into the wild blue yonder!
(Kind of a play of words on the first line of the Air Force Hymn, “Off we go, into the wild blue yonder…)
Anyway, my next campsite on Lake Ontario in Selkirk Shores State Park, just east of Oswego, New York. As I was pulling into Oswego, I decided that I should visit the restroom, as well as pick up some milk.
The workers helped me to locate the restroom. They were friendly, but the sign in the restroom caught my eye.
However, you can’t say they don’t make changing an empty roll easy. They are well-stocked!
I made it to the campground and got registered. The friendly ranger helped me select a good site. As usual, my first criteria was that the site be easy to get into. It wasn’t a pull-through, but there was lots of room to maneuver.
There were a couple loops at the park, but I think this one is the most popular as it is closest to the lake. The sites were quite close to each other. The smoke from the campfires was also pretty intense. I wish I had taken a shot of the stacks of firewood people brought in for their short stays. I’d walk around in the evening, and site after site had their own fires going.
From the edge of the bluff, I noticed the sun setting. I jumped into my truck and headed for the beach. I love watching sunsets from water’s edge.
It did give me pause to look to the left and see the nuclear power plant lit up in the after glow.
When I returned to my campsite, rising in the east was a full moon rising in the east.
One of these days, I am going to get myself a decent camera! I really was lovely.
The next day, I decided to go for a hike. (“Hike” sounds so much more outdoorsy than “stroll”.) The first thing I cam across was a most puzzling sign.
Huh. It didn’t see all that confined to me.
I decided to stroll uh, hike down to the beach. Last night, I noticed that there were rocks on the beach. Time for a little more “catch-and-release rock collecting”!
The trail lead through what they called “old growth forest”.
I came across this sign. I’m not sure, but it might be for the Seaway Trail. However, I checked the website and I didn’t see the symbol. In any event, there is a lot of good information about the trail on the website, which runs from Lake Erie, along to Lake Ontario and then along the Saint Lawrence Seaway to the New York State line at Hogansburg.
There were cabins and other structures dotting the area near the beach that reminded me of the Lincoln Logs we used to play with when we were kids.
I kept walking and got all the way out to the end of the pier. I turned around and looked at the beautiful green back on shore.
The water also reflected the green.
Ah, yes! Time to collect a few rocks.
Or maybe I should collect sticks?
No, I’ll collect rocks. I had to pick judiciously, though. I forgot to bring a bag or some other container to put them in. I had to depend on what I could stuff in my pockets. I filled my pockets and headed back to the trailer for the photo shoot.
Here’s the first group dry
And wet.
The second group of rocks look like they have fossils in them.
You can kind of make out the fossils a little differently when the rocks are wet.
One more group of dry rocks
And here they are wet.
I even managed to find a couple of rocks with holes through them. I added them to my collection. The rest of them were released back into the wild.
After dinner and getting things put away for a travel day in the morning, I headed down to catch one more sunset.
What a calm evening!
And with that, it’s time to leave the Great Lakes.
My next stop will be along the Saint Lawrence Seaway.