Heading to Sherkston Shores: Stop One of our Great Canadian Two Lane Camping Adventure

Heading from Rochester New York to Sherkston Ontario Canada is a quick trip! I would say that it would be easy for vacationers from the greater Syracuse area could enjoy a weekend or extended vacation at Sherkston Shores along the shores of Lake Erie. We ventured to Sherkston Shores from about 30 miles south of Rochester. It was only 87 miles! We traveled along Route 20A into Geneseo, the home of State University of New York at Geneseo. It is located in historic village of Geneseo in the upstate Finger Lakes region. It is a public liberal arts college with a rich tradition of academic excellence. It is located on the edge of the downtown and an easy walk to just about anything a student could need.

After the village of Geneseo, we headed northwest on Route 63 and passed by the Geneseo National Warplane Museum. The 1941 Historical Aircraft Group was established in 1994 by an initial band of 250 aviation enthusiasts. The primary goal of the Group was to maintain the traditional airshow held on the turf strip at the Geneseo airport and to highlight the aircraft of the past with a focus on World War II aviation. There was some splintering of this group, but in May of 2013, the Museum regained the use of the name, National Warplane Museum, and operates under that title. The museum remains incorporated under the title 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum. This group helped send an authentic war plane over to France for the D-Day Anniversary.

Along Route 63, we came into the town of Retsof, where American Rock Salt is located. It is the largest operating salt mine in the United States with a capacity for producing up to 18,000 tons each day. Established in 1997, this underground salt mine is the only one built in the United States in the last 40 years. It is the largest employer in the area. We headed over the Wyoming County border and we watched plenty of farms pass by. Many had their initial plantings of corn in. Some were starting to pop up a few inches. They need to be “knee high by the fourth of July” … that is the saying that we always heard. Is it a true statement? We passed the Pavilion Central School complex and turned onto Route 20 heading west. We passed through the towns of Bethany, Alexander, Darien and Darien

Center, the home to Darien Lake. In 1960 it was a small campground and picnic area around a small lake, which would come to be named Darien Lake. Darien Lake has had many lives. It was originally called Darien Lake Fun Country, a ride centric amusement park. They added a venue called Laser Light Fantasy and a Performing Arts Center. After being owned by Six Flags from 1999 to early 2007, the park is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment. Other Herschend Family Entertainment Parks include Dollywood, Dollywood’s Splash Country, Silver Dollar City, White Water and Wild Adventures.

In Alden, we found the Pink Cow Ice Cream stand and right away thought of our friend, Miss Pattye and her addiction to ice cream. It was cold and too early in the morning for ice cream, but I am sure she would have stopped! In Lancaster, New York the historic Dr. John J. Nowak House is located. It is a locally significant and distinct example of the Spanish Revival style built for Dr. John J. Nowak in 1930. There have been several additions to the original home and it now houses the St. Elizabeth’s Home. We were forced to move off two lane roads and onto I-90 West and then onto the 190, since there is no two lane roads into Canada! At the interchange of the I-90 (NYS thruway) and I-190 (takes you around downtown Buffalo) there are statues of Buffalo that look like they are walking through the grass and grazing.  My assumption is they stem from a special arts program held in Buffalo several years ago called Herd of Buffalo.  Again, my assumption is someone donated them for the "gateway" into the Buffalo area.

Off the 190 we head over the Peace Bridge. It crosses the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario. The Peace Bridge is one of four vehicle toll crossings over the Niagara River in the region. The other three crossings are the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and the Rainbow Bridge. Of these four bridges, the Peace Bridge carries a greater percentage of vehicles with non-local destinations because of their connections to major highways. The Peace Bridge measures 3,580 feet in length from end to end. The Peace Bridge was originally designed to support two lanes of 20-ton trucks and two tracks for 40-ton trolleys. Although the framework is in place to support the trolley tracks, the tracks were never installed. Today, the Peace Bridge has been modified to a three-lane bridge with twelve-foot wide lanes; the center lane is reversible, allowing for two-lane operation in one direction during peak hours. Tolls are collected one-way only on crossing from the United States into Canada. Border Crossing was easy, as long as you are honest. We claimed what we had, answered his questions and crossed easily.

We were on the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) for less than one mile. We exited onto Route 3 West, also known as Garrison Road, into Fort Erie. The local elementary school, the Garrison Road Public School, has been literally the corner stone within the Fort Erie community for 130 years. Originally established as “S.S. No. 4", the small stone structure, a one room school house first opened to student in 1879. Over the years, our school has undergone many transformations. However, it always preserved the uniqueness of the original stone structure, which currently is the pre-kindergarten classroom.

The Battle of Ridgeway was fought in the vicinity of Fort Erie, near the village of Ridgeway, on June 2, 1866, between Canadian troops and an irregular army of Irish-American invaders, the Fenians. It was the largest engagement of the Fenian Raids, the first modern industrial-era battle to be fought by Canadians and the first to be fought only by Canadian troops and led exclusively by Canadian officers. The battlefield was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1921 and is the last battle fought in the Province of Ontario against a foreign invasion. The action at Ridgeway has the distinction of being the only armed victory for the cause of Irish independence between 1798 and 1919.

Our trip down Route 3 was only eight miles, before we turned onto Empire Road. At the end of Empire Road in the hamlet of Sherkston, is our destination for the next 4 days, Sherkston Shores – A Carefree Campground and Beach Resort. It is located on the beautiful sandy shores of Lake Erie, and offers 560 acres of beautiful landscape and countless activities, including two and a half miles of sandy beachfront. Check back for more information on this great spot we are camping at for this leg of our Great Canadian Two Lane Camping Adventure!