It was around 2:00 PM when I took these pictures while taking a four mile walk (Is it a hike? Not really) on the parkway at 6790 Onondaga Lake Parkway, Liverpool, New York 13088.
The annual Wegman’s sponsored Lights on the Lake event is happening soon. You pay on-line then drive your car through this light show. But you can walk through it FOR FREE up until 4:30 PM – and if you are lucky enough to get there when it is a dark but not rainy day – you’re welcome!
I know! So fun.
Baltimore Woods Nature Center is a heavenly park of hiking trails located at 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus, New York 13108.
We’ve been having fifty degree weather – sunshine and blue skies – the perfect weather to hike these trails. This is an excellent workout. The woods encompass a series of drumlins with paths going up, down, and all around in a circle maze with bridges and stairs, and creeks and lots of trees including chestnut trees!!! So beautiful. If you’ve never been there, make a plan to experience this asap.
I left a dozen angel rocks around the site to enhance the blissful feeling of this peaceful serenity. The joy of nature is everything.
Thank you, Patri, for sharing this adventure with me. I appreciate you!!! <3
Is there anything better than a summer Monday afternoon in a sunflower labyrinth?
Critz Farms is open every day. I’m sure it is pretty crowded on weekends, but today Janine and I had the place to ourselves. No one to criticize our need for a thousand potential photo ops except perhaps all the bumble bees. We both took a lot of pictures. It was really the perfect day because it was a bit overcast and much cooler than it has been lately. Sunflowers are beautiful!
Critz Farms is located on Route 13 in Cazenovia, New York (3232 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, New York 13035). Parking is free. To enter the sunflower labyrinth, you pay the bartender in the Tasting Room. Cost is $5.00 per person. Less for children. See their website for details.
They are open Sunday – Wednesday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm and Thursday – Saturday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm. This is for all events at the farm. They have special festival days as well as farm tours, the tasting room (this is also a brewery!) and gift shop, a playground, and occasional musical guests. Check their website or follow them on Facebook for more information.
The M to the K to the T. Does that mean anything to you?
They are the trails I hiked at Highland Forest today. There are twenty miles of trails at this spectacular park where you can also take a horse drawn carriage ride! Once it starts snowing again, there will be skiing and sledding too.
Highland Forest is located at 1254 Highland Park Road, Fabius, NY. They open tomorrow at 8:30 am in case you want to go and search for some bear rocks.
The last time I visited Beaver Lake Nature Center, I think I was about seven years old. I saw an upside down tree while on a school field trip and I couldn’t wait to tell my dad about it. We took a family trip there that weekend and when I pointed out the tree – it turned out to be an uprooted one.
At the time, I felt stupid. But now the part of this story that I truly love is that Dad wanted to experience the hike with me. I felt like he was with me when I placed these angels on the trails. I always feel like he is with me when I am hiking, but, well, you know.
The trails felt vaguely familiar. They have different names – back in 1970 they were called Trail 1, trail 2, etc. And I didn’t remember the fabulous visitor’s center complete with a shop, a library, a museum and restrooms.
Beaver Lake Nature Center is located at 8477 E. Mud Lake Road, Baldwinsville, New York 13027. There is a $5.00 fee, which you pay upon exiting the park.
You can hike or jog several trails of various lengths. But no biking. It is incredibly serene with pine woods, old growth areas, a swamp trail and others that overlook the lake. I saw several deer milling about and tons of squirrels chirping like cray-cray.
They open tomorrow at 7:30 am. The park closes at dark (5:00 pm).
P.S. There is a guided tour with a naturalist scheduled for 2:00-3:00 pm on Saturday, December 3, 2022. Free with park admission.
Chittenango Falls State Park is located at 2300 Rathbun Road (RT. 13), Cazenovia, NY 13035. The attraction is a 167-foot waterfall. There are hiking trails, a playground, plenty of spots to have a picnic and as of two hours ago, home to a dozen painted rocks.
I painted these yesterday for this park because we are the bears. I have worked for the Chittenango school district for 26 years and this is the first time I visited this park. It won’t be the last. Go bears! <3
From Jamesville, New York, drive about 20 minutes down Route 91 and you will find yourself in Labrabor Hollow. There is a parking lot off the highway – cross the street and now you are at Tinker Falls!
What an amazing experience. There are two components here – the treacherous climb up to the falls, the trail under the falls and another steep incline up, up, up…and then…a wide trail that continues up, up, up to a scenic overlook, which is a hang-gliding hot spot.
The brilliance of New York State all in one perfect day. The air is so fresh and the hike makes you feel so alive, so present, as if nothing else in the world matters.
It is a perfect place to stumble upon an angel or six. So grateful. <3
Three Falls Woods is located at 4618 Sweet Road, Manlius, NY 13104. It is a beautiful place to hike! There are two main trails – the white trail leads to a pond and the blue trail loops the falls, and then there are the other trails that get you completely lost and so the key is to go early in the morning and make sure your phone is charged to GPS your ass out of there. So fun!
