REINSTEIN WOODS (and more) Adventure on May 1, 2018

It was a gorgeous spring day and Mary Ann and I headed to Depew this morning to go to Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.   It was my first time while Mary Ann had been there once before years ago.  It was easy to find.  Our first

stop was at the Environmental Education Center, which was very nice.  We picked up a map of the preserve and headed out.  We started out on the Lily Pond Loop, which led to another trail and so on.  I particularly liked the State Symbols trail which had interpretive signs for various symbols of New York State.  Here are a few pictures I took as we walked the trails:

The trails were all very flat and easy, very well maintained.

As we approached the stone cabin:

I thought I saw smoke just beyond it.  Indeed I did.  A tree had fallen and taken down some electrical wires.  You can see them in this picture.  As Mary Ann and I were hurrying past the wires, we met up with staff who had come to investigate.  

I think we were the last people to be allowed to walk past the wires and the fire.  If we had not been allowed past we would have had to walk the long way back that we had just come.  

Fire trucks and rescue vehicles were arriving:

We continued along the trail to get back to the Environmental Education Center.  By this time, the beginning of the trail had been closed

We went into the EE Center to use the rest room.  When we left we decided to walk a little way out on the boardwalk, but we ended up walking all the way to the end.  We were able to watch the fire trucks and we saw the NYSEG truck arrive.  At the end of the boardwalk I found a Sweet Buffalo Rock

I left two rocks that I had brought with me along the trail we took between the outdoor rest rooms and where we parked the car.  

We headed to Depew to go to Schwebl's for lunch.  We both had the Beef on Weck, which was very good.    The beef was hand carved.

Then we found a geocache.  This involved a lot of driving around to get to the right spot.  Before leaving West Seneca, we stopped for ice cream at this place.  

It was close to five p.m. when we got back to Lockport.   It was a great day.