Road Trip To Allegheny State Park (Bear Paw Trail)

On The Road Again

7:37

It looks like a fine Saturday morning (with a Lake Effect Snow Warning), still winter, still cold, the lake frozen and white.  It's 15º and the ice fishermen are already out because it's the weekend.  

Snowshoe Morning

Trail Head

Yesterday we broke the rules, the routine, the habit and took a road trip, a forty-five-minute drive to snowshoe the Bear Paw Trail.  We were up at the usual times and decided to be in no hurry to get on our way which was nice.  I finished the blog and we both showered before driving off. We were lucky with the weather, no snow either going or returning.  We arrived at the Art Roscoe Warming Hut at 11:15, a busy place as the parking lot was almost full.  It's a hut for cross country skiers, with heat and restrooms.  There are five or six trails set aside for cross country skiers, one for snowshoeing.  There are also trails for snowmobiles so it's been a busy area for the last three weeks.  We probably did not need our snowshoes because the snow on the trail was packed from other hikers.  We were out for two hours, a little over three miles.  

Stone Tower

We snowshoed along a ridge to the Stone Tower, then back along another ridge.  We ran into only one couple, a guy who said he works in Healthcare but did not get a Covid vaccination because he does not trust the government. Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of people around here that feel that way.  We stopped at the Stone Tower to have our lunch, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bananas, a nice pause in our tour.  We were not back to the car until after 1:00, the parking lot filled with cross-country skiers.  

Trail Marker

Families Sledding

We drove home the long way, past two of our favorite restaurants, the Horseshoe Inn and Nic N Inn before stopping at The Country Lane, on Rt. 62, just outside of Kennedy.  We have been there before and have liked browsing and the owners are nice people.  We were not tempted to buy anything although they have lots of neat things.  We didn't get home until 3:00 and we both collapsed on couches, worn out from the ride and snowshoeing.  Still, it was worth it.  I ended up taking a good hour nap, waking drowsy and lazy.  Evie felt the same way. 

Fortunately, dinner was already made, the leftover Greek chicken from Wednesday so Evie heated up the chicken and rice in the microwave, made a salad and we had dinner.  Yippee. We were excited to watch the much-discussed film, Nomadland on Hulu, based on the book by Jessica Bruder.  It was memorable, the best film we have seen in the past year.  Francis Mc Dermott, amazing as always, plays Fern, a woman in her sixties who has lost her husband, home, and job and is forced to wander the West, working part-time jobs, living in a van.  There's an honesty to Fern, to the film, as she meets similar nomads, forced by circumstances to live like this but also attracted by the freedom, the wanderlust,  The landscape as Fern moves from north to south is part of the joy of the film.  It made me want to get in my VW van and just go until I thought about living in a trailer, in the middle of a desert, working part-time at Amazon, or in the kitchen of Wall  Drug.  It's worth watching just to listen to one of the travelers she meets, Swankie, talk about her life.  It's heartbreakingly honest and sad. The film does not preach but it's not a feel-good movie because it visualizes the lives of millions of elderly, living in vans or trailers, working to survive on poor paying jobs.  Watch it!

Waking To Duck Hunters Booms

Hiking Allegheny Forest

7:32

7:33

Well, much of this morning has been punctuated by gunshots, up, down, and across the lake.  I was up way too early, at 5:30 and by 6:30, I could see the lights of the hunter's boats as they motored by in the dark, setting up their blinds.  I did kayak for forty minutes, talked with one hunter, out in his rowboat; he was set up a camouflaged tent, just below Chestnut Hill.  And ran into another hunter, standing in the water by Sandy Bottom.

Kayak Morning

Duck Hunter

Yesterday was a perfect December day, mostly because of the sunshine, blue skies, and a hike along the Christian Hollow Trail in the Allegheny State Forest, a forty-mile drive to get in a three-plus mile walk,  It was worth it.  So we were up earlier than usual.  I got in a paddle and we finished the blog just as we were about to leave.  Evie made her favorite grade school sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and baloney sandwiches. With water and cookies, we were set for our hike.  We left about 10:15, arriving at the parking area just after 11:00.  

Hiking In A December Wonderland

A Beautiful Day

We had made up our mind to walk the Christian Hollow Trail because it had a great vista of the Salamanca Valley. We were surprised by the snow on and along the trail because most of it has melted her at the lake.  We had hiked this trail a few years ago but forgot how hilly it was, as we always seemed to be walking up a hill, down the trail.  

Vista From Trail

Silhouettes

Horseshoe Inn Outdoor Pavillion

The vista was worth the hike although the photographs may not accurately picture the colors, all muted by the fall season.  The trail is basically a circle, starting and ending on the main trail.  We had our lunch at the junction of both Sweetwater and Christian Hollow, the same place we had lunch a couple of weeks ago.  It took us close to two hours to walk it and it was a good choice for the day.  We left, exiting the park, in the eastern entrance, just east of Salamanca on RT 219.  

Salamanca

Instead of taking the highway home, we went on the backroads, even stopping at the Horseshoe Inn, hoping to get an order of fries and beer and sit outside. Unfortunately, having a beer outdoors is illegal in Cattaraugus County, so we skipped it.  We were shocked to pass a woman on the side of the road, having taken off her shirt on the side of the road, either changing clothes or washing up.  We decided to turn around, see if we could help her by giving her food and money.  By the time we got back, she had already been picked up by a truck that passed us earlier.  We just hope she is safe. 

We were home by 3:30, both tired from our hike and drive, ready to relax on the couch, either reading or napping.  Around 6:00, Evie started dinner, roasting Brussels sprouts, sauteeing mushrooms, making a salad, and grilling a couple of New York Strip steaks.  Everything was great and we loved our steaks and sprouts, with maple syrup and hot sauce.  Yum. We watched a Colbert, then a couple of episodes of a series recommended by a Turkish friend called Tokyo Diner.  It's a half-hour show featuring various characters who come to the diner after midnight.  It's fresh and real.  We then watched another episode of Little Fires Everywhere and are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the cliches and drama.  Comparing it to Tokyo Diner would be like comparing a painting from the Holiday Inn to a Japanese print. Too big of a stretch?  Maybe. 

Drove One Hundred Miles To Hike Four Miles

Heading To Allegheny State Park

7:21

It's a cloudy, chilly, and windy morning as I found out when I went out to kayak.  Our flag was still but once I got in the water and away from the shore, the northeasterly wind took over, rocking my kayak and even splashing over the side.   I got as far as the reeds and turned around and fought my way back, into the waves and wind.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a long day trip as we decided after kayaking and breakfast, to drive to Allegheny State Park and go for a hike.  So Evie made a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grabbed some water and I grabbed my pack back, and camera and we were off by 10:30, arriving around 11:30 at the Art Roscoe Cross Country Skiing Warming Center, closed for now. 

Map Of Trails

We were not sure which trail to hike having been here numerous times over the year but decided we had not walked Sweetwater, close to four miles total.  It was a good choice, not too difficult, some ups and downs, with lots of deadfall from the past weekend's heavy winds.  About an hour and a half in, we finally regained the major trail and to our delight, there sat a nice bench, perfect for sitting on and eating our lunch and resting.  

Sweetwater's Terminus

A Respite And Lunch

We then had a 25-minute walk back to our car.  We enjoyed the hike even though a sameness to the trail became boring after awhile, woods filled with leafless trees, paths strewn with leaves and deadfall but that's what to expect in late fall.

Finishing Up

We drove home partially on backroads, passing our favorite restaurant/bar, The Horseshoe Inn, open with a few cars in the parking lot.  We also passed the now-closed Nic N Inn, a restaurant with many great memories.  We ended up browsing a shop a friend recommended called The Country Lane, just south of Kennedy on Rt 62, turning on Ericsson Road.  It's not my kind of shop but even I enjoyed looking at all the Christmas and country items.  We were tempted but our better angels got the best of us and we left without buying something we did not need.

Countryside, Bone Run Road

We didn't get home until 4:00, tired out from our drive and hike.  We took it easy, enjoying a glass of vino at 5:30 and I picked up a fish fry from the Seezurh House at 6:30 because we did not want to cook.  We enjoyed our dinners and watched the usual, Colbert and The Great English Baking Show which, we realized from the media, had created quite a stir because of who the show sent home.  We tended to agree that Hermine should have been saved.  We ended the night watching a French movie on Prime called Mr. and Mrs. Adelman, humorous at times, probably worth watching. 

 

Morning Blush

Dinner At Horseshoe Inn With Jim And Barb

7:34

It's 7:00 as the skyline is just beginning to turn a mix between pink and orange.  A few small, isolated clouds hang over a light blue sky.  The lake reflects the blush of the skyline, quiet and empty.  It looks like a fine autumn day, lots of sunshine and cool enough to enjoy the outdoors.

Kayak Morning

Bald Eagle

We did not know what yesterday would bring when we woke.  We did know that we wanted to take advantage of the day and do something.  So we spent our morning as usual, doing some work outside in the yard after finishing up the blog and having our coffee.  Evie needed more topsoil for her garden and to patch up a few places in the yard so I drove off to Tri James three times, bringing back enough topsoil to satisfy Evie and her garden. We are thus getting ready for what's to come, the cold of winter, the dying off of Evie's perrenials, especially the dahlias.

On one of my trips to get topsoil, I stopped at our neighbors to see if they might want to go for a hike in the Allegheny Forest then out to dinner.  They were thinking the same thing, so we agreed to meet up at 3:15 and head to the park.  After our work, then, in the yard,  Evie made me a quesadilla and I watched my show.  I am a bit at a loss for a book because I am not enjoying the one I am reading and started another one, THE Fox, by Frederick Forsyth who has been writing thrillers forever.  I took a brief nap, of course, and then we both overpacked for our hike through the woods. We both wore backpacks, with water, extra jackets, mosquito repellent, etc.

Colors of Autumn

We left on time and arrived at the Art Roscoe  Cross Country Sking  Warming Hut, the beginning of numerous trails.  We decided to walk the Sweetwater Trail, just short of four miles in length and not too hilly.  It was a good walk, a bit boring, however,  because of the sameness of the landscape, woods on both sides of the trail but what did I expect.  We split into guys and gals pairs and hiked the entire four miles that way, talking most of the way.

Happy Hikers

I think by the time we reached the end, we were all happy to end our hike and looked forward to our dinner at the Nic L Inn on Bone Run Road.  Barb and Jim had never been there so they were excited to eat there.  Unfortunately, when we drove up, it was not only closed but it looked like it was sold and would open under the name the Bone Run Inn.  So much for believing the Penny Saver advertisement which said the Nic L Inn was open Thursday through Saturday. Fortunately, the Horseshoe Inn, one of our favorites, was only a few miles away so we were able to have dinner there and even find seats at the bar.

Cheers With Beers (A 7 oz.  Rolling Rock)

It was a good alternative; I had eggplant parmesan piled high with sauce and cheese.  Evie had the burger, Barb a buffalo burger and Jim a chicken sandwich. We enjoyed the ambiance, walls filled with old rifles and pistols, definitely a local place.  We drove home in the dark, returning tired, sore but happy with our day.

Four Miles Of Sweetwater Trail Looks Like This

We were back early enough to watch Colbert and an episode of The Politician which I ended up getting tired of and did not see the end of the episode.  And I finally realize why I did not much like this series; there is no one in the series that's likable.  And the series is uneven, some episodes pulling you in or others, like last night a bore.  We also watched ten minutes of Trump's rally in Minnesota.  It was embarrassing to watch, a shameless, disgusting Trump, and audience eating up his fear and hate.  It made me fear for the first time for our country, seeing the audience enjoy, laugh, and cheer Trump's virulence towards liberals, presidential opponents, the media, immigrants, even governmental institutions like the CIA, State Department, and FBI.   Insanity And Scary.

Hiking Allegany State Park

Celebrating Evie's 75th Birthday With A Hike

6:45

7:14

It's another stellar morning of pink clouds, blue skies and cool temperatures.  It's was 50º when I came downstairs at 6:00 to make the coffee.  I walked outside and the yard was filled with light from the moon and stars.  It's after 9:00 and I was out for an hour kayaking and spotted three herons sitting on the same tree.  While I finish this up, Evie is making scones because, Nan, our financial planner is coming from Cleveland this morning to discuss our future.  Should be fun!

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Along Tom's Point

Yesterday was my typical busy morning, beginning with kayaking of course.  Then, I drove over to Bemus for breakfast with the guys but it does not seem the same because our waitress of at least five years was fired.  After breakfast, we published the blog and I drove to Lakewood to yin yoga, a fairly crowded class.  I then drove to Aldi's and picked up a few things for our weekend and stopped for corn at our favorite stand.  This may be the last of the corn.

When I drove into our parking area, Evie was enjoying the sun in our side yard as the wind was too much for the dock.  I had the leftover moussaka and an ear of corn for lunch and watched my show.  While Evie enjoyed the outdoors, I read and fell asleep on the couch before we both got ready to drive to the Allegany Forest for a hike.  Evie wanted to celebrate her birthday by doing something different so a hike and eating out seemed just right.  We made sure to bring water, mosquito repellent, and bear repellent, just in case.  We stopped at Peterson's Market on the way and picked up another basket of peaches for freezing and baking another peach pie.  We then drove forty minutes to one of the larger parks in this part of the US, 64,800 acres.  We drove to the Art Roscoe Cross Country Ski Hut, the parking area where the major trails begin.  We were the only car in the lot, perhaps the only ones in the forest. 

There are five or six trails of varying lengths and we picked Christian Hollow, 3.5 miles with a vista of the valley of Cattaraugus County.  We hiked it once before, probably six or seven years ago.  It's quite hilly so we were constantly walking up and down on trails through dense woods, the trail edged with delicate ferms most of the way.  We met one person, a guy on a mountain bike but that was it for our hike.  We walked, according to my iWatch , 3.4 miles, total time, 1.33.48,  elevation gain 318  feet.  We were happy to finish although it was the right distance, extraordinarily quiet, no sound of birds or animals, just our footfalls on the trail.

A Green Silence

We then exited the park, jumped on #86 and turned on to the Onoville Marina road.  We ended up at one of our favorite restaurants, the Horseshoe Inn.  We have been there three or times over the past six years.  We always find a place at the bar and usually strike up a conversation with patrons but not yesterday as the locals ended up talking with each other.  We ordered Evie's specialty for an appetizer, hand-cut french fries and they were great.  For dinner, Evie ordered a New York strip steak with more fries and I had a pot roast sandwich with fries.  Evie's steak was a bit overdone so the bartender compted it even though we did not complain. 

Dusk

We drove home towards an amazing dusk sky.  We were back in time to watch two more episodes of Unbelievable and have the last two pieces of peach pie, a fine end to the day. 

That Morning Sky

7:05

7:06

7:10

7:11

7:12

7:16

7:17

7:44

I was up just after 6:00, total darkness until I walked outside and saw a starry morning sky.  By 7:00, however, the sky came alive with some color, mostly orange, which spread from south to north, eventually from Wells Bay to Long Point.  Now, at 7:30, the blue sky is apparent, with some cream colored clouds.  It looks like we have at least three more sunny days before the rain arrives on Monday.  And as you can see, we could not make up our mind what sunrise photos to include so we just added them all.

Victoria/Woodlawn

I just got back from a great morning kayak; I have rarely seen the lake so smooth, not a whisper of a wind, with a few sightings of mallards but that's it.

Sandy Bottom

Mallards

Yesterday morning was busy, starting with breakfast in Bemus, five of us, which is fun but it gets in the way of my morning paddle. C'est la vie.  I knew there were some things I wanted to get done, most importantly, drop my extra bike off at Hollyloft Bike Shop, a donation since I have never used it and I need more room in the garage.  So I drove into Lakewood, got a coffee, a couple dozen eggs and went to Hollyloft who seemed happy to get my donation.  They donate the proceeds to an animal shelter so it goes to a good cause.  I then stopped at Sam's, got an estimate on new tires for my car to compare with the dealer's price but only if I need them.  I then stopped at Wegman's and did a quick run through the store, picking up whatever I thought we might need since I did not have a list.  I only forgot one thing, some bread, but I did get six bagels which should suffice.

When I got home, Evie was into deep cleaning, both our porch and living room.  And she realized that our couch, twenty-two years old, has probably seen its last days. Yuk.  After putting things away, I drove to Mayville, to the Marina on Sea Lion Drive, to check out my boat and make sure we could get the seats out of the boat to get them redone.  I will pick them up once Chris gets them out and take them to Millers, an Amish guy near the PA state line.  I stopped at the Lighthouse for a sub, strangely quiet at lunchtime and came home.  Evie was almost finished with the living room so she was able to get outside and enjoy some of the sunshine in the early afternoon.  I had my sub and watched the first episode of Season 3 of Narcos.  I then tried to take a nap without much success.  So I read and took it easy although I should have gone for a paddle but was too lazy, neither paddling, biking, or walking, a lazy day.

We both took showers and got cleaned up around 3:30 and picked our neighbors, Ken and Marjorie up at 4:30 because we were driving to the Allegheny National Forest, to enjoy the new boardwalk and see the leaves before going out to dinner at the Horseshoe Inn.  It's a good 45-minute drive but pleasant because of the hills, the leaves, and the still muted colors.

Allegehney Forest With Marjorie And Ken

We enjoyed the stop at the new boardwalk over a pond and wetlands but we did not see any waterfowl.  We then drove to the Art Roscoe Ski Center where all the hiking and cross-country ski trails begin before getting back on #86 and getting off at the Steamburg exit to drive another 8 miles to the Horseshoe.

Boardwalk At Allegheny State Forest

It was a good choice, as Ken and Marjorie loved the ambiance, a couple of hundred rifles from the past century covering the walls.  And Jamie, the owner, and our waitress recognized Evie and me from our previous visits and told us about the history of the restaurant, how she ended up with a gun filled restaurant.  We got beers, burgers, and fries, all good and pie a la mode for dessert.  It was a good choice.  We only wish it was closer.

Wetlands At 5:30

Allegheny Forest

We didn't get home until after 9:00, in time to watch some Vice News and listen to CNN talk about the latest Trump gaff and Fox talk about the Obama/Hillary uranium scandal, not so new news.  It was a pleasure to get back to Richard Russo's EMPIRE FALLS.