snipe
New Member
Posts: 26
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Post by snipe on Jan 18, 2009 17:47:07 GMT -5
Hey Bona fans. I was just stopping by to check out your board due to our upcoming game. I am glad that things are looking up for the Bona. I expect a packed house and a bunch of rabid Bona fans. It is good to see things getting back to normal.
I am thinking of ideas to plan my summer vacation with my boys. I have never traveled to the region. The closest that I have made it is Cleveland & Pittsburgh.
I would like to check out Allegheny National Forest, possibly do some hiking, camping and canoeing. Any recommendations for camping, hiking and canoeing? What is the best place to canoe? We also like to hike near cool waterfalls if possible. What about bears? You got them? Are they dangerous? Do they come near campsites? We don’t have bears in my neck of the woods.
Niagara Falls would be another destination for a day.
I was looking for ideas on where to go and on places to stay in the region. My wife doesn’t care for camping much unless it is in a furnished cabin. She will fight my urge to rough it for a night or two. Any ideas are fine as I am just putting the concept together and have maximum flexibility.
And what time of the summer is best to come up? Should I spend a day in Olean? Do they have any rocking summer festivals?
As for the game, look out for Brad Redford. The Xavier Freshman is dead eye dick from three point range. He is really starting to come into his own. I am looking forward to see Nicholson and how he plays against our bigs. Our center Jason Love is playing his best basketball of his career and his backup (freshman 7-0, 265) Kenny Frease is a mountain of a main. Our bevy of forwards (Brown, Anderson, Raymond, and McLean) play ferocious defense and crash the glass. That is how we win games. Our guards are young and relatively inexperienced. I expect you to try to attack that inexperience.
Good luck Bona. I don’t take playing in front of your crazy fans lightly. The only game I have watched so far is the Miss St. game and the crowd was really into it from the broadcast. I love a good crowd and you guys have great fans.
Thanks in advance for any ideas for my summer vacation. I wish you guys the best.
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Post by RochesterBonnie on Jan 18, 2009 17:56:27 GMT -5
Snipe, About an hour and a half from Olean, about 30 minutes from Rochester is Letchworth State Park. It's often called the Grand Canyon of the east. Tons of hiking, waterfalls, etc. There are a lot of different camping options in the area. Would make for an easy drive to Niagara Falls. nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=12 |
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therc
Junior Member
Posts: 390
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Post by therc on Jan 18, 2009 18:07:37 GMT -5
Hey Snipe,
Glad to hear you're coming up for the game on Wednesday. Should be a great atmosphere.
Regarding your vacation, Letchworth State Park (mentioned by RochesterBonnie) is great. They have many waterfalls, which you mentioned, and it's just an extremely scenic part of the state.
Allegany State Park is 40 miles to the west of Olean, and 10 miles west of the Seneca Allegany Casino, which is in Salamanca. I recommend the Park for camping with your kids (many great streams, lakes, trails, etc.) and the hotel at the casino for your wife. You kind of get the best of both worlds. Great camping, great dining, gambling when the kids go to bed, etc.
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Post by RochesterBonnie on Jan 18, 2009 18:11:35 GMT -5
Also if you do Letchworth, you could drive up to Rochester and canoe on the Erie Canal. It's very scenic.
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Post by tomangelone on Jan 18, 2009 18:38:33 GMT -5
I'd recommend Letchworth State Park if you're interested in wonderful scenery. Allegany State Park is beautiful, too, but Letchworth has a seemingly endless amount of breath-taking views. The gorges are phenomenal. If you're a skier, Holiday Valley Ski Resort is about 25 minutes from SBU in the village of Ellicottville. It's a very neat little ski town... lots of shops and restaurants (I'd recommend the Elllicottville Brew Company) along with some great accommodations. If you're eating in Olean, try the Beef 'N' Barrel, the Century Manor, the Old Library, Angee's, Attard's, or the Bistro.
As far as summer goes, I'd come to Olean on the weekend of the Italian Festival. It's a major league booze fest with a big crowd, good company, and great food.
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snipe
New Member
Posts: 26
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Post by snipe on Jan 18, 2009 19:12:07 GMT -5
I just googled some images of Letchworth. Wow. That looks fantastic.
Rochester, any canoe outfitters or routes in particular that you would recommend?
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Post by res on Jan 18, 2009 19:32:44 GMT -5
Allegany State Park is great for hiking and camping, not so much for canoeing, although there are a couple of small lakes. However, unlike Letchworth, which is certainly worth seeing, Allegany has several cabin options which might be more tolerable for your better half. The problem is that they get reserved early so if you're going to do try to reserve one, you'd better do it quickly. Allegany, at least the Red House area, is only about 25 miles from Olean. Allegheny National Forest in PA, which you allude to, is somewhat more primitive (intentionally so, not a knock). I've never spent much time there, but people love it -- a little rougher on your wife, I suspect.
If you go to the Falls on the US side, skip the town and head directly to Goat Island. An undernoticed part of the state park between the cataracts. Make sure you do the Cave of the Winds. I had never done it until a couple of years ago, when I went with my wife, son and sister. My normally unimpressed son looked at me while dripping wet, and shouted, on the "hurricane deck", "Dad, this is the most fun I've ever had in my life." I responded, "Me, too."
And you'd better d*** well come to Olean. Your wife might utter WTF, but you'd get a kick out of it, I'm sure.
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therc
Junior Member
Posts: 390
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Post by therc on Jan 18, 2009 19:37:39 GMT -5
Cave of the Winds is great, as is Goat Island. We went up there right before the season changed, and it's really the only place to go on the American side.
It's so sad looking at the Canadian side compared to ours. It's like seeing Las Vegas on one side, with the desert (in this case, trees and abandoned buildings) at the other.
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Post by longislandbonnie on Jan 18, 2009 19:41:40 GMT -5
No doubt about it, THE # 1 dining establishment in Olean is The Beef & Barrel Restaurant. Check out their website: www.beefnbarrel.com/The Traditional Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with gravy, sides of mashed potatoes and cole slaw, is phenomenal ! Also the Roast Beef on Kummelwick sandwich, with warm German potato salad is as traditional here as Skyline Chili is in your area. |
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Post by res on Jan 18, 2009 19:42:29 GMT -5
therc, you are right, of course, but I have tired of the Canadian side. Better angle on the falls, themselves, but overdeveloped (for me) and too crowded. I think you get a better natural experience on Goat Island. If you drive up from the parking lot a little bit you'll get to the Three Sisters Islands which is my favorite spot by far to view the Upper Rapids.
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Post by RochesterBonnie on Jan 18, 2009 19:49:53 GMT -5
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Post by spils84 on Jan 18, 2009 20:22:49 GMT -5
We will permit all Xavier fans to only have a 12 hour visa, and once the clock strikes midnight on Thursday morning, I want Coach Miller, Snipe and the rest of those buffoons from Southwest Ohio out of Western NY. Your wife can vacation here in the summer, and don't worry, we'll find suitable accommodations for her. As for you, I am certain you will have worn out your welcome, so you can take your canoe to Kentucky and paddle around there.
Go Bonas!
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Post by RochesterBonnie on Jan 18, 2009 20:46:13 GMT -5
Speaking of food, if in Rochester, you have to try the one and only garbage plate. It's a Rochester original and one of a kind. It looks nasty the first time you see it, but they are really good. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Tahou_Hots |
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snipe
New Member
Posts: 26
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Post by snipe on Jan 19, 2009 1:24:25 GMT -5
A concern I would have about Letchworth is if my boys will be able to be safe with the cliffs and gorges. My sons will be 6 & 8 years old next summer. We have the Red River Gorge in Kentucky ( www.redrivergorge.com/ ) and people die there all the time. My kids don't tend to listen to me. I think it runs in the genes. I like hiking without having to hold hands all the time or any of the time. Sometimes you can take a trail and they usually don't have warning signs (Not suitable for a six year old who wanders!). The views are fantastic but I might be afraid to go there with my kids. My kids can hike several miles in a day but even though I am right there with them I am not holding them. Cliffs are awesome but yet scare me. I would need to research the paths if I went there. As for canoeing goes, I don’t canoe lakes, I only like to get in a canoe when it is on a river. That is because I am a lazy man who enjoys the gift of the river current. I can take an hour off and I am still making time. You take an hour off at a nice lake and you are still at the place where you started. I don’t have my own canoe, I rent them from outfitters and then proceed to the pickup point. I could go anywhere from 10 to 20 miles. I would actually like an epic 20-25 mile run where I get the kids up at 6am and canoe and swim and play all day. I still worry about the bears. I might crap my pants if I saw one, but it would be awesome. My attraction to Allegheny is the primitive element. Going down that river would be a voyage in the American wilderness. At least that is the way I like to envision it. I don’t know if any of you have any experience with it so I am asking. Goat Island sounds good. I want to take the tour like a vet and not a tourist. I want to be armed with information going in so that I can get the good stuff. I think that for a first timer the Falls would be magnificent any way you choose them, and for my kids they will be amazed. That will be cool. I love waterfalls. We go creeking locally and you can’t put a limit on the time a young boy can play in a creek, especially one with a waterfall. That don’t whine about a wii or whatever the hell it is called when they see a creek. Boys are drawn to it. Good stuff. And when is the Italian Festival in Olean? The snipeman wants to get this party started. From the pictures I see (on google) that is some wonderful country. I would like to get up there next summer and take a look around. |
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Post by dadster81 on Jan 19, 2009 6:52:30 GMT -5
Snipe
I grew up near Niagara Falls, and since my uncle worked for the State, I have been in every museum/attraction on both sides of the Falls. Like other posters have mentioned - the Cave of the Winds is numero uno - plan on getting soaked even with the poncho. Number 2 would be Maid of the Mist - something about going right into the falls is pretty awesome and a little scary (in a good way) for your sons. The Maid of the Mist runs from both the Canadian and American sides. #3 based on your kids ages would be Fort Niagara. Approx 20 minutes north of the Falls, it is the only fort that has been controlled by the British, French and Americans - sits at the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario. The type of Fort you would see in the movies, with a drawbridge, moat, fortified walls, plus ghost stories, demonstrations, great views from the blockhouses - your kids would love it.
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