Checkin’ it out!

We’ve only been in the Erie area once before (back in 2004), so I was delighted when a SOWER who lives just outside of Erie offered to “show me the sights”. Erie really has quite a bit to offer – interesting history (it’s the home port of Admiral Perry’s flagship Niagara), a zoo, an amusement park, a theatre district, museums, vineyards, and even a casino/race track. But according to my friend/guide, Barb, the real gem of Erie is Presque Isle State Park. Presque Isle is a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie. We traveled up on the bay side –

The Perry Memorial

That’s Erie across the Bay –

Hello, Erie!

There’s an inlet where you can rent a floating house,

and two lighthouses – one that is no longer active

And one a bit further down the lake side

that is still guiding ships into safe harbor.
The views along the lake were lovely –

Even though it was a cloudy day and the trees were still in their pre-leaf mode, it was easy to see why Presque Isle State Park is the most visited park in the state.
We enjoyed a great lunch, made some quick stops at a couple of stores and drove around town, checking it out! It was a fun day, and I thank Barb for her Erie insights. 🙂
Then on Saturday, Gary and I set out on our own. We drove through some beautiful countryside, exploring back roads.

We didn’t realize that there is an Amish community nearby, but Saturday seemed to be a great day to do some courtin’ –

It was a lovely day for a drive and we ended up at the Kinzua Dam – one of the largest dams east of the Mississippi.

Both the Allegheny River side and the Kinzua Reservoir are well known for fishing and boating and water recreation in general!

On the quiet side of the dam –

Conversation of local residents in the reservoir –

“Ok, I’m pretty sure if we stay on this side of the dam and don’t go past that row of buoys over there, we’ll be fine!”