Hubby and I have always enjoyed taking road trips. When my dog business was active, summers were usually too busy, so we often hit the road in September.
No crowded tourists areas, and the weather was still pleasantly warm!
In 2015, we thought it would be fun to drive all the way around Lake Ontario, scheduling several stops in the Thousand Islands area and Upstate New York.
It was a five-day excursion, Sept. 9 – 14.
This is a four-part series.
[Click on all images to view full size in a separate window.]
[Map data ©2023 Google]
SEPT. 14
ROCHESTER & MEDINA N.Y.,
THEN HOME
ROCHESTER
Finally, we had a lovely, sunny day! Heading out on the I 90, it only took about 45 minutes to get to Rochester, 73 km (45.5 mi) to the west. We stopped for lunch and took a few quick pics, then it was back in the car. Rochester has some interesting architecture!
Since we didn’t have time to do it justice, I found a video that gives you a better view:
MEDINA
Medina is another 45 minutes westward, on the Erie Canal.
The Big Apple Sculpture
Located in Lions Park, alongside the Erie Canal, this “Big Apple” sculpture, crafted by Richard D. Bannister,
was erected in 2000 as a tribute to the fruit growers of Western New York and their contribution to the area’s economy.
Downtown
The village of Medina, population approx. 6000, was incorporated in 1832. It developed after construction of the Erie Canal, which bends as it passes through the village, creating a basin that served as a stopover point.
This became the centre of businesses that served trade and passenger traffic on canal boats. In addition, mills were constructed on Oak Orchard Creek to take advantage of its water power.
The fertile lands around the village yielded fruit, which was exported to major markets in New York City and west via the canal. At the start of the 20th century, Medina was a thriving industrial town. We were charmed by its history and architecture!
A video tour set to music:
The Railroad Museum
Located in the old New York Central freight depot, it is among the largest such museums in the country.
The building, one of the last surviving wooden freight terminals in the United States, was constructed in 1905-1906..
When you first enter, you are treated to an amazing display of antique artifacts and even a mock-up of an old telegraph office:
In the main room, hundreds more artifacts line the walls, but the prime attraction is a miniature replica of Medina and its railway system:
HOMEWARD BOUND
For as long as I can remember, there has been an old abandoned ship in the lake, 30 km (18.5 mi.) east of Niagara Falls, Ontario. We have passed by it countless times and on this trip, I snapped a quick pic as we whizzed by. Good thing, since the masts, deemed unsafe, were removed in 2021!
Far as I know, it’s still sitting there, sad and mastless!
Here’s a little history:
And that concludes our trip around Lake Ontario.
Thanks for joining us!
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
18 thoughts on “CIRCLING LAKE ONTARIO #RoadTrip Part IV”
The Railroad Museum is a place I’d like to visit and how sad the store is of the now mastless ship in the harbor. Your trip around the lake was quite the adventure and I enjoyed being apart of your retelling of your trip. 🙂
Thanks for taking the tour, Cathy! 🙂 It was an interesting trip and we loved the train museum.
👍
I’ve never been to that part of New York. It looks interesting. That museum is great.
Love,
Janie
Western New York state has many interesting places, like the train museum. We loved that! Thanks for taking the tour, Janie. 🙂
That railroad museum looks like fun. Thanks for the armchair trip.
Yes, we loved the musuem! 🙂 Thanks for taking the tour, Denise.
Thought I’d try again. LOL We’ll see! And yes, I love your travel logs! It didn’t work and this is what happened.
“Error: you must agree with the terms to send a comment. Hit the back button on your web browser and resubmit your comment if you agree with the terms.” May have just solved it. I clicked all the boxes. But I swear number three wasn’t there before????
Thanks for persevering, Yolanda! Yes, there is something weird going on here and I have tried to remove that troublesome consent box (you’re right – it was NOT there before!), but no luck, so far. This will take a deeper dive into the backend of the website, but I will try to resolve it as quickly as possible. This is the biggest downside to owning a self-hosted site! 🫤 On the other hand, I learn a lot by figuring out how to solve various technical issues.
The troublesome checkbox is now gone! 😀 It took me a frustrating few days to figure it out, but what a relief. Thanks again for your patience, Renée!
Well, I had a great comment about your post, as I always do on your travelogues (because they look fun!), but then I accidentally moused over your bio pic and it swung over. This caused me to see if I could make it flip all the way over, by which time I forgot what I was going to say…
Oh no – distracted by a silly effect! 😆 I took it off, BTW. I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, anyway.
What a fabulous adventure. Hubby and I would have loved doing this too. Beautiful shots.
Have a fabulous day and week, Debbie. Hugs. ♥
It was an intersting trip. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Sandee. Thanks for coming by!
The railroad museum and model train feature look great. I would have definitely stopped in there.
Thanks for the lovely tour, Debbie.
Best wishes, Pete.
I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Pete! 🙂 We loved the train museum, with the intricate miniature village.
I’ve been in Niagara Falls a few times, Toronto a few times, and I’ve visited Syracuse a few times and I’ve passed through Rochester, but I’ve never driven around Lake Ontario. That tour around Lake Ontario really seems to have been interesting. The photos are great.
It seems we have a few places in common, Thomas. 🙂 It was a fun and educational trip. There are so many fascinating places on both sides of the border!