Category — Nature

Over the weekend,  The Daily Gazette included a list of Schenectady County hikes. I compared it to my list of Family-Friendly Hikes and realized that I was missing some, so I updated the page for you. At the bottom I’ve also included a couple of my favorite local nature-appreciation blogs as well, just in case you need a little inspiration.

Meanwhile, there are a couple of new businesses opening that offer physical fitness indoors where it’s a little warmer. When I was checking into the hikes, I stumbled on the TU’s Outdoor blog’s post on a new rock-climbing gym, The Edge in Halfmoon. There’s also a new gymnastics place, Cartwheels in Clifton Park, which is scheduled to open later this month.

Or maybe you’re excited about the cold, and you’re all about ice appreciation? Then I’m super-excited that the Empire State Plaza has officially re-opened the free ice skating rink. Yippee! Check out the details over at All Over Albany. Speaking of blogs sharing the free joys of winter, Nippertown‘s got the list of free concerts at Schenectady County Library. I will try to remember to add these to my listings as I go, but I’m linking up in case you want to mark your calendars for something special.

And completely off-topic, was anyone wondering how that Baby Eewok cloak-sewing went? No? Well, sorry. I’m showing you, anyway. Here’s one:

The second one, with its lovely pattern, is a little more formal (Eewok also borrowed an American Girl headband for this one). The seamstress elf who created both fashions sent little J some extra fabric scraps because she’d heard that J was crafty. J got to work immediately and put together a new blankie for Baby Eewok. It’s hard to make out in the picture, but the blanket is outer-space themed, with two stars cut from the cloak straps as well as a floral-ish planet.

J was super-excited to hear that there is an elf who loves crafting and Star Wars as much as she does.

We spent Saturday night camping at Glimmerglass State Park with folks from our church. I had never been to Glimmerglass–or Cooperstown at all, for that matter–so it was a new adventure.

I wasn’t actually psyched about it. I’m getting lazier as the summer wears on, and the prospect of packing up the car for a long ride was daunting. But we’d wimped out and skipped it last year, and I thought to myself–repeatedly–that we’d been sort of lame-o for not going. Plus the girls love to camp. So I sucked it up, bargaining that it would be fun once we got there.

And indeed it was. In fact, we didn’t even have to pack too much, because dinner was provided, so we threw the makings for s’mores, some granola and protein bars, and a few beers in the cooler and we were good to go.

We camped along the Beaver Pond Loop, which is described as “primitive camping.” What, exactly, is primitive camping? Well, this:

And, alas, these:

That’s okay. We can handle it. Other sections of the park include bathrooms and hot showers, which is pretty luxurious. For our large group, it was excellent because we were able to take over an entire area of our own. There were also two groovy warming huts which some of our friends enjoyed.

Talk about luxury camping!

These were by Beaver Pond, where there’s ice skating in the winter. For summertime, there was catch-and-release fishing. Not my cuppa, but the kids enjoyed it. Cute W decided that we absolutely must come back this winter for a tubing and skating extravaganza. I’m in.

The rest of the site was lovely, with plenty of space and the cushiest, most level grass it’s ever been my pleasure to sleep on. No, really. It was delightful.

It was a not-too-far walk over to the beach on Otsego Lake. I was too busy chitchatting in the water to take pictures, but there’s one here.  Actually, you could even bike or drive over to the lake if you were feeling super-lazy. There was plenty of space, and you’re allowed to canoe or kayak as well. There was plenty of vegetation to try to slow you down, but the arching lakeside trees made it well worth the rowing effort.

There were nature trails right from our campsite, with deer and other nature.

Orange Salamander

The group camping made life easy. After some beach swimming, we headed back to camp where our delightful leader led crafts. If you can believe it, this is the first lanyard that I’ve ever made:

There was a delightful smorgasbord, with our friend who’d shopped confessing that she’d shopped hungry, so there was a ton of food. Yummy, yummy Cedar’s Spinach Dip.  And of course, s’mores.

We even made a keen profit. The next day when I was unpacking, I found that, although we’d brought along a package of 6 Hershey Bars to contribute for s’mores, we somehow managed to come home with 11 Hershey Bars. You’ve got to love the chaos of someone trying to hide the chocolates when sugar-buzzed children are requesting thirds.

On Sunday we packed up and went to the Farmers’ Museum, which you’ll hear about later.

Oh, and while I was looking up links, I found this groovy little Camping This Weekend section, where you can type in a landmark and it will list available nearby campsites. Seemed like a perfect tool for any other procrastinating campers out there.

A reader asked on Facebook:

I would love some reviews of the pools at Saratoga State Park. Which is better? Are they typically crowded? Worth the drive from Schenectady? Appropriate for 1 year-old, 3-year-old, 8-year-old? Tips from other moms?

I’ve never gone swimming there (and won’t, of course, today)–anybody else have advice to share?

One of the many items Cute W decided that we needed to pack for our Lake Placid trip was our washers game. Washers is the perfect casual, backyard, while-you’re-having-a-barbecue game.

After playing it at a friend’s house, handy Cute W whipped up this frame–there are two of them.

Rules vary from player to player, but ours are pretty simple. One person (or team) has 3 silver washers, the other person (or team) has 3 spray-painted washers (I’ve got them piled up at the bottom of the wood). You separate the two washer boards, then take turns throwing your washers.

Each side gets points for which hole the washers land in, but points are canceled out if you get the same thing. So, for example, if player one tosses one in the grass, one in the 5 hole, and one in the 2 hole, and then player two tosses one in the 3 hole, one on the wood,  and one in the 2 hole, then their scores are 5 and 3 respectively, because the twos cancel each other out.

You win either by accumulating 21 points or by tossing a washer onto the bolt along the top (see there? between the 4 and the 3?)

Simple, but trust me: it’s an excellent game, especially for mixed age groups, because young and old can play. If you do teams, it’s a nice social activity while you’re chatting and having a beer.

There are a wide variety of variations on how to design and play a washers game, but keep in mind, when folks are enthusiastic enough to create a website devoted to washers, it indicates that they take washers pretty seriously. We prefer to sort of wing it. For us, that’s the spirit of the game.

Check out the International Association of Washer Players , Washer Game Players, or Bomb at Washers for more information, variations, and rules.

Still on vacation, and here’s another guest post, this one from Kelli. Thanks for writing and for sending along the great pictures, Kelli!

Monkey mama with baby nursing

Come on! Let's go camping!

Happy Summer, everyone!

Did you know that this Saturday is the Great American Backyard Campout? I actually wrote an article encouraging people to try a little backyard camping, and you can read it at Kids Out and About here.

Meanwhile, if you want to venture beyond your backyard, here are a few suggested campgrounds that are close (or, you know, close-ish) to the Capital District. Some of them have extra comments that I stole from a discussion from my moms’ group:

• Luzerne Campground at Fourth Lake  is wonderfully piney and cool…camping there is wonderful. The lake is small and quiet (only non-motorized boats allowed). There are horseback rides nearby.
• Thompson’s Lake is right near Thacher Nature Center. The lake is nice and has a good beach (great sand for making sand castles). They have a small play area for kids, and a canopy over picnic tables for shade. This is a busy camping spot, but it’s a good one for first-timers.
• Pine Hollow Campground in Vermont is about an hour’s drive. The kids will love the spring fed pond with a sandy beach.  There are paddle boats, shuffle board, horseshoes and fishing.
• Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown has swimming and fishing, and you’re allowed to use canoes and kayaks. Plenty of nature trails to explore.
• Lake Durant in the Adirondacks
• North-South Lake in the Catskills
• Rollins Pond near Saranac Lake

Do you and your family ever camp in the backyard? Do you have a favorite camping spot that I didn’t mention?

Gorgeous day, right?

Apparently we’ve got a string of them in store. So I thought that I’d remind you that we have a list of local hikes that you might enjoy–the link is always over there on the right for your convenience. If you have a difficult time motivating your kids to hike, or if you’d just like to try something new, check out my post on letterboxing. It is very fun.

Finally, if you’re going to be hiking anytime soon, check out Saratoga Woods and Waterways. I love this blog’s gorgeous pictures, and as everything pops out for spring, you can take a look at this blog for information and a preview of treasures that you might find.

Meanwhile, if you’d rather stick around home and be a little crafty, you can still commune with nature at the same time. First, behold this adorable centerpiece:

It’s just some wheatgrass grown from seed in a cute little bucket. It was from the nursery school auction that we attended over a week ago, and it’s still going strong. So that’s a fun little project.

If you’re pondering a garden, check out last year’s post on gardening with kids and start thinking about what crops you’d like to raise. Any favorite crops you’d suggest to other readers? I love me some informative comments!

Finally, another fun little crafting idea that I’ve just discovered is colored sand. Now’s the time of year that you might be heading to the home improvement store to buy yourself some fresh sand for your sandbox. You might want to save a little for crafty projects. Coloring sand is crazy-easy. Just pour some in a baggie, add a few drops of food coloring, seal the bag and mush the sand around in your fingers until the color is evenly distributed. Kids will love the mushing around to make different colors, and then they can make sand pictures by sprinkling over glue, or use a funnel to pour different layers of color into a small container–a used spice jar works particularly well. Of course,  you might just set aside a bag of sand and keep it for a rainy day, since the weather forecast is looking great for now.

We grew this pumpkin.

Once again I start out with a post expecting that I’ll be able to find two or three things to do, and next thing I know there’s a huge list of activities.  Yay, Capital District!  The nice thing, too, is that there’s a variety:  stuff for your teenager or your preschooler and everybody in between.

Now, I haven’t done this stuff.  I’m sure that some of these places are absolutely much better than others.  So if you’ve gone someplace already, or if you end up going later this month, or you know of another great place, would you please share your priceless knowledge with the rest of us in the comments?  I promise that I won’t put your email address on Carl Paladino’s distribution list or anything!

Of course, it’s a little discouraging to gather up all of these great outdoor activities on an afternoon when it’s so unbelievably wet and dismal, but next weekend is supposed to be lovely, right?  So here’s what I found:

Double M in Malta does Haunted Hayrides.  You must reserve ahead, and the rides are $20/person, children 4 and under free.  But judging from the website, I don’t think that you want to take little kids.  Frankly, you don’t even want to click on the link if you have children who are easily frightened.  Instead, click this nice little link instead, which tells you about their daytime, little-kid-friendly hay ride, corn maze, and petting zoo.  These activities are $9/person, kids 2 and under free.

Ellm’s Family Farm in Ballston Spa has Halloween Hayrides at 6:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays in October.  A very helpful reader sent this report:

I took my two and three year old daughters there and it was substantially more fun than we anticipated.  $8.50 per person gets you a 40 minute hay ride that is perfect for little ones (not scary, less fun I guess for older kids), and the opportunity to jump on their huge  ”jumping pillow” trampoline outside (tons of fun).  Mid way through the hay ride, they stop for cider and donuts that are included in the fee.

They ask you to reserve (you can do it online) and it’s $8.50/person, under 2 free.  They also have  pumpkin picking and other activities.  Along with a big corn maze, they also have smaller ones that are actually labyrinths (which means there’s only one way to go, so you can’t get lost) designed for families to enjoy with their little kids.  Now that’s a good idea.

Engelke Farm in Troy has a Corn Maze for $5/person, Haunted Hayrides on Friday and Saturday nights for $15/person (but there’s an online coupon to save you $2.50).  There’s a pumpkin patch, and you can either take a free hayride there or take a zipline to it for $10.

Goold Orchards is having a Pet Parade at 3 pm on Saturday, October 16th (yep, I didn’t catch it earlier), and they have a Haunted House on weekend afternoons.

Hasbrouck’s Indian House Farm in Princetown  has a Field of Screams corn maze at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday night.  $7/person includes the maze and cider & donuts, and proceeds go to Albany Med Children’s Hospital.

Liberty Ridge Farm has a Harvest Haunt on Friday and Saturday nights in October at 7 pm.  It’s recommended for ages 10 and up, and it’s $15/person.  You can also reserve a cottage or campfire site if you want to turn the outing into a group party.  I know people who’ve visited the farm in early autumn who thought it was a wonderful destination.

The Pick a Pumpkin Pumpkin Patch in Schoharie County 35 miles southwest of Albany has pumpkins, free hayrides, farm animals to pet, and many more activities.  They’re closed on Sundays.

Schauber Stables in Ballston Lake is offering Haunted Hay Rides on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday nights in October.  It’s $8/person.  For the little kids, they do a child-friendly version of the hayrides on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  $5/kids 12 and under, $8/adults.  Along with the hayrides, you can also pay for pony rides and do other activities.

Schuyler Farms near Schuylerville has a Corn Maze (haunted at night), and admission is $7/person, kids under 4 free.  There are also free hayrides to the pumpkin patch.

Sunnyside Gardens in Saratoga Springs has pumpkins to pick, hayrides, train rides, and a butterfly house among other activities.

Tammy’s Candy Kettle in Hoosick Falls has a corn maize, pick your own pumpkins, and other activities (it sounds like you might need to pay for these separately).  The maze is $9/12 and up, $7/ages 4-11, 3 and under free.  Update:  Tammy herself added more detailed information in the comments below.

I know, I know, picking’s been going on for weeks already.  In my defense, I ran into a guy at the farmers’ market last week who claims that he refuses to eat an apple until the last of the tomatoes are gone.  Well, yeah, that’s just silly.  I’m completely willing to allow overlapping produce.

Just like when I was looking into berries earlier, the Pick Your Own site was quite helpful.  I’m only listing places that indicate that they’re U-Pick places, because I’ve already told you about the various farmers’ markets in the area.

I’ve been to a few different orchards, so I’ll tell you what I know if I’ve visited.  But they do tend to change things up a bit each season, so if there’s something that’s extraordinarily important to you, it’s a good idea to call and double check.  Same thing with prices:  I didn’t want to misquote anyone, and it can be confusing occasionally, like when they charge a fee to pick or have you pay by say, the pound vs. the bushel.  If a reader is motivated, organized, and mathematically gifted enough to figure out the single cheapest excursion, I do hope that that person will spread the love by sharing the information with us.  You will be repaid in karma.

Random pick-your-own orchard tips:

• Layer clothes for optimal comfort
• Bring along extra sacks or baskets because kids always like to carry your own, and you might want to keep track of the different apple varieties for future reference
• As long as you’re there, maybe grab a pumpkin?  I know that you might not be ready for Halloween yet, but if you wait until you are ready, the patch might be rather sparse
• If you’re heading someplace in Saratoga County, many of the orchards have reviews on the Pick Your Own site.

M on hay stacks at Bowman, the playground behind her includes an ancient fire truck

Anyway, I’ve got a list here.

Altamont Orchards in Altamont–they also do U-Pick tomatoes.

Bowman Orchards in Rexford is a busy orchard, and we’ve been there several times over the years.  Cars drive pretty close to the trees, and it can feel a bit like a traffic jam on the weekends.  Of course, it’s handy if you’ve got someone with mobility issues, but it can cut into the whole back-to-nature atmosphere.  Bowman’s also got a fun playground–when I’ve been there in the past, it’s been free during the week and pay-to-play on the weekends. They’ve also got sheltered picnic tables nearby, and there are donuts and ice cream.

J & I along a roadway at Bowman

Buhrmaster Family Farm in Scotia is listed as a U-pick Apple place, but I couldn’t find much information on it.

De Voe’s Rainbow Orchard in Halfmoon is listed as a U-pick Apple place, but I couldn’t find much information on it.

J bonds with goats at Bowman

Fo’Castle Farm in Burnt Hills is also listed as a U-pick Apple place, but their website seems pretty eat-and-shop focused.

Goold Orchards in Castleton

Hicks Orchard in Middle Granville is a drive (they say 40 minutes from Albany), but it sounds like fun, with a variety of activities including making your own scarecrow. . . anyone ever gone?

Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont is a huge and busy place.  They’ve got a sit-down restaurant and very cute gift shop (it also carries Just Tomatoes, which I love),as well as a super-fun playground with old tractors and other equipment.  They’ve got places to picnic outside, as well as animals to see and nature trails to wander.  One of my guest bloggers also chose Indian Ladder as one of her favorite outings in the Capital District.

J enjoys tractor at Indian Ladder

Lindsey’s Idyllwood Orchard in Rexford is listed as a U-pick Apple place, but I couldn’t find much information on it.  Update:  see comment from reader below.

Riverview Orchards in Clifton Park feels smaller than the other orchards I’ve visited, but in a good way.  There are pumpkins, animals, and a very modest kid-sized hay maze.  You park next to the main building and then have to cross a busy road to the orchard, but once there, it’s a pleasant hay ride to get to the apples.  Their gift shop is small but interesting, with bees to look at as well as unusual items like bug candies.  Plus you can watch the donuts being made.   Apple alert:  see the comment below!

J and friends enjoy hayride at Riverview

Saratoga Apple in Schuylerville is a popular destination, although it looks like they charge $5 or $6 per person to pick your own?  Is there something that makes this particularly worth it?

So, that’s what I found. . . anyone have opinions on these to share, or additions for the list?

Do you ever experience a bad version of something, and it causes you to crave The Real Thing?  This happens to me frequently.  Say, I’ll eat a brownie at a party, and halfway into it I’ll realize that it’s a sub-par brownie, and within a week I am mixing up a batch at home.  M recently requested burgers because she’d eaten a “yucky” one at a birthday party.

It goes beyond food.  As I mentioned yesterday, I felt pretty caged in at High Falls Gorge.  So within a week of our return home, we were taking a hike at Plotter Kill Preserve in Rotterdam.

Kids Love a Bridge

The waterfalls are, of course, more spectacular in the spring, but it still gave us plenty of opportunities to wade and hop from stone to stone.  In fact, the preserve’s a great “starter” hike for kids.  There’s plenty of interest, with stairways and bridges–what is it about a bridge on a nature walk?  It seems like every time I’m hiking with kids, they always shriek and run toward a bridge when it’s spotted.

The bridge pictured here is close to the entrance on the red trail–probably not even a five-minute walk into the preserve.  To increase the adventure quotient, we kept finding little, quick-moving frogs hiding among the rocks and water.  Later, closer to the big falls, we were able to climb down toward the water’s surface, where there were little cave-like areas in the stone that the girls enjoyed, too.  It certainly satisfied our craving to immerse ourselves in some wet nature after the hamster cages!