Camillus Erie Canal Park

When I found out Erin was planning to walk at the Erie Canal Park in Camillus, I decided Frankie and I would join in on the fun.  It was chilly and overcast, but we just layered up.  I've been to several different sections of the canal east of Syracuse, but never to the Camillus side.  The Erie Canal towpaths are flat as a pancake, and the scenery is generally pretty monotonous, so we don't go often.  However, this particular segment was appealing for its novelty, plus it includes a restored aqueduct about a mile from the parking lot that makes for a good destination.  Despite Frankie's protests that he wanted to keep going, we made the aqueduct our turn-around for this hike, as it started raining there.  Erin says the Sims Store Museum is another mile down, so perhaps we'll return another time for a longer out-and-back.  Maybe we'll even see a boat in the aqueduct!

Blue Mountain Fire Tower

After Frankie had so much fun on our hike of Kane Mountain a few weeks ago, I started looking around to find another fire tower we could climb together.  Unfortunately, most of them are too far away to reasonably manage as a day trip, or they are beyond Frankie's current abilities, or in many cases, both.  Blue Mountain seemed like the next logical climb for us, but even that would be a stretch.  The hike is 4 miles roundtrip, with approximately 1,500 feet elevation gain.  Frankie has done that distance several times with little trouble, but has never taken on that much ascent.  He wasn't remotely tired after Kane, so I knew he could handle something more ambitious, but I was still a little unsure about Blue, especially factoring in the almost 3-hour drive just to get to the trailhead.  I had almost decided it would be better to wait until next year, but then we had amazing weather this weekend.  Plus, Frankie's school is closed Monday, so I knew he'd have an extra day to rest if we got home late.

Clark in October

It is a long ways between Michigan and Maine, so when my Mom visits her brother, she'll often break the drive up into two days, stopping here for a brief visit en route.  We didn't see them on their way up this trip, but Mary and Keith were able to join us for dinner last night on their way back home.  Then, since I had the day off from work today, they stayed on for an extra day and we went for a hike together.  They suggested Clark Reservation, albeit somewhat hesitantly, out of concern that I might go too often, but that is never the case!  Plus, I actually haven't been there in a while and was genuinely pleased with the idea.