Back To Routine On A Cold Chautauqua Morning

7:00

It's strange to be back at the lake, though we were only away for one night.  It's a chilly 39º and since we don't have the thermostats turned up, it's 60 degrees in the house, our temperature for the winter though it feels cold in here this morning.  Maybe we will have to light our fireplace, so with a flick of the remote, we can have a warm fire any morning.  What a luxurious world we live in.  It's a clear morning though a vast bank of fog obscures much of the east shore, as steam rises from the lake as well....an awesome (hate the word) morning on the lake.

Middle Falls

Middle Falls

Middle Falls

We were lucky again yesterday with the weather, waking up to clear skies, a crisp morning at Letchworth.  We were up early, not the most comfortable bed in the world, and read and watched TV until it got light enough, warm enough to go for a walk.  We had to be out of our room by 11:00 so we planned a couple of short hikes before checking out.  First, we walked along the Gorge, to Middle Falls, just beyond the Glen Iris Inn.  The air was filled with moisture from the falls, and we needed raincoats if we stayed there for long.  The sun was just beginning to rise above the opposite cliffs as we walked.  Beyond the Middle Falls is a beautiful park, with picnic tables, kiosks,  a perfect place to picnic and enjoy the view.  Middle Falls is by far the most spectacular, 240 feet across, the easiest to view up close.

Upper Falls

Along much of the the Gorge, at least seven miles of it, is a pathway, often skirted by a stone wall, so we walked along this path to the Upper Falls, another half mile south of the Middle Falls.  It's not as spectacular as Middle Falls, not as broad across, but still awe inspiring, especially the railroad bridge beyond it, spanning the Gorge.  Neither one of us would want to cross the bridge on a train.  There are steps up the hillside, taking you up to the railroad bridge but we passed on that.

Fall Foliage on Hike

View from Kisil Point

Trail to Kisil Point

After this walk, about a mile, we stopped back at the cottage, then walked a trail in the woods called Trout Pond, a five minute drive from our cottage.  It was a easily identified trail, a pathway through the heavily wooded park, leaves covering the path.  We enjoyed walking it, as it felt good to just be in the woods.  On the way back to check out, we stopped at Inspiration Point and had our breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with another amazing vista.  We returned to our cottage, packed up, and checked out of the Glen Iris at 11:00.

We wanted to take one long hike before heading back to the lake, so we drove to the north end of Letchworth Park, just beyond the campground, about 10 miles, and took Trail #18 to Kisil Point, a two mile hike out to the tip of the peninsula, where the Geneses River and Silver Lake Outlet meet.  Again, it's a well marked trail, through the woods, with numerous ups and downs though none too difficult, just a great hour walk out to the point, where we sat and had our lunch of more eggplant and tomato sandwiches, Utz chips and water.  We did meet four or five other hikers, though we were alone for most of the walk.  Our walk back to the car seemed much easier, and quicker, so we were on our way to Ellicottville, our next stop, by 1:45.  We were both tired from the morning and late morning walks so we were ready to be on our way, especially since we were not spending another night.  We both loved our stay, the hikes, the amazing Gorge and waterfalls, the surrounding woods, a place we will no doubt return to next year.  We could easily do it in a day if we wanted, just lots of driving, 96 miles from the lake to the park entrance.

Glen Iris Inn 

We stopped at Ellicottville on the way home, had a coffee at an Internet Cafe, did some shopping, and bought a few things for the treasure chest.  Ellicottville, the major winter skiing destination, is a shopper's paradise, neat shops, lots of choices, so much more hip and cool then anything in the Lake Chautauqua area, especially now that the CI is closed.  We will go back to shop for Xmas presents for sure.  We stopped at a large vegetable market, just across the street from Randolph High School, picked up some things for dinner, and were home by 5:30.  We unpacked, relaxed some, then Evie made our dinner, a mushroom omelet, home fries, and a salad, just what we wanted, as we were famished, having had a couple of sandwiches during the day.  We watched the next episode of Homeland, a disappointment, as the writers seem stuck, not knowing where to go, thus the emphasis on the daughter's problems.  Who cares about her problems when there are terrorists out there ready to do harm to the US?  This story line reminds me of Jack Bauer's maddenly silly daughter in 24, whose love interests also cause problems for her father.