Steam Rising On A Cold Tuesday Morning (Eastside Overland Trail Hike)

7:00

7:32

Both Evie and I are up at 7:00, another picturesque morning sky, clouds, clear sky, reflections on the lake, as it gradually gets lighter.  I am always shocked at how late the sunrises this time of the year, how early it sets. 7:47 AM, 6:15 PM.  And before I know it, the sun is rising way over towards Tom's Point as it continues its fall journey south and I never tire of watching it.

Yesterday we got a late start but

Another Forest To Hike That We Have Never Heard Of

we stayed focused and drove off to Sinclairville, twenty miles away to walk another leg of the Eastside Overland Trail.  We drove east from Sinclairville, to RT. 62 and looked for trail heads P or Q but could find neither, perhaps because the trail seems to be on the road.  We finally drove to O, parked at a parking lot for the Boutwell Hill State Forest.  The trail head was poorly marked but we started on it, and immediately, we were climbing hills, trudging through muddy paths, what looked like runs for water coming off the hills.  It was wooded, however, since we were in the Boutwell Forest most of the time.  We had intended on walking all the way from O to M but the hiking was slow, because of the mud and uphill climb, so after an hour we finally made it to N, on Sanford Road.  It looks as though we would have had to walk along the road for a mile before getting to M.  So, we headed back and the going, for some reason, was much easier, at least for me, as I let Evie lead and I just meandered, with camera in hand, looking at things to photograph.  It makes me much more aware of the surroundings, more 'present' in yoga terms and I don't pay much attention to arriving, to a goal, which I tend to do when I lead.  Strange.  Anyways, we walked over 3 1/2 miles, just under two hours and it was another great hike, through woods still green in some parts, leafless in others, as we followed well marked paths, no bridges as I recall, despite the wetness.  It felt good to get to the trail head marked N, a goal no doubt, but also a sense of accomplishment.  We both like to tick off another leg of the trail.

Which Way?

The Leaves Have Fallen Here

Lots of Leaves Still

Our Goal Accomplished

We stopped at the Sinclairville Superette, bought some kidney beans for beans and potato soup, a submarine sandwich, and Evie found her favorite fudge sauce, Mrs. Richardson's, so  that too went in the bag.  We did not get home till around 2:00, late for us when we hike.  We ate the sub, watched some TV, then relaxed and read before Evie worked on the geraniums, trimming them, adding plastic trays to catch the water and I lugged them upstairs to the back bedroom, where they will spend the winter, watered as needed.  We have had some of the plants for three or four years.

For dinner, we had a traditional Slovenia dinner, beans and potato soup, with Slovenia sausage, from Azman's Meats in Euclid, Ohio.  Other butchers make Slovenia sausage but we have been eating Azmans since the 1950's and for us they are the best around.  We have started watching the new series on Showtime called Masters of Sex, at my sister Linda's recommendation.  It's based on a novel about the famous sexologists, Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson, who wrote the definitive study on Sexuality.  It's a compelling story, of his ambition, hang ups, with parents, women, and yes sex.  In between the narrative, we are presented with lots of naked bodies, with electrodes fastened to their bodies, as Masters and his aid, measured the bodies and brains responses through the various phases of coitus.  It seems like a strange story to tell on TV but we both like it enough to continue watching, like reading Playboy for the articles!!!!  That's a joke.  The sex in the film is never prurient, more clinical though Master's does seem to leer as he watches couples enjoying sex.

Surprise, An Overcast Morning, Another Hike On The Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trail

7:00

Early Morning Fishing Off Of Long Point

A late awakening, 7:15, the sky slate blue off to the east, though some light to the north.  I was surprised to hear that it could have rained last night (it didn't) and today because the earlier forecast suggested it would not rain till next week.  So much for the accuracy of weather reports.  It's warming up some, 47º, a high in the 70's.We are thinking of kayaking the perimeter of Findlay Lake this morning, depending on the weather forecast.

Trail Head

A Typical Forested Trail

Vales

Fall Foliage

Yesterday morning was sunny and cool, perfect for a long hike, so Evie suggested the second leg of the Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trail, the second leg beginning just east of Gerry, twenty miles from Woodlawn.  We arrived about 10:30, hiked about 2 1/2 miles out, the same back, taking over two hours.  For those who might care, we hiked from U-T-S-R1-R2, then back.  Our next trail head will be R2 on Chautauqua Road.  The trail was one of the most varied, with heavy woods, vales with dry beds or creeks running through, an open section of downed trees, most broken off at ten or twelve feet, most likely a result of a tornado some time ago, a section of mostly leafless deciduous trees, whereas much of the rest of the trees still had lots of leaves.  And we walked along the road for at least a half mile, to get to the start of the new trail head.  We met one runner, in shorts, with ear buds, running with his dog. When we paused, it was so quiet we could hear the leaves falling, or follow their shadows on the leaf covered ground, as they fell.  It was a great walk, perfect temperature, a clear sky, sunny but not hot. We cannot wait to get back on it.

New Porch Curtain

A Cosy Porch For Winter

 When we got home, we had a quick lunch of leftover tacos, still good, when David Miller arrived, our Amish porch curtain maker, with his son.  We had ordered a curtain for our front porch, facing Leonards, to protect from the rain during the warmer months, keep out the snow during the winter if we choose to keep it up.  He had it up in an hour and we were both surprised by how nice it  felt sitting on the porch with our new enclosure.  The window helps no doubt.  We were even thinking we could sit out in the colder months with a space heater of some sort.

Evie On The Lake

The Beauty of Nature's Algae Bloom

Once again, we both lounged on the dock much of the afternoon, seemingly the only people still enjoying sitting on the dock, with Evie running inside to shape her bread, then let it rise, then bake it, then take it out to cool.  It's one of her favorites, a rustic Italian loaf beginning with a biga which she put together yesterday and let sit in the refrigerator for twenty four hours.  We couldn't just let it sit there so while hot, we both had slices with butter.  Heavenly.

We had wine out on our newly curtained front porch, the coast line of Long Point and Bemus just as spectacularly lit as the day before.  The late afternoon sunlight on the shore line is like a torch, perhaps because of the leaf colors at this time of the year.  We had a frozen ziti for dinner, with salad and Evie's bread of course. I don't remember what we watched but we were both anxious to get back to our books, to go to bed early, tired from our day.  I am loving a book called ISTANBUL PASSAGE, by Joseph Kanon.  Not only am I familiar with the setting, the novel begins on the shore the village of Bebek, where we often shopped and ate out,  but it's a great story, set in post WW II Istanbul, with CIA agents, Russian spies, Turkish secret police, Nazis, and Romanians.

Hiking The Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trail By Day: Dining at Brazil By Night

7:18

7:19

Up early again, 6:20, some fog and cool but a swath of light off towards Tom's Point, strange because the sun still rises just off of Long Point. NPR keeps talking about what a great weekend of weather lies ahead and I would add the past four days as well.  This has been the best week of weather in 2013, an exaggeration perhaps but close.  I cannot wait to get up, to see the foggy morning, then the sun rise,  and finally, a hike, the good life.

Yesterday, as I may have mentioned we waited till about 10:00 to head out for our hike because of the heavy fog.  Even as we crossed the bridge, as we were driving to Gerry, the hills were still obscured by fog, making us wonder if the woods would be as well.  Fortunately, all the fog was burned off as we arrived at the trail head for the Earl Cardot Eastside Overland Trial, just outside of Gerry.  The first couple of legs cut through the Harris Hill State Forest, which neither of us had ever heard of. Anyways, we have hiked most of the Fred J. Cusimano Westside Trail(24 miles long) because it's on our side of the lake. This time we decided to begin hiking parts of the Eastside Trail, nineteen miles long.  We walked from V to U if you pay attention to the map, hoping eventually to  get to A, nineteen miles from A.  It was a super day for a hike, cool and sunny, and all of the hike was in a heavily wooded forest, canopies of leaves filtering the sunlight most of the way.  It's well taken care of, many bridges over streams and rivulets, some gravel in wet areas, the path often framed by ferns, creating an attractive green way.  We walked out only 1.5 miles, thinking we had gone farther but according to the map, it was not so.  We returned the same way and the round trip took close to 1.5 hours, not as long as we wanted but good enough.  One leg down, twenty two more to go.  We have never been in the Gerry area before, so it was a nice ride to the Trail Head, around twenty miles.

Evie Dwarfed by Forest

Crossing One Of The Many Bridges

Me

Harris Hill State Forest

Ferns

We got home just after 1:00, had a lunch of BLT's and soup on the dock, and relaxed the rest of the day on the dock, though Evie had to drive to Jamestown for a doctor's appointment, mid afternoon, a bummer. Earlier in the day, our neighbor, Mary Ann Miller, asked us if we wanted to go out to dinner with her and the Scholtz's, so we picked them up at 6:15,  then stopped by to pick up their friend Charlie T. in Katawka, then drove to Westfield to have dinner at the newly opened Brazil, a restaurant which is getting high marks from our friends.  One of my breakfast buddies, Jack Voelker was there enjoying a meal, and mid way through or meal, other friends from the CI, Fred and Judy Gregory walked in, a popular place.  We all liked our meals, thought they were about the best we have had in the area, high praise I would say.  I had beer braised short ribs with noodles, tender and juicy, and almost everyone else had the maple glazed salmon, also a good choice.  We had raspberry pie for dessert, talked to the owner for a bit, as well as our waitress, a local high school girl, who was learning how to serve, as the summer staff have left for college.  We didn't get home till around 9:30, watched some TV before going to bed to read.  It was full and balanced day, a morning  hike complemented by dining out with  friends, the best.

Enjoying Dinner with Friends at Brazil's On Main, Westfield, NY