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Seagulls and Geese

On Sunday, March 10, Bob and I went for a drive along NYS Route 5, between the Daniel Reed Pier in Westfield to the Dunkirk City Pier in Dunkirk, and NYS Route 60 to McCrea Point Park in Jamestown. We saw a waterfall, seagulls and waterfowl. My earlier blog post was about Barcelona Falls at the Daniel Reed Pier. This blog post is about the seagulls and waterfowl that we saw, while at Lake Erie.

An ice fishing seagull

This seagull was noisy!

Canadian Geese at Barcelona Harbor.

I just missed a bird-in-flight opportunity, as the geese took off the ice and flew overhead. I had returned to the warmth of the car, after taking this photograph of the geese. It was quite windy and COLD at Barcelona Harbor! I jumped out of the car in an attempt to photograph the geese in flight, but I was too late. I did capture a photograph of a seagull flying, though.

An in-flight seagull

Leaving Barcelona Harbor, we drove about 15 miles to Dunkirk. I didn’t find anything to photograph at the Dunkirk City Pier. In fact I didn’t see even one bird.

Leaving Lake Erie behind, we followed NYS Route 60 to Jamestown, where we stopped at McCrea Point Park—the subject of my next blog post.

Barcelona Falls

On Sunday, March 10, Bob and I went for a drive along NYS Route 5, between the Daniel Reed Pier in Westfield to the Dunkirk City Pier in Dunkirk, and NYS Route 60 to McCrea Point Park in Jamestown. We saw a waterfall, seagulls and waterfowl. Today’s blog post is about the waterfall that we saw, while at the Daniel Reed Pier.

Once you are parked on the Daniel Reed Pier, walk along the waters edge towards the cliff. Walk along the base of the cliff for a short distance to Barcelona Falls. The sandy shore line of Lake Erie changes from year to year so access to the base of the falls is unpredictable. On the day that we were at the pier, it was best to observe the waterfall from a distance.

Barcelona Falls is located on an unnamed creek that flows into Lake Erie.

According to the falzguy.com webpage, Barcelona Falls “has a height of 18 feet, a crest width of 4 feet and faces to the north northwest. The elevation of the crest above sea level is 590 feet.”

The flow of Barcelona Falls can be anywhere between a trickle to a deluge. The waterfall is best viewed in the early spring or after a period of heavy rain.

In my next blog post I will share some photographs of the seagulls and waterfowl that we saw on Lake Erie.

Barcelona Harbor

On Saturday, June 6th, Bob and I went for a motorcycle ride that added 190 miles to our odometer. We left home around 11:00 am and didn’t return home until after 7:00 pm. We rode to Lake Erie State Park, where we enjoyed a picnic with a view.

From Lake Erie State Park we rode west along Lake Erie, via Route 5, en route Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA. We made two photo stops. Our first photo stop was at Barcelona Harbor in Westfield, NY. There are two main attractions at Barcelona Harbor — the Sea Lion and the Barcelona Lighthouse.

The Sea Lion

The Sea Lion is a reproduction of a late 16th century British three-mast, square-rigged sailing vessel, faithfully built in the same manner as actual ships of the time. The ship building effort took several years and several persons to complete. The Sea Lion was officially commissioned on Chautauqua Lake in 1985. The ship was sold in 1992 to the Buffalo Maritime Society, where it was operated until it sank at its moorings in 1999. Local divers and other concerned citizens raised the ship in 2000, towing her back to Barcelona. The ship is dry docked waiting to be restored. I hope that the Sea Lion sails again.

Barcelona Harbor’s second main attraction is the Barcelona Lighthouse. The Barcelona Lighthouse was the first lighthouse in the world to be lit by natural gas.

Barcelona Lighthouse and Light Keeper’s House

Our second photo stop was at Dobbins Landing in Erie. I will share photographs from that stop in my next blog post.

Ride with Friends Along Lake Erie

Yesterday, Bob and I went for a ride with friends along Lake Erie in New York.

We met up with our friends at 11:00 am at our local Tim Hortons. Two other couples rode with us: our friends Susan and Dave and their friends Melinda and Ron. Before leaving Tim Hortons parking lot, we checked out Dave’s new motorcycle — a 2014 Harley Davidson — that he and Susan purchased on Saturday. It is a nice motorcycle!

Admiring the new motorcycle

Dave led our ride. The following two maps show our ride route.

Our first stop was alongside Lake Front Blvd. in Dunkirk, NY.

Lake Front Blvd.
Dunkirk, NY

Our next stop was for lunch at Castaway’s Waterfront Bar & Grill in Angola, NY. We ate lunch on the patio, with a lovely view of Lake Erie.

I had a grilled chicken sandwich and potato salad for lunch.

The food was delicious, and the service was excellent. Our waitress was very personable, and she checked on us several times to see if we needed drink refills, food accompaniments or additional food.

We made one more food stop, for dessert, at Sunset Grill in Irving, NY. Everyone, except Susan, got ice cream.

Susan took these two pictures, while we were at Sunset Grill. I liked the picnic table swings. In fact, I mentioned to Bob a couple times that we should buy a picnic table swing for our back yard. After a while it got chilly in the shade, so we moved to tables on the sunny deck.

Our next-to-last stop, on our way back home, was at Barcelona Harbor in Westfield, NY. I enjoyed watching the seagulls bobbing up and down on Lake Erie as well as flying overhead.

Seagull flying overhead at Barcelona Harbor

Off in the distance, along the beach, I spotted a waterfall.

Susan and I walked over to the waterfall and took a picture of each other at the waterfall.

Susan at Barcelona Harbor Waterfall

Our last stop was in Mayville, NY to fuel up. From Mayville we rode straight home, arriving at our house around 7:00 pm. What a wonderful day for a ride, the day made even better because we shared it with friends.

Barcelona Harbor

Bob and I went for a motorcycle ride this past Sunday. We rode from Warren, Pennsylvania, to Dunkirk, New York. From Dunkirk we rode along Lake Erie to Barcelona Harbor. From Barcelona we rode through Westfield and Jamestown before returning home. I am breaking up our ride into three blog posts. Yesterday’s blog post showcased the historic Dunkirk Lighthouse. Today’s blog post showcases sights at Barcelona Harbor.

There are two main attractions at Barcelona Harbor — the Sea Lion and the Barcelona Lighthouse. The Sea Lion is a reproduction of a late 16th century British three-mast, square-rigged sailing vessel, faithfully built in the same manner as actual ships of the time. The ship building effort took several years and several persons to complete. The Sea Lion was officially commissioned on Chautauqua Lake in 1985. The ship was sold in 1992 to the Buffalo Maritime Society, where it was operated until it sank at its moorings in 1999. Local divers and other concerned citizens raised the ship in 2000, towing her back to Barcelona. The ship is dry docked while being restored.

The Sea Lion

It is hoped that the Sea Lion will sail again.

Barcelona Harbor’s second main attraction is the Barcelona Lighthouse. The Barcelona Lighthouse was the first lighthouse in the world to be lit by natural gas.

Barcelona Lighthouse

The lighthouse is privately owned. What a great vacation home a lighthouse would make! Don’t you agree?

What was Bob doing, while I was photographing the sights at Barcelona Harbor?

Bob relaxes with a cold one, while I photograph the sights at Barcelona Harbor.

But wait. There is a story to tell. On Tuesday I posted a close-up picture of Bob’s face on Facebook. I asked my Facebook friends to “like” the photograph, if they were able to see the photographer in Bob’s sunglasses. Debby, one of my friends left this comment: “I figured that’s what he was smiling about…”. To which I replied “Could be, Debby; however, there is another answer to why Bob is smiling. Thursday’s blog post will provide the answer.” I asked Bob to not spoil the surprise, which he hasn’t. Here is the other answer to why Bob is smiling. As Bob crossed the parking lot to join me at the lighthouse, a car was in the process of driving out of the parking lot. Bob noticed a beer can on the trunk of the car. He wondered how the can was staying upright, as the car was moving forward. It is an uphill climb to reach the main roadway from the parking lot. The beer can rolled off the trunk and onto the pavement. After the car left, Bob walked over to the beer can, intending to throw it away. To his surprise the beer can was unopened AND cold. While I was photographing the sights at Barcelona Harbor, Bob enjoyed the refreshing taste of an unexpected cold beer. That is the other reason that Bob is smiling, Debby!

Motorcycle Ride to Barcelona

This past weekend was gorgeous! It was sunny and warm. Not a single drop of rain fell upon us the entire weekend! On Saturday Bob and I went for a motorcycle ride to Barcelona, New York. I think we make this ride at least one time each year.

Goose on Nest

Our first stop was alongside marsh land in Jamestown, NY. These two pictures are for you, Harry H. Thank you for telling me about the goose on her nest!

Our next stop was in Dunkirk, NY.

This wooden sculpture of “ONG-GWE-OHN-WEH The Indian” is the work of Peter Toth.

The sculpture was carved from the lower trunk of a dead elm tree.

Our last stop, before heading home, was in Barcelona, NY. There are two main attractions at Barcelona Harbor — the Sea Lion and the Barcelona Lighthouse. The Sea Lion is a reproduction of a late 16th century British three-mast, square-rigged sailing vessel, faithfully built in the same manner as actual ships of the time. It was a multi-year, multi-person effort that culminated in its official commissioning on Chautauqua Lake in 1985. The ship was sold in 1992 to the Buffalo Maritime Society, where it was operated until it sank at its moorings in 1999. Local divers and other concerned citizens raised the ship in 2000, towing her back to Barcelona. The ship is dry docked while being restored. It is hoped that the Sea Lion will sail again. Barcelona Harbor’s second main attraction is the Barcelona Lighthouse. The Barcelona Lighthouse was the first lighthouse in the world to be lit by natural gas.

Barcelona Lighthouse

the Sea Lion

We rode a little more than 120 miles on Saturday. It was a good ride.

A Day of Riding

Our hometown held its Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 3. We didn’t attend this year’s parade, opting instead to go for a motorcycle ride. It was such a gorgeous day, too beautiful not to ride! I hoped to see a parade in one of the towns that we drove through, but we did not see one.

We left Warren at 9:00 AM. We rode to Erie, PA by way of Findley Lake, NY.

First Glimpse of Findley Lake from Shadyside Rd. (southern terminus)

Findley Lake
It was a picture-perfect day.

Bicycle with Baskets of Flowers

a Bottle Tree

Findley Lake Anchor at Northern End of Lake

According to a plaque found near the anchor, the schooner “Mauntenee” was shipwrecked in Lake Erie near Ripley, NY during a gale storm on October 20, 1905. In 1906 George Fox transported the one-ton anchor using horses and a log cart to his Findley Lake home on North Road. He hung the anchor from the schooner’s life boat davit in his front yard. The Dunlap family later purchased the home and anchor. The anchor and davit were moved to this site in 1993.

From Findley Lake we rode to Presque Isle Downs & Casino. Earlier in the week Bob received a brochure from the casino, which stated that he had earned $35.00 in free slot play. Bob could use $7.00 free slot play each week for the next 5 weeks. Sunday, July 4th, was the end of the first week. Bob played the $7 in free slot play and lost. At one point he ran his winnings up to $14. Bob used only the free slot play; he didn’t spend any of his own money. We were at the casino for less than 30 minutes.

From the casino we continued on into Erie. We ate lunch at Steak ‘n Shake. Bob ordered a Frisco Melt with fries and a chocolate shake. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake.

After lunch we rode through Erie to Route 5, which we followed alongside Lake Erie to Rt. 394. By the time we reached Westfield, NY we were ready for for a break. We sat in Moore Park on a bench under a shade tree. The farmers market had ended shortly before we arrived. We watched as vendors took down canopies and loaded them and unsold merchandise into their vehicles. A short while later we walked across street to another park — The Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park. I have photographed this park in the past; however, I was always in a moving vehicle when I did so. This was the first time I was able to photograph the park standing still.

The Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park in Westfield, NY

This statue depicts a meeting between President Lincoln and Grace Bedell. In October 1860, eleven-year-old Grace sent Abraham Lincoln a letter urging him to grow a beard to improve his appearance. President Lincoln later met Grace.

Westfield Clock

We’re supposed to be at a friend’s house for a picnic by 4:00 PM; it’s time to leave Westfield!

We arrived at our friend Don’s house in Kennedy, NY around 4:15 PM. The turnout was smaller than expected. Ten of us enjoyed a picnic dinner of deviled eggs, marinated chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, and various desserts. I took a few photographs, but only Jank was in the mood for having his photograph taken. Because the others didn’t care to have their pictures taken, I will share only Jank’s picture with you.

Dog with Firewood

This is Jank. Isn’t he a beautiful dog? Jank belongs to Don, who hosted the picnic.

We returned home from the picnic a little after 8:00 PM. By 8:30 PM we were back on the motorcycle, en route Saybrook, PA. Saybrook is a small community located a short distance east of Warren. The reason we went to Saybrook was to see fireworks.

Please click on image to enlarge

This fireworks display was put on for a neighborhood block party. It was an excellent show, and we enjoyed sharing the event with Bob’s daughter, Stacey, and her boyfriend Mike.

Mike and Stacey, after the fireworks display

All total, we rode approximately 175 miles.