Tuesday we rode the scooter to Rock City. It is located just 5 miles south of Olean, almost on the PA border, and is the largest formation of exposed pudding stone, or quartz conglomerate, in the world. I know I have heard it mentioned but I don't ever remember going there as a child. That seems strange considering how many interesting geologic formations we visited after we moved to Arizona. Perhaps we did and I just don't remember it.
Rock City used to be a really big deal. There were trolleys that ran there from Olean, a dance and concert pavilion, a hotel, a merry-go-round and other rides, as well as the Rock City geologic formations themselves. All is gone now except for the rocks.
The formations remind me a lot of places like Cochise Stronghold near Willcox. There are cracks and crevices, balanced rocks and named formations that resemble things. It is only 22 acres and takes less than an hour to explore completely, but it was worthwhile to visit in that it is really unusual for the area.
After we explored the formation we talked with the current owner. We discovered that the chandelier hanging in the visitor center hung in the Castle Restaurant near Portville before it closed. I remember that Grandma and Grandpa Briggs used to go there.
We did not leave the trailer yesterday as the weather turned cold and wet. It rained all day and the temperature did not get above 60. It looks like today will be the same so we will not likely do much until this weekend when it is supposed to be cool but dry. Then we are planning to ride the scooter to Rochester and spend the weekend with Greg and Tina.
I remember going to Rock City before you were born, but not much about it. I don't know why; it would have been a place to take visitors. I am surprised that the Castle Restaurant closed. It was rather an upscale place and quite popular in its day. We went to another one, near it. It was the best spaghettti place there, and I made my sauce as nearly like it as I could. Now I can't remember that name either, but later it was sold frozen in cardboard quart containers, and we all loved it.
ReplyDeleteWith the weather you are having, you can understand why we moved; you kids always had sore throats and I had earache when I was little and asthma always. Blame it on the weather. I wonder if Dale ever had his tonsils removed. We were preparing for it when we left NY.
Was the spaghetti sauce name Loretta or something like that?
ReplyDeleteThat's it! Do you have a good memory, or is the restaurant still there?
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I remember some of the things I do. I did a search for it and came up empty, so I guess it is no longer there.
ReplyDeleteWe used to go to Rock City years ago, but then they started charging to walk around so we never went again. There is another place near Little Valley called Panama Rocks that is similar and free and the kids would go there to crawl through the caves.
ReplyDeleteYou sure are finding lots of places to explore. Do you have "Fodor's Guide to Cuba, NY and Surrounding Communities" or something?
ReplyDeleteCan't you contact the outside world in your rural hideaway? We haven't heard from you in four days. Are you hibernating in the cold weather?
ReplyDelete