Moving out west.... Fort Huachuca, Arizona

I find it kind of funny that our last post at Fort Drum was 30 min. from the Canadian boarder. And the next post which is Fort Huachuca is 30 min from the Mexican boarder. So from lots of snow to lots of heat. Fort Huachuca is located near the city of Sierra Vista, in Chochise County in Arizona. Being in a dessert in Arizona it obviously gets hot. Summers have days in the 100's, Spring in the 80's, falls are warm and mild winters with only a few inches of snow total. We have had snow twice each year since we have been here, and it melted by the next morning. So this was a good place for me to thaw out after all the snow in NY. One of my favorite quotes about the area is, "The area is so desolate and barren, an old army description of the fort states, "It is the only fort in the Continental United States where you can be AWOL (absent without leave) for three days and they can still see you leaving"

Fort Huachuca has a interesting history for sure. It was originally founded to counter the Chirircahua Apache threat and to secure the Mexican border. It provided protection,shelter and a stream so they set up shop, so to speak. There was a lot of ups and downs for the fort, and it has a rich history including holding Geronimo, and became the base for the "buffalo Soldiers" and now it is now known as the United States Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM). Fort Huachuca is also home to Raymond W Bliss Army Medical Center, a U.S. Army Medical Department Activity (MEDDAC). You can find more information on the history by searching in google but thought I would give an little summary to get you going.

Upstate New York Winter

If this is your first Winter here in New York than you need to know that winter is going to last for a while and it is going to be cold so be prepared. Make sure you have nice warm coats, snow pants, good (long) gloves and boots. You don't want to go to cheap with your winter gear or you will be replacing them often or you will just be cold all the time. If you can I would suggest buying a snow blower. I couldn't get one used since we got here in October and the good used ones were gone at that point so I just went to Lowes (which has a militarty discount) and purchased a new one. Make sure if you do buy a snow blower you get one with a Electric starter, that way you aren't spending all your time just trying to start the thing. This last winter Oct 2012- Feb 2013 had a good amount of snow and since my husband was deployed I was greatful for the snowblower. I spend many hours outside snow blowing. Since I had my two boys I would snow blow for a while then put them to bed and then go back out and snow blow some more (since it had snowed more). If you dont' keep on the snow it just its higher and higher and is harder to get out. Icicles are obviously going to happen so watch out for those. Try knocking them down before they get to big or they could hurt someone when they fall. We had some that got to be 3.5 feet long. The city is pretty good at keeping the snow clear but they do use lots of salt so make sure you wash your car ones a week our it will start to rust. So yes there is a lot of work during the winter but don't forget to have fun too. Thompson Park which I mentioned on a different post has great sledding hills. Head over there and have a great time. Just be careful because they put hail bails at the end of the hill to prevent sledder from going into the road, but they freeze fast and become hard like a block of ice. We had a friend run into one while sledding with his kids and he ended up breaking his leg. So don't sled where it is super steep. After sledding make sure you warm up with some yummy hot chocolate and marshmallow or apple cider.

Boldt Castle

A nice thing about Watertown NY is that as long as you keep an open mind and look for things to do you can stay entertained and busy. One unique thing to do here in upstate New York is to tour the castles that are up by Alexandria Bay. The castle that I have visited (so far, but plan on doing more) is Boldt Castle. This castle has a very interesting love store attached to it.

The tale of a man who came to America with nothing and promising himself that one day he would be rich, rich enought to build a castle. He does become rich and him, his wife and daughter have built the castle now know as Boldt Castle. Sadly the castle didn't get finished while he was alive because he stopped work once the love of his life and wife dies. It is a interesting story and a huge and marvolous home. Boldt Castle is located on Heart Island in the 1000 Islands, Alexandria Bay, New York 13607. But becuase it is on an island you have to take a boat tours to get to Heart Island. Which means you pay a fee to ride the boat there and back. Or if you have a boat, docking is available. You also have to pay a fee.

The Castle is open daily, starting May 12th to September 30th, from 10:00am to 6:30pm. During July and August extended hours are from 10:00am to 7:30pm, for the days of October 1st to the 14th from 10:00am to 5:30pm. Adult – $8.00 (13+ years), Child – $5.50 (6-12 years), Infant – $0.00 (5 years & under) As always click on the name "Boldt Castle" above for a link to the offical website and more info on Boldt Castle.

Niagra Falls

Though Niagra Falls is a little bit of a drive (3.5 hours) it is still something unique to see while living in the area. It was a very enjoyable trip and we really loved seeing one of our countries beauties! My kids found it fasinating to know that some of the water that goes over the falls ends up at the Lake Onterio beaches where we swim. What a great sight to see!

Click on the name Niagra Falls above to go to the officle website and view more info on Niagra Falls.

Upstate NY Beaches

Though there are a lot less warms months then cold here in Watertown NY, those warm days can still be a good excuse to go to the beach! There are two state beaches (that I am aware of) to enjoy the Water, Sand and Sun! The first beach is

Southwick 8119 Southwicks Pl, Woodville, NY (315) 846-5338 We really enjoyed that beach because the water was clear and the sand was nice and sandy. Plus they do have life gaurds, snack shack, picnic area and a play ground. Its $8 to get in (being a state park you have to pay)but after 4pm is $6. So if your only going for a few hours better to save some money and stay away from the hottiest time of the day as well as all the crowds and go around 4pm. (the first two pictures are from Southwick)

The second beach is Westcott which is a good beach but it was smaller, more crowded and not as smooth ocean floor as the other beach. It is closer to watertown but is $10 to get in (being a state park you have to pay)vs the $8 at Southwick.

Click on the names of the beaches to learn more!

Ice Cream Obsessed

One funny thing about Watertown is how many Ice Cream stands there are. In just the Watertown area there is at least 10 different ice cream stands. For a place that gets so cold you would think they would have 10 or more Hot Chocolate stands. Funny! Here is a list of our favorite Ice Cream stands in Watertown NY. 1. Friendly's- diner with an ice cream windown for ordering outside 2. Frosty Ice Cream 3. Way Cool 4. Trolley Ice Cream

I have to admit that so far Trolley Ice Cream is our most favorite because it looks like a..........Trolley Car. And the Ice Cream was really yummy! Keep in mind that these are only a few, of many, ice cream places in or near Watertown. I know you have been holding it in so lets hear it, "We all SCREAM for ICE CREAM" LOL Click on the name of the different ice cream stands for a link with the Name, phone number, address and map of where these different ice cream stands are!

Strawberry Picking

Something more unique and fun to do with the kids/family is to take them Strawberry picking. There are two local farms that have strawberry fields where you go searching for strawberries and then pay by the basket. It is a lot of fun for the kids as well as the adults. But if you go with multiple kids than make sure that you have plans for the strawberries because your going to end up with a lot! One of the strawberry picking farms is Best by Farr Click the name for more info. Best by Farr offers Fresh vegetables, raspberries and strawberries. It is located at Val and Richard Farr 26809 Beckwith Rd Evans Mills, NY And the other local place is Backyard Farmer Fresh vegetables, herbs, berries, apples, honey, maple products, cheese, eggs Brian Sheley 12139 US Rt 11 Adams Ctr, NY