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First Saturday 2019

It was such a pretty day yesterday. Sunshine has been scarce the past few weeks. It has been an unusual Winter season thus far. We have had much more rain than snow. So little snow, in fact, that Bob has not yet felt the need to use the snow thrower on our driveway. He has not felt the need to use the snow shovel much either.

Yesterday on Facebook I noticed that a few friends of mine had something to say about our Northwest PA weather as well.

“I have a low grade fever and the type of headache that makes ya want to punch kittens. Yet – this is the first sunny Saturday I can remember in the last 3 months. We ARE going for a walk in the beautiful (retina scorching,head stabbing) outdoors!!” ~Sheila F.

“sure feels good to have the sun on my face after 3 weeks of permacloud in PA!” ~Allison C.

“Finally some sunshine…went for a ride around the Kinzua Dam….” ~Patti B.

Neither Bob nor I were feeling well yesterday morning. I blame our intestinal distress on the side salads that we ate at Applebee’s the previous evening. I recovered first and was able to keep a 10:00 am haircut appointment. It took Bob longer to recover. He did feel better in the afternoon, so we decided to enjoy the sunshine with a drive around the Allegheny Reservoir. This is the route we traveled. The starting point is located a little less than 5 miles from our home.

We made only two photo stops, both at the beginning of our drive. We stopped at Big Bend Recreation Area, located below Kinzua Dam. I took pictures of the Allegheny River and Kinzua Dam from an observation platform located above the river.

Kinzua Dam at Big Bend Recreation Area

Allegheny River at Big Bend Recreation Area

Look at that blue sky in each of the photographs displayed above. It had really been a long, long time since we enjoyed a cloudless sky and abundant sunshine.

Our second stop was at Bent Run Falls, where I took a video of the rushing water.

As we departed the eastern fringes of the reservoir, the sun was slipping behind cloud cover.

A Facebook friend also went for a drive around Allegheny Reservoir and experienced blue skies turning into cloudy skies.

“We also went around the dam….I was surprised at the snow up on top of the hill…..and loved the water coming our of the spill way. … got cloudy on us on the way back on I-86 but still a nice ride.” ~Patti B.

I expressed surprise, too, seeing the snow up on top of the hill. Bob said we were at a higher elevation and it was shady; therefore, the snow stays on the ground for a longer time. Patti also mentioned that the water level of the reservoir was so low. We noticed the same, especially looking down on Sugar Bay (on the east side of the reservoir). We saw people walking on a patch of land, way out into the reservoir. We should have stopped at Sugar Bay, but we didn’t.

On the western side of the reservoir we drove to Webb’s Ferry, but we didn’t get out of the car. By then we had lost the sunshine, and clouds once again covered the sky.

We made one last stop before returning home. We stopped at Scandia General Store, where we purchased a 12-inch sub, cheese curds and apple butter. This was the first time that we have stopped at Scandia General Store. We will be back!

We returned home around 4:00 pm, at which time we ate our delicious turkey and ham sub.

We enjoyed the sunshine yesterday, while it lasted. I wonder how many more days will pass before we see sunshine in abundance.

Late Winter Sunday Drive

Bob and I went for a Sunday drive late this morning to early afternoon. We were out and about for 3-4 hours. It was a beautiful day for a drive. The sun was out; the sky was blue to partly cloudy; and the temperature felt more like Spring than Winter.

Our first stop was at the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store in Jamestown, NY. I purchased 2-32 oz. bags of Poly-Fil Poly-Pellets Stuffing Beads for use in a camera bean bag. I paid $11.86 for these beads, after coupons deducted $9.00 from the total cost. A little later in the day I ordered from Amazon a large-sized, black Grizzly Camera Bean Bag. The cost for this bean bag was $17.95, after using a $15.00 gift card that I earned from Bing Rewards. Bing Rewards lets you earn credits for searching on Bing or trying new features from Bing or other Microsoft products and services. Bing Rewards credits can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards and other rewards. I save my Bing Rewards credits for Amazon gift cards! My Camera Bean Bag is scheduled for delivery on Wednesday.

Our next destination was Allegany State Park, located near Salamanca NY, where we spent most of our time. We entered the park via the Quaker Run entrance. We made a few stops along Quaker Lake to take pictures of ice fisherman and Canadian Geese.

Ice Fisherman on Quaker Lake

Canadian Geese at Quaker Lake

We stopped at Science Lake and snagged a couple pictures.

Science Lake

Bob took this picture of me standing on top of the Science Lake Dam.

Somewhere along the way between Science Lake and Red House Lake, we stopped to photograph a beaver lodge.

Beaver Lodge

According to the Beaver Solutions website, there are two main types of beaver lodges — the conical lodge and the bank lodge. The most recognized type is the conical shaped dwelling surrounded by water. It is made from sticks, mud and rocks. One of the primary reasons beavers build dams is to surround their lodge with water for protection from predators. The second type of lodge is the bank lodge. It is typically excavated into the bank of a large stream, river, or lake where the water is too deep or fast moving to build the classic conical lodge. This is a conical beaver lodge.

Our last photo-taking stop at Allegany State Park was at Red House Lake, where we photographed Canadian Geese, and a crow posed for me to take a picture.

Canadian Geese on Red House Lake

A crow, looking out across Red House Lake

We departed Allegany State Park via the Red House entrance.

We returned home along the western side of the Allegheny Reservoir, making one stop at Webbs Ferry.

We discovered a fishing pier. The pier looked like it had been there for a while.

We have visited Webbs Ferry a few times over the years.
Neither of us remembered seeing this fishing pier.

Bob took this picture of me standing on the fishing pier.

Bob walked below the fishing pier.
When the Allegheny Reservoir is full, we think that these rocks
would be covered with water.

This week’s weather looks especially nice. I hope to spend some time outdoors, enjoying the sunshine!

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.

Cabin Fever Relief

We have had a very mild Winter so far. I can recall only one major snowstorm in early December. We had no snow for either the Christmas or New Year holiday. Winter, though, is set to blow in this evening and stay with us for a while. With temperatures hovering around 50 for most of the daylight hours today, I felt the need to get out of the house.

We left home at 8:30 am. Our first stop was at Sheetz, where we filled the gas tank. There was plenty of gas in the fuel tank, as it took only 6.352 gallons of gas to fill up. Gas was $2.399/gallon, with a $0.10/gallon discount from using the Sheetz card. Bob added air to my tires, while at Sheetz. The tires are losing air. Bob thinks that the valve stem caps are leaking and need to be replaced.

Our second stop was in Busti, NY for breakfast at the Boomerang Cafe in Busti, NY. We chose to eat breakfast at the Boomerang Cafe, after hearing lots of positive reviews from friends who have eaten there. Another incentive for choosing the Boomerang Cafe as our breakfast destination is our friend Tina works there. Our arrival time was perfect. Within minutes of sitting down, Tina’s daughter Chiana walks in with her daughter Kelsi.

Chiana and Kelsi

Breakfast was hearty and tasted very good. Bob ordered a meat lovers omelet with hash browns and homemade thick rye toast. I ordered a western omelet with home fries and thick multigrain toast. The jam selections, strawberry and blackberry, were homemade and delicious. I mentioned that breakfast was hearty. I left behind about a quarter of my omelet, as well as most of the home fries.

From the Boomerang Cafe we went to the Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, NY. We had $20 each to play in the slot machines. I lost my $20. Bob increased his $20 by $27.

From the casino we made our way to Route 59 and the Kinzua Dam. We stopped for an ice cream lunch at Dairy Queen in Bradford, PA. We also made a brief stop at Marilla Reservoir, where I photographed the covered bridge and the spillway.

Marilla Reservoir

We would have taken a walk around the reservoir, if it had not been raining.

This is Route 59 in Warren County, PA.

We made a few stops along Route 59.

We stopped at the Big Bend Visitor Center overlook.
I was so happy to see some blue sky and sunshine!

We stopped at the Bent Run waterfall.
The waterfall was flowing nicely!

Bent Run waterfall

Self-portrait at Bent Run Falls

Bob and I at Bent Run waterfall

Our last stop was at Kinzua Dam.
This photograph is of the Allegheny Reservoir, which the Kinzua Dam impounds.
Look at that blue sky!
This is the calm before the storm!

We returned home around 2:00 pm. What an enjoyable day! It sure felt good to be outside, away from the four walls of our house!

High Waters

Two days after we returned home from our North Carolina vacation, a lot of rain fell resulting in widespread flooding in Warren County, PA — the county in which I live. The photographs that I am sharing in this blog post were taken on May 21 and May 22.

I live two houses from a “t” intersection. These two photographs were taken across the street that intersects the street on which I live. The flooded waterway is the Conewango Creek.

Because of the amount of rainfall, there was too much water in the Allegheny Reservoir. On May 22 it was reported that Kinzua Dam was discharging water at the rate of 16,900 cubic feet per second.

There was a LOT of water being discharged at Kinzua Dam!

The Allegheny River in downtown Warren was also flooded.

The helipad at Warren General Hospital was partially under water.

The geese kept to higher ground.

Crescent Park Geese

I have lived in Warren since June 1998. The flood waters were higher than I ever remember seeing, while living here.

A Drive Along the Longhouse National Scenic Byway

Bob and I went for a drive on Saturday afternoon. It was warm enough to ride the motorcycle that day; however, we opted to travel by car. We don’t want anything to happen to the Nomad prior to April 25, when we plan to trade it in for the new motorcycle. We wouldn’t want our new motorcycle to be ridden after putting down a deposit on it, and I would think the dealership would rather we did not ride the Nomad needlessly.

Saturday’s travel destination was Forest Service Road (FSR) 262, which is part of the Longhouse National Scenic Byway. Before reaching FSR 262, we stopped at Big Bend Recreation Area.

Saturday was the first day of trout fishing. This man was fishing in the Allegheny River. The release of Allegheny Reservoir water by the opening of Kinzua Dam gates the past week raised the level of the river significantly.

Our next stop was at Jakes Rocks. The access road for Jakes Rocks is about a mile up FSR 262. After parking at Jakes Rocks, we walked a paved pathway to an overlook of the Allegheny Reservoir.

Jakes Rocks Overlook of Allegheny Reservoir

Bob and I at Jakes Rocks Overlook of Allegheny Reservoir

Returning to FSR 262 we made one more stop before leaving the Jakes Rocks area.

We stopped at an overlook of the Casey Bridge (Rt. 59) and the Allegheny Reservoir.

The next major stop along FSR 262 was at the Elijah Run Boat Launch.

View from Elijah Run Boat Launch

On our way back to the car from the boat launch we noticed a trail across the parking lot.

This trail led to a fishing pier that I had seen from the boat launch, off to the left.

a fishing pier
Bob, making his way down to the shoreline

On the fishing pier,
looking back toward the boat launch area

From Elijah Run Boat Launch, we continued our drive along FSR 262. At the end of that road, we turned right onto Route 321 and stopped at Bob’s Trading Post.

I took this photograph of Bob’s Trading Post in April 2011.

When we find ourselves at Bob’s Trading Post we usually stop in for some ice cream. Both Bob and I watch our carbohydrate intake and were happy to find the availability of no sugar added butter pecan ice cream, which we asked for in a bowl.

After eating our ice cream, we went home by way of Gibbs Hill, Sheffield, and Clarendon. All in all, it was a very nice Spring day for a drive!

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday, and I spent the day with my best friend — my husband, Bob.

We awakened early and watched a couple episodes of “House of Cards” before 9:00 am. “House of Cards” is an American political drama television series. The entire first season, 13 episodes, premiered on February 1, 2013, on Netflix. A second season of 13 episodes premiered on February 14, 2014. Netflix announced on February 4, 2014 that the show had been renewed for a third season. Both Bob and I enjoyed watching “House of Cards”. We watched the last episode of Season 2 last night, after returning home from my birthday drive. We look forward to Season 3. It will be a long wait.

After watching a couple episodes of “House of Cards” yesterday morning, we went for a drive. Our final destination was the Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, NY; however, we made a few stops along the way.

Our first stop was at Kinzua Dam.

While at Kinzua Dam, we spotted a couple eagles standing way out on the ice. I barely had time to get my camera from the back seat and exchange a 12-50mm lens for a 75-300mm lens, before the eagles flew off. I need to learn how to capture good pictures of birds in flight. My pictures are grainy and blurry. Part of the problem is that I don’t have enough reach with my camera lens, even though my 75-300mm lens provides an equivalent focal length of 600mm. The other problem I have is focusing on a moving object, especially when I have only one opportunity to lock in that focus.

This is the best picture of an eagle in flight that I captured yesterday.

From Kinzua Dam we continued on Route 59 to McKean County, where we turned left onto Route 321. This route was most picturesque, with the trees frosted with snow and the overcast sky giving way to blue skies.

Frosty Trees Along Route 321 in McKean County, PA

Upon reaching the intersection of Routes 321 and 346, we turned right onto Route 346 (towards Bradford, PA).

Marilla Reservoir

After a quick photo stop at Marilla Reservoir, we continued on Route 346 to Bradford. We turned left onto Route 4009, which we followed to Allegany State Park.

Our first stop was at Science Lake.

Quaker Lake

Bob, with Red House Administration Building in background

Bob took this photograph of me, with Red House Administration Building in background

Red House Administration Building

We started our drive outside the park from the Red House area. We drove along ASP Route 1 to the park’s Salamanca, NY entrance.

We saw young deer grazing alongside ASP Route 1.

There is a scenic overlook just past the Salamanca entrance to Allegany State Park. The overlook provides a spectacular view over the valley and to the hills in the distance.

The road seen in this photograph is Interstate 86.
In the distance there is a farm.
If you see yellow farm buildings, you have located the farm.

I have always wanted to photograph this farm. I admire it each time we pass it Interstate 86. I never stopped to take a picture because of the fast-moving traffic. When I recognized the farm from the scenic overlook, I was so happy that I had my long lens with me.

Valent Dairy Farm, as seen from ASP 1 overlook

From the scenic overlook, it was only a few minutes’ drive to the Seneca Allegany Casino. We arrived at the casino in the early afternoon. We ate lunch at Thunder Mountain Buffet. The casino has a special promotion on every Sunday through Thursday through February 27–buy a buffet and get $15 free slot play. Bob and I received $15 each. I received an extra $5 credit because it was my birthday (another promotion). Bob received an extra $10 credit on his card. We don’t know why, although I think it was because he had enough points on his card to qualify for $10 free slot play. According to the “Free Slot Day Every Day You Play” promotion, Bob should have received an email informing him of the $10 free slot play. As far as I know, he didn’t receive that email (or he overlooked it). We had a good luck at the casino! I left the casino with $46 and change; Bob left with $19 and change. I didn’t spend a penny of my money. Bob did spend $33 for our lunches, which was my birthday present. It was nice that he got back $19 of that expenditure.

It was a great day overall, one of my favorite birthday celebrations.