Monday 9-23 Overcast Day

Overcast Day

Larry woke up to rain. I heard the rain but I stayed in bed. It didn't last long. When I got up it was gone. The clouds stayed in all day and it sprinkled off and on. Not having internet for a few days got us behind on a couple of things but we are caught up. We also caught up on some YouTube videos we follow and did some reading.

Mosquito Lake State Park check in booth

Later in the day we went for a walk around the the campground. When we got back to the Minnie Larry went inside and I decided to walk around a little more. I ended up walking for another half hour. I walked down to the boat launch and took a few pictures of Mosquito Lake. When I was walking back I decided to hike the Beaver Trail. I wasn't sure how muddy it was going to be but it was only muddy at a couple of spots. The flyer on the trail said it was 1.25 miles loop but unless I missed something it actually was half that distance. The trail was flat and very easy to walk. It did have tree roots in the trail. The trail went through a forest, by a pond, over a creek via a bridge and was very well marked. It was a very nice hike.

Ducks enjoying a swim in Mosquito Lake

The pond along Beaver Trail

The bridge to cross over a creek

Getting ready for the Halloween Bash

This weekend the park is having a Halloween Bash. The event has a contest on the best decorated site, games, food and drinks. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday. As I was walking I noticed a couple of the campers were already getting into the spirit. One went all out and had huge decorations. The site had a witch, a pumpkin that looks like a carriage and an arch. I went back in the evening and took pictures but they didn't come out. The other site had a witch and the sign post was a ghost.

In the evening we read. We had a very laid back day. 

Sunday 9-22 Just Another Day

Just another beautiful day

Sorry we were behind on posting, we were without cell phone service for multiple days.
 

After 3 nights in the Forest Service Campground we decided to move on. Not having cell phone/internet makes it difficult to plan. We parked in Kane for about an hour to access the internet and plan our next stop. We decided on a Corp of Engineer park that was located on a lake and had some hiking. The drive was through small towns and down two lane highways. We stopped along the way and did some grocery shopping. When we got to the campground there was a sign saying it was closed, Larry talked to a worker, she said they close all the area campgrounds after Labor day. The day area was still open. We were surprised because in Texas the Corp campgrounds are open year round. Larry had also checked the website and it didn't say it was closed. She suggested Mosquito Lake State Park in Ohio, off to Ohio we went, it was only 25 miles away.

Grocery shopping

Ohio state parks do not charge a day use fee. Larry went into the office to check in. The lady said it was a little busy and by the weekend it would be full. They are having an event and some people are already here. She told Larry he could drive around and pick a site but Larry told her to go ahead and assign us a site and if we didn't like it we would come back. We found our site, we had to get out the leveling blocks to block one side. It was perfect. It's right across the street from the showers and it's on the end. After setting up the Minnie we relaxed until dinnertime.

For dinner we had chicken that we had bought at Walmart. After dinner we walked around a little bit. Then we spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Larry read and I did my Solitaire Challenges. We had a relaxing day.

Saturday 9-21 Hiking Kinzua Trail

Let's go on a hike

Sorry it took so long to post this, we were without cell phone service for multiple days.

The day started in the 50s and ended up in the 80s with sunshine.

We started off by doing another hike. We hiked a little under 6 miles. The hike started at the old CCC Historic Road, which was a quarter of a mile from the campground. We hiked a half mile of the road to the Kinzua Valley Trail. The Kinzua Valley Trail is six miles long one way. We started at the 6 mile marker and turned around at a bridge at the 4 mile marker. The trail was very easy, it was flat and wide. It went through a forest and along the South Branch of Kinzua Creek. The hike was pretty with tall trees and some wild flowers. As we hiked we enjoyed looking at the scenery and listening to the birds singing. We didn’t have to watch out for roots on the trail because there were none. While hiking we did see a few people hiking the trail. At the 4 mile marker there was a beautiful bridge that went over the creek. We decided to head back because by then we had walked about 3 miles. On the way back we stopped at a bench and relaxed. We don’t have any cell or internet in the campground so while we were resting Larry checked to see if we had a signal, nope. By the time we got back to the Minnie we were tried so we rested until it was time for lunch.

The trailhead sign for Kinzua Trail

The creek the trail went along

The bridge at the 4 mile marker

In the afternoon we went on another motorcycle ride. We decided to take a forest road, it was 6 miles one way. It started out pretty good and then after a couple of miles it started to deteriorate. The road was a gravel road with big pot holes, at places part of the road was gone and it was very rough. The motorcycle handled it very well. We for four miles and we got to a place with a lot of mud. If he was alone Larry might have tried to continue but instead we turned around. At one place we were going up a hill and we hit loose gravel, we got caught in a small gully, I had to get off the bike and Larry got it the rest of the way up the hill, he then had to wait for me to climb the hill. After getting back to the campground we decided to drive to the Red Bridge Fishing Bank. There were three boys fishing and a friendly lab. We said hi to the dog and the boys. I took a few picture. There was a nice view of the Kinzua Reservoir and on top of a pole there was an Osprey's nest. After taking picture we went back to the Minnie.

The Red Bridge Reservoir at the fishing bank

The Osprey nest

After resting we went over to the bathroom and took a shower. We spent the evening relaxing and reading. We had a super day.

Friday 9-20 Hiking and SIte Seeing

Camping in a National Forest

Sorry it took so long to post this, we were without cell phone service for multiple days.

We woke up to temperatures in the 40s. Larry had the heater going so it would be nice and warm when I got up. Once I crawled out of bed I made mini waffles for breakfast.

Allegheny National Forest has a lot of trails available for public use. We had picked up a brochure on the trails. The brochure has the trails broken down in the difficulty of trails, type of trail, the distance, trail class and what is prohibited on the trail. Some trails are for hikers, some are hiker/bicycle, some are off highway vehicle and others are for horses. Hikers can use any of them.

After breakfast we decided to go on a hike. There is a trailhead for the North Country National Scenic Trail less than a quarter of a mile across the road from the campground. The North Country Trail is 96.3 miles long, the difficulty is moderate and it is only for hikers. We hiked about 2 miles of it and turned around and went back the 2 miles. The trail was very nice. It weaved through a beautiful forest, not a lot of pines, up and down hills and over creeks. The beginning of our hike was the hardest because we had to climb up a hill. In places the trail was very narrow. One place I had to hug a tree so I wouldn’t step in the mud. Now I’m an official tree hunger, just kidding. As we hiked we did see a black critter we weren’t sure what it was because he was too far away, way too big for a squirrel and two small for a bear. We crossed over a bridge called Root Run Bridge that was built to take you over a creek. It was very nice. It’s amazing when you hike a trail one way and then back the other way how different it seems and you see things you miss. When you’re hiking in the forest it is easy to miss something because you’re constantly looking down so you don’t trip. As we were hiking back we came across a sign that said camping, there was a small backpacker campsite with a stone fire pit and a stone seat. We had missed the sign going the other way. Our hike was about 3 hours and around 4 miles. We had an outstanding hike. 

Stairs we took to get on the North Country Trail

Root Run Bridge

Larry resting during our hike

Backpacker campsite

In afternoon we went on a motorcycle ride. We drove the Longhouse National Scenic By-Way to check out a couple of campgrounds, unfortunately they were closed. We continued riding down the road to a short loop to see an overview of the Allegheny Reservoir and dam. We drove the scenic by-way until we got to the Allegheny National Forest Information Center. It was closed but we had a great view of the reservoir. There was a great map on the hike/bike trail system in the area. The map showed when the trails were completed and the plans for future trails. It had the name of the trail and how long it was. It was an outstanding map. There are a lot of trails in the area. Then we drove to Kane to fill up the motorcycle with gas. Afterwards we drove around Kane. Kane is a quaint town and has a very prosperous downtown with shops and places to eat. Kane is only 11 miles from the campground. It was a gorgeous day for a motorcycle ride with the temperature of 81 degrees and sunshine.

Allegheny Reservoir from the overview

Thursday 9-19 Kinzua Bridge State Park

Just having fun together

Sorry it took so long to post this, we were without cell phone service for multiple days.

We spent the night in the Seneca Allegany Casino’s parking lot. It was right next to a major freeway so there was a bit of road noise but it didn’t keep us from sleeping. When we woke up there was some fog, we didn’t have far to go so we waited a little while for the fog to lift. When we left at 9:00 the fog wasn’t as thick but it still was there. 

Larry wanted to stop at Allegany State Park in New York to see a stone tower that was built by the CCC. We love looking at structures built by the CCC. The park was only 7 miles away. The road through the park was very nice but the road to the stone tower turned out to be a rough dirt road with very low hanging branches. We decided not to go down the road.

Our next destination was in Pennsylvania at the Allegheny National Forest, about 43 miles down the road. Before entering into the forest we stopped by a National Forest Service office to pick up information on the area. The lady was very helpful and gave us information on the campgrounds and trails. Some of the campgrounds had power and bathrooms with showers. We wanted a campground with power and hiking trails. We decided to go to Red Bridge Recreational Area. 

Red Bridge Recreational Area is a beautiful campground. Some of the sites are first come and others are reservation only. There are sites with power, full hook ups and no power. We drove around to find a site with power. The sites that had power and are first come first serve were taken but there was one full hookup site left, we took it for a couple nights. I have the Senior America The Beautiful pass which got us a discount, we ended up paying $25 a night instead of $35. Our site is a great site, it is very private, quiet and near the bathroom. We ended up getting the blocks out because we needed to lift the back of the Minnie to level it.

Red Bridge Campground

Camping in Allegheny National Forest

After setting the Minnie up and having lunch we decided to take the motorcycle for a ride. Larry wanted to visit Kinzua Bridge State Park. It was about 25 miles away. We drove through a few small towns and the road had curves. The park is known for the Kinzua Sky Walk, it was used by the railroad until part of it was destroyed by a tornado in 2003. The Kinzua Viaduct was first constructed in 1882, it was 301 feet high and 2,053 feet across, it was the worlds longest and highest railroad bridge. General Thomas Kane, who was the President of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad wanted to move coal to the north and he needed a bridge to cross the valley. Octave Chanute, who was a Chief Engineer accepted the challenge. The bridge supports were made out of iron but in 1900 they had to rebuilt with steel because the locomotives and railroad cars were larger and heavier. Once the Viaduct was built it also became a tourist attraction and people walked out on the bridge, it was the next best thing to flying. In 2003 engineers and railroad workers were working to repair and reinforce the structure when a F1 tornado came through. It left only six towers standing on south end and three on the north. Now the remains are left for people to see. The park has a visitor center with great displays about the Innovation of General Thomas Kane and Chief Engineer Octave Chanute. We walked on the Kinzua Sky Walk, which is the remains of the old railroad bridge. It was cool to look down into the gorge and see the damage from the tornado.

Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center

General Thomas Kane

the Kinzua Sky Walk

Larry walking the Kinzua Sky Walk

The destruction the tornado did to the bridge

Wednesday 9-18 Fall is coming!!!

Fall is just around the corner

As we are driving around eastern New York we have been noticing that the trees are starting to show their fall colors. We have been hiking in the forest and haven't seen a lot of the colors because the trees are mainly pine trees. Once in awhile we see another type of tree that changes color. It is so pretty seeing the reds, orange and greens.

Fall colors in New York

We started the day out by going on a two and a half hour hike, about 4 miles. We started at site 60, where the trail Y's we went to the left because yesterday we went to the right. We did see a couple of hiking maps and there were a few mile markers on the trees. We hiked along the creek, through the forest and crossed over creeks. The creeks today were easier because there wasn't a lot of water in them but we still had to use rocks. We had to walk over fallen trees, this was neat because the bicyclist had made a groove in the middle of the tree so they could get across them. During the hike we saw some birds hanging around in the forest, a deer on a ridge and a couple of ladies hiking the trails. We had another super hike.

Larry hiking over fallen trees

When we got back to the Minnie we had lunch. Then we went over to the bathrooms and took a shower. Afterwards we put things away and got the Minnie ready to go. On the way out we stopped by a bathroom in another loop and filled our water tank. Then we were on the road again.

We were going by a Walmart so we stopped and did a little grocery shopping. There was a Dollar Tree across the road so we walked over there to buy some cookies we like. We also filled the Minnie with gas.

Grocery shopping

The next stop was at Griffis Sculpture Park. As we were driving down the road to the park we saw some huge sculptures on the side of the road. We stopped and walked around, they were in the trees and a couple of large fields. The actual sculpture park was another mile down the road. The road was rough and the blacktop went away, this made the road rougher. Thank goodness there were a few signs for the park otherwise you couldn't find it. They had a map that helped you get around the park and look at the sculptures. We had to hike up a hill to get to the main sculptures. On the way up the hill there were sculptures. Once on top of the hill there was an open field with sculptures you can climb in. There were eight points of interest: 1)The trailhead, 2) The bathers, 3) Insects, 4) Amazons, 5) Castle Tower, 6) Griffis Family Heads, 7) The Maze 8) The Stage. The bathers were laying around and hanging out on a pond. The insects had all different types of bugs. The Amazons were hugh statues of ladies and men. The Castle Tower was cool because you can climb to the top. There were also a lot more sculptures in the area. Griffis Family Heads had some hugh statues of men and women. There were trails you can walk to more sculptures. The Maze was an area that actually looks like a maze, where there are sculptures all over the place. The stage is where they have concerts. After walking around and looking at the sculptures we walked a road back to the entrance. There must have been over 100 sculptures. The artist has a lot of talent and we liked many of the sculptures. We waked around about an hour.

Standing with a sculpture of a lady walking

Sculpture of a giraffe

Larry standing with a giant crab

A couple of women sculptures by the pond

Standing on the Castle Tower

Our final destination for the day was Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino. By the time we got to the casino it was 6:00. We had sandwiches for dinner. Then I walked over to the casino and gambled for a couple of hours. It's a very nice casino and has a non-smoking section. I spent the whole time in that area gambling. I had a great time.

By the end of the day we had hiked and walked 9.6 miles. We're tired but we had a super time.   

Tuesday 9-17 Sprague Brook Park

Yesterday we took a 30 second video of Niagara Falls. Take a look, I think it does a good job of showing the power and beauty of the falls.

A beautiful day

I woke up to the sound of the heater and a nice warm house. Oops, I forgot I'm not in my house, I'm in the Minnie, but of course it is my house while I'm on the road. I made mini waffles for breakfast. 

After breakfast we went on a hike. We started at site 60 and took the trail until it came out at the day area of Sprague Brook Park. We walked around the area and found the hiking trail map at the shelter #2 bathroom board. The map was not very good, the best we could figure out there were about 10 miles of trails inside the park. Larry took a picture of the map so he had it in case he needed it. The map showed a trail in the day area so off we went to find it. We found it but there were no markers on it. After we had been on the trail for quite some distance we finally saw a sign that said Skunk Ridge. We hiked about a mile and then it turned into Creekside Trail. We had to cross the creek by rocks. Larry made it completely across no problem. I followed him across and was almost finished when I missed the rock and my right foot went into the creek. Now I had to finish the hike with a wet foot. It didn't take too long for the shoe to dry.

Sprague Brook Campground

Larry crossing the creek via rocks

Oops!!! I missed the rock

The playground across the street from our site

By the time we got back to the Minnie we had hiked for two hours, about 4 miles. It was a gorgeous hike through forest, old logging roads, by meadows, a creek and up and down small hills. The trails were moderate. You had to be careful because many places in the forest had lots of roots in the trail. The trail looks like it was very well used, it is also used by cross country skiers and mountain bikers.

As we hiked there were a lot of apple trees that had dropped apples all over the trail. We also have some apple trees in the campground. The apples are small, some are green others are red. We picked a couple of them and when we got back we put them in the fridge. Once they were chilled we tried them, they were too tart for us to eat.

Wild apples

We rested a little bit and then Larry barbecued sausage patties for lunch. For dinner I made tacos out of the left over patties. We spent the afternoon reading and I caught up on my Solitaire Daily Challenges. Because we have power I even did the World Tour Advent. We also walked around the campground a couple of times. We are having a lot of fun.