Memorable/Unique/Favorite Places Loop #2

 Loop #2 May 2023 - August 2023 6,944 Miles 

Rock City Park, Olean NY - I am not a ‘rock hound’ but this place was worth a few hours to visit. This is a privately owned park in Olean NY and it was opened as a tourist attraction in 1890. To start the hike you first need to descend a long steel stairway to get to the bottom of the 23 acre park. The trail leads you through the forest and rock formations that are very unique and interesting. Over the years the various formations have been given interesting name - Fat Man’s Squeeze, Three Sisters Rock, Moray Eel, Hamburger Rock, and Half Sphinx. The entry fee is $8 and well worth it! rockcitypark.com

Letchworth State Park, Castile NY - Sometimes called the ‘Grand Canyon of the East, Letchworth is an awesome place to spend a few days, I stayed at the park for 3 nights and could have stayed for a week, its that good! The Genesee River runs through the park and there are 3 major waterfalls to explore and I do love waterfalls! The entire 1,000 acre park was a gift to the state from William Letchworth in 1906. What a generous gift and legacy! parks.ny.gov/parks/letchworth

Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen NY - Another awesome state park in NY. I almost passed this up because Google Maps was sending me the wrong way, around in circles. I persisted and glad I did. The hike through the park is one of a kind. Hiking through the 400’ deep narrow gorge leads you past 19 waterfalls, the trail leads you behind some of the falls.

View from behind the waterfall 

Panther Lake, Bernhards Bay NY - I stayed at one of my Harvest Host (harvesthost.com) places right on the shore of Panther Lake, which is a private lake and the host was very gracious and let me hookup to electric and fill up with water for free. I sat on his dock at sunset and enjoyed the peaceful evening with my legs dangling in the water and watching the sunset over the lake. What a great out of the way place! Winner!

Ausable Chasm, Ausable Chasm NY - This is an awesome place to explore for a couple of days in Upstate NY and not far from Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. I stayed nearby for a couple of nights and decided to test this old/broken body of mine and did the Adventure Trail with a guide. This trails has you climbing and traversing the chasm while roped in for safety. I crossed several cable bridges, cargo nets, and edge walks. One of the cable bridges was nothing more than a single cable that you walked across about 40’ above the river below. The edge walks were literally footholds and handholds along the walls of the chasm. It was a really cool experience for this old guy and to top of the day you took a whitewater raft down the river through the chasm. It was a great experience!

Kancamagus Highway, White Mountains NH - I met someone in Utah that told me about this drive in New Hampshire and put it on my ‘to visit’ list. It’s a 56 mile drive that winds through the White Mountains. The views are amazing and the drive is a lot of fun. The highway is really just a two lane road that takes you up into the mountains and along the rivers that run along side the road in many places. It connects Bath, NH to Conway, NH where you can find neat restaurants, shops and outfitters…this is definitely a must drive if you are in the area. kancamagushighway.com

Haskell Free Library and Opera House, Stanstead Quebec/Derby Line Vermont - The construction of the Opera House and Library started in 1901. The family that built the library wanted Canadians and Americans to have equal access to the library so they built it straddling the border. A line of electrical tape on the floor demarcates the exact international border. On the lawn, flower pots and boulders mark the border. The residents of Stanstead (CN) and Derby Line (US) have equal access to the library today, they just need to be careful what door they use! It’s very unique place. haskelloperahouse.org

Rocks are on the border between the US and Canada

Lewiston Veterans Park, Lewiston ME - I spent some time here thinking about my father and my uncle, both served in the US Marine Corps. Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine but still pretty small with a population of about 35,000 residents. There is a very large number of Somali people that have settled there and it also has the largest number of French speaking people in the US. Driving through the town brought me to their Veterans Park that is located on the banks of the Androscoggin River. It's a very nice park that has over 32 stone monuments to honor military veterans and active duty military from the surrounding area. There are also 20 polished granite Memorial Benches dedicate to individuals or military organizations. 

Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia - I spent two nights at a campground on the Bay of Fundy. The tidal range of the bay can be up to 52 feet and it's amazing to see the drastic differences between high and low tide. Fishing boats need to pay very close attention to the tides. They return to the docks as the tides begin to go out because very soon the boats will be sitting on mud at the bottom of the channels. It was great to sit on the rocks and watch the fisherman quickly empty their catch and tie up their boats in such a way that they can remain safely secured as the tide drops out from below them. The coast is lined with magnificent trees, glacial boulders and tons of wildlife.

High Tide

Low Tide

Dancing Moose Cafe Birch Plain NS - Another Harvest Host location I’m glad I found and stayed at for a night. This small cafe is located on a cliff above the Atlantic Ocean and the views are amazing. The owners cut a path down towards the water and you can relax on the chairs placed there and take in the views of the water. I had a great sleep and went in the cafe for a wonderful breakfast in the morning before continuing my travels around Nova Scotia. thedancingmoosecafe.com

Dancing Moose!

Balmoral Grist Mill, Tatamagouche, NS - The mill was way off my route but another gem I am so glad I found. I was the only visitor there and the two volunteers gave me the grand tour. The entire 3 level mill can be operated by one person, ropes, levers, gears and pulleys enabled the operator to manage the entire process. It’s like a mashup between The Wizard of Oz and Get Smart with all the different controls, pretty cool for something built in 1874. 

https://www.balmoralgristmill.novascotia.ca

Bar Harbor ME - I met up with my brother, sister-in-law and their family in Bar Harbor and spent a few days visiting with them and exploring Bar Harbor. There are so many awesome things to do and see there…here are the 3 that stand out to me.

The view from the restaurant where we enjoyed a family dinner

Bar Island Trail, Bar Harbor ME - One of the most unique trails/hikes you can go on in the area.  During low tide you can walk from Bar Harbor to Bar Island across the sand bar. Only accessible for a few hours, you can explore the island but make sure you make it across the bar before the tide comes back in because you will be stuck on the uninhabited island waiting for the next low tide! We all enjoyed the day and the hike, especially my nieces boys. https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-bar-island-trail.htm

The Bar at low tide

The boys exploring the Bar

Cadillac Mountain - Another morning spent with the family as we explored the summit of Cadillac Mountain and took in the amazing views. It’s located inside of Acadia NP and because of the number of tourists wanting to visit, you do need reservations to drive up the mountain. On a clear day you can see for miles in all directions. Stunning! https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/cadillac-mountain.htm

My great-nephews

Jordan Pond, Bar Harbor ME - My sister-in-law and I sat at the water’s edge reading and chatting for a couple hours while we waited on my brother to finish a hike in Acadia. What a wonderfully peaceful spot we found. The nearby Jordan House serves the most amazing popovers I’ve ever eaten…actually they are the only popovers I’ve eaten but they are delicious! We took a few boxes back to the cottage for everyone to enjoy. https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/jordan-pond.htm

Lucy the Elephant, Margate NJ - On my way back to Virginia to complete my New England loop, I stopped in South Jersey to visit my nephews, Blair and Ross, and see my old stomping grounds. I grew up not far from Lucy the Elephant and spent many hours on the beaches in Margate and almost the same amount of time in the beach bars! Lucy the Elephant was built in 1882 and has survived storms and neglect over the years and has been restored many times over the almost 150 years of its existence and is the oldest remaining ‘roadside attraction’ in the United States! A pretty neat piece of history. www.lucytheelephant.org

Parked right next to Lucy

Made it back to Virginia on August 12th and had another great visit with friends and family!