After checking in and unpacking, we had lunch and then gathered together for a short drive to Carpenter Road Park for our first hike of the weekend. We had never been there before and found this heavily wooded Park quite pleasant and colorful. After a couple of hours of exploring we headed back to Turin to get cleaned up for supper.
Our traditional Friday evening dinner together was a visit to the Steak and Brew restaurant just a few miles away where we enjoyed a variety of steak and seafood dishes. As usual, the food and drinks were excellent!
Upon returning to the Lodge we continued another tradition of ours - a night hike to the nearby Turin Cemetery, where we had our own version of the "Ghost Walk". With flashlights in hand we wandered around checking the historic gravestones, many of which dated back to the early 1800’s. Didn’t see any ghosts though.
Saturday morning was cloudy and after a hearty country breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, juice and coffee, we set out for the main hike of the weekend. When we arrived mid-morning at Whetstone Gulf State Park, it was just that - wet. We donned rain gear but didn’t need it long as the clouds broke and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The wooded upper rim trail gave us several spectacular views of the 200 ft. deep gorge with distant valleys covered in gorgeous orange, yellow, and crimson hues. The hike lasted about three hours until 2:00 PM, giving us the rest of the day for free time to do as we wished. Some relaxed at the Lodge, visited the cows, (Three people milked a cow this year!) while others went for walks or drives to nearby towns. No bikers this year, but a couple of adventurous souls did go kayaking!
Saturday night was our big dinner evening. Our hostesses, dressed in 1800’s attire, prepared a full turkey dinner, Thanksgiving style, with all the trimmings. Everything was home made - nothing came out of a box. What a feast! Wine flowed freely as did soda and coffee. With full stomachs, we settled back for evening games, some playing euchre, others playing Scrabble.
Another fantastic country breakfast with pancakes and french toast greeted us Sunday morning after which we packed up to head for home. But the weekend wasn’t over yet! Some went for a neighborhood walk in Turin, while others took a scenic drive to the Old Forge area for more hiking and sightseeing. A hike around Moss Lake provided an orchestra of splendid Fall colors. Lunch in town finished it up and we set off for Rochester, having had another great weekend in the North Country.
Last modified: December 13, 2002
On Friday, October 4th, sixteen enthusiastic adventurers headed out towards New York’s beautiful north country. Most of them left early in the morning to get a head start on our three-day weekend at the historic Pioneer Lodge in Turin, New York, a country Bed & Breakfast and working dairy farm located on the western edge of the Adirondack State Park.
- Dave & Alice