RV-Dreams Journal

Highlights Of Letchworth State Park - (Perry, NY)

We headed out late morning for a driving tour of Letchworth State Park.  From the campground, we drove south on the Park Road.  Though we stopped at some of the overlooks along the way, I'm going to write this post going from south to north to provide a little order to the photos.

The most southern entrance to the park is at Portageville.  However, this entrance is closed until 2018 as construction has begun on the new bridge over the Genesee River to replace the Norfolk Southern High Bridge you will see in the photos below.  The Park Road is closed beyond the parking area for the Upper and Middle Falls making access to the beginning of the very popular Gorge Trail more difficult.

Since we couldn't go all the way to the southern end, we parked in the Upper/Middle Falls parking lot.  It's a short walk to the Upper Falls, and you can see the waterfall from the parking area.

 

 

The railroad bridge is above and behind the lovely Upper Falls.

 

 

 

On this Tuesday in late June, there were just a few people at each stop.  The light crowds made for quite an enjoyable day.

From the Upper Falls, we walked the trail along the river toward the Middle Falls.  Along the way, this Eastern Milk Snake crossed our path.

 

 

It was about three feet long and the most colorful snake we've seen in the wild on our travels.

It's a fairly short, flat walk from the Upper Falls, and we were soon at the top of Middle Falls.

 

 

Rounding the corner, there was a "mistbow" below.

 

 

Middle Falls is the centerpiece of the park, .....

 

 

and the Glen Iris Inn sits on a bluff above the falls.  Perhaps we'll get some photos of the Inn and the views from there another day. 

We walked back to the Jeep and took the road that goes between the Middle Falls walkway and the Inn back to the Park Road.  At the intersection, there is a bench and this view of the canyon.

 

 

One of my favorite views of the gorge.

Continuing north on Park Road, we stopped at the Inspiration Point Overlook.  Another fabulous view of Middle Falls, with Upper Falls and the High Bridge above in the background.

 

 

Inspirational indeed.

 

 

Next, we stopped at the Visitors Center.

 

 

It's mostly administrative offices, a window to ask questions, and a gift shop.  We could've skipped it.

We saw several deer in the pines in the area of the Visitors Center.

Next there is a turn off to the Lower Falls area.  There is a restaurant, Adventure Calls Outfitters (rafting and paddling), a picnic area, and trails to view the Lower Falls.

From the parking lot, it's a short walk through a picnic area to this sign where you have a choice.

 

 

You can stay up top and walk to the "easy view" of the falls, or take the 127 steps down to the trail for a closer view of the falls plus access to a stone footbridge crossing the river.  We headed down the steps.

 

 

We walked directly to the Lower Falls, another beauty.

 

 

But, sadly, this was the location of tragedy less than two weeks ago.  Ignoring the warning signs banning people from the riverbed, a family of seven (two adults and five children) were in a restricted area above the waterfall.  One fell and the rest also fell trying to help.  All seven went over the falls and two little boys (ages 6 and 9) died.

With all the beauty of the this park, caution around the waterfalls and ledges is not something to be taken lightly.

This is a view down the chute from the Lower Falls as the river passes under the foot bridge.

 

 

These shots are taken from the side trail and steps leading to the foot bridge.

 

 

 

Views from the foot bridge.

Toward the falls.

 

 

And below the foot bridge.

 

 

Trails continue along the river on the east side, but we didn't go too far as the vegetation blocked the views.  One more shot looking back upriver at the bridge and falls.

 

 

And one last shot downriver before climbing back up the steps to the parking area.

 

 

Still heading north we came to the Big Bend Overlook and that's also where the road from the Castile entrance to the park comes in.  That's one of the main entrances, but if you are arriving in a larger RV and going to the campground, I highly recommend coming in the Perry entrance.  The Park Road from the Castile entrance north to the campground has some sharp turns and short, but significant grades.

Looking downriver from the Big Bend Overlook.

 

 

This tiny squirrel was checking us out.

 

 

From random overlooks continuing north.

 

 

 

We spotted some kayakers in the river.

 

 

We might just have to do that.  :)

From another small pull-off.

 

 

And these pics are from the Tea Table Overlook.

 

 

 

We drove down into the St. Helena Picnic Area, but didn't get out or take any photos.  There is a trail to the river and that is where you take out if you are paddling.

The last major stop before the campground is the Gardeau Overlook, but it had the least noteworthy view.

 

 

The farther north we went, the fewer people we saw, and we were fortunate to watch a Red Fox cross the road and trot into the woods.

As we neared the camping area, it started to sprinkle.  We had left the windows open, so we decided to call it a day rather than completing the north end of the park.  Plenty of time to do that over the next couple of days.

Hope you enjoyed today's photo tour.  It's certainly a beautiful place.  :)

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Travel Day To Letchworth State Park - (Perry, NY)

Happy Father's Day.

It was another lovely day here in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, but it was time to move on.  Next stop - Letchworth State Park in western New York.  Since the last time we were in the area a few years back, I wanted to go and check it out.

Letchworth State Park, renowned as the "Grand Canyon of the East," is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern U.S. The Genesee River roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs--as high as 600 feet in some places--surrounded by lush forests. Hikers can choose among 66 miles of hiking trails.

Again, I went through the process of selecting a route, but ultimately settled on the simplicity of following only two highway signs - U.S. 62 north, and NY Hwy 39 east.  The trip would be only about 160 miles, but it would take about four hours with all the turns and small towns along the way.

After packing up, dumping tanks, disconnecting utilities, and hitching, we were on our way right at 11:00 a.m.

We traveled up U.S. 62 along the Allegheny River, and at one point I was ready to take back the nice things I said about Pennsylvania roads.  For a seven-mile stretch north of Tidioute, the road was horrible.  Fortunately, that didn't continue.  And I will say that several drivers went out of their way to give us plenty of extra turning room when making turns in towns while following our route.

After an hour, we entered New York.  In fact, Linda had her phone set on the Google Maps navigation, and the phone announced "Welcome to New York".  Hadn't had our GPS welcome us to a state before.  :)

The roads in New York were also very good.  The roads were wide with good shoulders and all I really had to do was keep an eye out for my highway signs as we had to make numerous turns.  Western New York made me feel right at home with the rural country feel and the farm land with crops and cows.   It was a very pleasant drive.

Eventually, we left NY 39 and took a couple of farm roads east to the "Perry entrance" to the park which is also where the campground is located.  The campground is a good nine or ten miles north of the main park activities.

Linda took the lead as we approached the park entrance.  She gasped a little as we came around a curve and saw a clearance sign of 9'8", but then saw that was for the car lane at the entrance booth.  There is an outside lane with no roof or clearance issues for RVs.

We had to pay a $10 entrance fee for both vehicles, and then continue on to the camper registration building where we needed to present our entrance tickets.  We pulled into one of the many long parking spaces so we could check in.  Interestingly, there is a sign that tells late arrivals (after the registration office is closed) NOT to proceed to the campground, but rather to just park, spend the night in one of the lanes, and register in the morning.

There were three young folks checking people in.  We, of course, didn't have a reservation, but we had verified there would be plenty of sites available for Sunday - Wednesday night, and we had called in advance this morning just to make sure.

The young man wrote down several sites in Loop 800 for us to look at.  There are eight camping loops and we didn't even question why he didn't offer us sites in the other loops.

We took the Jeep in and Loop 800 was the first one we came to.  We ended up selecting the last site in the loop - Site 845 - due to its combination of shade and openness, and the fact there can be no other campers on our door side.  All the campsites here have only electric hook-ups, but some sites have 50 amps while the rest have only 30 amps.  Our site would be a 30-amp site.

Back at the office, we got registered.  I wasn't really sure what the camping fee would be since the New York camping fee schedule is a bit confusing.  Apparently every site starts with a base rate of $15 and then additional fees are added depending on the amenities.  This campground is a "Flagship Campground" so that adds $3.  Then our 30-amp electric is an additional $6, so the total of our campsite was $24/night plus some sort of service fee.  Plus they gave us a credit for one entrance fee of $10.  In the end, the average nightly rate came out to a little over $27.

Weekend nights are an extra $4.  It's $8 rather than $6 for 50 amps.  It's either $12 or $14 for full hook-ups (none here) with the higher rate being for 50 amps.  There are also extra fees for premium campsites, waterfront campsites, and oceanfront campsites.  The fee schedule also says they charge $5 extra per night for non-residents, but they didn't charge us that even knowing that we were not New York residents.

Before arriving, I thought we might be up in the $40 per night range, so the $27 was quite acceptable.  :)

The roads in the campground are paved, but then the actual loops (all separate) are gravel and the sites are gravel.  Each loop has a few well-spaced spigots to take on water.  By the way, there is a nice three-lane dump station on the main campground road.

So, I drove around the loop and parked on the side of the road to fill our fresh water tank.  The water pressure at the spigots is good, and it was one of the fastest fills we've had.

Soon, we were backed in and set up.

 

 

 

I wanted to record the final round of the U.S. Open, and was sure I was going to have to set up our portable satellite dish.  But somehow, the rooftop dish had just enough window in the trees to get locked on.

After setting up, I gave my Dad a call to wish him a Happy Father's Day.  I left him a message this morning but then followed up with my usual Sunday afternoon call.  He sounds like he's a lot better, and he seems more committed to watching his diet and losing some weight to help keep him out of the hospital.  We'll see.  :)

Linda sat in her lounger in the shade .....

 

 

and I went for a bike ride to get my bearings here in what is known as the Highbanks Campground.  I went through each loop.  Now those of you with pets should know only Loops 100, 200, & 700 allow pets.  You're allowed a maximum of two pets per campsite and you are supposed to show a current rabies certificate.

Some loops have more 50-amp hook-ups than others.  All the loops are just a little different, but most sites are quite shaded.  Some loops have a few open sites while others have none.  Almost all of the sites will accommodate a pretty large rig and some of them will surely accommodate any combination of vehicles.  Most sites offer some good privacy, but there are a few that are a little close together - maybe better for folks camping together.  

On the reservation website there is a link to another website with campsite photos for all the sites, but I have to say the campsites looked much better today than those photos.  I was a little discouraged by some of those photos when I decided to come here, but they may have been taken some time ago because I was pleasantly surprised.

There is a camp store ..... 

 

 

 and 24-hour laundry (lots of machines, but a bit pricey).

 

 

There is also a huge recreation building with ping pong tables, a pool table, games, puzzles, and crafts.

 

 

At the beginning of Loop 100, there is a trailhead for Trail 18 - Kisil Point.

 

 

My map said it's a mile and three quarters, but bikes are allowed so I rode back.  My bike is a cruiser, but it does okay on certain trails.   There was a rather large tree in the trail near the beginning and no bike was getting over that without dismounting and lifting.  Beyond that, the trail was kind to my cruiser - some roots, but not too bad.  I rode along the edge of the gorge, but the views are blocked by vegetation.  This was the only shot I was able to get.

 

 

Eventually the trail came to a turn where I parked my bike and walked out to the "point".  It was a fairly long walk and I was hoping for an open view at the end.  Nope.

On a little side trail, I did get a little view of a creek in a smaller canyon.

 

 

I enjoyed the exercise and the solitude and it's a convenient trail, but it would be better for views in the winter when there are no leaves.

I made it back to the bike and completed the trail.  Linda was still relaxing outside when I got back to the campground.

We went through some of the area information and decided to go into the little town of Perry to have dinner and make a grocery run.

On the way, we stopped to get some firewood.  Firewood at the camp store was $8 a bundle, but there a lot of people outside the park selling bundles cheaper.  We found a spot that had $3 bundles or 4 for $10.

In Perry, we decided to go to The Lumber Yard. 

 

 

Since it was Father's Day, I guess, they had a buffet and weren't serving off the menu.  We were sucked in and didn't even ask the price - prime rib, herb-baked chicken, roasted turkey, and barbecue ribs plus salad bar, bread, potatoes, beans, corn, drinks, and dessert.  Well allrighty then.  :)

It turned out all that was $24 a person, more than we planned to spend on dinner, but it turned out to be a pretty good value.  And anytime there is more meat on the buffet than side dishes, I'm in.  :)

Fortunately, we didn't over stuff ourselves or the title of this Journal entry might have been "Gorge At The Gorge".

The local grocery turned out to be better than expected, and soon we were headed back to the campground.

I settled in to watch my recorded U.S. Open and catch up on the NBA finals.  Congrats to Dustin Johnson and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So, the campground here at Letchworth State Park turned out to be nicer than I expected, and tomorrow we'll explore the rest of the park.  Although there seems to be quite a bit to do in the area, I chose Letchworth for the gorge, waterfalls, and hiking.  Three full days should do the trick.  :)

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Paddling The Allegheny River - (Tionesta, PA)

Today we paddled an eight-mile section of the 85-mile Middle Allegheny River Water Trail.   It's pretty much in the middle of the Middle Allegheny River Water Trail.

We got up early and were out the door by a little after 8:00 a.m.  My goal, especially since it's a Saturday, was to get on the river before the area outfitters flooded the river with rental canoes and kayaks.

We dropped the truck off at the West Hickory Bridge Access (on the south side of the bridge and east side of the river behind a county maintenance yard - there is no sign), and then we continued up to the town of Tidioute and the Tidioute Borough Public Access which is located on the north side of the bridge on the west side (the town side) of the river.

 

 

We inflated the Sea Eagle FastTrack 385, and were soon ready to launch.

 

 

We were on the water by 9:00.

This is not a wilderness journey since U.S. 62 runs right along the river and the hum of the traffic is a constant.  But, there are several islands in the river, and paddling on the back side of the islands creates a nice buffer with the songs of the birds our primary soundtrack.

 

 

Sometimes the back side of the islands means shallower water, and we got hung up twice requiring me to get out and drag us to deeper water.  It was a good thing we decided to put on the shallow water skeg, as the longer skeg that comes with the boat would have gotten us stick more.

The narrower sections had some nice current, but the river is quite wide and there is slack water in places.  It's a nice leisurely, paddle/float.  Linda didn't have to paddle at all, which she loves.  :)

 

 

We saw ducks and herons, and lots of soft-shelled turtles.

 

 

This was a good look at a pair of Common Mergansers.

 

 

The male is getting close to full breeding plumage.

 

 

Eventually, the gentle ride lulled Linda into her favorite boating position.

 

 

We saw a juvenile eagle.

 

 

And we got a rare close-up look at this juvenile Belted Kingfisher.

 

 

 

We watched as Baltimore Orioles harassed this eagle that was a little too close to their nest.

 

 

After about three hours of floating, we spotted the West Hickory bridge .....

 

 

 

and the takeout.

 

 

The Allegheny River here is wide and shallow with lots of rocks, so we saw far fewer motorboats than we expected.  In fact, we only saw two and one of them was being paddled.  And we accomplished our goal of beating the crowds, but it seemed we got off the river just in time as number of paddlers getting on the river was increasing rapidly.

We landed the boat, dried it off, deflated it, and put everything in the truck.  I took one last photo looking back upriver from the boat ramp.

 

 

We drove the truck back up to Tidioute to pick up the Jeep and then returned to Tionesta COE Campground.

After re-packing the boat, I went for a walk.  I went up the Dam Site Trail ....

 

 

and then walked the road at the top over to the dam for a look at the Tionesta Lake.

 

 

 

Here's a look at the campground below the dam.

 

 

I walked back down the gentle switchback trail, and then walked the other trail in the campground - the Mill Race Trail.

 

 

It's nice little interpretive nature trail.

After I finished my wandering, I found Linda napping under the awning.

 

 

Nice.  :)

I'm not sure how she got to sleep 'cause the neighbors' two small dogs yapped at everything that moved.  Those dogs barked all afternoon eventually chasing Linda inside where I was going through photos and watching the U.S. Open.

Later on, I grilled some chops and Linda made us salad for dinner.  Once the yapping dogs stopped, it was quite the pleasant evening.  Another great day.  :)

 

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You know we always love getting out on the water, and today was no exception.  I don't think I've mentioned this, but last summer we made some videos of setting up and packing up our inflatable kayaks.

These videos take a little time, but here they are if you are interested.

FastTrack 385 Set-up.

 

 

 FastTrack 385 Pack-up.

 

 

And here are the videos on our entry level boat, the SE370 sport kayak.

SE370 Set-up, .....

 

 

 and SE370 Pack-up.

 

 

And of course, if you are interested in an of the Sea Eagle inflatable boats (great for RVing and travel), talk to our friends Tim & Crystal at InflatableBoats4Less.com.   They make a great Father's Day gift.  :)

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Scenic Drive & Minister Creek Hike - (Tionesta, PA)

It was a beautiful day, and we decided to go for a drive.  We prepared for a short hike as well, but we weren't sure how sloppy the trails would be after last night's rain.

We stopped at the Forest County Visitor Center in Tionesta where I asked a few questions.  Then we continued on up U.S. 62 to PA 666.  I wanted to see how the road is to the Kellettville COE Campground and then the scenic drive continues along Tionesta Creek.

PA 666 for the ten miles to Kellettville isn't bad at all.  Yes, it's a little narrow, there are no shoulders, and there are some low hanging limbs, but we've been on lots worse roads.  We would've been fine had I stuck with the decision to go to that campground.  There is a 2-mile downgrade with curves that requires some caution, but it's fine if you take your time.

We veered right off of PA 666, crossed Tionesta Creek, and the Kellettville Campground is immediately on the right.

 

  

 

We drove through the campground and there was only one site occupied ..... by the camphost.  It was still early on a Friday, but I was surprised there was no one else there.  The sites are nice, not spectacular, but plenty good enough for $12.  Again, there are no hook-ups, but there is a bathhouse, dump station, potable water, and many of the sites would work for those with solar panels.

This photo is taken from the bridge (looking south) and you can see Site 1 on the left.  

 

 

It's a paved site, but it's pretty sloped.  Most of the other sites don't have as good a view of the creek.

This shot is also from the bridge, but looking north.

 

 

I was hoping to paddle Tionesta Creek, but there is an ideal water level and it's a bit too low now.  The ability to paddle the creek is usually over by the end of May.

Past the campground, the road turns to gravel, and then there is another gravel road, Salmon Creek Road, where there are lots of dispersed camping sites.  So, we drove back Salmon Creek Road (very popular with fishermen) a few miles.  There were only a couple of sites suitable for a rig our size and they weren't great.  Also, there was no place to turn around.  So, rather than take a shaky site for free, we'd spend the $12 at the campground and be stress free.  :)

We drove back out to PA 666 and continued northeast along Tionesta Creek.  It was a nice drive all the way up to the Minister Creek Recreation Area.  There is a six-site campground at Minister Creek (better for tents and small RVs), .....

 

 

and there is a popular trail with a six-mile loop and two two-mile loops.

 

 

The trail starts at the back of the campground past Site 6.  This Class C just snagged Site 6, the largest of the sites.

 

 

We weren't up for the six-mile loop, and I had read the two-mile loops were more difficult and didn't include the creek, so we decided to just do part of the big loop and then return.  We chose to hike up the east side of the trail, take the side spur to the creek and hike back.

 

 

It was a pretty hike for the short time we were along the creek.

 

 

 

But once the trail left the creek, it was rather boring.

 

 

However, the little side trail was pleasant with lots of ferns .....

 

 

and a small creek running beside it.

 

 

There were several trees down, and the trail changed course to pass through this split one.

 

 

At the end of the spur, we came to a beaver pond.

 

 

We didn't see any beavers, but there was a small otter swimming and then getting out and walking along the edge of the dam.  I tried to get photos, but it was just too far away.

After that, we hiked back the way we came and made short work of the return trip.

We made the 27-mile drive back to our campground, where we sat outside and did some reading while the campground filled up.

Eventually, I started a campfire and roasted some cheddar-turkey dogs.  It's been a long time since we've had a campfire-cooked meal, and they tasted really good.

After dinner, I rode my bike around and took a couple of shots from the bridge going over to the Outflow Area.

 

 

Looking back toward the campground, the lighting was beautiful and the nearly full moon was high above.

 

 

This photo is looking back up Tionesta outflow to the bridge I was just on.  The smoke from the campfires in the campground was hanging in the treetops.

 

 

It was a gorgeous, enjoyable day.  Tomorrow the plan is to do some paddling on the Allegheny River.  We always enjoy our days on the water.  :)

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Rained Out Golf, Midday Reprieve, & Evening Deluge - (Tionesta, PA)

The weather forecast called for cloudy skies in the morning and then rain in the afternoon.  I decided to try to get in a round of golf at the pretty course we passed along the river on our way in to Tionesta yesterday - Hunter's Station Golf Club.

This golf course wasn't listed on GolfNow, but the weekday rate was only $25, and I didn't think I'd have any problem just walking on.  I drove in a little after 9:00 a.m., paid my green fees, and had the pro give me a little info about the course.

It is a lovely little course, but once I got out there it was clear that the playing surface is just trimmed grass so it doesn't have the consistency of courses where the fairways are distinct and cared for.  Not that big of a deal, just not nearly as nice as the Punderson State Park Golf Course I played last week.

After the first hole, the second hole started up into the mountains.  It was a strange hole requiring precision with a blind landing area.  I ended up playing through four guys who were down in a hollow looking for their golf balls.  After a couple more holes, I was pretty high up in the mountains and about as far away from the clubhouse as I could get.  Black clouds came in from nowhere and the distant thunder I had been hearing was getting closer and closer as I pulled up to the fifth tee.

It didn't look good, and I didn't bother waiting for it to start raining.  I jumped in the golf cart and started heading for the clubhouse.  Too late.  It was pouring down rain with lightning all around by the time I got to the sixth hole.  I tried to park in the deepest section of woods for shelter, but it wasn't enough - just too much rain and wind.

I got to the seventh tee, a par three with what I presume is a beautiful view over the Allegheny River valley.  The green is way down below and starts the descent down the mountain.

I started down the very steep cart path, but as I was approaching the second tee box, the brakes on the golf cart weren't holding.  The cart was sliding on the slick pavement.  If I turned the wheel at all, it was going to flip and I envisioned the cart tumbling down the hill.  I was able to skid to a stop just before running into a ditch as the rain and lightning continued.  I wasn't about to trust that cart going down the rest of the wet, steep cart path back to the valley and the clubhouse.

So, I grabbed my clubs and my stuff, left the cart right where it was, and tried once again to hunker in the woods.  But the rain was just too heavy, so I took my clubs and walked the rest of the way to the clubhouse trying not to slip along the way.  I was completely soaked, but with the steep descent, I was glad I wasn't driving the golf cart.  I don't often get rattled, but being on that cart skidding out of control shook me up.  

I made it to the clubhouse, where I went inside dripping and said to the pro "That didn't go so well".  We both commented on how the storm came out of nowhere - it wasn't supposed to rain until about 2:00.  I told him my story and where I'd left the golf cart.  Often golf courses will give you a rain check to come back and play another time, but they usually don't give refunds.  Graciously, they gave me a full refund.

It was still raining when I pulled into the campground.  Still nobody at the check-in booth, but there was a sign saying they would be there between noon and 3:00.  Hopefully, nobody has reserved our site online.  Some campgrounds require online reservations to be made a few days in advance - this one allows you to reserve online even on the day of your arrival.

Back at the campsite, I just wanted to get out of my wet clothes and get a shower.  I had noticed yesterday when we hooked up that the water pressure was terrible, and it was so bad that I couldn't get enough water for a shower.  I decided, after it stopped raining, I would put water in our fresh tank and run off the pump.

When the rain stopped, I went outside and checked the water pressure at the two sites on either side of us.  Once the built-up rust cleared, the pressure seemed fine.  So, I disconnected my water pressure regulator and external water filter.  It turned out that our water filter was the problem.  I always run water through it before I hook up the hose, and I did the same yesterday, but I just thought the pressure was low.  Nope, the filter had reached the end of its useful life and today it pretty much killed the water flow.

I had bought the filter the first of January (I wrote the date on the filter with a Sharpie), and that particular model from Walmart has about a three-month lifespan.  After removing the filter, we were back in business and the water pressure is fine.  Sheesh, I write the date on the filter for a reason - might be a good idea to look at it once in awhile and to have a back-up.  :)

After checking on my Dad and hearing good reports, I settled in to watch the U.S. Open, but it's being held in Pennsylvania and they had weather delays and eventually suspended play completely.  Fortunately, the sun came out here.  I set my golf bag, clubs, towel, and shoes out in the sun to dry, and then walked up to the check-in booth to pay for our nights.

When I arrived, there was a family there dealing with the ranger, and they were not happy.  They came in last night around 6:00 and drove around the campground until they found two reservable sites together that had open dates on the sign posts for the nights they wanted to stay.  Unfortunately, they hadn't called to verify the sites were open, and someone had reserved both of them for the weekend.  Now they had to move and the only sites available were not together.  They were really giving the ranger the business, threatening to call their senator friends, and throwing out a few profanities.

Uh oh.  I had called to make sure which reservable sites were open through the weekend, but that didn't mean someone couldn't have reserved our site last night or this morning.  But fortunately, the ranger knew we were good and had set aside our site this morning when he drove through.  I was even nicer than usual having witnessed what he went through with the prior customers.

Apparently, the check-in booth uses satellite internet and the satellite fell off last week.  They have had to handle reservations at the office elsewhere and have had limited help available to man the booth, mark the posts for reservations, and see who was in what site.  I couldn't help think that a couple of good campgrounds hosts with internet access in their rig could solve a lot of their problems.

In exchange for all the confusion, the ranger offered to waive last night's camping fees for the people that had to move.  He also waived our fee for last night.  I told him that wasn't necessary, but he insisted as he was in the system and was concerned if he got out to add a day, someone might reserve the site and cause him more problems.  So, by fluke, our $35 per night, turned into an average of $26.25 per night for our four nights.

With us paid and booked for the weekend, I walked back to the rig.

Linda & I then went for a walk around the campground.

There are lots of squirrels, chipmunks, and ground hogs, and I saw a good sized snapping turtle in a campsite yesterday.  We watched as two little ground hogs crossed the road.  One of them was the usual brownish gray and this one was more blondish brown.

 

 

We kept walking as they scampered into the woods and down into a creek bed with their much larger mother.

Continuing on, I took some photos of some of the non-reservable sites in the last loop.

Site 97 - a great site.

 

 

Site 99.

 

 

Site 100.

 

 

Site 109.

 

 

And the very large, very private Site 114.

 

 

The campground ends right where the outflow from the dam comes in.

 

 

This outflow flows into the Allegheny River.  On the other side of the dam, is the Tionesta Lake, a reservoir which is the result of the dam on Tionesta Creek.

We continued our walk through the campground.  This site, Site 20, is representative of many of the sites in the campground.

 

 

Sites range from 41 feet to 75 feet with most being in the 50 - 65 foot range.  Roads are paved and sites are gravel.

We walked out of the campground and toward the bridge.

 

 

The bridge crosses the outflow from the dam which I guess is technically Tionesta Creek.  This shot is from the bridge looking back toward the campground and dam.

 

 

Many of the campsites back up to the creek, but views and access are blocked by vegetation on the steep bank in most cases.

This is the view from the bridge toward town and the Allegheny River.

 

 

On the left is a small park with a beach, a baseball field, a playground, and picnic areas.

Zoomed shot without the power lines in the way.  :)

 

 

There was a nice sunset from this bridge last night, but I didn't have my camera while I was riding my bike around.  Hopefully, I'll get another chance while we're here.

We continued across the bridge and walked down the road to the Outflow Recreation Area campground.

 

 

The sites are on grass with a picnic table and fire ring, but no hook-ups.  There is potable water, a dump station, and a bathhouse with showers and flush toilets.  Nightly rate is $15 and the 27 sites are non-reservable (first come, first served).

There is this open area which is suitable for larger rigs, ....

 

 

and then there is a quieter, more wooded area for smaller campers and tents.

That camping area was our back-up plan if we got kicked out of our site, but we're glad we didn't have to go that route as the grassy field was extremely soft after the heavy rains.

After our nice, long walk, we returned to the rig.  Clouds were starting to move in again, and I packed up all my golf equipment and got it back in the truck.

When the rains came, there was lightning and thunder and even a flash flood warning.  The deluge lasted for quite a while, and we watched closely to make sure water wasn't creeping up into the campground from the creek.  We were prepared to be hitched on on our way in minutes if there was a real threat, but that wasn't necessary as the rain slowed and then tapered off.  If our rig wasn't water tight, we would certainly know it after those few hours.

So, the next two days are supposed to be gorgeous.  I'm hoping to get in a hike, a scenic drive, and some paddling.  Hope you enjoy this Father's Day weekend.  :)

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Travel Day To The Allegheny National Forest - (Tionesta, PA)

I had all kinds of plans to get some things done this morning, but I didn't sleep well and didn't get started as early as I'd hoped.

I got word that my Dad would probably go home from the hospital today - a day earlier than I was told yesterday.  So that sort of threw me for a loop, and I had to make sure someone could get him to the house.  He would probably be discharged sometime during today's travel, so that messed with my focus.

As for the trip, after studying my Google Maps and zooming in on various roads, I vacated the plan I had last night.

I was planning to go to Kellettvile Recreation Area, a Corps of Engineers campground in the middle of the Allegheny National Forest.  It would get us out in the wilderness and it would be cheap at $12 per night.  It's a first come, first served campground with 20 sites with no hook-ups.  So it would be boondocking but there is water, a dump station, and flush toilets.

However, when I looked at the last ten miles on PA Hwy 666, it was just a bit narrower than I wanted to attempt without seeing it in person first.  Three or four miles, maybe, but ten miles on a road where I might have to drive down the middle was just a bit too long.

I don't know if I've ever talked about my route planning as it has evolved over the years.  So here goes.

Most of you know we prefer public campgrounds, and for the last couple of years, I've been starting with UltimateCampgrounds.com.  I start with the main map and then zoom in on the general area where we will be traveling considering the mileage we want to go.  Here is what it looked like when I zoomed in to the Allegheny National Forest.

 

 

The dark green icons are for National Forest Service campgrounds, the Orange are for state campgrounds, the red are Corps of Engineers Campgrounds, and the light green is for a county campground.  UltimateCampgrounds.com uses over 40 different public campground icons.

Now, many of the campgrounds shown are for tents only.  When you click on each icon it tells you how many tent sites, how many RV sites, information on utilities, pricing (we certainly don't rely on that), and other general information.

We love Corps of Engineers Campgrounds, so I usually check those out first.  But in the National Forests, I also look at a couple of other sources just to make sure we're not missing a hidden gem.  Each National Forest website has a page that links to camping options.

 

 

I'll click on the "RV Camping" link to check out those campgrounds, and then I like to look at the "Dispersed Camping" as well.  Dispersed Camping is camping outside of campgrounds (thus no hook-ups or other amenities) and it is usually free.  Dispersed Camping is often available in National Forests and on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land on the federal level, and many state forests also have Dispersed Camping.

The Allegheny National Forest has a map of Popular Dispersed Camping Sites (that's great information not found on all National Forest websites).

 

 

That's a lot of free camping options.  Now some Dispersed Camping sites are suitable for rigs as large as ours, but most aren't.  Often the problem is more about the access than the site itself, and access is often better in the west than it is in the east.  We're going to take a look at some of the Dispersed Camping sites once we're in the area for future reference, but we'll stick with a campground on this pass through.

Another source for National Forest campgrounds is the "unofficial" ForestCamping.com.  

 

 

Going through all that takes a lot of time, but I'm very particular about where we park when we're on the move and exploring new areas.  In this case, I kept coming back to the Corps of Engineers (COE) campgrounds.

There are two COE campgrounds in Tionesta.  The Outflow Recreation Area includes grassy sites with no hook-ups for $15 per night, and the Tionesta Recreation Area has large sites with full hook-ups for $35 a night.  The $35 is more than we like to pay for public campgrounds, so I looked more closely at the Kellettville Campground which is more remote and 20 miles away.  At $12 a night, it would save us a bunch of cash.

But when I looked at the Google Maps, which we use almost exclusively for planning our drives, I just wasn't sure about PA 666.  For those that don't know, you can click on the little gold man at the bottom right and drag him to the road on the map you want to see.

 

 

You then get a view of the road and can "drive" the road by clicking and advancing along.

 

 

"Driving" PA 666 using Google Maps, the narrow road with no shoulders and some low hanging branches dissuaded me from those ten miles this time.  It probably would have been fine, but I just decided to go with the easier option - Tionesta Recreation Area. 

Once that decision was made, it was back to Google Maps to plan the route.  Google gives two or three options to choose from, and then I can click boxes that allow us to avoid highways and/or tolls.  Once I select one of the options, Google allows me to "drag" portions of the route to different roads.  Google will show the fastest routes for a car, but that often isn't the best route for a large RV.  So, I'll often drag the route to make it so that we use the best roads with the fewest turns.  That will make our trip longer in both mileage and time, but it will be the least stressful (at least in theory).

I spent a lot of time going over the two possible routes I'd picked out.  Eventually, I settled on the one that avoided interstates and that basically used only two U.S. Highways - U.S. 322 and U.S. 62.  With that finally figured out, we packed up and headed out - a good two hours later than I hoped.

After our stop at the dump station, we were on the road around 12:30.  Once we got into Pennsylvania on U.S. 322, the road improved significantly.  Ohio roads were better than the horrible Indiana roads, and the Pennsylvania roads we were on today were much better than the Ohio roads.

After we turned south in Meadville, we soon came upon signs saying U.S. 322 was closed ahead.  There was a "truck detour", so we followed that.  So much for all that route planning.  :)

The detour road, PA 173, wasn't quite as wide as Hwy 322, but it was fine.  It took us about eight miles out of the way before it connected to U.S. 62 which we took the rest of the way into Tionesta.

That part of the road required some turns in a couple of small towns, and there were a few one to two mile downgrades of 6% to 7%.  Three miles south of Tionesta, the bridge over the Allegheny River has a clearance of 13'3".  I have a sticker on the truck dashboard that says "Clearance 13'4"", so that caused me a little heart palpitation.  But I knew we were about 12'8" and I had added a few inches of cushion to my reference sticker.  I slowly pulled onto the bridge, and Linda could see that I had plenty of clearance, so she buzzed me on the walkie-talkie that I was good.

In the northeast, we are more likely to find low clearances, so I'll have to remember to check for those in my route planning.  I use the American Independent Truckers' Association website to check clearances.

After 134 miles, we pulled into the campground a little before 4:00.  In my earlier phone call, they told me there were 8 walk-in (non-reservable) sites and a few reservable sites that were still available for the weekend.  There was no one manning the check-in station, so I called back and got a list of site numbers we could check out.

We took the Jeep in and found that all of the walk-in sites were taken.  If we had gotten that earlier start, we would have snagged one;  folks were just getting set up in a couple of the better sites.  Ultimately, we settled on Site 27, a reservable site that was still open.

 

 

I tried to call the office back so they could check us in and block that site on the reservation system, but no one answered.  I tried a couple more times before giving up.  Fingers crossed that no one reserves it online before we can pay and officially get checked in tomorrow morning.

Most of the sites are quite shaded, but there are a few that are open or have partial shade.  As with most COE parks, most sites are plenty long enough for big rigs.

I also called the hospital to check on my Dad and he had, in fact, been discharged.  I called him at home to make sure he was okay.  He was tired, but happy to be home.  That made me feel a little better, but I want to talk to his home nurse and caregiver tomorrow to make sure he's doing well.

Later on, I rode my bike through the campground and then over a bridge to the COE Overflow Campground to check it out.  I then rode back into the town of Tionesta on the Allegheny River.  It's a quaint little town, and I enjoyed riding through the streets and along the river.

It's very pretty here, and I think we'll enjoy the next few days .... once the forecasted rain moves out.  :)

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Errand & Planning Day - (Newbury, OH)

Yesterday, after returning from our day at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we shuttled the truck about five miles to Preston Ford in Burton for service.  We crossed the 90,000 mile mark on our 2005 F450 and we have 25,000 miles on the new engine we got back in 2012.

We dropped it off for a full transmission and cooling system service as well as an oil change, filter changes, and tire rotation.  Gotta do what we gotta do for the vehicle that gets our home from place to place, and they assured me they have three master diesel technicians on staff to take good care of it.

Today, I considered playing another round of golf, but just never got around to it.  I was busy documenting yesterday's trip to Cuyahoga Valley and trying to figure out where we are going tomorrow.

I was tossing between New York's Lake Erie State Park and somewhere in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania.  Both options have sites available through the weekend and both would be a good midpoint between here and the next stop in New York.

While I was doing that, Linda made a little trip up to Chardon for a grocery run, a post office stop, an office supplies stop, and laundry.  She said everything there was quite convenient.

Also, my Dad was still in the hospital so I made a few phone calls to check his condition.  His nurse said he will likely be in until Thursday as they get more fluid off of him and improve his blood count and iron levels.  Of course, he wants to get back home as soon as possible, but the hospital is trying to make sure he doesn't have to come back anytime soon.

When Linda got back late in the afternoon, we picked up the truck and then it was haircut time.  Linda gave me my usual buzz, and I trimmed hers just enough to keep me out of trouble.  :)

I grilled some turkey sausage and we had a salad for dinner.

Tomorrow, I've decided we're going to Corps of Engineers campground in the Allegheny National Forest.  I spent quite a bit of time choosing a campground and a route.  Of course, it all may change after I sleep on it.  :)

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Cuyahoga Valley National Park Visit - (Newbury, OH)

It was a chilly, beautiful morning as we started out around 9:00 a.m. from Punderson State Park on the 45-minute drive to the Boston Store Visitors Center in Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP).

It would be our first visit to CVNP, a relatively new national park that certainly doesn't get the fanfare of most of the others.  It was originally established as a National Recreation Area in 1974, and then became a National Park in 2000.  Here is a link to the story of "Ohio's National Park" which touches on the politics of becoming a national park.

A couple of deer crossed the road just as we got to the Visitors Center.

After parking, we walked in, .....

 

 

and asked if there was a movie about the park (as we always do).  We went upstairs where the movie was started just for us.

The park's highlight is the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, a multi-use walking/hiking/biking trail that runs the 20-mile length of the park.  The Towpath Trail totals 85 miles along the old Ohio & Erie Canal which opened up Ohio to commerce.  From the Ohio & Erie Canalway website: 

At the beginning of the 19th century, Ohio was geographically isolated from the mainstream of economic vitality. Our state was rich in natural resources, but inaccessible to the established eastern markets. The Ohio & Erie Canal changed that fact. Built in the 1820s and 1830s, the canal was carved from the wilderness to provide an invaluable link — from Lake Erie to the Ohio River — in the nation’s transportation system, completing an inland water route between the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

Mules were used to pull boats along the canal using a "towpath", thus the name of the trail.

We didn't bring our bikes and weren't intending to get on the towpath at all, but it turned out we walked on it a little after our morning hike.

At the Visitors Center, we picked up a pamphlet called "Popular Park Attractions".  I had planned for two of the five listed, and we simply added a third.

We started with what may be the most popular trail in the park, the 2.2-mile Ledges Trail.

 

 

The first thing we noticed was the almost overwhelming hum of the cicadas.

 

 

Here's a short video to convey the sound.

 

 

After passing the picnic shelter, .....

 

 

it was a straight hike into the woods, ......

 

 

until we came to sign showing taking us to the right, .....

 

 

where we came to "the ledges".  

 

 

The trail then drops down for a 1.75-mile loop below the rock walls.  

 

 

It's like an island in the forest.  If you walk to the edge of the island in any direction, you come to rock ledges.  The trail then takes a path down in a few places and you loop the "island" walking along the rock walls that make up its base. 

 

 

 

 

We started out on the east side of the "island" and proceeded clockwise around.  Along the south end, below the parking lot and near some restrooms, we found this black rat snake in the trail.

 

 

It was a good four feet long.

 

 

Just beyond that was a somewhat unimpressive overlook.

 

 

Continuing on around the western side, the rock walls were bigger.

 

 

 

 

 

It was quite an interesting hike, and though there were a good number of people, it wasn't overly crowded at around 11:00 a.m.  We continued on, and I continued to photograph the various walls and rocks.

 

 

 

It was quite beautiful and we could see why it was a popular trail.

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we came to Ice Box Cave which is closed off to protect nesting bats.

 

 

And from there it was a short walk to where we started the loop.  When you begin the loop, you have to pay attention to landmarks.  There are a few signs along the loop that point you back up to the top of the ledges toward the shelter, so it's easy to take one of those before completing the loop.

I carried a small backpack with water and our lunch, so we stopped at the shelter to eat before moving on.

After the Ledges Trail, we went farther south and made our way to the Ira Trailhead where there is parking and access for the Towpath.  We followed our directions to walk north on the Towpath past one of the old canal locks.

 

 

We watched some ducks swim in the shelter of the lilies, a little more walking brought us to the boardwalk (also part of the Towpath) over the Beaver Marsh, a popular place to watch for wildlife.

 

 

 

We saw the beaver lodge in the distance, but no beavers.  We saw the usual marsh critters such as turtles, frogs, and a wide variety of birds.  It's a nice little nature viewing area.

 

 

We walked back along the crushed limestone Towpath (paved in some sections) which was bustling with bike rider, walkers, and runners.

 

 

It certainly seemed like a fantastic place to ride.

From the Beaver Marsh, we headed back north along Riverview Road eventually crossing the river and heading east to Brandywine Falls, a 65-foot waterfall and one of the most visited spots in the park due to its ease of access.

Linda was feeling some hotspots on her feet from yesterday's walking and today's hiking, so she sat this one out.  I took the boardwalk toward the falls.

 

 

I took the steps down to the section leading to the lower overlook.

 

 

Because the waterfall is located very close to the interstate and a road passes just above the falls, it's not a wilderness experience, but I have to say Brandywine Falls are quite pretty.

 

 

I took a little video as waterfalls are always better when you can hear them.

 

 

And that concluded our day trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  It's not a spectacular national park like so many of the others, and it's not one I would go out of my way to visit, but it is a very nice park and I'm sure the folks from Cleveland to Akron are very happy that someone thought to preserve such a large section of recreational wilderness in their back yards.

I think our itinerary made for a good day trip, although I would probably start earlier and go to the Beaver Marsh (for better wildlife possibilities) and then The Ledges Trail and finally Brandywine Falls.  If we return, we'll certainly bring our bikes and ride part of the Towpath .... and we'll again come on a day early in the week to avoid some of the crowds.

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for tagging along.  :)

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Punderson State Park - (Newbury, OH)

It was a hot night but cooled by morning.  Today was gorgeous and twenty degrees cooler than yesterday.

I got up and ran the campground roads here at Punderson State Park.   It's about 2.3 miles to do all the loops.  Later in the day, Linda & I walked a little over four miles.

As expected, the campground emptied and we were the only ones left in our loop.  Check out time is 1:00, but most were gone well before then.

After our walk, I left Linda to read and decided to do a little photo tour of the park.  

 

 

Here's a link to the park map: Punderson State Park map.  The centerpiece of the park is the 150-acre Punderson Lake.

The park is named after Lemuel Punderson who was Newbury Township's first permanent resident in 1808.  He and his family built an estate around the lake and it developed into a resort area and escape for those in nearby Cleveland. 

Campground

The campground is located by itself on the east side of Punderson Lake.  There are 181 campsites, 20 of which are full-hook-up with 50-amp electric (the website says there are only 5 FHU sites, but more have been converted).  All but three of the rest of the sites have electric hook-ups (20-amps) only.  There are about 50 non-reservable sites mixed in with the reservable sites.

The campground check-in is easy with three wide lanes and a large parking area.

 

 

There is a small store at check-in and a nature center beyond the parking lot where we have our truck parked.

 

 

Sites 1 - 18 are full hook-up sites, but Sites 1 & 2 are so sloped (back to front) I wouldn't choose either of those.

 

 

Most of the rest of the full hook-up sites are level, but they are a little closer together than other sites.  Site 15 is nice and long ....

 

 

and Site 16 right next to it has the best view of the lake through the trees.

 

 

As I mentioned the other day, many of the sites are simply pull-offs on the side of the road.

 

 

 

Some of those sites have have tent sites off in the woods, while others do not.  This weekend, most of those sites were open.  The rest of the sites are back-ins.

Sites 134 - 155 at the highest point in the campground, where there is a water tower, are the most open sites.

 

 

 

The roads through the campground are nice and wide and the sites are all paved.  There are plenty of sites for big rigs, however many are quite sloped and that narrows the choices.

The bathhouses are old but appeared to be pretty clean.  A few of the bathhouses have laundry facilities with a couple washer and dryers each.

There is a nice dump station with a potable water station, ....

 

 

and there are several gray water dumps dispersed throughout the campground.  Those can really come in handy for longer stays. 

 

Punderson Manor Lodge & Conference Center

Just outside the campground is a view across the lake to the English-tudor manor house (Punderson Manor) which was built in 1948 and opened to the public in 1956.

 

 

 

View from the front.

 

 

The lodge has 31 guest rooms and then there are 26 cottages nearby.  They have a restaurant (which have not tried), and an outdoor patio overlooking the lake.

 

 

Nice views.

 

 

Activities

Yesterday I played golf and was impressed with the Punderson State Park Golf Course.

 

 

It's one of only six state park golf courses in Ohio. 

 

 

 

In addition to the championship golf course, there is a popular disc golf course.

 

 

 

There is a large beach area on the lake.

 

 

At the north end of the lake is a marina where you can rent small fishing boats, canoes, and kayaks.

 

 

Only electric motors are allowed on the lake, and there is a small boat launch.

 

 

Across the road from the marina is an archery range.

 

 

There are tennis courts, but they didn't look to be in good shape.

There are several short trails that total up to almost ten miles.

Punderson is also a popular winter recreation spot with snowmobile and cross-country ski trails.  There is also a large "sled hill".

 

So that's our little tour of Punderson State Park on this cool, breezy, beautiful day.  I'm glad we found it and that we got our non-reservable Site 197 for a few days.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, we plan to go to Cuyahoga Valley National Park for our first visit there.  Until then.

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Active Day With Parental Thoughts - (Newbury, OH)

I woke up early and booked a 7:00 a.m. tee time at the Punderson State Park Golf Course through GolfNow.  I decided to go early to avoid the heat, humidity, and winds predicted for later in the day.  GolfNow allowed me to play for $30 while the rack rate is $46.

I would be playing by myself and went to the first tee where I did a little stretching before teeing off.  It was a beautiful, quiet morning.

The course is really nice and I enjoyed the round although I played horribly up until the last few holes.  I played leisurely and finished my 18 holes in two and a half hours.

When I got back to the rig, Linda had just gotten out of bed and was brewing her first cup of coffee in the Keurig.

I wrote the Journal entry for the day before and then settled in to stream the Louisville baseball game, while Linda went outside to make a phone call to a friend and later read in her lounger.

Today is my mother's birthday - she would have been 84.  So, I had been thinking about her when I got a text from my Dad's nurse.  He was short of breath, and he was going to the emergency room.  Here we go again - that vicious cycle between kidney function and water retention leading to congestive heart failure.  He went to the emergency room about a month ago, but was released that afternoon.

I immediately started circling the wagons making phone calls and sending texts to neighbors, friends, family, and his caregiver.  The caregiver is only with him Monday through Friday, but I wanted to let her know what was going on.  I just wanted to be sure he had a ride home if he were discharged in the evening.  We had plenty of help ready to go.

As it turned out, he was admitted.  He had told his neighbor not to call me when the ambulance came, but he later called me on her cell phone when she went to visit him.  He's stable and may go home tomorrow.

Fortunately, we have lots of folks looking after him, he's five minutes away from three great hospitals, and he has fantastic insurance.  Still, we worry and there is a fine line between under and over-reacting - many of you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Knowing he was in good hands, Linda & I headed out to walk one of the park trails.  The trails here aren't great, but it was more for exercise than anything.  We walked about 2 1/2 miles in the heat.

Then we read with our loungers in the shade.  We're pretty sheltered from the wind at our campsite, but there was just enough breeze that came through to make it pleasant.

We then took a bike ride around the campground.  After that it was more reading, and then I fired up the grill.  Tonight was chicken and a salad.

I changed clothes and walked down to play basketball for an hour or so.  As usual, I attracted some kids.  Eventually, a sixteen year old showed up, and it was some welcome competition that allowed me to get some really good exercise.

Eventually, I made the slow walk back up the steps to our campsite, where Linda was still reading.  We read until dusk, and then went inside just as the bugs were starting to bug us.

We're enjoying our time here at Punderson State Park.  I think it's the first time in eleven years we've stayed at a campground where they have only 20-amp electric at the sites, but is enough for us.  And though Ohio State Parks have some quirky policies, they don't charge an entrance fee and their prices are reasonable.

Tomorrow, most of the park will empty out, the humidity is supposed to decrease, and it should be a gorgeous day.  We'll just relax, do some walking, and periodically check in on my Dad.  Hope your weekend is going well.  :)

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