All are welcome to view and play the Aeolian home organ recently restored for a private residence.  Originally installed in 1928, this organ is equipped with a player mechanism that enables the instrument to play from a repertoire of over 800 musical compositions.

Unfortunately, this open house coincides with the Stid Hill hike, but interested hikers might be able to work in a half hour or so with careful planning. Their facility is about a mile north of the Stid Hill parking lot.

Even if you can’t make the open house, take a moment to view pictures of the restoration.

As the forecast for this Sunday is calling for temps to approach 90, the one saving grace will be that we will be in the woods…

Stid Hill WMA is a DEC managed property consisting of two tracts in Bristol and South Bristol. We will meet at the northern parking area on NY-64 north of Bristol Mountain Ski Resort.

This week’s hike will vary somewhat from others we have done on Stid Hill – it will be free of the many downed trees that required ducking under/climbing over and, the ground is bone dry which means no slippery muck. There has also been quite a bit of mowing around the meadows which will make the Tourist and Naturalist hikes more enjoyable.

Three hikes will be offered: Climbers will hike along the switchbacks, created by the mountain bikers, for a leisurely stroll to the intersection of the YELLOW and BLUE trails. They will then bear right onto the BLUE trail heading uphill – a short but steep climb – and continue along on the BLUE trail until we reach the turnoff for the YELLOW trail that heads towards Dugway Road. We will take the YELLOW trail about halfway there, then follow a loop back to the BLUE trail and return to the parking lot.

Tourists will take the same switchback trail to the YELLOW and BLUE intersection and will bear left onto the BLUE trail, heading downhill to the meadow and following it back to the parking lot. If there is time, they can also do some creek walking in Mud Creek which has a very low water level now.

Naturalists will stay below, to explore the meadows and Mud Creek.

Our after-hike social will be at Brew and Brats, about 3 miles south of Stid Hill on Rte. 64. In addition to Brats, they also offer a variety of salads, craft beer and wine.

Directions 

Stid Hill northern parking area.

PLEASE NOTE: This weekend is the Naples Grape Festival. If you are coming from or going through Naples, allow extra time or take CR 36 (across from the Kwik Fill) north to Honeoye and follow the directions from there.

From Honeoye: Take US-20A East to Bristol Valley.  Turn right on NY-64 S.  Follow NY-64 for 4.8 miles.  The parking area is on the left.

From Naples: Take NY-21 North to the intersection with NY-64 just before S. Bristol.  Stay left onto NY-64.  The parking area is 4.8 miles north on the right (1.4 miles past the ski area).

From Rochester: Take 490 East to the Victor Exit.  Follow NY-96 into Victor.  At the road sign for Bristol Mountain Ski Area, turn right on Maple Ave (NY-444) through Bloomfield (4 miles).  Turn left on US-20 for 1.2 miles and right onto NY 64.  The parking area is on the left 8.5 miles south of US-20.

From Springwater: Google recommends going north to Honeoye, saying that is 6 minutes faster than going south through Wayland and Naples.  Take 15A north.  Just before Hemlock, turn right on US-20A to Honeoye. Continue on US-20A East to Bristol Valley.  Turn right on NY-64 S.  Follow NY-64 for 4.8 miles.  The parking area is on the left.

From Wayland: This weekend avoid Naples, so Take NY15 north to Springwater. Continue straight through the flashing light on NY-15A.  Just before Hemlock, turn right on US-20A to Honeoye. Continue on US-20A East to Bristol Valley.  Turn right on NY-64 S.  Follow NY-64 for 4.8 miles.  The parking area is on the left..

This Sunday we are returning to the upper trails on the west side of Hemlock Lake. There are several loops that have been mowed and we will take advantage of them to create Naturalists, Tourists and Climbers hikes.  Following the hike, bring a dish to pass and we will have an optional social at the Eagle Crest Winery (wine tasting available for $3) two miles south of our meeting spot.

This is the first day of Bow-hunting, so please wear some bright orange so we can safely share the woods with the hunters.

The history of the Eagle Crest Winery reaches back to 1872 when Bishop McQuaid of Rochester established the O-Neh-Da Vineyard on the hills above Hemlock Lake. Today, the privately owned winery produces both O-Neh-Da and Eagle Crest wines. The Tasting Room is open from 11am to 5pm (tastings $3) and will be open following our hike.

We will meet at the first parking area coming from the north. The parking will be on the left (east) side, before you come to the intersection with Niver Rd. All hikes will start and end at this point.

The Naturalists will stay to the right on the first loop, then go right to cross over to the second loop.  Turning left onto the second loop, the Naturalists will then stay on the upper part of the loop (turn right at the intersections) until they come back to the road. They can walk north  back along the road, or go back into the woods at the first entrance and stay to the left to return to the cars.

The Climbers and Tourists will go to the left from the cars, go around to first double loop, then take the connector to the second loop.  The Climbers will take the lower portion of this loop, while the Tourists will take the first right for the upper part of the loop. Based on time, when the hikers reach the road, they can turn left (south) to go down to the third loop and follow it around.  Finally, return to the cars along the road. 

Sign at Vineyard Rd and Mission Rd

When the hikes are complete, all hikers are invited to join us at Eagle Crest for an outdoor social under their tent.  Bring a dish to pass, and your own beverage (or contribute to our social fund).  The winery tasting room will be open until 5:00.  Turn left out of the parking area and continue straight south for 1.8 miles. Go past the old Mission and take the next left on Vineyard Rd.  The winery is about a quarter mile down the hill.

Directions:

From Wayland and Springwater: take 15A N to the North end of Hemlock Lake. Go Left on Rix Hill Rd for 1.2 miles through the park. Take a sharp left on Blank Rd at the top of the hill. Continue south for 1.4 miles to the first DEC parking lot on the left. (If you come to Niver Rd, where Blank Rd becomes a dirt road, you have gone too far.  Turn around and go back about 0.2 miles.)

From Websters Crossing: take 15N for 4.6 miles from May Rd, past Sliker Hill Rd. After the hamlet of Conesus, take a slight right onto Federal Rd (CR 56). In 2.9 miles, turn Right on Niver Rd. Follow Niver for 1.9 miles. At the end, turn left onto Blank Rd. The parking lot is on the right in 0.2 miles.

From Livonia: take 15S 4.2miles and turn Left on Niver Rd. At the end, turn left onto Blank Rd. The parking lot is on the right in 0.2 miles.

The NCS Honor Society has offered to do some maintenance and construction work on the BHB in Naples as part of their community service commitment. They will be working on the landscaping around the new bridge on Gideon Hanggi’s land. If you can spare a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon in October to help Donna, our FLT volunteer coordinator, to support these teenagers, please meet at Bob and Ruth’s parking lot on Rt 21 in Naples at 12:30. We will work from 1 to 3.  Please RSVP if you plan to come.

Genesee Valley Greenway State Park Passport Series – 2017 – hike #7 on 2nd Saturday of October

Historic Interpretive Hike Series (Wegmans Hike #7):

– – – Please check the online sources below for particulars of this hike. – – – 

The guide will provide history of the Town of York and also point out historic canal and railroad features, and also note interesting natural features along the way. This hike is one of 14 hikes in the Wegmans Passport to Wellness Program. Completion of hikes in this series makes the trail user eligible for Wegmans grocery coupons or a NYS Parks Empire Passport. Passports will be available at the time of the hike and there will be an opportunity to complete the rubbing for this hike. Questions: fogvg@frontier.com or (585) 493-3600

The Genesee Valley Greenway State Park is hosting this hike. There is no charge to attend this hike. Therefore, please consider joining us.

For more information, check the Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway (FOGVG) website, their Passport page, and the complete 2017 GVG Passport Series.

– – – Additionally, the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park (GVGSP) Facebook page usually lists the upcoming GVGSP events, and the FOGVG Facebook page also lists numerous GVG events in our area albeit a greater proportion of events listed on this page may at times be in the “Southern Tier” portion of the GVG as planned by a group of hikers known as the Southern Tier Greenway Hiking Group (STGH or STGHG) who welcomes all to hike with them.

– – –    We also have a short history of the Greenway.

Springwater Trails has agreed to maintain the Bristol Hills Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail between Clement Rd and NY 245 in Naples. The FLT is sponsoring a workshop on trail mainentance on Oct 14th in Bath.

This is an opportunity for all hikers interested in helping to maintain hiking trail with Springwater Trails to learn more about the tasks required to maintain a great trail and to get to know other people who are also working on the trail.

Please look at this season’s Trail Tenders News for more details and RSVP if you are interested in attending.  We can arrange a car pool if we know you want to come.

Directions from Springwater: Take NY 15 south through Wayland. Turn left onto I390 S, which joins I86 E in 16 miles.  Take Exit 38 and turn left onto NY 54 N. Go under the expressway and turn right at the first intersection E. Morris St.  The Fire Hall is on the right in 1.1 miles.

The fourth hike in our Bristol Hills Branch series will be called the up and down hike.The longest climb on this section will be 300 feet in elevation over half a mile, but there are two of those plus a third climb of about 150 feet. So this hike is a challenge to select a sections that are less steep, so you will find that the hikes are a little shorter than usual, allowing some time for catching our breath.

All hikers will meet at Access Pt 15 on CR 77.  This is the same spot that we meet last month. 

The Naturalists and Tourists will carpool to Williams Rd to the north. This hike starts with a short step descent from the road, followed by a half mile of uphill. A downhill section through woods and down shared driveway will cross CR 74 and follow Presler Rd into the Bud Valley Campground. This is the targeted end of the Naturalist hike and cars will be pre-staged here.  Based on the interest of the hikers, and the time, the Naturalists can explore the campground or continue on with the trail as it climbs to an abandoned road and another high point. The Tourists should check their watches at this high point and turn around to return to the campground.

Meanwhile, the Climbers will leave CR 77 and head north on the BHB. The trail immediately starts a climb to about 1600′ and to open views to the north. After crossing a creek, the trail turns west to follow an abandoned road between fields and descends to the campground.  Continue to follow the campground driveway north to CR 74. After crossing the road, we continue north along an old shared road. Follow the blazes and don’t miss the sharp left off the road. This hike ends at Williams Rd at the Naturalists cars.  Hikers intent on completing all of the BHB trail should turn right and follow the road to the next driveway where the trail enters the woods to the left.  We will continue the trail at this point after hunting season.

Following the hikes we will need to find all of the cars and then return to Naples for a social. 

Directions:

From Springwater (and Wayland, N Cohocton and Naples): Take Rt 15 South to Wayland.  At the stop light, turn left and follow Rt 21 through North Cohocton (take a left at the stop sign) to the south end of Naples.  At the stop sign, turn right onto NY 53S for 12.1 miles.  Turn left onto Waldo Rd. Continue straight onto CR 77 (Shuart Rd).  In 2.3 miles, parking is on the right hand shoulder just past the “Pulteney” sign.  

From Bath: Take Exit 37 from I86 (NY 17) for NY 53. Head north on NY 53 for 8.8 miles.  Turn right onto Bean Station Rd and take the first left (in 0.4 miles) on Muck Rd. At the end of Muck Rd, turn right on Shuart Rd.  Parking is on the right in 1.6 miles.

Directions to Williams Rd: Head west on CR 77. Stay on Cr 77 (turns to right) at Waldo Rd, and continue past Flynn Rd. The next right is Trant Rd which continues straight onto Williams Rd. The trail head is 0.3 miles up on Williams Rd.

Just when you thought we had moved out of the picture, here we are again, leading a hike in our new Ontario County location. We have hiked the nice, flat Ontario Pathways Trail, converted from a former railroad bed, before, but usually, at the west end, by Canandaigua. This day, we’re going to explore a section we haven’t gone to before, a part of the east end, north of Stanley. Our meeting place is the parking lot on CR 20, just north of US 20. Detailed directions from Springwater are below.

Climbers and tourists will car pool north on CR 20, to the parking lot by the Orleans water tower, where SR 488 makes a right angle turn to the north. They will then walk south, on the OP trail, to the meeting point. Tourists will walk straight down the main trail and climbers will also explore 2 loop trails, east of the main trail. Naturalists will be driven to Ferguson St., where they will walk to the trail, then south on the trail to the meeting point.

The nice, flat trail is conducive to a nice autumn bike ride so, we’re also offering this option, this day. Bikers will ride south on the trail, to the parking lot in Stanley. There, they will ride the trail, northwest, across 5&20, to Spangle St. Ride north on Spangle, east on CR 4 to the trail, and south on the trail to the meeting point.

Hoping for a nice fall day, late October should still be warm enough for us to have a picnic social at the parking lot where we meet, maybe he last one of the year. Bring chairs, a folding table, if you have one, and a dish to pass. However, if one of you tries to feed margarine to Mother Nature, getting her to show her nasty side that day, we’ll reserve the option of going inside. I don’t know of any place between Stanley and Canandaigua that’s open Sunday afternoon so, think of some place in Canandaigua. I’ll check the weather forecast around the end of the week and post a final decision.

UPDATE: Congratulations!  All of you have been nice to the sweet lady and, to show her gratitude, looks like she’ll be giving us an autumn day, for our hike this Sunday, that couldn’t be better if you tried, with lots of sunshine and temps in the 70s, perfect for an outdoor picnic after the hike.  So, prepare one of your great culinary creations for us to enjoy, concluded by one of Char Buck’s fabulous desserts.  Also, pack some folding chairs.  We’re bringing a folding table but, if you have one you can bring, we could probably use it too.

From Springwater, go north on SR 15A, then east on US 20A. Turn right and continue east on US 20. At CR 20, turn left. The parking lot is immediately on the right, after you turn. Springwater Town Hall at 1:00 or Honeoye Shopping Plaza (Surefine, CVS) at 1:15 are suggested car pool locations.

And finally, for all you brilliant trivia gurus, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature” was an ad for what product?

May the Schwartz be with you. See you Sunday.

NOTE: It’s hunting season! Please wear bright colors, preferably orange.

The hike on Sunday 29th October will follow a section of the main path of the Finger Lakes Trail in Urbana, just south of Hammondsport. It’s a short easy hike, just 2.6 miles, and it follows the rim of a deep gully cut by the Mitchellsville Creek. This section slopes gently downhill from north to south with just a few short steep sections. The northern two thirds passes through a dense hemlock wood, and the path is a soft bed of hemlock needles, and there are views of the deep gully along the way. There are two ‘beauty spots’ along the route; about a third of the way from the top there’s a short side track that juts out over the gorge, giving good views from a height, and about two thirds of the way down there is a pretty creek. Unfortunately, we can’t get too close to either spot; this section of the trail is on private land and we can’t wander off it. The gorge overlook is crumbling and is dangerous, and access to the creek is specifically denied by the land owner.

We will meet at the FLT trailhead on Route 54 in Urbana, by the Pleasant Valley Inn (42.388729, -77.260357) at 2:00pm. 

The Climbers will shuttle to the high point of the hike at FLT access point 5 on Mitchellsville Road (42.404269, -77.290893), and then walk down the FLT back to the meeting point.

The Tourists and Naturalists will start at the meeting point and walk up the trail. They will walk a short distance north on Rt. 88 and then go left on the FLT through a vineyard. At the end of the vineyard the trail crosses a stream and then rises up through the gully to a pretty spot by the creek. There are no steep sections on this stretch. Those who want to can carry on up the trail can do so, but there are some short but more difficult sections to navigate.

An alternative for the Tourists and Naturalists is to walk the Hammondsport historical trail. It is a walk around the village of Hammondsport, and it is marked by purple grape emblems painted on the sidewalks and signs attached to lamp standards. A brochure will be available that describes sites of interest along the trail.

The Social

The social will be held at the Aroma Coffee and Art Gallery at 60 Shethar Street in the village of Hammondsport. It is just off the green, at the side of the church. It serves coffee and snack food such as soup, sandwiches and baked stuff. If we want to continue socializing after 5:00pm, the Pleasant Valley Inn bar will open and we can hang out there too.

Directions 

From Honeoye: Follow W Hollow Rd (County Road 36) to Naples. Turn Right at the Middletown Tavern on to Rt. 21 South, and then bear left on to NY-53 South. Continue for 17.1 miles through Prattsburg and then turn left to County Rd 13/Mitchellsville Rd in Wheeler. Turn right when this road ends and folow this road (Route 89) to its junction with route 54.  The parking area and trail head is on the left.

From Naples: Take NY-21 South, and then bear left on to NY-53 South. Continue for 17.1 miles through Prattsburg and then turn left to County Rd 13/Mitchellsville Rd in Wheeler. Turn right when this road ends and folow this road (Route 89) to its junction with route 54.  The parking area and trail head is on the left.

From Rochester: Take NY 15 south to the I-390, and then I-390 South to the NY 54 / Bath exit, then follow NY54 north to the Pleasant Valley Inn.The parking area and trail head is on the left.

From Springwater and Wayland: Take 390 South to the NY 54 / Bath exit, then follow NY54 north to the Pleasant Valley Inn.The parking areaand trail head is on the left.