Saturday, August 6, 2011

July 31st through August 5th: trip to Lockport

This certainly is NOT an adventure, it is an account of trip to the other end of the state to be with my Dad and siblings, while Dad is confined to Roswell Cancer Institute recovering from complications following his surgery of 7/5/11.

SUNDAY, July 31st: I left Sunday morning to spend several days with him and my three phenomenal siblings. I drove north and got on the thruway near Mohawk and stayed on the thruway until the Depew exit near Lockport. I stopped and found a geocache BEE GIRL, somewhere on the Transit, I think south of East Amherst. I arrived at Peggy's house around one thirty p.m. in the afternoon. We drove together up to Roswell.
Dad was on the sixth floor in a room that is between ICU and a regular room. I think they called it ICC (Intermediate Critical Care). Gail and Mike were also there for part of the day.

Dad was pretty sleepy and very weak, and I only spoke to him for short periods of time when he woke up (mostly we would wake him up every now and then to tell him we were there). Peggy and I went out to a chinese place for supper (the food was good but the atmosphere and restroom there leave a LOT to be desired. We returned to Dad's room to tell him goodnight and then headed back to Lockport.

Monday, August 1st, 2011: I drove Peggy to her mechanics shop so she could pick up her car where a flat tire was being repaired, then I dropped her off at work. After that I located the KENAN CENTER and found a geocache hidden there. Then I was unsuccessful in locating either of two earthcaches in the Outwater Park/Glenwood Cemetery area. Mike came over to Dads place and I followed him up to Buffalo. I think this was the day that Gail and Peggy rode in together. While Mike and I went to the ANCHOR BAR for spaghetti while Peggy stayed with Dad. (The ANCHOR is where Buffalo Chicken Wings were invented in l964).
Mike and I returned to Roswell and we all said our goodbyes to Dad. Mike and I returned to the hospital and we all rode back to Lockport in Mike's new mini-van. Peggy ate spaghetti while we drove back to Lockport! Note: the spaghetti at the ANCHOR is really good! Ten dollars gets you a salad, bread and a HUGE portion of spaghetti and meatballs. (I had saved some of mine for Peggy).

Tuesday, August 2nd. I think this was the day I had breakfast at Tom's Diner on Main Street, and then I did some geocaching and exploring. I tried again and I found the"earthcache" behind Glenwood Cemetery. It is the Queenston/Whirlpool Rock Exposure Earthcache.
Later in the morning, I followed Mike up to Roswell. Peggy called and said that she was leaving work and that she did not feel well and she went home and did not visit Dad today. I think I had a salad in the cafeteria at Roswell for lunch. I followed Gail back to Lockport from Roswell. I stopped and had a hotdog at TED'S HOTDOGS
I noticed the spot where the Lockport Mall used to be, just across the road and took a couple of pictures)and then picked up a few groceries for Peggy and myself at TOPS.

WEDNESDAY, August 3rd: In the morning, I took some pictures of the chestnut tree and the small flowering tree in Dad's front yard. Gail picked me up and we went up to Roswell together. I think this was the day Gail left early. I accompanied Dad to another floor where he had an MRI. I had lunch at Wendy's and took a few pictures of a huge, old, empty church on the corner of Best and Main Streets.
Also, I went into a small corner grocery store. As I walked back to Roswell, I found a geocache outside of Buffalo General Hospital. Mike and Peggy arrived later in the afternoon. On the way back to Lockport, Peggy and I stopped at one of those huge buffets, and had a great meal. I think it may have been HOMETOWN BUFFET.


THURSDAY: August 4th. This morning I did RILEY'S WAY: a walking tour of the locks and canal near the Big Bridge. I ended up at Upson Park, where I saw a strange structure,
and I cannot find any information about it. Gail picked me up and we went up to Roswell. Gail stayed until three p.m. While she was there I had a light lunch in the Roswell Cafeteria and used a computer to check my email, etc. Mike arrived and Peggy and I went to PANO'S for supper. Then we went back to say goodnight to Dad, and I told him that I would be leaving for home the following morning.

FRIDAY: August 5th, I left Lockport at 7:30 a.m. and headed towards home. I drove north a bit so I could see OLCOTT BEACH a place my family used to go to a lot when I was a kid. The amusement park we went to is long gone, but a new one with VINTAGE kiddie rides is there now.
I explored the tiny village of Barker a bit before getting on the parkway and taking it to Morton, where I got off so that I could take at look at Troutburg, where I lived from 1973-1976. The house we lived in has been added onto and expanded so that it is barely recognizable. I think this is the house that Sharon and Terry Murray lived in.

The Assembly of God camp across the road is now a private camp called BEACHWOOD. I looked for the general store in Morton, I think I found the building it was in
......right next door to the Morton Post Office. I don't recall ever using that post office, but I must have. I think when we lived in Troutburg, we must have used the Hamlin Post Office. Then on to BROCKPORT, where I hoped to locate CHRISTIAN CENTER, a church we attended there when Megan was a baby. I could not find it. Part of Main Street was closed off due to road repairs. Then I located the house on Sweden Walker Road where we lived when Megan was born. It looks pretty much the same as it did in l972.

Made my way up to the thruway and stopped to have a TIM HORTONS donut at the first plaza I came to, also filled up the gas tank. Got off the thruway near Seneca Falls, and then drove down Route 90 on the east side of Cayuga Lake. First stop was in Union Springs where I stopped and had a slice of pizza and took a few pictures. Then onto Aurora, where I stopped to find a geocache. I really liked the spot the cache was hidden in.......some old stone ruins right on the lake.

Then I went to the village of Sherwood, hoping to find a geocache hidden outside a museum in an old stone store. Here is a picture of the HOWLAND STONE STORE, which is now a museum:
I looked for about five minutes but then decided to use my time to take pictures instead. Sherwood is a very tiny hamlet, with some neat old buildings.

After that, I noticed that time was slipping away from me, so I turned on my navigator and headed home. I went through several small towns and villages, and saw several small general stores, but I did not dare to take the time to stop and check them out or take pictures. While on Route 23 somewhere near Pharsalia, I saw a tiny, old cemetery that I would like to return to and maybe hide a geocache in.

I stopped in South New Berlin and made a ten dollar donation to their museum. The librarian there was so helpful the time my van broke down in front of the library, and we used their phone to make several phone calls, so I wanted to do something for them.

In Morris, I made one last stop for an ice cream cone, which was somewhat of a disappointment. They claim that their softserve is frozen custard, but I don't think it is.

I arrived home around 5:45 p.m. It sure was good to get home.

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