Giant Rat

Or, is Mr. Mousebender in the house?

Calm down, we did not find an oversized rodent in The Beast, but we do have a giant rat in our midst: Harold.

Back in May we were staying at Letchworth State Park Campground in New York to visit family in Perry, New York. One evening a bunch of us went to dinner at the Charcoal Corral, a casual dining experience. We had a great time meeting members of the extended family and sharing stories. My cousin-in-law Bert told us about a unique item at a nearby creamery, so of course we had to check it out.

On the way home we passed the East Hill Creamery and being a turophile (a lover of cheese), I quickly scanned the storefront. Regrettably, it was closed. My heart sank down into my shoes.  No cheese for Harold. However, during my scan I noted the something that Bert told us about on the side of building.  It was large, boxy and red in color.  My first impression was that it was a Coke machine. I took a second look as its color was not Coca-Cola’s iconic red color but some other red. It turned out to be, as Bert described, a unique must-see roadside attraction. I spotted an image of two cartoon mice cutting a wheel of cheese, glorious cheese, on the side of this attraction. In my best impression of one of the Duke boys, and much to Elizabeth’s chagrin, I powerslid into the parking lot, at least that is the way I remember it, as I was driving a front wheel drive Honda Accord.

What is this?  Could it be?  WOOO HOOO it is! A cheese vending machine!  I was elated!!!! This is the first time I have seen a cheese vending machine.  There needs to be one of these on every street corner. It was like April seventeenth[1], June fourth[2], Independence Day, July twenty fifth[3], September fifth[4], September eighteenth[5], September twentieth[6], my birthday, October fifteenth[7] , Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one!  Think fireworks, presents and lots of good family times!!!!!  It was a PARTY!

Now, what to buy, what to buy, what to buy?  I was so excited, but in a quandary. I had to limit myself to purchase only one cheese, so after what probably seemed like hours to Elizabeth I zeroed in on the Underpass Reserve. This is a Raclette style cheese that is lovingly aged for eleven months.  It would be firmer, saltier, and have a bolder and earthier flavor than their three-month aged Raclette style cheese. Yum, yum give me some!  Boo hoo, why can’t I buy two?

Raclette cheese is normally featured in a Swiss dish, coincidently called Raclette, which is based on heating the cheese in a Raclette grill and scraping off the melted part onto a plate or slice of bread and served with charcuterie. I ate the whole thing before I could melt any part of it and enjoyed every bite. So, the next time we are anywhere near Perry, New York, we will be heading to the East Hill Creamery and will hopefully be able to visit during working hours to interact with the staff and buy more of their tasty cheese.

I recently shared the photo with my friend Keith and he said it is “A monument to a truly advanced culture!”  So true!


[1] National Cheese Ball Day
[2] National Cheese Day
[3] National Wine And Cheese Day
[4] National Cheese Pizza Day
[5] National Cheeseburger Day
[6] National Queso Day
[7] National Cheese Curd Day

Letchworth State Park

Once we left the Hershey area, we headed into New York. Route 15 was a pretty good road and the drive along the Susquehanna River was quite scenic. Had we not been on a bit of a timeline, it would have been tempting to spend a couple of nights relaxing by the river.

We were visiting family in western New York, approximately an hour southeast of Buffalo. We stayed in the campground in Letchworth State Park. We stayed in Loop 800, which had some nice long spots for the rig. The park service had online photos that helped tremendously with site selection. Loops 500 and 600 had some sites along the gorge, but I was glad we didn't have to take the big rig through those loops. They had some elevation changes and some tighter curves.

The sites are electric only with water spigots throughout the loop. They have three dump stations, which helps with those long lines at the end of a weekend. Regrettably, most of the sites were pretty muddy when we were there. I didn't bother with the patio mats or any outdoor chairs. We didn't do much at the campsite anyway. Oh, one more thing about the NY state parks. They have pet and no pet loops. I love it.

I remember visiting Letchworth State Park as a child and later, seeing photos of my cousin's wedding there. The Genesee River has cut a deep and narrow gorge that is quite impressive. There are three sets of falls. The upper and middle falls are located pretty close together. The lower falls are a bit further down the river. Wow, are they beautiful.

We've already decided that we want to go back to that area. Not only are there lots of trails we didn't explore on this trip within the park itself, there are other places to see within an hour or so of driving. We'd like to visit the Corning Glass Museum, Niagara Falls, and more of the Finger Lakes. There's even a Jell-o Museum that we've decided that we should check out.

Upper falls with new train trestle

Middle falls

Lower falls

Down river from lower falls

Down river from archery field overlook