Letterbox Planting at Great Bear Springs

Richard Drosse, member of the Oswego County Environmental Management Council and coordinator for Friends of Great Bear, contacted me after reading my previous letterboxing blog. He asked me to help him place a letterbox at Great Bear Springs in Fulton. Great Bear is a trail system in Oswego County made up of over 450 acres along the east side of the Oswego River; owned in part by the City of Fulton and the Town of Volney. (To learn more about Great Bear and see some gorgeous photos, read Kelly’s blog here)



I was honored and excited to help hide a letterbox! I met up with Richard and his wife, Naneen, early last week. It was a misty fall day but the trails were gorgeous nonetheless; blanketed with bright yellow and orange leaves.



You can get the clues on the national letterboxing website, http://www.letterboxing.org/, or you can get them directly from this post:



Great Bear Springs Information
Great Bear Springs is a NON-MOTORIZED multi-use recreational area located aprox. 3.6 miles south of Fulton, NY on the west side of Rt. 57 and the intersection of Hawthorn Rd. Great Bear features a network of nature trails connecting with the old Oswego River Canal Towpath. Great Bear Springs is comprised of over 450 acres.



A map of Great Bear is necessary to follow the clues. Information and a printable map can be found on the Great Bear pages located here: Great Bear Map . To contact, e-mail info@friendsofgreatbear.org



The Legend of Great Bear
According to Native American Legend, a young brave, some say the father of Hiawatha, was attacked here by a large bear. Whether the brave was attacked while drinking from the springs or drank from the springs in thirst from his exhausting struggle, upon vanquishing the bear, the brave named the springs “Mishemokwa”, meaning great bear, in honor of his victory. The springs have been called “Great Bear” ever since.



Facts and History of Great Bear Springs
Great Bear Springs has been a source of spring water for over 150 years and became the primary source of water for the City of Fulton in the 1970’s. As early as 1885, several companies derived water from the Great Bear Springs for commercial purposes. Fulton Water Works Company (1885), Great Bear spring company (1888) bottled water from the springs for distribution throughout the northeast and Pure Water Supply Company (1890) distributed bottle water in Syracuse. Several ruins of former wells and pump houses can be seen in the southwest quadrant of the property. The name Great Bear brand still exists today, owned by Nestle, but the water is not drawn from Great Bear Springs property.



The property also contains the historical Hinmansville Lock #2 and old towpath that was part of the original Oswego River Canal.



Besides producing spring water, Great Bear was a working farm with orchards. In 1930 the Civilian Conservation Corps planted red pine acreages. After the farm was sold, in the late 1970’s, Boy Scouts and civil service work crews made trails, built lean-tos, and bridges, which were not kept up and went into ruin. Friends of Great Bear is a group formed in 2007, at the invitation of the Town of Volney and the City of Fulton to help maintain their recreational properties. Friends has also joined with the NYS Canal Corporation’s Adopt A Trail Organization and has partnered with an adjacent landowner acting as land stewards for the combined Great Bear Springs properties. Since 2007, Friends has cleared and marked over 6 miles of trails and built 11 new bridges.



CLUES

1. Make no mistake, Yellow is the one to take.
2. Leave the quarry to your right, then quick up hill and down with all your might.
3. Over the bridge, up we go, make sure you pass blue, don’t you go.
4. Continue on through Red Pine wood, this is where it does get good.
5. You’re on track when you pass the rubble. Not much further, it’s no trouble.
6. Rocks will pass under your shoes. Stop, you’ve crossed over, final clues.
7. Try about 10 paces west, three sisters and big brother, stand tall, at their best.
8. Turn your back to them and look below. Stones lay about, above the stream that may flow.
9. The treasure is there, find it now, but go with care.
10. If you come to Orange, no, no, no. Turn around and back you go.
    
    

If you search for this letterbox, please leave a comment and let me know!

The entrance to Great Bear has a fence in front of it. Don't let that discourage you. You can still get in through the walking entrance!

Naneen and Richard following the yellow trail to go plant the letterbox.


A beautiful day to hike!

Crossing over one of the many wooden bridges at Great Bear

When you're done finding the letterbox, take a different color trail back and you may stumble upon the historical Hinmansville Lock #2 and old towpath on the Oswego River Canal.

Naneen and Richard - the letterbox planters!

A misty fall day on the Oswego River.

The trails are stunning in the fall!

A Pirate’s Life for Me

I always wanted to be a pirate – well, the fake kind that you see in movies and cartoons. They dress way cooler than real pirates and they seem to have a lot more fun, except when they get chased by crocodiles (tick - tock).


When my dreams of becoming a pirate and sailing away with Johnny Depp dwindled, I found a new hobby to fill the pirate void…


Letterboxing!


Hi my name is Jessie and I’m addicted to letterboxing. I blame my addiction on my coworker Kelly. She introduced me to it while she was learning about geocaching, which is similar but requires a GPS. You can learn more about geocaching in Kelly’s blog.


Letterboxing is a fantastic outdoor adventure that is a mixture of hiking and going on a treasure hunt. You get the clues online at http://www.letterboxing.org/ and follow them to find the letterbox. The clues usually tell you where to start, then they tell you to walk a certain number of paces, turn to a certain degree, look for a specific tree, walk up a hill, walk down a hill, look under a rock and take crazy pictures (the last one is just what I do and is not a requirement when letterboxing).


Letterboxes are typically Tupperware containers filled with a log book, pen, rubber stamp and ink pad. You also must carry your own log book, stamp and ink pad. When you find the box, you stamp the provided log book with your personalized stamp and sign your “letterbox” name (a name you create for all of your letterboxing adventures). This is where you can come up with something super cool like “Twilight Lover” or “Harry Potter Fan”. Ok maybe those aren’t super cool but it’s all I could come up with for examples. Don’t judge me.


You can also add the date and where you are from, and maybe a comment or two about the hunt. Then you use the provided stamp and stamp your own log book so you have a record of all the boxes you’ve found.


I have done it a few times now and I’m never turning back! I’ve found letterboxes in Parish, Mexico Point, Derby Hill and the Salmon River Falls. There are many more hidden in Oswego County and I intend to find them all and eventually hide my own!


The kids love it too. If you’re nice, you’ll share and let them find the letterboxes. If you’re me, when the kids get sidetracked and chase frogs around the forest (this happens… trust me), you can use that opportunity to accidentally “stumble” upon the letterbox yourself.


The only thing you ever have to pay for when you letterbox is the log book, stamp, ink pad, and the fast food you inhale beforehand, because you’ve convinced yourself you’ll burn it all off when you walk to find the letterbox.


If I haven’t sold you on letterboxing yet, just check out my photos below!

This is Hunter, my 11-year-old letterboxing partner, finding the second box on our clue sheet. (We couldn't find the first one because someone had probably taken it - or due to our inability to follow directions. This happens from time to time, but don't let it discourage you because there are always more to find!)

Letterbox #3!

My trusty sidekick Gidget waits with bated breath to see what the third stamp looks like!

We finished the adventure in Parish and headed to Mexico Point to find the Spy Island letterbox. Hunter stopped and asked for directions.

We finally found this tricky letterbox, and then found time to pose for pictures.

When you letterbox, you discover beautiful locations, such as this beach at Mexico Point. This sunset was so unique with the bright stripe across the sky.

Letterboxing day 2 at Derby Hill Bird Observatory! Ashleigh brought her friend Lexi to join us.

Ashleigh found the first "micro" box. When someone hides more than one box at a location, they will often hide smaller boxes that only have a stamp in it. This person got creative and made their box camoflauge!

Lexi and Hunter stamp their log books.

Hiking over the wooden bridge at Derby Hill to find the next letterbox.

Lifting this big rock proved to be quite a challenge for our two young sleuths.

My huge muscles were needed for assistance.

They were SO close to finding the next box but the frogs nearby quickly distracted them (perhaps a ploy created by the hiders of the letterbox... we'll never know). I took it upon myself to finish the hunt. Adults 2, Kids 0.

Hunter found letterbox #3!

This letterbox had a log book in it. Ashleigh thought it would be fun to read EVERY SINGLE page. Although I admit, it was neat to see people were from as far away as Texas and Georgia, it still took a LONG time to read every single page, so long that...

...Hunter and Lexi had time to take a nap.

We had one letterbox to go and Lexi was the only one who hadn't found one yet. Would she find the last one? Or would Hunter beat her to it?

Lexi found it! A successful adventure for all of us!

Our most recent letterboxing trip was at the Salmon River Falls. It was the perfect fall day!

The clues led us along the path to the falls for some great photo opportunities.

Hunter led the way, determined to be the first one to the box.

And she was!

My friend Mel joined us for this trip. She was just as excited as we were!

Hunter stamping her log book.

"Cowgirl10" and "Top Model" (and Gidget too!)

We couldn't leave without one great photo in front of the falls!

Project Healing Waters Comes to the Salmon River

SSG Shaun Outwater holds a 17-lb. king salmon he caught during the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing weekend on the Salmon River. Guide Norm Normandin stands behind him. Outwater released the salmon. (Photo by fellow blogger Spider Rybaak.)

Something very special took place on September 19 and 20 on the Salmon River. Something involving the beauty of a river, the excitement and thrill of fighting a trout or salmon, and the peacefulness and joy it brings to a wounded veteran. 15 wounded soldiers and veterans lined up the Salmon River all thanks to an amazing non-profit organization called Project Healing Waters.



Project Healing Waters is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings.



It was a beautiful mid-September weekend and for the second year in a row, the Salmon River Fish Hatchery donated the use of their private access on the Salmon River. Last year the group came in early October, so they were catching Salmon, while this year the run was mostly browns.



I was fortunate enough to attend this event both years. I arrived taking photos for Fred Kuepper, PHW Oswego County and Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator, but I left with a knowledge that something special happened in each veteran’s life. Each veteran or wounded soldier was paired up with guide to show them how to cast and fight the fish. Not one vet was lacking a guide because so many generously volunteered their time. The community also stepped up and donated supplies and food for the entire weekend. For exact details on the event, read the official news release here.



I could go on and on about the impact of such an amazing program, about the friendships that are made and about the good time that is had, but instead I will leave you with some photos that tell the story of Project Healing Waters on the Salmon River.

Honey Bees are Smarter than a Fifth Grader

I know I know… this blog post is slightly overdue. I promise I have an excuse; we have been super busy with the Oswego County Fair and the Oswego County Pro-Am Tournament. Despite hurricane conditions, the Pro-Am Tournament was still a success and I hope to post photos of the tournament soon on the county website! If you want to see some big fish (the kind I never seem to catch) then make sure you check out the photo gallery!

Hopefully that excuse met your standards and you will find it in your heart to forgive me. Now onto my next adventure!

I learned how to make honey!!

Now now, before you judge, I’ll have you know making honey IS indeed an adventure. Especially when I risked my precious life around swarms of killer bees! Well maybe not killer, but scary nonetheless. I blame my fear on a bad experience I had as a child. One day I was minding my own business when a bee stung me RIGHT below my eye, causing my entire eye to swell up and close shut. I remember walking around Wegman’s with my grandma and getting these stares like I had a huge growth protruding out of my face – and then I remembered I did. Luckily this time I was allowed to wear a bee protector suit - which I must say was very flattering on me. I think I’ll go buy one to wear on a night out.

Dick Drosse, member of the Oswego County Environmental Management Council, suggested the blog idea. I figured I would get some free honey out of the deal - which I did :) - so I quickly obliged! He called Alan Dixon from Snow Valley Honey Farms in Hannibal, NY, and set a tour up for us. If you’re interested in a tour, you can contact Alan at 315-593-2949. He would be glad to show you around!

Similar to the Maple Syrup blog I wrote, I will post photos and descriptions rather than bore you with long paragraphs. If you don’t know how honey is made then prepare to be amazed… and hungry! If you decide you want to try some of Snow Valley’s tasty honey, you can purchase it locally at Ontario Orchards, Bowen’s Corners General Store or straight from the source at Alan’s house at 116 Guernsey Rd, Hannibal.

You can also pick up some local honey at Hives of Howard, another local Honey Farm located on 52 Singleton Street in Oswego. Call Jim Howard at 315-591-4234. You can purchase honey at any of our county’s great farmers’ markets, which are listed below the photos.

This was the first stop on our tour. Alan Dixon, owner of Snow Valley Honey Farm, showed us where it all goes down!

Here is a view of what the room looks like with all of the equipment in it.

These are called honey supers. They are in the hives and it's where the bees put the honey. When the honey is ready, meaning the moisture content is down to 18.5%, the bees will cap it over with wax using their 4 wax glands. You'll learn more about the actual bee process a little later.



If you don't trust the bees and their measurement of moisture content, you can check with a refractometer.



In order to get the honey, you have to remove the wax. This machine is a chain flail uncapper. The chains flick the wax cappings off. Alan melts the wax down and sells it to locals who make soap, candles, etc.

Alan pulls the supers out of the uncapper...

... and sets them in this bin to let the rest of the wax drip off.

This machine is an extractor - where he places the uncapped supers and spins the honey out with centrifugal force. He does this for 15-20 minutes using different speeds. He starts slow to avoid getting air in the honey.

A close-up of the extractor.

As the honey is being spun out, it flows from a tube into another tub which heats the honey.

A close-up of the honey flowing through the tube.



There are dividers which catch more of the stubborn wax that made it past the uncapper and the extractor.

Next the heated honey goes through another tube into a final container.

This time the honey passes through a strainer, hopefully getting rid of the rest of the wax.

A close-up of the delicious ready-to-eat honey! That's a big tub of calories!

Here is Alan, filling up two containers of fresh honey for us!

Posing with our honey! (I have to find a way to be in front of the camera somehow!)

The next part of our tour was learning how go remove the supers from the hives without getting attacked by the bees. There are two options. The first is by using a blower, pictured above.

Alan chose to use the second option, which was to smoke them out. This is a little tool he uses to do just that.

He fills it with pine needles, corn cobs, dried sumac, and grass - which cools the smoke. This mixture burns slow and cool so it doesn't hurt the bees.

He gave us a demonstration before we went back to the hives.

It was finally time to go see the bees! Picture above are some of the hives in Alan's backyard.

There was NO WAY I would be going near those things without full protection!

Alan is a brave man and Dick was a smart man - He stayed behind with the camera.

Alan explained the following: There are three different types of bees: queen bee, worker bee, and drone. The Queen stays on the bottom supers and lays eggs in the cells of the honeycomb (there is only one queen in every hive). The worker bees are females; they are responsible for getting the pollen for food and the nectar to make honey. They also do all of the work removing the moisture and scouting out new places for pollen. Alan predicts he has about 60,000 worker bees per hive. The drones are the male bees whose specific task is to mate with the queen to expand the brood.

A close-up of the bees (my camera has a great zoom... I definitely did not go this close!)

The closed cells are drone eggs, the only kind of eggs worker bees can reproduce.

I risked my life for this photo.

If you look closely you'll see some bees fanning their wings right in front of the opening of the hive. The worker bees do this to create air flow to evaporate the moisture in the honey. You can also watch worker bees coming in with pollen, and bees leaving to get more pollen and scout for new places. Alan said scout bees will come back to the hive and do a dance which shows the other bees where the pollen is. (I wonder if they do the electric slide or the macarena?) Another neat thing is when new bees are hatched, they come outside of the hive and just flutter in front of it for a while. This gets them used to their hive so when they go out to work they can find their way back.



Finally Alan took us out to watch the worker bees in action. All of his bees get the nectar from local wild flowers - specifically clover, alfalfa, locust trees, etc... The prime time for bees to get the nectar to make the honey is from mid-July to mid-august and then again from September to October.

Alan showing us his bee chart.

As a treat for my coworkers I bought some bread to put the fresh honey on! It was fantastic!

Local Farmers' Markets:

Brewerton Farmers’ Market: Fort Brewerton, Thursdays, July 2 through September 3, 6 p.m.


Central Square Farmers’ Market: Goettel Community Park, Wednesdays, May through September, 3 p.m.


Fulton Farmers’ Market: Canal Landing parking lot on South Second Street, Saturdays, May 30 through October 24, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.


Mexico Farmers’ Market: Main Street, Mondays, June through October, 4 to 7 p.m.

Oswego Farmers’ Market: West First Street, Thursdays, May 28 through October 8, 5 to 9 p.m.


Parish Farmers’ Market: Corner of Routes 69 and 69A, Saturdays, June 6 through August 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.


Pulaski Farmers’ Market with Music in the Park: South Park, Fridays, June through September, 3 to 7 p.m. Music in the Park, 5 to 7 p.m.


Volney Farmers’ Market: Parking area of the Highway Department, Tuesdays, June through October, 5 to 8 p.m.

All Aboard the Lucky Dutchman

The crew on the the Lucky Dutchman, L-R: Mary Ellen Barbeau, Captain Bill VanWormer, Me and Alycia Trump.

About a month ago I was approached by Charter Boat Captain, Bill VanWormer of Lucky Dutchman Charters, to see if I would like to go on a Charter Fishing Trip on Lake Ontario. HECK YES I said, trying to hide my excitement - which became easy to do once he mentioned we had to leave the Oswego Harbor at 6 a.m. Does he not realize that I have to take pictures of myself doing these activities and they are posted on the internet for everyone to see? 6 a.m. just does not agree with me especially when cameras are involved. But I sucked it up and agreed to the adventure.

I brought along my sister, who you may remember as the “pro fisherwoman” who actually doesn’t do much fishing. I figured this would be another good chance for me to shed light on her lack of fishing ability. I also brought along my co-worker Mel who, when it comes to fishing, is the silent but deadly type.

Out of the three of us, guess who caught fish:

Alycia…

Mel…

NOT ME.

I guess I filled my one-fish-per-year quota.

I’ll give you a brief summary of how the day went. It was about 6:45am and we were heading out on the lake to catch some lake browns. We waited a couple of minutes and bam… our first bite! I jumped up and fought the sucker for about two minutes until I realized it was getting pretty easy. Either I gained 10lbs of muscle in my arms or the little guy got away (the latter of the two). No big deal, it was early, I still had a full day ahead of me and I was sure I’d be reeling them in.

Next bite: My co-fisherwomen were nice enough to let me go again. I fought this next fish for a good five minutes when I finally got him to the boat. I could see him struggling and my confidence grew! Confidence killed the cat (or was it curiosity). The fish was just about in the net when he broke free!! (Insert 4 letter word here).

I decided it was time to give the other girls a chance. It was still early and even if they both caught fish I would definitely have time to catch some.

Alycia went first. She fought a couple… and they got away (ok, so it wasn’t just me… that made me feel a little better).

Another bite and Mel stepped up to the plate, fighting hard to keep that fish on the line. She was determined to make us all look bad! She did, because she caught the first fish of the day… finally! It was a little lake steelie! I could tell our luck was about to change!

It was my turn again. I could feel the success creeping through my bones. I tried again… and failed.

Alycia fought the next fish after me… and landed one! An Atlantic Salmon - what a catch!

According to Fran Verdoliva of the NYS DEC, "that was a special fish out of Lake Ontario as they were the native salmon of the lake. This year there has been a substantial increase in the catch of Atlantic salmon in the lake and we have already seen a few in the river."

After her exciting catch, it was my turn once again with little over an hour left. I was no longer going to share. These next bites were mine!

Since you already know how the story ends I won’t bore you with the details. I didn’t land a fish - although I did fight quite a few. It just wasn’t my day to get lucky on the “Lucky Dutchman”. My sister and Mel stole the spotlight.

I can’t stress enough how much fun charter fishing is, even when you don’t catch anything (which I have proved time and time again). Just getting an awesome boat ride on beautiful Lake Ontario makes it all worth it. Throw in hanging out with friends and the adrenaline of fighting fish and you’ve got yourself a pretty good day!

If you’re interested in charter fishing on the gorgeous Lake Ontario, then you’ve come to the right place! We have a huge list of Charter Captains! Just click here to check it out! If you still can’t find what you’re looking for then give our office a call at 315-349-8322 or send me an e-mail at jtrump@oswegocounty.com.

And special thanks to Captain Bill for an awesome adventure! Read his blog post about our day here.

Bill standing on his boat, the Lucky Dutchman II.

He let me drive! Probably a big mistake. Luckily there isn't much to crash into on the water!


One of the many times I fought a fish and didn't catch it.


Alycia's turn to fight one.


Trying to come up with a strategy for catching the next fish. I couldn't come up with anything, but I did catch a sunburn.

Sisters :)

Mel & Alycia enjoying the boat ride.

Capt. Bill setting up the equipment.

My turn again.

My guess is that it was only about 10am here... and my sister was already inhaling her lunch. She probably won't be too happy with me when she realizes I posted this photo.

Mel's first and succesful fight!

Alycia waiting with the net

The first catch of the day!

Posing for the camera. Girl's are great at paying attention when they fish.

Her Atlantic Salmon!!!

Capt. Bill & Alycia showing off her special catch!

Mel taking a picture of the Oswego Lighthouse. A great scenic attraction in the Oswego Harbor.

Below are some photos of other fishing trips Capt. Bill has taken people on - enjoy!

Hunting Season is Open… for Ghosts!

Laurie and her husband Dave posed at the Fort and captured this friendly apparition!

Some people hunt for deer, some people hunt for turkey, and some people hunt for… ghosts! This is the case with my co-worker Laurie, who attended a ghost hunting event at Fort Ontario, in Oswego. Since I have never gone hunting for ghosts, I decided to interview the new ghost hunter to gain a little insight on the sport.

Beginning their tour of Fort Ontario.

Me: As a beginner, where is a good place to start ghost hunting?
Laurie: Older buildings and historic sites, such as the Fort Ontario State Historic Site.

Me: What is the best time of day to hunt for ghosts?
Laurie: Usually after dark.

Me: What kinds of weapons and ammunition do you use for hunting ghosts?
Laurie: Some things to use for hunting ghosts are: K-II meters (electromagnetic field sensors), digital recording devices for sound, cameras or video cameras and witching rods.

Me: Do you need a license to ghost hunt?
Laurie: Only if you’re a ghost buster. Other than that anyone can hunt for ghosts without a license.

Me: Are there any calls, grunts or hunting tactics used for hunting ghosts?
Laurie: You can call out to the ghosts if you know their names.

• For example: We were at Fort Ontario ghost hunting and we knew the name of the Captain’s wife who haunts the Officers’ Quarters. We spoke to her and told her how lovely her home was. Immediately we felt the presence of extreme cold air. Another tactic is just being very quiet and listening. We heard a baby crying in the same room where the psychic felt the presence of sick children from the late 1890’s.
  

Me: What is the proper attire for ghost hunting?
Laurie: You can wear anything you’d like, as long as you wear quiet shoes. The other important thing to do while ghost hunting is avoid anything with scents such as perfume or hair spray. The ghosts use scents to communicate.

• For example, in the Officers’ Quarters of Fort Ontario, you can frequently smell lilacs when no lilacs or lilac scented things are present. Lilacs were the captain’s wife’s favorite flower.
  

Me: What are the typical species of ghosts found in Oswego County that you are allowed to hunt for?
Laurie: You can hunt for any specie of ghost you want. You can typically find soldiers from different war periods, their families, victims of epidemics of the past and victims of unusual deaths.

Me: Can you get a ghost mounted or stuffed once you get it?
Laurie: You can not “catch” a ghost so therefore you can not get one stuffed or mounted. When you hunt for a ghost you simply find evidence that the ghost exists. If you get lucky you can capture a picture of a ghost and frame it and hang it on your wall, next to your deer mounts.

Me: Are there any DEC regulations on ghost hunting?
Laurie: No. You can hunt for ghosts year round at any time of day you like. It’s always ghost season!

*Check out pictures from Laurie's hunting trip at the end of this blog!

If you’re interested in ghost hunting on your own, check out the list below. With the help of Oswego City Historian Rosemary Nesbitt, various websites and books by David J. Pitkin, I have compiled a list of some well-known ghost haunts.

Fort Ontario: There are many stories of different ghosts haunting the fort such as the Lt. Basil Dunbar, who was killed in a duel in 1755. There is also the story of Pvt. George Fykes, who will haunt anyone you ask him to if you perform a ritual above his marked gravestone. Of course there are the stories of wives of soldiers who still housekeep in the quarters, and children who died in an epidemic who can still be heard crying throughout the fort.

The main sally port of Fort Ontario

Oswego Harbor Lighthouse: Lights can be seen at the Lighthouse at night – supposedly caused by the ghosts of several seamen who lost their lives during a crew change in 1942. Click here for more information.

Selkirk Lighthouse: Many employees and visitors of this Port Ontario lighthouse claim to have had ghostly experiences such as footsteps on the stairs when nobody is around. Some say the ghost is that of a woman who spent years looking for her father’s ship which never returned, others say it’s a young girl who fell down to the stairs to her death. Regardless of who the ghost is, many believe that something is haunting the lighthouse. Click here for more information.

Battle Island Inn Bed & Breakfast: The owner of this historical B&B across from Battle Island tells many stories involving her ghostly tenants; stories of voices, footsteps, things being moved around, alarm clocks going off by themselves in rooms where no one has stayed for days, and tombstones on her property line. David J. Pitkin writes about it in his book, “New York State Ghosts.”


Happy Valley in Parish: Happy Valley is a Wildlife Management Area now, but long ago it was a farming settlement between Parish and Williamstown. Rumor has it, a plague wiped out the entire town, leaving only a cemetery and a schoolhouse as evidence of the town’s existence. Many people claim the entire area is haunted by the old town’s unfortunate residents. People have claimed to see orbs, faces and other frightening things at night. Other rumors suggest cult activities have taken place. Click here and here for more information.

One entrance to Happy Valley

Seneca Hill Ghost: Drive down Route 57 in Minetto, just outside of Fulton, on a night around the 5th or 6th of November and you might see a woman dressed in an old fashioned white gown, with or without a child in tow – running frantically down the road. Many residents have claimed to see this apparition. If it sounds like a typical “back roads” story to you, wait until you hear about the history. Historian Rosemary Nesbitt says that in 1844 a cult called the Millerites inhabited the Seneca Hill area. When they thought the world was going to end on October 22, 1844, a woman locked herself along with her child in her barn. When the world continued she was distraught so she plunged to her death out the barn window. The state police even have records of numerous calls made about a woman running down Rte. 57 at night, wearing an old-fashioned white gown. Click here for more information.

“Glass Coffin” House: The Tonkin House, as it was called, is a brick house in Oswego. It is the setting for the infamous Oswego legend about young Virginia Tonkin. When she died of Scarlet Fever in the early 1900s, her mother refused to let her go. She placed her in a glass coffin in the big window in her library from November until springtime. She was giving her deceased daughter a chance to see her friends walk to school everyday. Legend has it you can still see the little girl looking out the window. Her grave is in Riverside Cemetery off old Rte. 57. You can visit the Tonkin stone tomb, which has a window on the backside. UPDATE: Check out this awesome site with a lot more details regarding this story!

The Gray Road Ghost in Minetto: I don’t know much about this ghost story, but a Syracuse.com writer mentions it in his blog.

The following haunted places are taken from this website: http://theshadowlands.net/places/newyork.htm

• Fulton Junior High School
• Granby Center
• Hannibal Graveyard
• 19th century mansion used for off-campus housing for SUNY Oswego – no address given, just description
• SUNY Oswego College Theater
• Oswego Players Theater
• Railroad tracks between the Fort and Lake Ontario
• Riverside Cemetery
• Rte. 104 & Klocks Corners Intersection in Scriba

Photos from ghost hunting at Fort Ontario:

Two Fort Soldiers lead everyone into the Barracks, while telling the story of a murder that took place on that floor many years ago.


The group, waiting to go into the next building


The bedroom of the Officers' Quaters


Another view of the bedroom

A Fort soldier tells more haunted tales while the group waits to enter the ramparts.

A view of a building overlooking Lake Ontario.

Another apparition appears in this photo taken in the casemate, which was used as a morgue during a flu epidemic in the early 1900s.

Yet another apparition appears flying up a stairwell

Dave trying out the witching rods, which crossed when he entered the empty parlor, suggesting a ghostly presence

The stairwell to the third floor, where the psychic John Michael felt the presence of sick children from the late 1890's. This is where Laurie and two other's heard a baby cry.

A young Fort soldier leads the group to the Post Cemetery for further investigation, which turned up this photographic evidence.

The group goes back to the barracks to listen quietly for any signs of spirits.


Laurie and Dave receive an autograph from psychic, medium and spiritual Counselor, Chip Coffey, of the hit show, Paranormal State.

My First Successful Fly Fishing Adventure!

I FINALLY caught my first fish with a fly rod! It was a gorgeous steelhead and guess what… I have no picture to prove it! I did get a photo of my second steelhead ever caught (pictured above), but not the first. You see, a certain guide of mine who shall remain nameless, (ha who am I kidding… it was Fran Verdoliva from the Salmon River Fish Hatchery), accidentally let my fish go before I had a chance to get a picture!


I figured Fran knew that my blog postings were usually about my hunting and fishing failures. I’m convinced it was a set up and he was just trying to keep my stories consistent. Or maybe he was just doing his job as an environmental conservationist and handled the steelhead with care and the steelhead took advantage and slipped away. All I know is that I reached for my camera and I turned around and my fish was GONE! I was more determined than ever to catch my next fish so I could walk away with a photo, or else I'm pretty sure no one would believe me.


We were fishing in the catch and release section of the Salmon River in Altmar. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was low enough to see the fish. This was exciting because every other time I had tried my luck at fly fishing I could never see anything, even with my polarized glasses on. I had a theory that polarized sunglasses only worked for people with brown or blue eyes – not hazel like mine. Well apparently they do work when you actually know what you’re looking for.


Fran set me up with a fly rod, polarized glasses (that I now know how to use) and his homemade flies. It took me quite a while to get the hang of the casting. I was used to full casts with no trees behind me. Fishing on a river is a different story. I got the hang of it (well that’s a matter of opinion) and I waited for my bite.


First bite: The fish took off so fast I think the line was almost completely off my reel. Needless to say that speed demon broke off and left me with a broken heart.


Second bite: I caught her! The infamous fish I mentioned above. The one who didn’t get away - at first. I had the sweet taste of victory and it was ripped from me when she jumped out of Fran’s arms.


Third bite: I didn’t even know I had a bite. I thought it was a snag. He broke free.


I had about an hour left. We had moved to a different spot on the bank of the river where there was a tree directly over me. We had to kneel and try to cast. That was entertaining. I can barely cast standing up with no trees above my head. You can only imagine how I looked trying this technique out.


Fourth bite: He stayed on! I fought hard and I was shaking because I was SO close and I knew this could be it. I finally tired my fish out enough to get him on dry land (we would have used a net, but someone forgot the net; once again not mentioning names).


I CAUGHT A STEELHEAD!


So this actually felt like my first steelhead ever because I got to hold him and take photos! Of course we threw him right back in because it was the catch and release section of the river.


On a side note: my fish had a hook stuck in its eye. I am assuming someone accidentally snagged it and left the hook there. So, when possible, please remove the hooks from your fish! It was dangerous not only to the fish but to Fran as he tried to remove it.


So that is my first successful fly fishing story! If you’ve never fished the Salmon River you are missing out! We have overwhelming amounts of information so please contact me if you are interested in fishing the Salmon River. Or you can visit our “Where to Fish” section of the Oswego County Tourism website.

Part of the catch & release section of the Salmon River in Altmar

Fran, fishing the river

And again, showing me how it's done

Another picture of my beautiful steelie!

Fran posed with my fish. He deserves some credit since he somehow managed to teach me how to actually CATCH fish.

Fran's buddy, Charlie, holding his catch

Fran got another one


Check out these two videos of Fran fighting and landing a Steelhead. I had to stop recording once he landed the fish to help out. The second video shows off the fish.