GLIN==> News release: Ice climbing, polar bear dipping, 1812 battle, Bavaria on the Byway: 2010 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Winter Fun Tips

PRESS RELEASE:  Immediate Use 1/5/10
Contact:  Teresa Mitchell, 315-646-1000
High and web res jpgs  - see http://www.seawaytrail.com/winterfun.html - on
request: publicist Kara Lynn Dunn, 315-465-7578, karalynn at gisco.net
 
Ice Climbing, Polar Bear Dipping, 1812 Battle, Bavaria on the Byway Make
2010 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Winter Fun Tips
 
Ready to climb sheer faces of vertical ice this winter, go back in time for
a leisurely ski through a frosty pioneer village or a sleigh ride past
venerable Victorian architecture, or jump into the shocking St. Lawrence
River in February for a good cause?
 
These experiences, Olympian-owned ski slopes and cool places for sleigh
riding, snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing are in the 2010 Great Lakes Seaway
Trail Winter Fun Tips for the 518-mile America¹s Byway and National
Recreation Trail.
 
Photograph Spectacular Ice Dunes
Waves surging inland from Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the
St. Lawrence River form spectacular ice dunes all along the Great Lakes
Seaway Trail¹s shoreline. Presque Isle State Park along Seaway Trail
Pennsylvania in Erie is perfect for photographing the dunes and hearty souls
ice boating on Presque Isle Bay, or rent cross-country skis or snowshoes to
explore 11 miles of natural and groomed trails. The Bay also offers outdoor
skating and fishing, but know how to check the ice thickness for safety
before stepping out. Check the Winter Report at
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/winter/winterb.aspx?park=6200 or call
814-833-7424.
 
Sleigh Riding and Hot Tubbing
³Lake Effect² snows create Great Lakes Seaway Trail winter playgrounds when
cold winds cross the warm freshwaters of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Horse-drawn sleigh (or wagon) rides through Chautauqua Institution¹s
Victorian-era National Historic Landmark landscape in Chautauqua, NY, start
at 1 pm and run about every half-hour weekends through January to February
28. Purchase same-day tickets after 12 noon at the Institution bookstore.
 
Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky dog sled demonstrations, sleigh rides,
snowshoeing, winter camping and cooking will be outside at Jamestown¹s
Audubon Center¹s Snowflake Festival on Saturday, February 6, 2010, with live
bird, hand-quilting, Master Gardener demos and bluebird box building
indoors. A $5 pre-event sale coupon book includes chances for a handmade
Swedish afghan and one week of summer day camp for a child of your choice.
For details: 716-569-2345 and http://snowflakefestival.wordpress.com/.
 
Where can you find 27 slopes and trails for crisp wintry downhill and
cross-country skiing and snowshoeing followed by a warm, relaxing dip in an
outdoor hot tub? Peek¹n Peak Resort & Spa, 1405 Old Road, Clymer, NY,
716-355-4141, http://www.pknpk.com.
 
Send Your Kids to 18th Century Winter Camp
Need your kids to burn energy on their mid-winter break February 16-18? Send
them to camp on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. Old Fort Niagara offers three
day-long programs for kids to learn how to light a campfire with flint and
steel, write with a quill pen, cook a colonial-style meal, snowshoe and race
with fur traders. The 8:30am to 4:30pm program includes an 18th-century
puppet show and building a model of the historic fort at the mouth of the
Niagara River on Lake Ontario. Registration is $40 and limited to first 20
children/day. Call 716-745-7611 for details.
 
Hockey for Heroes in Buffalo
Travel the Great Lakes Seaway Trail to exciting Buffalo Sabres¹ National
Hockey League action! Military service members from Western NY can apply for
³Tickets for Troops² to see a game courtesy of Sabres¹ defensemen Chris
Butler. Find application online at
http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=501129. Not military, call
888-GO-SABRES for tickets.
 
Gateway to Snow-Cruising and Snow Strolling through Historic Landscapes
Snow-cruising aboard a snowmobile is a refreshing way to experience the
byway¹s beautiful wintry landscape and its historic architecture. For
example, 8 miles west of Albion, NY, ride the only road that passes under
the Erie Canal. Culvert Road is a Ripley¹s Believe It Or Not highlight.
Check out Trailwide snowmobiling and winter trail resources at
www.seawaytrail.com <http://www.seawaytrail.com> .
 
Ancient glaciers helped create a 19th century dolostone wall and extinct
waterfall at the Nature Center at Genesee Country Village. On Saturdays and
Sundays, for $5-10 rent skis and snowshoes, some small enough for
3-year-olds, to explore 6 miles of trails through chickadee- and deer-filled
meadows and woodlands. Enjoy self-guided ³snow strolling² 12 noon-4pm past
the 40-plus historic buildings representing American pioneer life from 1795
to 1920. Call ahead to 585-538-6822 x262 to confirm conditions are right.
Find more details online at www.gcv.org <http://www.gcv.org> .
 
Bavaria on the Byway
Check out Bavarian Ski Day on January 24, 2010 at Brantling Ski Slopes where
now-retired Olympian downhiller Diane Roffe­Steinrotter once trained. The
special event features music, traditional Bavarian food and drink: sausage,
sauerkraut, German potatoes, German beer and wine.  Lift, lesson and rental
package is available for $33-$46. You can also snowboard here, 4051 Fish
Farm Road, Sodus, NY, 315-331-2365, www.brantling.com
<http://www.brantling.com> .
 
Outdoor Fun Galore 
What¹s your winter recreation pleasure? Fair Haven Beach State Park on Lake
Ontario on Route 104A has it all ­ from cross-country skiing, snowshoeing,
snowmobiling, ice fishing and winter birdwatching opportunities along trails
and 1500 feet of beach. This historic park dates to the 1930s when the
Civilian Conservation Corps built cabins and pavilions here. Call
315-947-5205 or check www.nysparks.state.ny.us/parks
<http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/parks> for details.
 
Ice Climbing at Salmon River Falls
Play It Again, Salmon; Mate, Spawn & Die; Shale We Climb ­ all names of
ascents, some as high as 100 feet - for ice climbers at Salmon River Falls
Natural Area in Altmar, NY. When crisp winter temperatures set, the frozen
falls become a mecca for ice climbers. The New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation manages the area and requires that climbers
observe strict safety precautions and register daily to climb. Call
315-298-7467 for ice conditions ­ generally best in February-March. Find
more details and photos at
http://www.visitoswegocounty.com/tn/MoreFun/IceClimbing.aspx.
 
Are You Crazy? Polar Bear Dipping in the St. Lawrence River
Ready to jump into freezing water for a good cause? The 20th annual Friends
of River Hospital Polar Bear Dip is February 27, 2010. Hearty, and
harnessed, souls from all over the U.S. will plunge into the St. Lawrence
River through a hole cut in the ice off the Rum Runner¹s Dock at Bonnie
Castle Resort at Alexandria Bay, NY. Minimum entry is $100; funds raised
purchase equipment for the hospital. Prizes are awarded for Best Costume,
Best Dipping Technique, and Most Money Raised. The Bay¹s resort hotels offer
preferred or reduced rates. The celebration includes a February 21st Snolf
(snow golf) Tournament, and has raised more than $50,000 in a single year.
More info: 315-482-5421, kvpeters at ridgeviewtel.us.
 
On February 20-21, 2010, the British Crown forces will slip across the St.
Lawrence River to attack the Americans at Ogdensburg in a recreated battle
of the War of 1812. Reenactors bring to life Forsythe¹s Rifles Regiment at
the future site of the recreation of historic Fort de la Presentation. Watch
for details as the event approaches.
 
To reach Robert Moses State Park at Massena, NY, drive underneath the
Eisenhower Lock that allows six-story-tall freighters to travel the Saint
Lawrence Seaway. The Park¹s Nature Center offers cross-country ski and
snowshoe rental for exploring 25 km of tranquil trails along the St.
Lawrence River. Park entry is free. Call 315-764-5630 or check
http://www.rmspnaturecenter.org/contact_us.html for dates for moonlight
skiing, family snowshoe hikes, and indoor ³snowy meadow² painting and
carving classes. 
 
Learn more about traveling the Great Lakes Seaway Trail in your time, at
your pace, in your style at www.seawaytrail.com <http://www.seawaytrail.com>
or call 1-800-SEAWAY-T. #  

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