AMY: Carrie and I are filling in for Jon this week (truthfully the deal is: Carrie is helping me with the blog and I am watching a movie with her later). We started our week at Allegany State Park near Salamanca NY.
CARRIE: It was mostly rainy, muddy and buggy all week. Not my idea of a fun week…
AMY: Agreed. However, there was a great running trail around this beautiful lake:
AMY: I am grateful Jon has been joining me during my weekday runs. I enjoy sharing these early morning moments with him:
CARRIE: What did I tell you? Buggy! It wasn’t just mosquitos though, their little biting-gnat friends were in on it too:
AMY: We were also invaded by the gypsy moth caterpillars. They would dangle from tree limbs, door posts, awnings and many made their way into the RV. I wonder if we will find moths later this summer?
My sister Sherry recommended stopping at the Griffis Sculpture Park in nearby Ellicottville. It was a good hike around fleshy sculptures. Why didn’t you stick around to admire the artwork?
CARRIE: It was embarrassing! Also, the night before it had rained so hard the ground was swampy.
AMY: We also hiked an area called Little Rock City, a larger area similar to the Thunder Rocks we found in the state park. At first, we assumed these large rocks were pushed here by the glaciers, but we discovered that they are very old sedimentary rocks that were once at the bottom of a body of water. The softer rock has eroded away leaving these marvels to hike through.
CARRIE: I wonder if there is this much mud and bugs in the jungle?
AMY: Even with all those challenges, it was an impressively beautiful place.
AMY: On Friday, we moved a little north and east to Letchworth State Park, the so-called “Grand Canyon of the East.”
CARRIE: I enjoyed it better than Niagara Falls because there were a lot less people. I. Don’t. Like. Crowds.
AMY: You are so right, Carrie. It was nice to just hang out and admire the falls as long as we wanted.
AMY: A runner I met in Williamsburg VA was able to connect me with this running group in Dansville NY (Thanks Bob!). After several weekends running solo, it was great to meet up with fellow distance runners. Running groups have been a great way for me to connect and get an inside scoop into the local scene. I am so grateful for these kind, welcoming folks!
CARRIE: On Saturday, we went to Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls NY. I was fascinated to see how hard women had to work to do more than what was just expected of them. I feel fortunate to be a girl in the 21st century.
AMY: We had an air conditioner go out on us this week (fortunately we have two). Jon very carefully examined the non-working unit and identified the broken parts. We’re expecting delivery of the new parts later this week. Total cost: $51! 🙂
AMY: Today, we drove to this campsite in the Adirondacks where we were warmly greeted by the fresh smell of pines.
CARRIE: Daddy took this picture approximately an hour after the photo above….this week has made me miss being out west where there was less rain, less humidity, and fewer bugs.
Maybe it’s because I love Adirondack chairs, but I have been looking forward to visiting this area and hope for some cool field trips this week.