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Click here to Return to Tom and Huck Page The Magic of Chautauqua New York State Gazetteer Pages 71, 57, 56, 55, 41, 40, 39 I know...it’s been quite a while since my last account of our rambles. Early 2006 wasn’t the greatest; my two month bout with acute bronchitis was followed by three months of being totally down with a herniated L4 disc; needless to say we didn’t do a whole lot except cart me to physicians. The good news is I can breathe and my disc has quieted down without surgery; I’ve been pain-free since June but definitely have changed the way I move about; my days of slinging bales of hay are done. On the upside, I had a chance to read dozens of great books. If you’re a cat fancier and aficionado of mysteries you need to check out the Joe Grey series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy; you have to read the series in order: start with Cat on the Edge then read The Catswold Chronicles, then go back to Cat Under Fire. For suspense, political intrigue and a scary-could-be-true real page turner try Greg Iles’ The Footprints of God. I also had a lot of time to research fun places to go when I was able to get around again. Last but not least, I can’t thank everyone enough for all of your caring calls, e-mails, and thoughtful deeds; Mo Kent’s extraordinary tortellini soup had a great deal to do with my healing! We had a brief visit to Chautauqua Lake in July of 2004 and decided it had to be put back on our places-to-visit docket. Buddies Bill and Bonnie Bolling spend a week each year at a cottage there and we all decided it would be fun to meet up for a couple of days. Ethan and I also wanted a chance to spend some time in the wonderful multi-colored rocking chairs on the porch of Bemus Point’s historic Hotel Lenhart. Reservations were made, plans solidified, we plotted our course, and we were back on the road. Whew! It was about time! You can get to Chautauqua Lake the fast way via the Thruway to the Westfield exit on Lake Erie, but that’s just not our style - we might have to drive over 50 mph. We conceded to taking Route 390 south to Avon just to “Get R Done” out of Rochester. From there, Route 39 south takes you through gorgeous horse farm country around Geneseo, and hills and fields of crops roll through Cuylerville (home of the Tired Iron Tractor Museum), Perry, Silver Lake, and Eagle. It was getting lunch-hungry out and passing through Arcade we spotted a parking lot absolutely jammed at the Grey Fox Pub. We discovered why; the food was great. We helped ourselves to the barrel of peanuts - the shells go on the floor. Our enormous freshly-ground turkey burgers came dressed with crisp lettuce, tomato and sweet onion slices and when we asked for hot sauce, a squeeze bottle of the chef’s own special recipe was delivered and all I can say is I wish we could have purchased some! Route 39 snaked along Cattaraugus Creek, bringing us into Gowanda, one of the portals to the Zoar Valley - a favorite haunt when I was 20-something. It’s a stunning, not too well publicized (thankfully) wonder of nature where the creek tumbles through a spectacular gorge; waterfalls and swirling pools abound and springtime white water rafting is some of the toughest. Hiking and creek-sitting there in the summer is absolutely a joy. Getting to Chautauqua was like putting a puzzle together...and it worked! Route 62 took us south where we picked up Route 322 (which turns into Rt. 83, then 72), traveling through Skunks Corners, Balcom Corners, and Hamlet. A brief stop at the Canadaway Creek Wildlife Management Area provided enticing views of trails heading into the woods along the creek. Turning southeast at Cassadaga, Nelson Hill Road (Rt. 58) took us to the north end of Chautauqua Lake and Mayville, where we headed south on Rt. 394 to Bill and Bonnie’s cottage; we found them relaxing with a couple of good books, enjoying the beautiful day. Our “tour guides” offered to pick us up in an hour after we checked in at the Hotel Lenhart and show us a couple of their favorite spots, then we’d dine in Bemus Point. Our group was greeted warmly at the American Legion Posts in Lakeview and Celeron at the southern end of the lake; people we just met were like old friends and I won ten bucks on my first try at a pull ticket game. The next couple of days were perfect. We had great dinners at See Zurh House and The Italian Fisherman (I had a combo including Fire Roasted Pork Tenderloin Portabella,linguine tossed in basil pesto sauce with roasted red peppers and chicken, pine nuts and feta cheese, and a wonderfully delicate fish in Captain Ron’s Garlic Brown Sugar Pacific Rim Sauce...YUM!) which has a really cool floating stage and bar area. The summer “dock walk” includes a public marina and concerts by the Bemus Bay Pops. Making the best of a drizzly day, we explored the Amish country north of the lake, winding our way through Elm Flats Road, Haight Road, Fish and Barnes Roads just wandering around enjoying the countryside. One of our stops included an amazing Amish quilt and basket shop, where Bonnie and I stocked up on some incredible homemade Cashew Crunch. It’s a sugary-nutty-toffee kind of like peanut brittle, but sweeter and softer. A little way down the road we stopped at another Amish stand for bags of homemade cookies and jams. There was a lot of happy crunching and munching as we headed to Luensman Overview Park on Thayer Road where, high on the hill, on a clear day you have a stunning view of Lake Erie. There are 24 stations on their self-guided nature walk; we’ll return on a nicer day for a hike. From there we continued around beautiful little Cassadaga Lake, home of the Lily Dale spiritualist community. A memory that will stay with me forever was visiting the Chautauqua Institution; it was the day before it opened for the season and traffic and people were at a minimum. Workers of all kinds were painting, pruning, planting flowers and making this fairytale community even more incredibly beautiful. I have never seen so many mountain laurels; the gardens and landscaping take your breath away. The multitude of gingerbread-trimmed homes are almost impossible to describe; each and every one is stunning and the Athenaeum Hotel is nothing short of magnificent. Elegance of a bygone era still exists here, and it’s magical. Walking down one of the narrow lanes Bonnie and I simultaneously spotted a home that we decided just had to be ours. Ahhh yes...we sure would look fine as ladies of leisure in lacy dresses and fancy hats, sipping tall drinks and enjoying tea sandwiches, sitting in satiny chintz-covered wicker chairs on one of those balconies! Continuing on, we browsed through the wonderful book store and gift shop, taking home some souvenirs. The afternoon cleared, and we went for a shoreline tour in the Bollings’ boat; what a superb view of the Institute’s bell tower and lakeside homes! Wow! There’s nothing sweeter than sharing something special with people you treasure, and this trip was a treat. Thank you Bill and Bonnie for sharing your special Chautauqua places with us; I hope our readers take the opportunity to explore this wonderful part of our beautiful New York.
The Hotel Lenhart - rocking chairs on the porch, dining room, lobby, wicker porch, staircase
Below: Around the Chautauqua Institution
Bemus Point waterfront:
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