Oswego's Polar Plunge

Oswego's 2012 Polar Plunge

Well it was a short trip (about 3 miles) without the trailer, but I attended (not participated - I'm not crazy!) the 2012 Polar Plunge today, a fund raiser for the Special Olympics.  Great fun had by all with some interesting expressions on the faces of some as they hit the water.  Air temperature around 44 degrees F, with an 8-10 MPH wind coming off the lake.  More photos at http://lakeshoreimages.com/polar2012.html.

As to travel, Not much going on.  The trailer is winterized and covered, and waiting for Spring. I have finished some new modifications - photos at the bottom of Trailer Modifications.

Chittenango Falls

Chittenango Falls State Park, NY

I made another relatively short 60 mile trip today to Chittenango Falls State Park in Chittenango, NY today.  Since it is my all time favorite waterfall, I've been shooting it for years.  With the dry weather it has the least amount of water running over it I've ever seen.  I usually like it better with low water, but this year it is even too low for me.  I did get some nice images of the creek above & below the falls.

Below the Falls

Above the Falls

Above the Falls

That's about it for the day.  Depending on the weekend weather, I may try for a short trip to the Adirondacks.

Till Later -

Salmon River Fishing & Falls

River Below Salmon River Falls

A short trip of about 20 miles to one of the only two waterfalls in Oswego County.  The Salmon River Falls is the larger of the two. While I don't feel the actual falls is all that pretty, I do like some parts of the river both above & below the falls.

I also stopped in Pulaski along the way to photograph some of the salmon fisherman in the river.  According to the local bait shops, this is one of the best runs in memory.

Fishing on the Salmon River

Salmon River Falls

Above the Falls

The driveway replacement is about half way done.  The asphalt plant broke down & they don't expect to have it fixed until noon today.  After that I have to wait for 5 days before I can park the trailer.

Till Next Time -

2012 Trip Wrapup - Lots of Photos

Better late than never?  Anyway, some statistics for the trip:  138 days on the road, 16,255.4 miles.  I kept an envelope of gas receipts - I know I missed a few since the MPG based on receipts is too high, and I do remember paying cash a couple of times.  Total gallons - 923.4, total cost $3465.44 for an average price of $3.75.  Most expensive was at Lee Vining, CA ($4.80 per gallon) least $3.37; I'm not sure where.

Campgrounds ran from free, parking in a friend's driveway to $54.00 per night at Riverside Campground in Niagara Falls, Canada.  I didn't keep track if every campground price, but I spent less than last year since I got more comfortable living on the solar panels at non hookup sites.  I would guess that my average was around $24.00 per night.

Well, I was bored, so I spent 3 hours and went through my credit card statements, my check book, and my notes, and actually found the exact costs per night for camping.  The cheapest was still free, the most expensive still Riverside Campground at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, but their price was an exchange corrected $48.90 per night.  The average for the trip was $24.99, for a total of $3374.12.  No, I'm not going to add up how much I spent of food & tee shirts! Overall, I did spend a bit more than I would have staying at home, but believe it or not, not all that much more. If you are interested in a copy of the Excel Spreadsheet with the data, click here.

My favorites? Of course I'm going to show them:

While not one of my favorite photos, by far my favorite cave of this & all my previous trips was the Caverns of Sonora in Sonora, TX. Not the most popular cave I've visited, but the formations are exquisite.  Well worth a visit.

Caverns of Sonora, Sonora, TX

I loved the sky & sunset photographs at Rockhound & City of Rocks State Parks in New Mexico.  Unfortunately, most of the beauty of the images was caused by wild fires in the area, but I did get some nice images:

Rockhound State Park

City of Rocks State Park

For what ever reason, I took lots of nighttime photos this trip.  One advantage of a full frame digital camera like the Nikon D700 is its low noise at high ISOs.  I still haven't solved the problem of making the earth stand still so I can do longer than 30 second exposures without blurring the stars, but shooting at ISOs of 3200 helps!

Monument Valley, AZ

City of Rocks State Park, NM

Kodachrome State Park, UT

Kodachrome State Park, UT (1 Hour Exposure)

Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID

Turquoise Lake, CO

My all time favorite photo of the trip was on a hike up Mule Canyon near Blanding, UT.  There is a Navajo ruin that is built under a section of cliff face that, when the lighting is right, looks like the roof is on fire.  Naturally, it is called "House on Fire":

House on Fire, Mule Canyon, UT

While it isn't a photo of one of the arches, I liked this sunset image at Arches National Park in UT;

Arches National Park, UT

My favorite location on the trip was False Kiva in Canyonlands National Park.  The combination of the view from the site with the feelings of isolation & serenity is wonderful.  I suspect I'll go back each time I'm in the park.

False Kiva, Canyonlands National Park, UT

Another Canyonlands favorite is catching sunrise at Mesa Arch.  I've yet to visit it without a crowd of photographers waiting to get a shot - well worth it.

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, UT

While I stopped at Antelope Canyon twice last year, this year I visited the Lower Antelope Canyon.  As or even more beautiful, and far less crowded.  

The Eagle, Lower Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ

Another highlight of the trip was the Oregon Gathering, the 10 annual gathering of fiberglass trailer owners at Bullards Beach State Park.

Group Photo - 10th Annual Gathering, Bullards Beach State Park, OR

One of my slight disappointments was arriving at the wrong time of day to photograph the Crystal Mill near Marble, CO.  It was still a great trip, but the photographs would have been better with the sun behind me.  Of course that means I'll just have to go back in the future!

And, of course, I have a bunch of waterfall photos:

Burney Falls, CA

Susan Creek Falls, OR

Stream Below Bridal Veil Falls, OR

Narada Falls, Mt Rainier National Park, WA

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

Lower Falls, Letchworth State Park, NY

Well, if you managed to get through all the photos, that is the summary of my trip.  Of course, there is much I left out - to see more you need to read the LakeshoreImages version of the trip.  Thanks to all my followers, and looking forward to the next trip.  It won't be a long cross country trip - I need to stay on the east coast next year.  I do plan to make some shorter, somewhat localized trips in the near future.

Till then!

21st CNY Pumpkin Festival

Jeremy Robinson - NY & US Record Squash - 1221.5 Lbs

Well, I haven't put together the final post for my 2012 trip, but I've been busy with a number of projects, including a new driveway & photographing the 21st Oswego Pumpkinfest. I've been shooting it for a number of years, and this one was special so I posted a link here, even though it doesn't have anything to do with my travels (unless you count driving 4 miles to the downtown park where it is held.)  Two records broken - the biggest pumpkin in the 21 year history of the event (a 1598.5 pound pumpkin grown by Quinn Werner) and even better, a new record for both New York State & the US - Jeremy Robinson's 1221.5 pound squash.

I will try to do the trip update tomorrow.

Till then - 

Home!

Chimney Bluffs State Park, NY

Monday, September 17 - Home! - 250 Miles Today, 16,255.4 For the Trip

Well, the end of the trip! I packed up & left the campground around 9:00AM, crossing at the Lewiston bridge. No problems with crossing the border other than the inspector just about broke his head on the air conditioner. It doesn't pay to be 6'-5" in an Escape. At 6'-0" I fit fine.

I decided rather than take my usual route NY 104 home, I'd follow the Seaway Trail. It starts on NY 18 and follows the lakeshore. I stopped at a couple of lighthouses, and Chimney Bluffs State Park, as well as a quick stop in Wolcott to photograph their small waterfall. As usual, photos at today's LakeshoreImages Page.

I reached home around 4:00, unpacked part of the trailer & called it a day. I have a 3' high stack of mail, most of which is junk, but buried in it are new credit cards, a check from National Geographic, etc so I have to dig through the pile with care.

I'll put together a wrap up of the trip in a day or two.

Until Then -

Niagara Wine Escape, Day 3

Evening Campfire, Niagara Wine Escape

Sunday, September 16 - Niagara Wine Escape, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Day 3 - 0 Miles Today, 16,005.4 For the Trip

Well, I lied about the mileage - I did drive to Bettys, a nearby restaurant that has a great brunch. By the time I got back we were reduced to 4 trailers in the campground. One more left during the afternoon, and the remaining 5 of us spent the afternoon talking. I even got a steak dinner! After that we sat around the campfire until it got cold enough to call it a night. No pictures today & tomorrow morning I'll be packing it up for the trip home.

Until Tomorrow -

Niagara Wine Escape, Day 2

Lots of Lights!

Saturday, September 15 - Niagara Wine Escape, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Day 2 - 0 Miles Today, 16,005.4 For the Trip

No miles today - I spend the afternoon baking a blueberry pie & making the rounds of the campground trying to get a photo of each trailer. I'll post a page with all the trailer pictures here.

Not sure if I'll add the Pot Luck photos tonight or tomorrow - the campground internet slows to a crawl at night, at least it did last night. Meanwhile, the pie is in the toaster oven sitting on the picnic table, filling the campground with a wonderful aroma!

Until Tomorrow -

Niagara Wine Escape, Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Wine Escape, Riverside Campground, Niagara Falls, Ontario

Friday, September 14 -Niagara Wine Escape, Niagara Falls, Ontario - 74.8 Miles Today, 16,005.4 For the Trip

Not too bad a drive & an easy crossing into Canada. A little confusion at the border crossing booths - there was a sign for RVs, but after the sign the only RV like booth was for busses. I figured out that I didn't belong, and moved over to a normal booth. Very few questions, in fact since they didn't ask, I could have purchased my blueberries in the US - they were buy one, get one free at the Tops on the way. Still, I'm sure if I had bought them, they would have asked about fruit at the crossing!

I'm at the Niagara Wine Escape, a gathering of all kinds of fiberglass trailers that I'm attending for the third year. I'm in site 45 this year - I was in 84 last year but it is already taken. People arrived all afternoon, and while the rain started, heavy at times late afternoon, by evening the rain was gone & the skies turned blue. I took a few photos, and will make the rounds trying to get a photo of each trailer tomorrow.

I did get to a Canadian Walmart to purchase the blueberries for my pie - I'll put it together tomorrow. Dinner tonight was a steak, corn-on-the-cob & the rest of the leftover rice from last night.

Until Tomorrow -

Letchworth State Park, NY, Day 6

Watkins Glen, NY

Thursday, September 13 - Letchworth State Park, NY -0 Miles Today, 15,930.6 For the Trip

Today was a "do nothing" day. I did have a nice time last night with the couple in the trailer next to mine & another a few spaces down the campground. We say around their campfire & talked about just about everything. One thing mentioned was that there were a number of fiberglass trailers on one of the other loops. I walked over this morning, found a collection of Scamps, Casitas & a Boler in the 200 loop. They were a group of friends that were having an informal gathering, one that they have been doing for a number of years.

Since Escapes are still fairly rare, particularly here on the east coast, some of them stopped by to look at the trailer. Other than that, all I did was sit around & read. No photographs so I used another one from yesterday for the post. I did get my 2 miles of walking in on a couple of loops around the campground. I also took the time to hook up the trailer. I prefer to do it the evening before I leave rather than in the morning - I can stand an evening with the trailer off the stabilizers...

Dinner will be a pork chop, my favorite - Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice (I finally found some at the Geneseo Wegmans) and snap peas.

Until Tomorrow -

Watkins Glen State Park, NY

Watkins Glen State Park, NY

Wednesday, September 12 - Watkins Glen State Park, NY - 154.5 Miles Today, 15,930.6 For the Trip

After breakfast this morning I headed southeast to Watkins Glen State Park. I've never been to Watkins Glen so since it is only around 75 miles away, why not?

I hiked the Gorge Trail from the bottom to the top (1.5 miles & 800 steps) and back since there was no shuttle service today. The water levels are very low, but many of the waterfalls still have enough to look pretty. Overall, the glen is much more "denaturalized" than any others I've visited, however I suspect that is about the only way one could walk through it. I guess with the low water levels it would be possible to walk the river, but you would still have to climb the many waterfalls, and swim the many deep pools. So, I climbed the staircases, leaned over the walls to shoot photos (finding good positions to shoot most of the waterfalls & cascades is impossible due to the restrictions of staying on the walkways). In any case, I'm glad I went. You will have to excuse the blurry people in some photographs - while it wasn't all that crowded, there were far more people than in places like Ricketts Glen or Grimes Glen. Like Letchworth, they have a railroad trestle crossing the glen, although this one isn't quite as high as Letchworth's (last photo) All in all, not my favorite glen, but now I can say I've been there.

I got back to the campground around 3:00 & read for a bit before starting to put today's pages together. Dinner will be a pot pie.

Until Tomorrow -

Grimes Glen, Naples, NY

Grimes Glen, Naples, NY

Tuesday, September 11 - Letchworth State Park, NY - 143.3 Miles Today, 15,776.1 For the Trip

Another cool morning, but warm as toast inside. Speaking of toast, I dug out the toaster oven from under the bed & set it up on the picnic table outside. I figured since I had to set it up I might as well do it outdoors rather than take down the smoke alarm and hid it under a pillow since it goes off at the slightest hint of any indoor cooking (even boiling water!) Probably looked a little funny with the huge toaster oven plugged into the trailer & sitting on the picnic table, but since the campground was almost empty, who's going to notice?

After a pretty good bagel (from Wegmans) I drove to Naples, NY. My grandparents lived in Naples during the 50's & 60's. I went looking for their house; it was a little easier to find since I had been given directions from the local historic society last fall (well, the directions weren't to the house, just to the IGA that used to be across the street - it is now a chocolate factory.

I also wanted to hike up Grimes Glen. It has been 50 years since the last time I hiked it - very little has changed. A lot less water in the stream, but still a pretty hike. While there is a path along side the stream, it switches sides often; you need to find places to cross when the path on your side ends. When we were kids we just walked up the middle of the stream; it was a bit cold to do that today. There are two waterfalls in the easy part of the hike; to get to the next two you need to rope climb up the side of the second waterfall. I didn't. More photos at today's LakeshoreImages Page.

After that I stopped at a fruit & vegetable stand for a piece of grape pie. Unfortunately, they don't sell pie by the piece & I'd never eat a whole one (although they are good enough that I could). I did get a grape crunch, like the pie so sweet it makes your teeth ache! Naples is the Grape Pie Capital of the world & has a Grape Festival every September.

I wanted to check out another waterfall hike I've done in the past, the Parish Glen / Conklin Gully hike that has 12 waterfalls. The only problem - no water. I guess it will have to be another trip.

After driving back to the campground I relaxed for the afternoon, met my new neighbors for the rest of the week, and thought about dinner. It will be corn on the cob, and something - haven't decided what else yet.

Until Tomorrow -

Letchworth State Park, Day 3

Mt Morris Dam From the Visitors Center

Monday, September 10 - Letchworth State Park, NY - 44 Miles Today, 15,632.8 For the Trip

It got even colder last night - down to the high 40's. What happened to those warm nights? After breakfast I decided to do one of the trails in the park. I chose Kisil Point trail because it looked like if followed a stream. It did, but it was mostly dried up. While a well marked trail, it wasn't as interesting as most I've hiked. For one thing, it looks just like home. Also, it doesn't have a destination. While a nice hike is OK, I prefer those that take you someplace. One last point - while the trail is well blazed, it isn't well kept up. There were fallen trees that had to be climbed over across the trail. Maybe natural, but still...

After the hike I drove on to the Mt Morris Dam Overlook. I've been to the overlook a number of times, and although I understand the principle of the dam is to only stop water when there is a flood, I have never been able to figure out how the Genesee River bypasses the dam the rest of the time. This trip I drove over to the other side of the dam at the COE visitors center & discovered that the river does go through the bottom of the dam. You can't see it from the Letchworth Park side - it looks like it is entirely dry behind the dam from the park. So, after 20 years of visits, I feel a bit stupid, but I now have it figured out!

After the dam I decided to drive into Geneseo to visit a Wegmans grocery store. For those not in the areas covered by Wegmans, it is quite a store. All the normal food, plus lots of natural foods, ethnic foods, etc. A great place to shop; only wish one would move to Oswego. I also waved to SUNY Geneseo as I drove by, my daughter & son-in-law's undergraduate Alma Mater.

After that it was back to the campground to sit in what little sun there was & relax. Dinner was a nice strip steak, corn on the cob & Bushes beans with onions (not as good as their beans with a touch of honey, and neither as good as our local Grandma Browns Saucepan Beans.

I actually built a fire that I'm currently typing in front of just to warm things up.  I'm not all that a believer in campfires (maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've been heating my house with a wood stove since 1976) but tonight I have one.

Until Tomorrow -

Letchworth State Park, NY - Day 2

Lower Falls, Letchworth State Park, NY

Sunday, September 9 - Letchworth State Park, NY - 32.7 Miles Today, 15,588.8 For the Trip

Happy Birthday to Me! I did get a Skype connection to Botswana to get birthday wishes from my daughter & grand kids. They are doing fine and will find out in November or December whether their program will be extended for 2 more years. Unfortunately, I don't have a AT&T connection to receive a call from my son in Oswego.

After breakfast I headed out to photograph the falls. The first image shows why you don't want sunshine when photographing waterfalls. The rapids below the falls were in shadow & photographed well with the reflected sunlight from the gorge walls. Fortunately, the clouds rolled in a bit later in the day & I was able to go back to take some photos with better lighting. Unfortunately, that meant doing the 175 odd steps to the lower falls twice! I also took a couple of images of the middle falls & the upper falls, as well as one of one of the many cabins scattered throughout the park. The rest of the images are available at today's LakeshoreImages page.

All the mileage today is running around the park (Letchworth is a long, narrow park that follows the gorge created by the Genesee River).

I'm glad I have an electric site - it was 58°F in the trailer when I woke up this morning; a short blast of the ceramic heater did the trick. Of course I could have used the furnace, but the electric heater is much quieter. I even got out the blanket - thought I was done with it after Leadville, CO. I do have to find a 3/4 size blanket - the full size one is a bit too big for the bed. I may have to buy a full size blanket & cut it down to fit. Of course it won't be an electric blanket, but I only plugged the blanket in twice in the last 130 days, so I suspect I can live without the electric feature...

Dinner will be a Bubba Burger, coleslaw & the rest of the left over rice.

Until Tomorrow -

Letchworth State Park, NY

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

Saturday, September 8 - Letchworth State Park, NY - 176.2 Miles Today, 15,556.1 For the Trip

I took my time getting up & out today - check out is 3:00 & I didn't have all that far to go. I even made a hot breakfast (bacon & eggs). I left on the road out of the top of the hill so I didn't have to try going down (I did that last fall & is isn't really a problem other than making sure you keep the speed down). After that it was US 220 north to NY, then 17 west. I did make a stop in Bath to have the trailer inspected. It was due in August, but since I wasn't in NY, there wasn't much I could do about it. Now I'm good until next September. It rained off & on over the entire drive to Letchworth. I was listening to WRVO in Oswego & they had a number of severe thunderstorm warnings, complete with hail, 60MPH winds, etc. Hope everything at home is OK.

I'm in site 309 at Letchworth State Park for the next 6 days. While there is no water, the site does have 30 amp power so unlike the last couple of days I don't have to depend on solar for electricity. I don't have a lot planned, although I'm sure I'll visit the main waterfalls, and maybe try to find some of the smaller ones. If I'm lucky, there will be balloon rides scheduled. Since the only photo I took today was the campsite photo, I'm using another one of yesterday's hike up Glen Leigh at Ricketts Glen.

It cleared up long enough to make a sub from the left over steak, onions & peppers along with left over rice. Just as I finished cooking the rain started in again. So, no sitting outside this evening - it is cool enough that I'm glad I'm in the trailer anyway. I may even set up the electric heater.

I do have a Verizon internet connection - not super fast, but usable.

Until Tomorrow -

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA, Day 2

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

Friday, September 7 - Ricketts Glen State Park, PA, Day 2 - 13.2 Miles Today, 15,379.9 For the Trip

The 40% chance of thunderstorms predicted for last night came true. Thunder & lightning all night with rain both light & heavy until around 4:00AM.

After breakfast I headed to the parking lot at PA 118 to hike up Kitchen Creek & Glen Leigh. At "Waters Meet" I went up Ganoga Glen for the one waterfall I skipped because of the thunder yesterday. While it started out with good lighting, by the time I reached Onondaga Falls (the last on on Glen Leigh) the sun was out, burning out the highlights on the photos. I sure got tired of people walking by and saying "You have a great day for pictures with the sun shining!" Give me an overcast day for shooting moving water anytime. I did get fancy & took one image while zooming my 24mm - 70mm lens. An interesting effect, but not one I'll do too often. This and more at today's LakeshoreImages page.

After 6 miles of hiking I was bushed, and spent the afternoon relaxing back at the trailer. The campground is still mostly empty - there are about 5 campers in the loop I'm in and about the same in the big loop. I stopped at the office to see if they had any non reservable sites & they don't, and they are full for tomorrow. It doesn't matter this trip since I have reservations for tomorrow night at Letchworth, but at least I know I will have to make reservations for future trips if they include a weekend, even out of season. I'm not sure when people stop coming - last fall the campground was empty over the weekend.

While it's early for dinner, I'm planning to cook the steak I bought yesterday, along with snap peas & rice. I haven't been able to find my favorite flavored rice, so it will be Uncle Ben's White & Wild Rice combination.

Until Tomorrow or whenever I get an internet connection -

Next

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

Thursday, September 6 - Ricketts Glen State Park, PA - 287 Miles Today, 15,366.7 For the Trip

I was wrong about not getting a cell signal - I do have one here in the park, at least Verizon, but it is so slow that while connected for 1/2 an hour it only managed to download the headers of my mail. According to the WiFi Ranger control panel, I'm connected at 37Kb, or far less than an old fashion dial up modem.

Lots of miles today; more than most of the daily drives on the trip. Almost all of it was on interstates or 4 lane roads, with the exception of the last 30 miles. The last 3 miles were interesting. Between Red Rock & Ricketts Glen State Park there is a 2 mile, 18% grade (uphill into the park), probably the steepest of the trip (at least on a paved road). The RAV4 did fine, pulling 40 mph in 2nd gear.

Ricketts Glen is my favorite state park. I love many others, but the variety of waterfalls, rapids & cascades along two streams running through the park provide some of the most interesting hiking anywhere. This is my 5th visit to the park, and the first at this time of year. While I prefer the color provided by the Fall leaf change, the streams are pretty anytime. I was hoping for a chance to see what the cascades & waterfalls looked like with a minimum of water going over them, but evidently there was quite a bit of rain over the last couple of days & the streams are running strong. Many of the sections of the stream were muddy giving some of the cascades & waterfalls a brown color. We will see what tomorrow looks like...

For those of you who don't like long exposure water photos, you probably should skip today & tomorrow's post. I know they are overdone, but I love to shoot them. For those that want to see them, check out today's LakeshoreImages page.

After setting up the trailer in Site 76 in the small loop, I drove to the Rose Lake parking lot & hiked down to Tuscarora Falls, photographing most of the falls along the Ganoga Glen as well as many cascades. I headed back when it began to thunder. It never did rain, but there have been distant thunderclaps all afternoon. There is a 40% chance of thunderstorms overnight. I'll try to shoot the rest of the falls on the Glen Leigh side as well as below "Where Waters Meet" tomorrow. I'll "cheat" and drive down the hill to the parking lot along PA 118 so I'll be hiking uphill to take the photos. You get a much better view of what things look like on the way up stream, and after you finish taking photos the return is downhill! All in all, the entire waterfall look os a little over 7 miles.

I got back to the trailer around 5:30 with my clothes soaking wet (sweat, not rain). While the park calls the Falls Trail "Most Difficult Hiking", I am still managing to do it 3 days from my 68th birthday. It isn't all that difficult as long as you are willing to stop and take a break, particularly when climbing the stairs along side the larger falls. There are no actual staircases, just flat rocks arranged as treads in the steeper areas. In some cases you are scrambling over rocks & tree roots but all in all, well defined trails.

I had a long, hot shower & put together a large salad for dinner. I had picked up a steak, but will save it for tomorrow.

Until Tomorrow or whenever I get an internet connection -

Coopers Rock State Park, WV, Day 2

Henry Clay Furnace, Coopers Rock State Park, WV

Wednesday, September 5 - Coopers Rock State Park, WV Day 2 - 0 Miles Today, 15,079.7 For the Trip

It rained off and on overnight, but cleared during the morning. Around 1:00 I got tired of reading & sitting around so I hiked to the Henry Clay Furnace, an iron smelter built around 1835. The trail is really a road, although one that needs more clearance than my RAV4 provides. I'm also including a photo of the trees along the road to the parking lot to show that there is already a bit of color in the trees, particularly the maples. That & more photos of the furnace are on today's LakeshoreImages Page.

Dinner tonight will be a couple of hot dogs, and Dole Coleslaw. I managed to find a bag at Krogers yesterday - the version that includes the dressing is hard to find and I really like it.

I'm not sure I will be able to post tomorrow or the next day - if I remember correctly, there is no air card service (or cell phone) at Ricketts Glen.

Until Tomorrow or whenever -

Coopers Rock State Park, WV

The Giant - At Coopers Rock State Park, WV

Tuesday, September 4 - Coopers Rock State Park, WV, -200.1 Miles Today, 15,079.7 For the Trip

Most of the drive today was spent on US 19, and a couple of Interstates, finishing on I 68 and Coopers Rock State Park. Another mostly empty campground when I arrived, although now at 8:00 there are about 6 tents & trailers here, and reservation signs for most of the sites for the coming weekend.

Another West Virginia park filled with Rhododendron. There is an overlook a couple of miles from the campground that has a pretty view that I suspect will be better during the Fall color change (which isn't all that far away - I saw many trees already coloring up both at Babcock & along the drive here. I'll bet the dry summer will make the change weeks early this year.

I'm in site 17 for two days. The original plan was to go to Ricketts Glen Thursday through the weekend, then head to Letchworth for four days. I have reservations on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls for the Escape Wire Tour, a fiberglass rally I have attended for the last two years starting the 14th. Unfortunately, Ricketts Glen doesn't have any open sites on Saturday, so I only booked two days. On Saturday I'm heading to Letchworth for six days, a bit longer than planned. I'd rather spend more time hiking the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen, but I'll take what I can get. It is interesting that I've been able to camp all over the west in some of the most popular parks, rarely having the need for a reservation, but here in my home area even after Labor Day, the sites are booked & I spent the afternoon making reservations. I'm glad I could find open sites at Letchworth. After the weekend in Canada for the rally, it is home to Oswego.

I thought the internet connection through Verizon was slow at Babcock, but compared to here at Coopers Rock it was lightning fast. It takes a couple of minutes just to upload a page & over 1/2 hour for today's photos.

Dinner was spaghetti & sausage.

Until Tomorrow -

Babcock State Park, WV - Day 6

Skyline Trail

Monday, September 3 - Babcock State Park, WV, Day 6 -14 Miles Today, 14,879.6 For the Trip

Happy Labor Day to all who still labor - retirement is great! The campground emptied out today, and by empty, I mean empty - I'm the only camper in the place. I decided it would be a good day to hike one of the many trails here in the park. I decided to try Skyline Trail which follows ridge lines in the park. Great views, although the more overgrown parts made better photographs. I would love to see the Rhododendron in bloom... More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

After I got back I decided to do some laundry. It wasn't really necessary, however the price was right ($1.00 to wash & $.75 to dry) so I did one load. Other than that I sat around ducking bursts of rain. We are having one now, but I ate early so dinner didn't get rained out.

Today is the last day here at Babcock. I'm heading to Morgantown, WV tomorrow. Not sure which campground I'll stop at - there are a few, including another WV State Park.

Until Tomorrow -

Babcock State Park, WV - Day 5

Glade Creek Through a Condensation Covered Lens

Sunday, September 2 - Babcock State Park, WV, Day 5 - 0 Miles Today, 14,865.6 For the Trip

Another day without any new photographs. We did get some rain after dinner last night until around 11:00. Nothing too heavy. I didn't do much today besides read, cook meals, and walk around the campground. Dinner was the rest of yesterday's pizza. I did order a song from iTunes - the connection was so slow that the download failed. While iTunes showed the song downloaded (after 16 minutes) only the first 23 seconds plays. I hope I'll be able to redownload the file when I get to a place with faster internet.

Until Tomorrow -

Babcock State Park, WV, Day 4

Glade Creek Waterfall

Saturday, September 1 - Babcock State Park, WV, Day 4 - 28.6 Miles Today, 14,865.6 For the Trip

No photographs for today so I used one from yesterday. In fact, pretty much no nothing for the day. So far very little rain from the hurricane, but while it is only in the 80's, it is very muggy. I didn't do anything other than walk a couple of laps around the campground. With the exception of a few that left today, the campground is full. The sites include everything from a single in a small trailer (guess who) to a group of 2 tents & a pop up along with 5 cars & I can't guess how many people. A very different attitude with a full campground. People tend to keep to themselves, where when there were only 3 occupied sites we all talked with each other.

I decided to make a pizza for dinner & discovered that I forgot the mozzarella cheese. Kind of hard to make a pizza without it so I drove to Rainelle (about 13 miles away on US 60). I think it is actually easier & quicker to go 20 miles to the Walmart on US 19 rather than the hills & switchbacks on US 60. Of course I also found a bunch of other stuff to buy. While the pizza was great I have to admit it is probably the most expensive I've ever had. It doesn't help that I'm making it for one. You can't buy a 1/4 pepper (actually 3 1/4 peppers since I like to use a red, orange & green) or onion, or a 1/4lb of mozzarella cheese and they don't keep all that well, at least until the next time I want pizza. I even had to buy a small jar of mushrooms since they didn't have any fresh available. As I said, expensive, but good!

Until Tomorrow -