On Monday we went paddling at Braddock Bay. We usually go to the east side but decided to paddle the west side up Salmon Creek for something different. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing hard enough that the boats kept getting pushed into the cattails along the side. We paddled under the parkway and explored some channels deep into the cattails and then the kids were getting a little tired so we paddled back to the car and went to have our picnic. We couldn't swim at Braddock Bay because the beach was under water so we drove to Charlotte Beach and swam there.
On Tuesday, we started our new treasure hunt. The first stop happened to be near a disc golf course so we stopped to play a few holes, have a snack and check out the playground before continueing on our way. The route took us through greece and down by the lake, then east towards Charlotte. We stopped at Schallers restaurant to eat our lunch and Harry bought some french fries to share. By the time we got to the beach, everyone was a little tired and hot and ready for a swim so we stopped to swim before finishing the almost 15 mile treasure hunt.
On Wednesday, we went to Powdermill Park to check out the fish hatchery. The kids discovered a creek so we had to explore it. Then we spent some time feeding the fish in the many tanks. After we ate lunch, we went hiking to find some geocaches. Hiking on the trail was OK but bushwacking off trail to find the hidden treasure was way more fun. On the way back home, we had some extra time so we made a stop at Corbetts glen in Penfield to walk along the creek. Of course that turned into walking in the creek which was way more fun. Finally it was time to get home because the parents would be there.
Thursday, we packed up our gear in the trailer, went shopping for food and drove down to Allegany State Park near Salamanca, NY. We set up the tents, cooked lunch, and drove over to Thunder Rocks to do a little climbing around on the giant bouders piled there. We went over the safety rules and learned which rocks we weren't allowed on and then spent a couple of hours scrambling around and finding cool ways to get up the rocks. Then back to camp to cook dinner, play games and have a campfire before bed.
On Friday morning, we cooked up some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, packed up camp and drove to Little Rock City for some more climbing and exploring of a different sort. Where Thunder Rocks was a jumble of rocks piled on the top of a hill, Little Rock City was the opposite with cracks, channels and tunnels cut into the ground making a maze of passageways some of which were many feet wide and some that required squeezing through. We wore our rain coats because it threatened to rain but the weather stayed mostly good for us. We stopped in a town on the way home and ate lunch in the town gazebo.
