Enjoying the Great Outdoors -- Rochester Style

Even Rochesterians like Maggie can't resist taking a  picture of this iconic view at Letchworth State Park.

"Strive to speak kindly, without giving offense, always with coolness and deliberation, having due regard for the views of others." These words are one of William Pryor Letchworth's 11 personal Rules of Conduct. I happened upon the Rules during my recent visit with Maggie and Charlie to Letchworth State Park. They struck a chord in today's divisive world.  But back to our adventure....

The Park, which spans 14,000+ acres over 17 miles, got its start when Letchworth contributed his Glen Iris Estate to the State of New York in 1906. Better to give his gorgeous 1,000 acre property to the government to preserve for others than to allow it to go to the power companies.

Letchworth is also known as the Grand Canyon of the East

Letchworth was an interesting character. He was socially conscious and spent time studying and advocating for the rights of the mentally ill. He was dedicated to the preservation of history as well as land and reconstructed an original Seneca Council House on his estate. The Park's museum is chockful of information about his forward-thinking life (not to mention a huge mastodon skull and a recreation of three Native American dwellings made circa 1890). Really, though, we were there for the views.

It was glorious to be outside on a sunny 68-ish degree day looking at a landscape that left no doubt I was far away from home. It was a treat to stroll the paths while taking in multiple waterfalls and canyons. My only lament was that I was a couple of weeks early for the fall foliage. There's always next time. To learn about all Letchworth State Park offers, click here. And if you're interested in what other behaviors made it into Letchworth's Rules of Conduct, click here.

We couldn't resist this photo opp, enlisting a mother with a toddler, a stroller and a child on her hip to take the shot.

A less visually dramatic -- but super fun -- outing found Maggie and me at the Birdsong Fairy Trail in Mendon Ponds Park.  I'll admit that I was a wee bit skeptical when Maggie suggested checking out the fairy houses.  It sounded a little, well, juvenile for two such mature women. But our enthusiasm rivaled (and perhaps even exceeded) that of the small children we met along the way. And our attention span was way better. 

Fairy meeting place

Mendon Ponds Park has only been home to the fairy houses since July, when they were relocated from Tinker Nature Park. The move was required because the houses had so captivated people's imaginations that the crowds and gifts to the fairies were creating a risk to the habitat. (In case you're wondering, the gifts included money, glitter, birdseed and fairy-sized Goldfish snacks. Signs along the trail now warn that "glitter is litter" and "birdseed attracts critters, not fairies.")  While presents to the fairies are still an environmental concern, the significantly larger size of Mendon Ponds Park (2,500 acres compared to Tinker's 68) makes crowds much more manageable. 

Betsy and Chris Marshall are the creators of all the fairy homes in the Park. I love the story of how they got their start. Betsy was walking with her four kids on a nature trail one day when she saw a tree root with a small hole. Her imagination instantly envisioned an entrance to a tiny fairy home. (Her teenage children saw a mother who had gone slightly off the deep end.)  

Maggie checks out neighboring fairy houses

An artist, Betsy got to work creating a door for the tiny space as soon as she returned home. Soon she had entryways to fit into multiple knots in trees along the trail. Chris happens to be a woodworker, so he soon got into the act as well. Today the Birdsong Fairy Trail boasts 40+ freestanding fairy houses and doorways. I particularly liked the tree houses. To see a few more pictures, click here.

Exploring environments so wholly different from the Florida landscape was the perfect start to my vacation. And did you catch the 68-ish temps (compared to thermometers regularly topping 95 degrees here)? While it was tempting to spend my entire trip visiting different parks, there was bridge to play and art to see and Rochester Fringe Festival experiences to enjoy (or not, as the case might be). Stay tuned for more of my Rochester adventures.