Central & Western NY Outdoors  
December 2006

~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~    

Holiday Time is Coming

Spafford Forest – A Welcome Surprise

Where in the World is Rocky?

A Major Trail Connection is Coming to Trail Town USA

Do You Squidoo?

Camp Turner WinterCamp 2006

Trail Trivia

 

      Holiday Time is Coming

Ho, Ho, Ho ..... Happy Holidays

Christmas and Chanukah are fast approaching. Who on your list has been especially good this year and deserves a special present? Hide that "Take A Paddle" guidebook in their stocking. Wrap the new "Take A Hike" inside boxes of ever increasing sizes to hide its diminutive size. 

Remember "Cobblestone Quest" for that hard-to-buy-for person. Give your hiking partner a copy of "Peak Experiences" to inspire new adventures. Someone getting a new bike? Don't forget a copy of "Take Your Bike" to compliment the new wheels. Maybe it's a new set of snowshoes or a pair of cross-country skis. Show them where to use their new toys with a copy of "Snow Trails." Spread the joy you find in outdoor adventure far and wide this holiday season.

          Spafford Forest – A Welcome Surprise by Sue Freeman

 

We pulled off the road into a grassy parking area before the sign reading "Spafford Forest" and began unloading our bikes from the back of the van. I was a reluctant unloader. In front of us was a steep hill with a rutted dirt road leading up it. I wasn’t in the mood for another tough mountain bike ride. My energy stores were waning.

But, we were south of Otisco Lake, a fair distance from home, and we had to research this trail for possible inclusion in our new “Take Your Bike” guidebook. Who says guidebook writing is all fun and games?

As Rich pumped his pedals up the steep hill, I walked my bike up, hoping the entire ride wouldn’t be hilly. The information we had been able to gather on this trail system was minimal. We had an old sketch map, but no information on what to expect.

Fortunately, I was in luck. After a short push, I reached the top of a plateau and a junction of trails – nice hard-packed old dirt roads that were mostly flat. Yippee! Rich selected the trail to the left, so I turned right and glided down the trail on my bike. I was enveloped by a deep woods of old trees that had stood here a long while. These woods were all mine today. Mine, and the woods critters’. I slipped away from civilization, out of my funky mood and pedaled easily through a green tunnel.

The double track took a sharp left turn then a series of trails headed off the right, leading to private property. I saw evidence of ATV use in this section. I kept left at each junction and eventually hit the edge of a steep cliff. A left again put me on a hard-packed woods trail parallel to the cliff. I had turned a full 180 degrees with my series of left turns and was now heading back toward my starting point. When the woods path met the double track I turned right to continue heading back.

At the major trail junction I turned right and followed an old dirt road toward the cliff. The road ended at the cliff – at a precipitous drop off used as a launch point by hang gliders. It afforded me a panoramic view of the green valley below. I was converted. From a reluctant unloader I had metamorphosed into a joyful biker, enjoying a pleasant ride and savoring a gorgeous view. Now I want to return in the fall and view this valley in flaming colors.

          Where in the World is Rocky?

(For those new to this feature, you guess where Rocky is, email info@packpaddleski.com and we put you in for a drawing for a $50 gift certificate.   For hints, try www.packpaddleski.com)

“Hey Mohammed, I think I saw a raccoon over there. Why is he here with Pumba, Simba and our cattle?  I left our hut this morning, just down the road from Lucy’s footprints.  Maybe Leakey dropped  him all those years ago. Well I have to head down into the gorge to find my lost cattle”

LAST MONTH - Many of you guessed Grand Canyon, but the exact side canyon was Grapevine.  Once you drop away from the Tonto Trail, you need to find the key to unlock access to the lower side canyon.  But once you do, it's full of water, springs, flowers, swirling and colored rocks. Just one more place in the World of Rocky.  We had several people who guessed the exact location.

     A Major Trail Connection is Coming to Trail Town USA

David Schaeffer, a major trail advocate in Perinton, passed along some wonderful news to us lately. When we lived in Perinton (Fairport) our yard backed up to the Perinton Hike-Bikeway (aka RS&E Bike/Hikeway). We dreamed of the day (and prodded our elected officials) when a bridge would be built over the Erie Canal to connect with the Erie Canalway Trail.

Our dreams will be coming true. Perinton will receive grant funding and construction of the bridge is anticipated in 2007 and 2008. To view maps of where the bridge will be, go to page 116 in Take Your Bike – Family Walks in the Rochester Area. The bridge will be at the northern terminus of the Perinton Hike-Bikeway. The Erie Canalway Trail segment that it will connect to is shown on the map on page 231. The photo and sketch included here are renderings of what the bridge will look like.

Here’s what the press release stated:
Congressman Randy Kuhl announced a federal grant of $1,480,900 to construct a pedestrian-bicycle bridge that will connect the Erie Canalway Trail and the RS&E Bike/Hikeway in Perinton. Perinton Town Supervisor, Jim Smith, stated, “We are extremely pleased to receive a grant of this magnitude. As a Trail Town USA, we obviously take great pride in our trail system. This funding will close a gap and link two important trail systems.” The proposed improvement will provide a pedestrian/bike span across the Erie Canal east of the Turk Hill Road bridge. In conjunction with this project, the current road alignment will be changed to provide a dedicated footpath along the canal-side, moving Cobb’s Lane to the north of its current position. 

Smith gave credit to Congressman Kuhl and Perinton’s State representatives, Senator Alesi and Assemblyman Koon for their mutual support in bringing this funding to fruition. “Everyone pulled together on behalf of a community goal,” Smith said. Smith also gave credit to the local trail organizations for their vision and stick-to-itiveness. David Schaeffer of the Crescent Trail Association was singled out as a strong proponent of this project. “David is a great community visionary whose perseverance regarding this project was instrumental in its successful funding,” Smith acknowledged.

      Do You Squidoo?

Do I what? www.squidoo.com is a web site where you can learn about all sorts of interesting stuff. Of course, start with the local information by searching on:

-NY Finger Lakes Recreation
-High Points
-Rochester New York Outdoors
-Cobblestone Buildings
-Buffalo New York Outdoors

Then, expand your horizons and see what you can find….

-Owling with Children
-Great Animal Pictures
……others

      Camp Turner WinterCamp 2006

Boys and girls ages 8 – 15 are invited to sign up for WinterCamp 2006 held from Wednesday December 27th, 10:00 am - Friday December 29th, 6:30 pm.

Activities include: Arts and Crafts, Tracking / Hiking, Snow Sculpting, Indoor Games, Snow Sports, Movies, Winter Olympics, Sledding, and much more...

Our trained and dedicated summer staff are returning to help make this a fun and safe experience. Camp Turner is located inside Allegany State Park in Salamanca, New York. Operated by the Youth Department of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Camp Turner is open to all regardless of affiliation.

Camp runs Wednesday 10 AM through Friday 6:30 PM and costs only $99. For more information and to download a registration form, go to: www.CampTurner.com

         Trail Trivia

  
Thanks to Joan Young, author of 
"North Country Cache - Adventures on a National Scenic Trail." 

1-  What is the longest loop trail in the United States?
2-  Where is the 160 km (100 mile) loop trail that features a monument to Ida Siekmann, a 58-year-old woman who died of injuries she received jumping from her third-floor apartment to the sidewalk below?

Answers:
1- The Buckeye Trail
The Buckeye Trail encircles the entire state of Ohio. It is over 1,400 miles long, and consists of a mix of off-roads, multi-use pathways, and back roads. 800 miles are concurrent with the North Country trail. http://www.buckeyetrail.org/

2- The Berlin Wall Trail in Germany
The Berlin Wall Trail presents an excellent combination of history, tourism, recreation, and culture. It includes the 120-kilometer long border between West Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg, as well as better-known division between East and West Berlin. http://www.esterbauer.com/buecher/html/mauer_e_tour.htm
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060603.BERLIN03/TPStory/Travel

 

 

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