Not a very original name, I know, but this place is pretty cool. It almost reminds me of home in lots of ways. Okay, I guess I should be careful how I use the word home now right? Errr…. I mean it reminds me of Or-Y-Gun.
Anyway, this place is very interesting. It’s basically a large grouping of flat-top rocks that form alleys, junctions and paths going every-which-way. This area has quite a few of these features, this is the second that I know of but have heard of a few more. Since it was a wonderful day last Sunday, the wife and I drug the monkeys to this place and they had a ball while I was toddling about trying to be a useful photographer and make good pik-choores…. We wandered about for about an hour or so. There are a ton of really interesting features here, caves, corridors, amazing root structures the way the trees cling to the sides of the rock. We also ran into a mountain biker who told me about the trail he was riding. The Porcupine trail, I believe; which runs smack-dab through the heart of Ellicottvile (or helicopterville, as Donovan calls it) and keeps on trucking. According to this dude, it runs quite a ways and has some wicked descents and brutal climbs (the way it should be right?). Might have to check it our next summer.
I plan on revisiting this place with one of my real cameras, and not just the digital. Although I must admit, it wouldn’t have been so bad with just the digital camera if I had a tripod or mono pod with me at the time. But since the kids were taggin’ along – I didn’t drag the tripod with us. next time though – no doubt. I might have to bring my 4×5 pinhole too. I think this place would be extremely conducive to the way the pinhole captures images. The dense forest will make for some 4 or 5 minutes exposures, but it’s worth it.
I would be really interesting in the winter too, but since I neither snow-shoe or ski – it might get a little dicey trying to get back into this place via the narrow server road. Especially since it isn’t maintained over the winter months.
This is a really cool place! When I first saw the pics I immediately thought of Onneatta Gorge, but then I read and found out different. Really cool, and a cute kid there too! =)
Oneonta. Say it with me now…..
Oneonta Creek and/or Gorge.
Yeah, I can see how it would reming you of some of the places we have been in the Gorge though. The scale is vastly smaller, but it’s all water-eroded rock. Much older too.
That crack in the picture (top most one) is only about 8 to 10 feet high, opposed to the; what, around 250 feet of Oneonta?