Chimney Bluffs

Yesterday we went back to Chimney Bluffs State Park. On our way to the park, we made a quick stop in the village of Wolcott to see Wolcott Falls, which is easy to miss when driving through the village. It's not particularly tall or awe inspiring, but still quite pretty:



We continued north to the shores of Lake Ontario to Chimney Bluffs State Park. The bluffs are really quite amazing to see; they are almost desert-like in appearance, or even look like the surface of another planet. According to the NYFalls.com site, "the bluffs were formed by a glacial drumlin, which has been eroded away by wind, lake waters, rain and ice; forming razor-like edges. Drumlins are common for Western and Central NY, but one that is sliced in half like this is pretty rare."

We hiked one short trail on the western side of the park, which gave us a good view of the bluffs to the east:


We found a tiny patch of shade and ate our picnic lunch, then started on the Bluff Trail. The trail winds along the edge of the cliffs, which had us keeping a tight hand on Aidan. We took notice of this alarming sign:


The views of the bluffs and of Lake Ontario were amazing:



We returned to the parking lot via a forest trail, where we quickly became the afternoon snack for an assortment of horseflies, mosquitoes and other biting insects. The horseflies, in particular, definitely made us quicken our pace! But despite the bugs and the heat, it was a fun way to celebrate Independence Day.

Fireworks over the Seneca

B'ville was quite the happening place last evening as people gathered along the banks of the Seneca River to watch the traditional July 3rd fireworks. We puzzled over the fireworks taking place on the 3rd rather than the 4th, until it was explained to us that the local communities who have fireworks split them between the two days, so that all the fireworks don't take place on the same night.

The dad of one of Aidan's Cub Scout denmates invited us to go out on their pontoon boat to watch the fireworks. There were ten adults and three eight year old boys on the boat, so we adults were clearly outnumbered. We left dock shortly after 7 pm and each boy was given the opportunity to steer the boat while we were in the middle of the river. All I will say is that it will take me every minute of the next eight years to prepare for Aidan driving a car!

As we approached the lock in B'ville, the owner of the boat, Court, received a call on the emergency radio. He is a first responder with the fire department and there was an emergency: a man was pulled, unconscious, from the river and CPR was being administered. We pulled up next to an Onondaga Sheriff's boat and Court crossed from his boat to the Sheriff's boat, to the victim's boat and then onshore. We tried to keep the boys' attention focused elsewhere and fortunately, we could not see much of the action.

After the ambulance left and Court returned to the boat, we motored over to the middle of the river and dropped anchor to await the fireworks. When the boys were occupied, he quietly told us what had happened. He was told that the man went into the river to swim but came up under his boat, knocking him out. He was then seen floating in the water and pulled out, but despite CPR and several treatments with a defibrillator, he had not responded. I read this morning that, indeed, the man did not survive.

Despite that sobering incident, it was a lovely evening on the river. We watched people gather on the banks of the river and on Paper Mill Island, and listened to a Huey Lewis and the News tribute group perform. Of course, they played Huey Lewis and the News songs. Over and over. Now, more than ever, I am convinced that Huey Lewis and the News does not need a tribute band.

The fireworks were spectacular and well worth the wait. They were launched from the cemetery on the south side of the river and it was beautiful as they spread across the sky and were reflected in the river. Aidan remarked that one particularly loud display made his stomach jump, and I knew exactly what he meant!

It was well past 11 pm when we left to go home. Luckily it was a quick trip across the river, although there was a slight traffic jam in little B'ville as we neared our house. But the traffic cleared quickly and soon we were asleep in our beds.