Finger Lakes or Bust!

Megan graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges back in May 2010. Due to her busy work schedule and family events, she hasn't really been able to return to the campus or Finger Lakes region since! That all changed when she received a Facebook message for a mini-reunion to take place the weekend of July 23 - Megan requested the Saturday off of work right away!

Friday evening, Megan and I departed from the Battlefield with hopes of reaching the Finger Lakes by 8:30. We would be meeting up with Megan's college friends Lis, Jill, and Katelyn - from what I was told a real fun bunch! After 3 hours on the road, some awesome music, and some bad drivers, we arrived at the Ramada on the lake - let the festivities begin!

Megan's has owned her car for 1 year, it reached exactly 14,000 miles as she pulled in to the parking lot of the Ramada - pretty cool I must say!

First order of business was to order wine ice cream - ice cream that actually has wine in it, and requires proper identification.

Megan had to share her ice cream, she ordered a small, but as you can see one scoop is bigger than my whole head!

We all went to bed early to rest up for a big day of wine touring, only, we never got that early start we were hoping for!

As it had been blazing hot temperatures throughout NY all week, Megan thought this trip would be the most opportune moment to finally make that jump into Seneca Lake. Most graduates of HWS jump in the lake prior to graduation - Megan never did and now was her chance.

As you can see, I'm wearing my life jacket - you can never be too safe near the water!

To do the jump traditionally, you need to jump in from the HWS boathouse - as the girls were all lined up to jump in, campus security came down the hill to find out what we were up to ... after all, we weren't really supposed to be there.  Luckily, Megan had a Hobart shirt with her so security assumed we were all students staying on campus for the summer - we didn't correct him, we were hot and needed to cool down!

Unfortunately, the girls wanted to jump in together, so there is no photographic proof Megan jumped in.  You do have my word, she did it!

After cooling down, we had some time for a photo shoot of myself on the HWS boathouse:

I'm that small black dot in front of the garage door!

Beautiful Seneca Lake in the background

Perched atop the railing

Is it possible to take a bad picture at the lake?

Katelyn had suggested Megan tie me down to the tracks - that would be wrong!

View of the lake from South Main St.

After a refreshing jump in the lake for the girls, we decided it was time to find something to eat before embarking on the wine tour.  We decided on the Captain's Room, food ended up being pretty delicious!

The design inside the restaurant - can you name all the Captains? We couldn't!

When Megan told her parents she was going out to school for a mini reunion and wine tour, their immediate reaction was to give her money for their own wine!  So as you can see, wine tours are important, and the girls were on a mission to drive around the entire lake - due to our really late start, this was not possible, but we still had a lot of fun!

First stop, Fox Run Vineyards!

Megan and Katelyn posed me for this photo, I did not drink any wine on this trip - not old enough yet!  After posing me for this photo, Katelyn decided she wanted to have her own photo with me - we pretty much bonded on this trip:

New BFFs!

Group shot of all the girls!

Jeff, Lis's roommate our senior year, so kindly took on the role as our designated driver and photographer.  He got a lot of special treatment while we went to all the wineries: complimentary foods, and non-alcoholic slushies - as one of the wineries said, if it wasn't for designated drivers, the wineries wouldn't have drunk people to serve to!  Again, many thanks to Jeff for dealing with us all afternoon, hope you enjoy your bottle of wine!

I love pretzels!

As we stopped at Seneca Shore Winery, we saw a sign for the grand opening of a Serenity Vineyards.  The place is perfect for those of you who like dry wines, but they did have one semi-dry Riesling  that was really good - Megan picked up a bottle for her parents to try.  As you can see in the above picture, I am sitting on a table with a lot of writing on it: upon opening the winery, the owner decided it would be nice to have people sign the tables - we made sure to sign our names before we left!

Outside of Anthony Road Winery

Group shot at the final winery of the day, Glenora

The final stop of the day was Glenora, I think this was Megan's favorite since she bought 3 bottles of wine from them! We had great servers, who gave us cheese AND wine! There was even a wedding going on while we were there - they were at the back of the hotel in the lawn, which had a gorgeous view of the lake.

All in all, the day was successful!

Sunday was the last day of the mini-reunion - all good things must come to an end right? The girls went to Water Street Cafe for old times sake - they used to go a lot at school after a good night of partying!

They let me order my own food!

Before parting ways, the girls and I went shopping at the outlet mall in Waterloo. This was a successful trip, but Megan spent enough on wine that she really couldn't do much spending on clothes! I was glad Megan brought me along on this trip: I met new friends, got to see a new part of NY state, and had a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for the next adventure - not sure what it will be yet!

The Point of Patriotism

Hello Friends! I certainly got a good night's sleep once I returned from Algonquin Peak, but no rest for the wicked since I returned to work the next day with Megan. I definitely noticed Megan was moving around a bit slower than normal, perhaps the high climb got to her - not me! In case you all were wondering just how similar Megan and I are, I figured you could see for yourself in this blog post:

Okay - I see some similarity, but I wouldn't go as far as saying we're twins or anything! (for any of you ranger folks following this blog - I had Megan put on her winter hat for the photo since it closely resembles my hat)

On to the real business, my latest adventure! After a day of recuperating in the office, Megan was scheduled to work at the Monument - probably, but hopefully not, the only time this summer!

It was pretty slow in the morning, so I thought I would do a little reading - if I'm going to be traveling on adventures with Megan, I need to know my stuff!

I learned some new things so I think it's time for an impromptu History lesson!
Standing at 155' tall, the Monument is currently located in the town of Schuylerville, NY and commemorates the Battles of Saratoga. The first cornerstone was laid on the 100th anniversary of the surrender of the British Army to the American Army - October 17, 1877.

Ellen Hardin Walworth was one of the leading forces behind the erection of a monument, she states:

A monument upon this spot will not merely minister to local pride, it will not foster sectional prejudices, every citizen of every state of this union will fell as he looks upon it that he has a right to stand upon this ground. It will tell of the common sacrifices and common trials of the fathers of the republic ... Here sectional passions will fade away; and the glorious memories and the fraternal feelings of the past will be revived...

The Saratoga Monument is one of the most ornate monuments you'll ever see - if you go to Washington or Bennington Monuments, yeah they're tall, but they aren't nearly as artistic and original as the Saratoga Monument. On the inside, the walls are covered with brass relief sculptures which help to tell the story of American independence - I must admit, some of these sculptures are a little exaggerated.

From the time of its completion in fall of 1882 (without the statues being done) to the 1980s, the Monument was on a path of slow, physical decline. By 1987, it was apparent that extensive rehabilitation was needed and the National Park Service was left with no choice but to close the Monument to the public. In 1994 $3 million in Federal funds were appropriated for the renovation and repair of the Saratoga Monument.

Renovation actually began in 1999, and reopened to the public Memorial Day Weekend of 2002 - just in time for the 225th Anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga!

Bored yet? I'll throw in another picture:

We had a few visitors by the end of the day, but by the time 4:59pm came around, I was ready to climb! Hope you're all ready to climb with me:

Looking down from halfway up the Monument ... still a ways to go!

I made it!

Looking East

Looking South

Looking North

And looking Down - from the tippy top!

The climb up the Monument certainly wasn't as difficult as Algonquin Peak, but I must say it was just as adventurous! That will do for today's adventure, hope you all learned something new today. Megan and I will be traveling to the Finger Lakes region for the weekend, be sure to tune in early next week for my next post!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough!

With July 4th festivities out of the way, Megan and I had some time to relax - we decided on our next day off we would climb the second highest peak of the Adirondacks, Algonquin Peak. We left for the mountain around 6:15 in the morning and were joined by Victor, Andrew, and Grace - arrival time was approximately 8:30 am.

The trail started out smooth with a gradual incline, but as we hiked further along the trail it seemed that reaching the peak would not be as easy as we had hoped.

Whenever you go hiking, it's always nice to take pictures so you can always remember where you've been - as you can see, the camera loves me!

Andrew and Victor were pretty much the trail guides for the day - they were the ones who knew how to read the topographical maps, and knew where all the different landmarks would be. The first, and perhaps my favorite landmark we passed was the waterfall - this proved to be very helpful when we needed to refill water bottles!

Once we reached the waterfall, we were about 1/3 the way to the top - maybe even halfway there, I would have to check with the guys. Regardless, just after we passed the waterfall we met up with two female rangers who were stationed along the trails. One of them happened to be from the area near where Andrew grew up, needless to say, we were stopped for a while! At this point we reached a sign which told us we still had 0.9 miles to go - according to the rangers, the steepest part of the trail. In that 0.9 miles, we would climb more than 1,000 in elevation!

This is looking down the trail - yeah, Megan had to climb terrain like that for another 3/4 mile after this picture was taken!

We got to an opening in the trail and had a nice view, so I had Megan take my picture - still not at the top yet!

As we were climbing I noticed Megan was out of breath, probably from all the extra weight of having to carry me; I must say, I didn't think I weighed that much! If you thought Megan was having a tough time from having to carry me, you should have seen Victor! He's training for Denali one day so he opted to do the hike with a whopping 40 pounds on his back ... that's ambition right there!

We made it to the top!

Group photo, can you find me? We all decided we'd to a cool pose ... didn't work out so well I must say.

The original plan for hiking was to do Mount Washington, but the weather wasn't looking good - the guys chose Algonquin because it allowed for us to also hike up Iroquois Peak, which would be Andrew's 28th high peak. In order for us to successfully do this, we had to bust out the map again:

Andrew mapping out our route, and teaching me in the process!

It wasn't a far hike to Iroquois, but it was a little on the difficult side: the trail hadn't been maintained since the 1970's - that's before Megan was born! The trail had trees on both sides and I ripped my hat a bit in the process - perhaps next time Megan does a sewing project at work, I'll have her touch up my hat. After several scratches, and puddle jumps, we finally made it to the top of Iroquois!

The peak wasn't as high, but the view was just as great - perhaps even better than Algonquin Peak!

A photo of the two of us, aren't we a cute couple?!

And of course, a group photo on Iroquois Peak - good job everyone!

Having done two peaks in such a short time, I was tired - I can't imagine how Megan was feeling! We began the long trek back toward the Adirondack Loj which is where we started the hike. Megan kept saying the hike was a lot harder going down than it was going up the mountain, probably because now you actually realized how far and how high you had climbed!

I wanted to prove I did the hike so I had Andrew post me on top of a trailmarker.

After the hike, even though it was a more difficult one, Megan is convinced she wants to climb all 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks. In order to become a "46er" you have to write to a historian describing your hike in detail, who you went with, and they'll even take photos. I say "heck, if Megan can do it, I can do it!" After all, she is the one carrying me! I wonder if there's ever been a park ranger doll that's done all 46 high peaks ... I'll need to find out.

Perhaps one of the most important things to do before heading out on a hike is signing the registry - I wanted to sign us out so no one would get worried and go looking for us!

Round trip the hike ended up being almost 10 miles, definitely a day off well spent! After the hike, and dropping off Andrew's friend Grace, Andrew, Victor, Megan and I stopped off at the Adirondack Brew Pub for dinner (9 pm) on the way home.

Good hike, good dinner, great night's sleep; I can't wait to do it again!

A Day at the Ritz Carlton of Bemis Heights

Today's post unfortunately will have to be a short one - there's some company at the house and Megan's cat Otis is driving me insane! Megan brought me to work today and she actually dressed up as a militiaman so she could do musket demonstrations at the Neilson House.

Anyone that visits this site has to have their picture taken by the flag and reproduction cannon which are located directly in front of the house, it makes for a scenic AND patriotic photo:

As the park tells its visitors, and Park Ranger Danielle told Megan and I, "NO SITTING ON THE CANNON!" - So I just posed in front - no fun!

Throughout the day, Megan and Danielle did various living history demonstrations: sewing haversacks (an 18th century man-purse if you will), Megan did some musket drills and demonstrations, and they also talked a lot about the house itself.

We're probably not supposed to sit on the windowsill of the house, but I did anyway - such a rebel! As you can see, I also have my day pass to the park courtesy of Danielle - no VIP treatment for this ranger!

I was glad Megan brought me to the park, the Neilson House was a lot of fun, and the view wasn't so bad either! I think perhaps my favorite part of the day was watching Megan teach a family how to drill like 18th century soldiers: they didn't know left from right, couldn't follow directions, and it was all being filmed to be included in someone's home videos - I guess whatever makes the visitor happy right?

Like I said, this one is a short one tonight - the next time I venture out to the Ritz Carlton of Bemis Heights I'll be sure to get a snapshot of Megan dressed as a soldier, or a camp follower!

Mother's Day is really in July

For Mother's Day 2011, Megan and Erin wanted to plan a kayaking trip with Nance - they figured she would love it. Unfortunately, Erin ended up getting really sick and wound up in the hospital the night before the adventure was to take place. They tried rescheduling, but got rained out - then there was the wedding, the Mount Rainier trip and a bunch of other stuff that got in the way. Finally, Megan received a note from her mom on a Friday morning that the kayak adventure was going to take place after work.

All day, Megan and I were looking forward to this kayaking trip - we were going to a place neither of us had been before, Sherman Island. Around 4 p.m. Megan looked out her window and it was pouring buckets - lightning, thunder, wind, the works!

We arrived home just before 6 and were told that the trip was still on - we were to change and Tim would load the kayak on the car; by 6 we were on the road!

Nancy and I surprised Megan with a little present when we started to ship out - I had gone to work with Nancy that day and while there I was being fitted for a life jacket, now I can SAFELY go on adventures with Megan!

All suited up and ready to go!

We got on to the water around 6:30 p.m. and boy were the conditions perfect; not a soul or ripple on the water! That being said, let me show you some of the pictures we took - Megan has a real eye for scenery shots.

Erin and Nance on the water: it was so calm the lake acted as a mirror, the reflection shots are awesome!

Megan thought this little nook would be a real good photo opportunity for the two of us - you'll have to check out Nancy's blog to see those photos!

Just the four of us on the water, doesn't get better than that!

Back at the parking lot, Sue takes a breather - it was a nice paddle!

And so concluded the Mother's Day paddle in July; I'm glad Megan, Erin and I were finally able to join Nance on the water! I just want to say thank you to all those wonderful mother's out there, especially Megan's mom Nancy - you've taken me under your wing and accompanied me on all of these adventures, for that I am forever grateful!

Stay tuned for my next adventure, rumor has it that it's bring your look-a-like doll to work day soon!

Wild Wild West ... Okay, maybe not so wild!

Megan's sister Erin got married on June 11, 2011 - shortly after her parents, Nancy and Tim, took a trip to the west coast to Washington. Unfortunately for Megan, she wasn't able to take the time off of work and it was too expensive for her to travel. Fortunately for me, Nancy was able to sneak me onto the plane!

We arrived at the airport and Nance thought it would be fun to throw me onto the baggage claim conveyor belt - sure I may be small, but that doesn't mean I like to take rides to unknown places!

Going around and around will certainly make you dizzy!

I got to ride a ferry while I was out west too - stetson hats certainly protect your eyes from the sun, but when it comes to wind there's not much that can be done:

Nance took me to see the Jacob Ebey blockhouse located on Whidbey Island which has recently been refurbished and opened to the public - can you spot me?

Over the course of a few days I was able to see the extravagant Mount Rainier - we were lucky because 2 out of the 3 days were cloudy. I had never seen snow before so I was surprised and excited to see that there was still snow at Mount Rainier in June - you'll have to talk with Nancy to get the details of this trip.

I hope the east coast NEVER has this much snow in June!

Nance and Tim took me on a couple of hikes throughout the park, we even saw a sign for Stevens Canyon, I wonder if it's the same Stevens family as Megan's, that would be cool ...

Scaffolding bridges are scary enough as it is, leave it to Nance to traumatize me for the rest of my life!

The experiences I had at Mount Rainier are some I will never forget, my only wish is that Megan was there with me to witness the extravagance the park has to offer. For now, she'll just have to live through my experiences and my stories - soon enough she'll be able to witness it for herself.

The west coast was great, but I can't wait until I continue my adventure with Megan on our home turf. Until next time ...