Tag: Evangola State Park

And I’m Off on Another Adventure!

I got back from the seed courier gig in July 2018 and now it was the middle of August.

I bought my new trailer in January, but still hadn’t used it. Isn’t it cute? It’s a T@b, made by nuCamp. I figured the I should remedy that situation before the summer was over. I made plans to visit my family on both sides of the border.

After getting a few “minor” things taken care of – like a non-functioning refrigerator – I managed to get to the campground in time for my reservation. I’m glad that I tried to start things up while I was in the driveway. You don’t want to discover that important systems don’t work when you’re on the road.

I headed east, toward the Buffalo, New York region.

I was back in Evangola State Park, a favorite from my Airstreaming days. I even picked a site I had been in before. It’s always nice to know where the water is. In my experience, New York State parks usually have electricity at the campsites for RVs, but you need to fill up your water tanks at a communal spigot.

This is Cora’s part of the T@b. Some people have commented that cats don’t like to eat by their “bathroom.” I think you will agree that Cora doesn’t appear to mind. (In case you are impressed with the litter box, here’s a link to it.)

Cora enjoys sitting on top of her litter box and looking out the window.

This was my first dinner in my new trailer. Pierogis sautéed with onions and peppers with tomatoes on the side. Some people grill when they camp – I make pierogis.

I figure this photo says it all.

I haven’t really gotten too much into decor yet, but I have a red theme going on that matches the red and white colors of the T@b.

I figure that I’ve covered just about everything there is to cover in Buffalo, but I set out to find some new things to explore. I found a cemetery for soldiers of the War of 182.

You might ask, “Where is that?” Good question.

It’s right there, between the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and the Thruway, on the bank of Ellicott Creek. Do you see it?

If you zoom in close enough, it pops right out. There was a military hospital nearby and they buried the dead in this cemetery. The information you can find on the internet is astounding! I found one site that lists the names of the dead and what they died of. Incidentally, diarrhea seems to be a leading cause of death back then.

Both American and British soldiers are buried here.

One source I located said that the cannon that was placed there in 1898 by the Buffalo Historical Society, but was donated in 1942 to Bethlehem Steel to be used as scrap metal for the war effort.

So, maybe this is a replacement cannon.

The website identifies this photo from 1898 or 1899.

Graves are marked with wooden crosses. I always wonder when you see cemeteries marked with crosses like this if they have actually identified that people are buried in those specific locations or if they are reminders that this is hallowed ground.

People still come to pay their respects.

I finally managed to get together with my sister, Amy. We picked a spot near her home.

A big ol’ soft pretzel, some sort of fried things, a couple of beers and my sister…that sounds like a recipe for a good evening.

And then it was time to head back to the trailer. Cora was waiting for me!

 

 

I love Lake Erie!

I know that many people consider Lake Erie to be the least great of the Great Lakes, but it holds a special place in my heart. It is “home” for me – the American and Canadian sides.

My campground was right on the shore, just west of Buffalo – Evangola State Park. Actually, the campground was on a bluff above the lake, but there was a beach that was park of the park, and we were allowed access as part of our camping fees.

While I was there, I made a couple trips to the beach. There was this archway constructed. On my way back up, I ran into the bridal party. It looked like a great day for a wedding.

The sun was shining and the sky was blue.

I headed to the beach on the Independence Day. People were in serious picnic mode, with tents and canopies galore. As much as I love sun, I think I love the shade under these beautiful trees even more.

If I had a dollar for each cooler in the park, I think I could have almost have afforded to buy a Yeti.

Yeti – the Airstream of coolers.

I headed down to the water’s edge and I saw something I haven’t seen in years. I saw a lifeguard on duty at a public beach!

I decided to wander down to the cliff and then back to where I started from.

What a beautiful day to be on the water.

It was also a great day to look at rocks!

Rocks and water! What a great combination!

I find the fracture patterns interesting in these rocks. They cleave into rectangular slabs.

I found a smaller slab and used it as a base for one of my catch-and-release rock collections.

First, a photo of it dry. Now let’s see it wet.

That’s more like it! The colors are so much more vibrant.

I did a few where if marveled at the dry-vs-wet rocks, but I decided that I really preferred the wet ones.

This composition reminds me of a snowman, well, except that it’s not white.

What a lovely array of colors!

I found this fossil, and I thought it was pretty interesting. What the heck! Let’s see it wet.

I came across a fellow rock aficionado – a young boy of about eight. I had picked up this one and was thinking of keeping it. After all, I was going to have a house soon. It wouldn’t turn out like Lucy’s collection in The Long, Long Trailer.

By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43379887

But, I gave the rock to him and told him that it had fossils in it. I explained what fossils were and that he might find some more if he kept looking. I swear, I’ll be a teacher until the day I die!

One last photo of rocks arranged by Mother Nature and it was time to head up.

I was fortunate to catch a few lovely sunsets while I was visiting during this trip. Just because I feel like it, I will post them here.

I took this one from the beach at Evangola State Park.

I took this one from Hamburg Town Park. If you look one way, there’s Buffalo in the background.

If you look in the other direction, you see a glorious sunset.

It all depends on where you focus your attention.