So Annie called me Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon and said, "We're not doing anything this weekend. Why don't we go to Old Forge?" Shocked as I was, I couldn't say "YES" quickly enough! Someone must have cancelled because we got the only available cabin. No cottages were open (kitchen & potty) so we were more rustic than Annie prefers, but it all worked out.
This is the first time we took Belle on an extended trip and we were pleasantly surprised with how well she did. It was awesome to have her along. It did prevent us from going on the lake cruise, but otherwise it was great. We did leave her alone briefly while we took the kids to Calypso Cove.
Friday morning it was a long drive as both the dog & the boys needed to pee a few times. We actually stopped by some cemetery on the outskirts of Rome to pee before getting onto 365 & going through Holland Patent which was surprisingly emotional for me, though I didn't show anything. Weird. Joining Rte 12 & going to Old Forge also brought about many memories - how many times did we make that trip as a family? Funny thing is I remember going up there, I remember the gliders and the park in the center of town, but I don't ever remember eating up there.
The town hasn't changed much. The general store - which we visited Sunday on the way out of town - is still one of the main attractions. Now that we had Belle, it was easy to notice just how many dogs there were in town and how they were in almost every store - both by the store owner & by patrons. It made the whole place feel more welcoming I think.
The Candy Store was a phenomenal hit (see pic of boys w/ candy cigarettes). Lots of old-time stuff from when Annie & I were kids. Right across from it was a working payphone which really threw the kids for a loop. Allison tried to use the coin release so she could get quarters to make a phone call. Brian had to ask what a dial-tone was - I had asked if the phone was working by inquiring about a dial tone. Allison wanted to use 50 cents to call someone local but we didn't know anyone local and she said, "Wait. We're here so we are local." It was a gas!
Our cabin was #6 in Chipmunk Grove and it was nicely situated midway between the bathroom & the lake. Beautiful view of the water in just a few steps and no need to go very far if a toiletry emergency arose. Friday night I made chicken speedie, rice, and there were some fresh cut veggies I had prepped at home. Saturday we ate at Keyes Pancake house which was nice but next time, eat out on the last day so you don't have to do dishes! No real lunch but campfire hot dogs & s'mores on Saturday night. Sunday morning I cooked eggs & bacon. It was a near perfect weekend. Lots of time with the kids playing cards & just hanging out. They did spend a couple hours at the fun park (Calypso Cove). Go-carts were a disappointment but they went on the zip-line multiple times - Annie even went!
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a man, his family, an apple, the wild,
and his thoughts. does it get any better? |
Weather was great - cloudy, slight breeze, but warm enough for just a sweatshirt or windbreaker. Bugs were non-existent until the day we left. Never had to use sunscreen. The one regret was not getting to hike in the woods, but no everyone had a 2nd pair of shoes and it was very wet up there. Annie doesn't think it would work as a yearly tradition because it would get boring, but I'll keep pushing the issue. I actually think it would be wild to see a movie in their old-time theater.
On the way home we took a really backwoods way to get through from Remsen to Westernville. It was very cool to see the old church, the town, and Woods Valley. It was nice that Catherine had been there recently and put a nice plant on the Nordman gravesite. Weird to think how in a few years, no one will visit that patch of land. None of the rest of us will be buried nearby as far as I know.
But then we had a really cool stop at the Lake Delta Dam. I jogged across the bridge with the kids while looking straight down which still gives me butterflies in my stomach. The kids finally understood what I've been talking about all this time. We didn't get to spend more than 10 minutes there so we couldn't go to the glory hole or anything on the other side, but it was a really cool sight with the water coming over and showing them the river & the old loch. We also stopped by the Elmer Hill Road "house" and Brennan and I climbed a tree briefly. The lady in the old Huntley house had red hair just like Linda! She just looked at us with curiosity and we left after another 10 minutes - I showed kids the cove but didn't make it to the edge by the lake. Next time.
Wrapped the weekend with family Memorial Day on our porch with Evan, nana, & dudey. We picked up Evan on the way home Sunday - van was very cramped! Brought him to Ithaca on Monday night so it was a short stay. At the cabin I slept on the floor on a backpacking pad (NEMO) which was fine - Brennan w/ Annie in double bed, and the others got their own bunk. No way we could have included anyone else, though.
Brennan took FYRE, Birdwatching, Fishing, and Leatherworking. Brian went with Shotgun, Astronomy, Emergency Prep, Pioneering, and Game Design. They also both did the Frontiersman badge which required some extra effort, including a 1-hour service project where they had to use shovels to clear some ditches on the sides of a trail.
