Lake Ontario Voyage

My son in law has a new boat "toy" and my daughter waits patiently for him to launch it. We are heading out for a trial run on Lake Ontario.

West Port Bay as we head out to Lake Ontario.

The Lighthouse at Sodus Point.

It looked like everyone who lived on Sodus Bay owned a sailboat. There were certainly lots of them out that day.

Heading into port at dusk.

We docked at a bayside restaurant for lunch. Our boat is the orange striped one.

We didn't think lunch was ever going to come.

Leaving the restaurantChimney Bluffs State Park on the shore. This park is perhaps 8 miles from my house by land.

The Bluffs were formed from drumlins , which in turn were created by glackers in the last ice age . The erosive power of wind, rain, snow, and waves — both from above and below — has formed the landscape into razor-sharp pinnacles. Although the impressive pinnacles and cliffs, some of which rise up to 150 feet from the lake shore, have existed throughout recorded history, they present a changing panorama: the average erosion of bluffs is 1 to 5 feet per year.
The Lake Ontario shoreline from Sodus Bay to Oswego has many bluffs, of which Chimney Bluffs is the most visited.From some vantage points in the State Park, visitors can see Nine Mile Point Nuclear power station 25 miles to the northeast and the coal smokestacks located in Oswego.

The Chimney Bluffs area has been a landmark for many years. According to the pamphlet given by the park, smugglers used the area as a landing point while transporting liquor from Canada during Prohibition. Operated informally as a privately owned recreation area for years, the area was acquired by the state of New York in 1963 and soon named a state park. It laid undeveloped until 1999 when a parking lot, service building with heated restrooms, picnic areas with grills, and hiking trails throughout the park were added. It is considered a year round park for hikers, biking and picnicking in the summer. Winter activities include cross country sking, snow shoeing, and a trailhead for snowmobiling.