Blue Mountain Public Beach and Park, Rt 28

The drive on Route 28 from Utica to Blue Mountain is a cornucopia of sights, sounds and smells. We catch glimpses of azure lakes peeping between the Scotch pines and Douglas fir trees that stand at attention on each side of the road. I often have a difficult time staying in the lane, because the [...]

Chittning Pond, Bridgewater

This little gem of a pond (more like a lake!) lies nestled in between emerald-cloaked hills. Blue herons, kingfishers, birds, bees, and nature trails awaited us. The fishing wasn’t so hot (we had no boat) but the nature walk and exploration was terrific.

Oneida Lake

Yuk, November is so gloomy in New York State. November and February are the worst months– everything is brown and gray, cloudy and muddy. Our brilliant fall foliage that clothed our October is gone now. I miss the sunshine. So I rifled through some of my photo archives. I realized that I never wrote anything [...]

Rainbow Trout Fish Hatchery in Rome, NY

Winter still clings. It’s gloomy, brown, and boring. What are nature-lovers to do? Why pay a little visit to the local fish hatchery!

The Fish Hatchery in Van Hornesville, NY

This little fish hatchery in the “boonies” of Herkimer County is the genesis for most of the meaty trout New Yorkers catch at the ends of their fishing poles. We got to see fish, great and small, and had a tall tale told us by the Fish Man.

Lake Chalet Campground, Bridgewater

We spent a few days camping out at this lovely private camping grounds. Lake Chalet is a green-tinted lake suitable for fishing, canoeing, and swimming. It was the kids’ first experience camping, and was a fun one at that!

Sodus Lighthouse, Sodus Point, NY

We took a lengthy, wintry trip to the Sodus Bay Lighthouse, on the northwestern edge of Lake Ontario (New York side). This area saw some battle action during the War of 1812. Exploring the area and seeing the thick frozen crests of ice on the lake was quite the experience.