Of Waterfalls and Castles

New York has some amazing sites! More than I ever knew. And in the last two weeks I have seen some incredible things, both man made and heaven made. On Monday the 21st we headed down to Grimes Glen, at the base of Canandaigua lake.The day started out rainy and wet, but stopped long enough for us to enjoy the waterfalls. This is an amazing hike. First, we headed down the trail, that starts off by this very safe looking bridge.

Eventually we left behind the dirt trail to follow the trail of the Naples creek. We arrived at the first waterfall and climbed up on the rocks. The water was very brisk and the rocks slippery, but we all managed to survive! We continued our hike to the next water fall, where we used ropes to get to the top. The ropes were on right side (the dirt hill) by the waterfall. I did not take my camera up there due to my fear of dropping it in the water. But it was an AMAZING view, and included a natural water slide.Back at the bottom of the waterfall, we enjoyed playing in the water. If you can't tell, the water was FREEZING!!! But soon, it was time to head home. The clouds were starting to get dark, and we did not want to get stuck in a down pour. Holly and I stop to take advantage of a beautiful photo op at the bridge. An-Hoa almost died taking this picture. Thanks for the sacrifice! It turned out beautiful!

This past Monday, July 28th, We headed up to Alexandria Bay to visit 1000 Islands, NY. Yes, this is where the Dressing got its name, and origin. We hopped on a tour boat that took us up the St. Lawrence River (one of the few rivers that runs in a northerly direction). I am taking this picture, thus am not in it, but these are my co-workers that I went with. I took over 60 pictures, so here is a sampling of them.

On the river we passed by the sister lighthouse. I love lighthouses, so I thought I would include this picture. Here there are actually three islands (the sisters) There are over 1000 islands in the st. Lawrence river (thus the name) and in order to be considered a island, they must be above water so many days out of the year (I forgot exactly) and must be 3 sq ft, and be able to sustain 2 trees. This is more then you wanted to know...but I find it fascinating!

After about a forty-five minute river tour, we reach our first stop. Dark Island. It is home of the Singer Castle. (Singer as in the sewing machine). It was incredible! We could only take pictures out side, but inside I found my dream library!

I knocked, but alas, no Prince Charming came out to whisk me away on his white horse. Dang.

Our last stop, Boldt Castle on Heart Island. I did not go inside, but the grounds and the architecture blew me away!Ok, I think I have made this post long enough, so I will sign off! If you are still reading this, Thanks for enduring my longwindedness.