

After an enjoyable lunch, we walked a couple blocks down North Main Street. We went window shopping, going inside the Wellsville Creative Arts Center. We admired some of the pottery items, two unique ukuleles and a beautiful but very expensive tile inlaid coffee table ($4,800.00).

At the end of North Main Street, we crossed over West Fassett Street and checked out the Fassett GreenSpace. According to an article in the Olean Times Herald, the “Fassett GreenSpace consists of a 74-foot diameter meditation labyrinth, more than 1,500 square feet of raised flower and vegetable gardens. A bronze fountain is in the middle while metal musical instruments are on the side. The public is invited to harvest the garden and play the instruments.”

We enjoyed playing the musical instruments.

The sound of the musical instruments is beautiful. Bob played a small clip from an actual song. Do you recognize the song?

We walked back the way we came, on the opposite side of North Main Street. We parted ways in Wellsville. Cynthia and Larry headed east to their vacation home at Cayuga Lake. Bob and I headed north to Mount Morris NY (another 1 hour drive).

En route Mount Morris we drove through Belmont. Bob saw a waterfall, as we crossed over the Belmont Bridge. He pulled off on the other side of the bridge, and we walked to the bridge to check out the waterfall. We saw the waterfall from the bridge, as well as from underneath the bridge.

The reason that we drove to Mount Morris was to enter Letchworth State Park from the north and to drive south through the park.

We sat at a picnic table at Wolf Creek and finished my leftover club sandwich from our earlier lunch.

Letchworth State Park Great Bend Overlook

Bob took this picture of me at
Letchworth State Park Upper Falls

Letchworth State Park Upper Falls
with Train on Railroad

Although it was overcast, we enjoyed looking at the beauty of the fall colors throughout the park.

It took another 2-hour drive to go home, after leaving the park. We were gone from home at least 10 hours. It was a very enjoyable day.

Letchworth State Park Day Trip

We took advantage of the sunny day on Sunday, February 21st by going for a drive.

We drove to Letchworth State Park, which 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 and a gorge. We have visited Letchworth State Park many times over the years. We enjoy our visit each time we go.

If you visit Letchworth State Park in the winter, it is important to note that the Portageville Gate is closed for the season. In addition Park Road closes seasonally between the Perry and Castile gates.

We entered Letchworth State Park, around noon, via the Castile Gate and turned right onto Park Road. Our first stop was opposite Archery Field.

Archery Field Overlook of Genesee River and Gorge

I see a shadow of a person holding a basket on his head, where the frozen water has thawed. Do you?

Our second stop was at Inspiration Point.

At Inspiration Point visitors are blessed with a spectacular vista that overlooks the Genesee River and Gorge. Upstream you see two waterfalls – the Middle Falls and the Upper Falls. A train trestle spans above the Upper Falls.

Inspiration Point – Middle Falls

Inspiration Point – Upper Falls

Our next stop was at the Glen Iris Inn, where we enjoyed another view of the Middle Falls. We got to see the Glen Iris fountain as an ice tower as well.

Middle Falls as seen from Glen Iris Inn grounds

Bob took this video of the Glen Iris Fountain with our GoPro camera.

Bob took this picture of the two of us as well.

Bob and I with Glen Iris Fountain in the background

I found a video on Facebook that explains how the Glen Iris fountain works and why it freezes into a beautiful ice tower during cold winters. Please click here to view that video.

Our next (and last) stops were at the Upper and Middle Falls.

The Upper Falls had some water flow, but the falls were mostly frozen.

Likewise, the Middle Falls had some water fall but were mostly frozen.

The ice along the cliff at Middle Falls was particularly beautiful.

In total we spent about 1 1/2 hours at Letchworth State Park. We couldn’t ask for a better winter day for our visit to the park. It was a picture perfect day!

Day Trip to Letchworth State 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.

Red, White and Blue Balloon Rally at Letchworth State Park

We planned to go to BJ’s Wholesale Club yesterday afternoon. I had other thoughts, though, after receiving a NY State Park newsletter via email. On the front page of the newsletter was information about the 15th annual Red, White and Blue Balloon Rally at Letchworth State Park. The first balloon launch was planned for 6:00 pm.

Bob came home from work at noon. I told him about the balloon rally at Letchworth State Park. I asked if he wanted to go to BJ’s, as planned, or BJ’s and Letchworth State Park, or just Letchworth State Park. By 12:30 pm we were on our way to Letchworth State Park.

Shortly before 2:00 pm we stopped for lunch at Subway in Franklinville, NY. We arrived at Letchworth State Park, via the Castile entrance, around 3:00 pm. There was no fee to enter the park. According to the park’s website, a daily vehicle entrance fee of $10.00 began today. The entrance fee will be collected between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm and will be collected through October 16, 2017. We passed by Archery Field, the location for the balloon launch. We visited Upper Falls, Middle Falls, and Inspiration Point.

Upper Falls

Middle Falls

Middle Falls
view from Glen Iris Inn grounds

Inspiration Point
view of Upper and Middle Falls

We returned to Archery Field at 4:00 pm. There was ample parking alongside Archery Field, owing to the fact that we arrived early. We had a 2-hour wait until launch time.

We didn’t think through our spur-of-the-moment drive to Letchworth State Park. We didn’t bring water; we didn’t bring chairs (although we did claim a picnic table at Archery Field); and we didn’t bring reading material. We DID have AT&T LTE service, so Internet WAS available. I discovered that there is supposed to be a concession stand at Archery Field, during the balloon launch. Two men, park personnel I believe, had the concession tent in their truck. At 5:15 pm they were still waiting for the concessions and the individuals who would be manning the concession stand. The concession stand did not materialize during yesterday evening’s balloon launch.

At 6:00 pm there was no activity visible that a balloon launch was imminent. At 6:30 pm hot air balloons began to be pulled out; burners were tested; and balloons began to be filled with air. At 7:00 pm the first hot air balloon was launched, followed by many more balloons. I photographed the balloons from Archery Field, as well as from the Archery Field gorge overlook.

We departed Letchworth StatePark around 8:00 pm, after the last balloon had left Archery Field. We returned home around 10:45 pm.

This was the first time Bob and I attended the Red, White and Blue Balloon Rally. I am so happy that we drove to Letchworth State Park to attend the rally. The hot air balloon launch was a spectacular event!

Five NY State Parks in One Weekend: Letchworth State Park

On Sunday, June 28th (the third day of our weekend getaway), we ate breakfast at the hotel and was on our way home by 7:45 am.

On our way home we detoured to Letchworth State Park, using our New York State Empire Passport to gain entrance. We drove through the park from the northern end (Mt. Morris) to the southern end (Portageville), stopping at several overlooks along the way.

Mt. Morris Dam
I can’t recall ever seeing water on this side of the dam, when we have visited the park!

Wolf Creek Falls

Wolf Creek

Great Bend Overlook

Great Bend Overlook

Inspiration Point
Middle and Upper Falls

Middle Falls

Upper Falls

The water was raging from Saturday’s rainfall.

We exited Letchworth State Park at approximately 11:50 am and continued on our way home. We stopped at Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, NY for lunch at Thunder Mountain Buffet. We played the one-arm bandits, too, losing $20 each.

We left the casino around 2:45 pm and took a scenic way home through Allegany State Park, once again using the Empire Passport for admission to the park. I counted wrong. I should have entitled this blog post and the previous two posts as “SIX NY State Parks in One Weekend”! We made one stop in Allegany State Park.

Bridal Falls

After Saturday’s rain event, we decided to check out Bridal Falls. Although it was a little bit of a soggy walk down to the falls, it wasn’t a bad hike. There was less water falling than we expected; however, we were not disappointed with the water flow. We were very happy with what we found at the falls, or I should say WHO we found at the falls. We came upon a family “down from Buffalo” for the day at the base of the falls. I LOVED the color the raincoats provided for the scene, as well as the intimacy of having people in a photograph. This family was very cooperative. I asked if they would “freeze in place”, while I took a photograph with a slow shutter speed. They listened well! Thank you for the photo op!

We returned home around 6:00 pm. What a wonderful weekend we had!

Letchworth State Park

This blog post continues our Finger Lakes Weekend.

We left our hotel en route home at 8:00 am on June 22nd. Breakfast, for me, was what was provided by the hotel. I had a raisin bagel with cream cheese, a cup of tea and a banana. Bob chose not to eat breakfast, drinking only a cup of coffee. We didn’t go straight home. We rode to Letchworth State Park, and then we made our way back home from there.

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 Letchworth State Park around 9:30 am. We rode from the Mt. Morris entrance to the Portageville entrance, making several stops along the way.

Mount Morris Dam

Turkey Vultures at Mount Morris Dam

It seems each time we visit places we have seen many times we see something different. A BIG chair was a new sight for us during this visit to Letchworth State Park.

This big chair was located at the Mount Morris Dam Overlook.

The next few pictures are from other stops that we made inside the park.

Gorge view from Tea Table Rock

Wolf Creek Falls

Rafting on the Genesee River (across from Archery Field)

Rafting on the Genesee River

Inspiration Point
Middle Falls and Upper Falls are visible from this vantage point.

Middle Falls

Upper Falls

We opted not to stop at Lower Falls, the third major waterfall on the Genesee River, preferring neither to make the hike nor use the time to see the falls as we still had a 2 ½-hour ride home from Letchworth State Park. We departed Letchworth at 1:00 pm.

From Letchworth we rode to Sprague’s Maple Farms in Portville NY, where we enjoyed a filling lunch.

Sprague’s Maple Farms

Bob ordered breakfast food–pancakes, eggs, bacon and home fries. I ordered the maple-glazed meatloaf special that included salad, rolls, green beans, and baked potato. Lunch was excellent.

We rolled into Warren shortly before 5:00 pm. As we were passing by Tim Horton’s, we saw our friends Susan and Dave sitting outside. We stopped for an iced tea and visited for about 30 minutes.

We returned home around 5:30 pm. It was a great weekend. The weather was gorgeous; the scenery was beautiful; and the ride was nice. Best of all, I spent the weekend enjoying the weather, the scenery and the ride with my husband. Who could ask for more!

Bob’s Birthday Activities

Bob’s birthday was earlier this month, on May 6th. He took the day off work, and we spent the day together. We went to the Seneca Allegheny Casino in Salamanca, New York. The casino gave Bob $5.00 in free slot play. That went fast. He played $10.00 of his own money; so did I. We both lost our $10.00.

From the casino we drove to Charcoal Corral in Perry, New York. It was our first visit to this sit-down restaurant. Bob ordered beef on weck; I ordered a 1/3 lb. cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato. We enjoyed dessert at the Ice Cream Parlor, a few steps away from the restaurant.

the Charcoal Corral
The Ice Cream Parlor is located next door to the Pizzeria.

After lunch we drove to nearby Letchworth 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 and a gorge. We entered the park via the Perry entrance, turning left (north) on Park Road. We drove to Mount Morris Dam overlook, our first stop.

Mount Morris Dam

Mount Morris Dam

From Mount Morris Dam overlook we backtracked, driving south on Park Road, stopping frequently along the way.

Hogsback Overlook

We walked a short distance on Trail 18 because from Park Road it looked like there might be a waterfall along the trail. There WAS a waterfall along the trail!

Trail 18 Waterfall

Trail 18 small waterfall

Trail 18 Waterfall

There are many spots along the way where one can linger, have a picnic, and enjoy the marvelous scenery provided throughout Letchworth State Park.

St. Helena Picnic Area
with its view of the Genesee River

Tea Table Rock picnic area

View of Genesee River and gorge from Tea Table Rock picnic area

Wolf Creek Falls, as viewed from Tea Table Rock picnic area

A short drive from Tea Table Rock is Wolf Creek. A closer view of Wolf Creek Falls can be seen here.

Wolf Creek Falls

Continuing south on Park Road we come to the Big Bend Overlook.

Big Bend Overlook

Bob at Big Bend Overlook

Bob took this picture of me at Big Bend Overlook

Our next stop was at Archery Field.

This young couple was enjoying the view at Archery Field, as well as a glass of wine.

I asked permission to take this photograph. After I took the picture, I noticed the man was holding a cell phone. I asked if they would like me to take their photograph with the cell phone. They did, and I did. I photographed this young couple at another location in the park but didn’t realize that fact until I was editing the photographs. I will point out the photograph in which they appear farther down the page.

There are three major waterfalls in Letchworth State Park. Of the three major waterfalls the Lower Falls, 55 feet high, is reached first when traveling south on Park Road.

We took the path on the right.

We have walked up and down those 127 stone steps before, but we opted not to do so this visit. Besides we had never seen Lower Falls from the easy view.

Lower Falls

Continuing the drive south from the Lower Falls, we reached Inspiration Point with its impressive view up the gorge. Both the Middle Falls and the Upper Falls are visible from this point.

Inspiration Point

A little farther along Park Road is Middle Falls. The Middle Falls, 107 feet high, is the highest of the three major waterfalls.

Remember that young couple, sitting on the wall at Archery Field?
Here they are again 🙂

Rainbow at Middle Falls

Looking down at Middle Falls

Overlooking the magnificent Middle Falls is the Glen Iris Inn, which was formerly the country estate of William Pryor Letchworth.

I would love to spend one or two nights at the Glen Iris Inn!

The third major waterfall — Upper Falls — is not far from the Middle Falls.

Upper Falls is 71 feet tall.
Directly above Upper Falls is a high railroad trestle known as High Bridge.

We left the park at the Portageville exit. We had a wonderful day, and it was a great way to spend Bob’s birthday.

The Beauty Around Us

Showcases Portraiture, Scenic & Nature Photography and Feaures a Photo Journal Blog

Posts tagged ‘Castile NY’

Lunch and Leaf Peeping at Letchworth State Park

Letchworth State Park Day Trip

Day Trip to Letchworth State Park

Red, White and Blue Balloon Rally at Letchworth State Park

Five NY State Parks in One Weekend: Letchworth State Park

Letchworth State Park

Bob’s Birthday Activities