Even the early morning May mist is incapable of shrouding the natural beauty of Schoharie County that awaits around every bend in the road. Whether evocative of childhood wanderings or the fodder of future tales and remembrances, the rolling hills and valleys of the County’s much-storied farm- and dairy lands rarely fail to incite an involuntary intake of breath. Well beyond the thrill of first bliss, the County offers a deep trove of Nature’s treasures just off the open road.

Based on past visits, nature-loving out-of-county friends suggest a get-together before the busy tourist season ahead. We hastily sketch an itinerary from various points in the northeast. Several will come via high-speed I-88; two along pastoral Routes 30 and 30A, and two each from east and west along scenic byway Route 20. We decide to meet at one of several multi-starred restaurants here where quality local products are standard fare.

With time to spare, we chart an idyllic “singles” daytrip that includes stops at Howe Caverns, the Cave House, the New York Power Authority grounds, and the Landis Arboretum where we’ll close the day with an often-heard-about Star Party, which none of us has ever attended. Even before we start, we know that we’ll be hard-pressed not to stray at the Old Stone Fort Museum Complex, stop at the Iroquois Indian Museum, or investigate other landmarks and craft stores along the way. Several suggest we extend for an overnight stay to incorporate dinner and breakfast at new eateries in the area. Without committing, we sign-off and begin the journey.

Howe Caverns
Early morning visitors sip coffee when I arrive at Howe Caverns to greet friends for the first tour of the day. We take turns posing against the sweeping backdrop of the Schoharie Valley from one of the best vantage points in the County.

We ready ourselves for the 156 feet (49 meters) descent into the cave to rediscover a prehistoric world formed millions of years ago. Our guide assures us that we don’t have to be serious cavers to appreciate the geology of Howe Caverns. It’s his job to point out magnificent limestone formations and other highlights of this premier natural tourist attraction. He reminds us that the cavern stays at a cool 52°F year round. We’re prepared with sweaters, jackets and sensible shoes. Not a flip-flop in sight!

Although everyone in my party has been here before, we realize how much we had forgotten as inquisitive parents and children among us pose questions to our guide. We enter the elevator for the 15 story descent and an 80-minute tour that we know from experience will end with a memorable quarter-mile (400 meter) boat ride on the underground Lake of Venus. Debarking from the boat is like leaving a treasured friend. As we do, our guide reminds us to look at the new Information Booth when we return to the lobby. We do. The message is clear.

A new era for Howe Caverns began in 2007 when the great Schoharie County landmark was purchased by Emil Galasso and Charles Wright, emerging as a new Howe Caverns, Inc. As part of the new owners’ vision, work is under way to expand the Caverns’ tour and to enhance the entire Howe Caverns’ experience.

From close by, we hear the voice of Bob Holt, General Manager of the Caverns. “The efforts to expand the cave tour and to improve the facilities are exciting,” he says. “First steps have been taken to expand the Caverns tour beyond the Lake of Venus by an additional 150 feet.”

We see efforts to recapture the Tudor look of Visitor Center lobby, as it appeared when it opened to the public in 1929. As part of the restoration, an expanded museum area depicts the Howe Caverns’ story through its long history. The Gift Shop is being expanded and a new Sweet Shop is taking shape—offering the Caverns’ famous homemade fudge and other treats, including cave-aged cheese from the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Starbucks brand coffee and other beverages.

As a result of requests from Howe Caverns’ visitors, says Holt, the restaurant is being converted into an upscale café with new menu items. The breathtaking view of the mountains and the Schoharie Valley afforded by the site remain.

New and returning visitors can expect an expanded Gemstone Mining and Geode Cutting facility, plus the addition of a heavy equipment display. A new building is planned for the wooded picnic area and will feature a Rock Shop where guests may pan for gems. The mining sluice will have a water tower with running water.

In the nearby picnic grove, Emil Galasso is arranging to display heavy equipment, once used in quarrying operations, by late spring. “Everyone will be amazed at the size of the equipment,” we’re told, “especially The Shovel.”

Construction timelines indicate it will take several years to complete the projects. When completed, visitors will go from the current Howe Caverns to the quarry entrance and then enter the Cave House Museum of Mining and Geology.

Holt asks if we have been to the nearby Cave House, site of the original entrance to the Caverns. We thank him for the suggestion and head down Discovery Drive to the Cave House.

Howe Caverns is located between Albany and Cooperstown, off I-88 at Exit 22. Howe Caverns is open daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) from 9 am to 6 pm through October. For additional information, call 518 296 8900 or visit www.howecaverns.com.

Cave House Museum
No one in our group has visited the Cave House. We stand awe-struck in front of this impressive gothic structure of cut limestone before entering its visitors center, which offers tours of old Howes Cave and exhibits on mining and geology. The Cave House has an on-site gift shop and architectural renderings of the project. Its span of displays includes discoveries made while been exploring the portion of the cave that has been closed for more than a century.

More than a 150 years ago, the Cave House welcomed visitors to Howes Cave—as it existed after the discovery of Howe Caverns in 1842 by Lester Howe. (Howe Caverns is the back half of Lester’s original mile-long cave.)

Almost overnight, Howes Cave became a popular destination for curiosity-seekers of the mid-1800s. By 1845, the Howe family’s small wood-frame “cave house” was expanded to accommodate the growing number of guests. The first Cave House burned to the ground in 1847. A second hotel burned as well.

Before transferring property to the Howes Cave Association in 1872, Howe started construction of a third Cave House Hotel (this is what remains today). The Association built an extensive addition of wood which more than doubled the size of The Cave House & Pavilion Hotel. Fire struck yet again in February, 1909, and destroyed the famous hotel, leaving only the limestone building Howe had constructed 30 years earlier.

Reenergized by new ownership, Howe Caverns worked with the Cave House to open its doors to the more than 2,000 guests in the past year. Its entrance room focuses on the community of Howes Cave—its history and people. From windows of the West Room, the Natural Entrance of Howe Caverns can be seen—the first thing visitors coming from Howe Caverns want to see!

Plans by Cobleskill Stone Products to revitalize a long-abandoned industrial community and popular mid-1800s travel destination continue. When completed, the quarry project will combine the heavy, natural resources industry with elements of tourism, education, and agribusiness, according to Emil Galasso, who also is president of Cobleskill Stone Products, Inc.

Mesmerized by what we had learned, we settle to a contented quiet—until we realize we have miles ahead and lunch to eat. We all have cell phones and decide to keep a running dialogue between cars on our way to North Blenheim, site of the New York Power Authority site.

For additional information, call 518 296 8900 or visit www.howecaverns.com.

We decide to take Route 30 through the reenergized village of Middleburgh, and then continue south to the New York Power Authority grounds in North Blenheim. It is a challenge not to be distracted by the curbside displays at the popular Apple Barrel emporium. It is equally difficult to avoid the display or plants—and the reputation of Schoharie Valley Farms Carrot Barn. We see a docent changing the kiosk at the Old Stone Fort. We take turns trying to read it as we travel, passing the shops that line the main street of Schoharie. Isn’t this where we turn for Wellington’s Herbs and Spices, asks a passenger in the lead car. Someone responds, yes—but we can’t stop there today. Ditto for the gallery that displays the name of nationally known artist Betsy Apgar-Smith. We look at our map for the turn-off to Cooper’s Ark Farm. One of our team wants to explore its handicapped accessible hay wagon on a return visit with elderly friends this fall.

What to do? We had done our research on the Schoharie Chamber of Commerce Web site (www.Schohariechamber.com) and at www.FuelingTheFun.com, which also offers special discounts at area venues. We had whittled our options to a handful and even at that we realize there is so much to do here that we may not be able to accomplish our goals in a single day.

New York Power Authority
Continuing south, we pass some of the areas most popular and prodigious farms—Barber’s, Shaul’s and Bohringer’s Farms. Cell phone chatter demands that that we must stop at one of these when we pass again in a few hours. We see the trail marker pointing hikers toward Vroman’s Nose. We concur that we need to get more exercise and what a great way to start place to start. Just not today. Soon we approach the grounds of the New York Power Authority and historic Lansing Manor.

Like the Landis Arboretum that we will visit shortly, this environmentally focused favorite just 40 miles from Albany is a natural sanctuary for area wildlife. It also houses a modern and informative Visitors Center. We split up for some personal time to reflect and revel in the beauty that surrounds us.

Housed in a 19th-century dairy barn, the Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center has been completely renovated as part of the NYPA power project’s 25th anniversary. State-of-the-art exhibits and interactive displays demonstrate how our power is made and how it’s used. Video and computer technology help explain the science of energy and electricity to children and adults alike.

Next to the Visitors Center, we find the stately and newly renovated Lansing Manor. We read that this early American country estate was built in 1819 by John Lansing, who represented New York as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The manor house was restored by the Power Authority in 1977. A history buff’s dream come true, Lansing Manor is filled with authentic furnishings from the first half of the 19th century. The house, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is now operated by the Power Authority in cooperation with the Schoharie County Historical Society.

We stroll along the 2-1/2-mile Bluebird Trail, so named because of the Power Authority’s efforts to help restore populations of New York’s state bird—efforts that have been recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council, a national conservation group, for its work with the Schoharie County Bluebird Society. We read that in winter, the NYPA hosts cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on its trails.

The Bluebird Trail traverses a rolling hillside between the Visitors Center and nearby Mine Kill State Park, built by the Power Authority and operated by the Saratoga-Capital District Region of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Its 650 acres include three swimming pools and facilities for softball, basketball, volleyball and horseshoes. Picnic grounds and hiking trails let you commune with nature. The fishing season here runs from April through September.

The NYPA offers a full calendar of family focused events from April through December (see www.nypa.gov/vc/bgvccalendar.asp). Its proximity to Mine Kill State Park enhances the options available to visitors. Mine Kill State Park overlooks the NY Power Authority’s Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Project’s lower reservoir and surrounding hills. The lower reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout, brown trout, bass, walleye, carp and pan fish, and is ideal for boating, water-skiing and fishing. Swimming is not allowed in the reservoir, but the park has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a wading pool and a diving pool. In winter, visitors enjoy snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. We share thoughts of returning to explore more of these grounds and amenities later in the year.

The Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center and Lansing Manor are open to the public free of charge. The Visitors Center is open seven days a week from 10 am to 5 pm throughout the year. The center is closed on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. For more information, call 1800 7240309.

Lansing Manor opens on May 1 and closes for the season on October 31. Its hours of operation are 10 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Tuesdays.

Mine Kill State Park is open every day of the year, with hours varying by the season. Admission is $6 per car during the summer, with additional fees for its pools. For more information, call the park at 518 827 6111.

The Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center, Lansing Manor and Mine Kill State Park are all accessible to the handicapped.

We regroup at the Visitors Center. We debate: a mid-afternoon nap on the lawn vs. heading back toward the farm stands that greeted us along the way. We know that we want to end the day at a Star Party at the Landis Arboretum—and have dinner beforehand. We debate whether to eat at the renowned George Mann Tory Tavern (if we could get reservations so late in the day), the gracious American Hotel Restaurant in historic Sharon Springs (just 18 miles from the Arboretum), or at the newly opened Taste of Europe. We work our phones from a roadside stand serving ice cream in Schoharie. We know that no matter which we choose, it will be an evening of fun and good eating.

At dinner, several in our party decide that there are things that they had wanted to do today that time did not permit. With the aid of helpful waitstaff at dinner, they book rooms at area lodgings for the night. We’ll meet for breakfast and head out to complete more personal itineraries.

Landis Arboretum
Daylight is still with us as we leave the restaurant and double up into just two cars for the ride to Esperance, NY, home of the Landis Arboretum. On arrival at twilight, we see people working in the gardens, others walking dogs, and what seem to be extended families sprawled out of the spacious lawn. We’ve all been here on previous trips through the area and know that Landis is always a welcoming place.

We take advantage of the late-day quiet for a leisurely walk among the beautiful Van Loveland Gardens. We take over several picnic tables overlooking the garden and page through literature we find in what appears to be a newly located Welcome Center.

We read that the Arboretum contains hundreds of outstanding trees and shrubs from around the world assembled on a 548-acre, privately held former estate of its founder Fred Lape on his family farm in the Northern Catskills. It encompasses expansive grounds with imaginative and well-maintained collections and gardens and many acres of natural areas, considered excellent for viewing wildlife in their native ecosystems. We look around and certainly concur.

We read more and again are surprised to learn that there are more than eight miles of walking and hiking trails, and public access 365 days a year. Like the NYPA grounds, it is home to dozens of species of birds and other wildlife that delight a range of visitors from casual observers to researchers.

The Arboretum’s most recent land acquisition, it seems, almost doubled the size of the site and contains a horticulture bonanza—species of trees ranging from 150 to 350 years old. One parcel of land near the Montgomery County line contains one of the oldest forests in the area. This ancient forest is approximately 30 acres in size and is located in the northeast corner of the Arboretum. This find, and a smaller stand of old growth located near the Great Oak, make the Arboretum an old growth forest headquarters. The dominant trees are American beech, sugar maple, hemlock, yellow birch, black birch, and red ash. Other species include striped maple, basswood, black cherry, paper birch, butternut hickory, American elm, and a few massive grapevines that are hundreds of years old and more than 85 feet tall.

A six-page Calendar of Arboretum events is accompanied by news that it recently formed a partnership with the Wildlife Learning Company of Hartwick, NY. Wildlife Learning Company offers a variety of public programs at Landis throughout the year on topics with titles such as Owls: Our Nocturnal Neighbors; From Lake to Sea; Raptors of Central NY; Wildlife of NY State; Birding Basics; Field Ecology walks; Nature Journaling; and Teacher Trainings for national Environmental Education Curricula. For more information, visit www.wildlearn.com. We take several of everything from the kiosk and gather up our knapsacks, collapsible chairs, blankets and refreshments. In the fading light we follow a growing number of new arrivals toward the Arboretum’s Meeting House.

In a few minutes we sit ready to be captivated by members of the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers for our very first Star Party under the infamous vast dark sky that makes the Arboretum a favorite among area astronomer. The event is free—just like the heavens we are about to view. Who needs a room or a bed? In flash-backs to long-ago rebellion, we share talk of how great it would be to simply lie under the starry firmament for the rest of the night. Wouldn’t it though… .

The Landis Arboretum is central to the New York State Wine and Spa Trails and in close proximity to historic Sharon Springs. And, it is a natural stop for those traveling to the high-volume tourist attractions between the Albany, Cooperstown and Finger Lakes Regions. For more information, visit www.landisarboretum.org or call 518 875 6935.
Schoharie Buzz is a nom de plume of a retired Schoharie County resident who often shares his perspectives on the region. The author also provides a weekly calendar of events in that area through an e-letter aptly titled Schoharie Buzz. To subscribe to this free mailing, send a blank e-mail to: schohariebuzz-subscribe@lists.midtel.net. The author acknowledges the assistance of all venues mentioned with special thanks to Kathy Condon, Condon Communications, Albany, NY.

Be There When The Stars Come Out at Landis

The Albany Area Astronomers meet regularly at the Landis Arboretum meetinghouse for its dark skies and good horizons. On sun/moon picnic dates, the club’s special solar telescope is used to provide a safe view of the sun. Lunar and star-gazing is continued after dark. Visitors are welcome to join the club’s activities; bring a blanket and a picnic supper if you wish. For more information, visit www.timesunion.com/communities/astronomy.

At public star parties, telescopes are set up to show guests sights in the night sky. The Walk among the Stars programs include constellation tours, the myths and stories associated with the constellations, and hints on enjoying the night sky. Star Parties and A Walk among the Stars programs are cancelled if the skies are mostly cloudy. Registration is encouraged by calling Alan French at 518 374 8460. You can also call to check about two hours before the start time if you did not register.

Make a Date with the Stars: Alan French and Albany Area Astronomers
• May 2, 9:30 pm

• June 27, 10 pm and June 28, 10 pm

• July 25, 9:30 pm and July 26, 9:30 pm

• August 19, 7:30 pm and August 23, 9 pm

• September 26, 8 pm and September 27, 8 pm

• October 24, 8 pm and October 25, 8 pm

• November 21, 8 pm


Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake Sale Fundraiser
The 36th annual Landis Arboretum Spring Plant/Book/Bake Sale Fundraiser will take place on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 from 10 am to 4 pm. Once again, the festive fundraising weekend will include a select group of regional artisans on Sunday, May 18. Plant Sale weekend will take place rain or shine, and all proceeds from the event will benefit maintenance and improvements at Landis, the Capital Region’s arboretum. There is no admission and parking is free.

Events Include:
• The William T. Raymond Greenhouse at the Arboretum will once again play an important role in this year’s offerings. Last year, the greenhouse at Landis offered a profusion of lilies for Plant Sale patrons.
• By longstanding tradition, the Friday before the Plant Sale opens to the general public is designated as Pick of the Pots (PoPs), a members-only plant preview/sale. The light fare will be provided by Sweet Tooth Caterers of Esperance.
• Ms. Cherie and the Hot Pots will return to the PoPs event by popular request. The 13-member senior ensemble has been together for more than three years. The Hot Pots, who favor the sounds of the '40s, '50s and '60s, vow to add some senior sizzle to the PoPs!
• The natural splendors of the 548-acre Landis Arboretum is bound to be the destination of choice for book buyers, sellers, and collectors for the Used Book Sale scheduled in concert with the Arboretum’s Plant Sale. The books are under cover in the Arboretum’s 1830s English barn. Categories include science and nature, gardening, reference, poetry, child, mystery, self-help, diet and nutrition. Donations of books in good condition are always welcomed.