Exploring Grand Island's eastern shore

On Thursday, June 1st, I walked from the northernmost part of Grand Island to the south end, a distance of about thirteen miles. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and I started walking after my Zumba class. My goal was River Lea in Beaver Island State Park, where the Grand Island Historical Society was holding its installation dinner for the new officers of the 2017-2018 season.

Along the way, I made a few stops. I spent an hour and a half weeding a garden at a house near the river. There is a pond in the back yard, filled with lily pads. It looks as if it could be the subject of a painting by Claude Monet. The pond is full of tadpoles and, once they are mature, there should be plenty of frogs hopping about. 

Gun Creek, near the former Edgewater Hotel

Not far from that house, I was invited into another house, where I was offered a glass of water and some nuts and dates to take with me on my walk. The lady who offered me the nuts and dates had done the El Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James) walk in Spain two years ago after having survived cancer. 

In 29 days, during the heat of the summer, she walked 500 miles. It was a spiritual journey. That walk is on my bucket list. It is an opportunity to look inward, while exploring the world at the same time.

My walk on Thursday would be much shorter, about thirteen miles. I was in no rush so I took pictures and explored the beauty of the Niagara River. I stopped at the Whitehaven Cemetery, where my dad has been for nearly five years.

There were people on machinery at the cemetery, mowing the grass. Except for the occasional car passing by and the sound of the mower, my visit to the cemetery was quiet and peaceful. Next to the cemetery is a path that leads to the river. On the other side of the cemetery is Spicer Creek, one of several tributaries of the Niagara River.

My next stop was at the Radisson, which formerly was known as Byblos. Before that, it was called the "Holiday Inn." The hotel has a fitness club with a swimming pool and a fitness room. I was just taking a restroom break.

Once I left the hotel, I continued walking until I reached Beaver Island State Park, just stopping long enough to take photographs. 

bridge to Tonawanda, New York

The Buffalo Launch Club was founded in 1903 and is the oldest power boating club in the world.

The Village Inn serves delicious soups, freshly made food, and exquisite desserts.

This is the site of the Bedell House, which is where the "ordinary people" stayed when Grand Island was mostly a vacation destination. There were a number of private clubs on Grand Island for wealthier people.

This wall is all that remains of an estate at the southern tip of Grand Island

Beaver Island State Park