Fort Tilden

Queens lays claim to not one, but two abandoned forts.  The first one that I reviewed, Fort Totten, is in the northeast corner of Queens. The one in this post is in the southeast corner of Queens, in the Rockaways. Somewhat less impressive than the other one in terms of creepiness factor, it is still worthy of a visit because of the beautiful beach close by. Fort Tilden is actually part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, which includes Jacob Riis Park/Beach to the east. The fort was built in 1917 and housed an impressive array of large weaponry, including cannons and air defense missiles, to defend the city from attack. Fortunately, these weapons were never used. In 1974, the fort was decommissioned and became part of the National Park Service.

Fort Tilden is open year-round and despite having a nice sandy beach and plenty of folks visiting in the summer, it has no lifeguards on duty. If you are in a mood for a swim, this is not the beach for you. Also, if you like to avoid crowds when possible, like I do, I suggest going here during the off-season, from mid-September to mid-April. During this time, you will be able to park at the fisherman’s parking lot off of Beach 193rd St, on Shore Road, rather than at the lot for Jacob Riis Park on the eastern side of the island.

I do recommend parking at the fisherman’s lot so that you can easily walk to the two historical structures that the fort is famous for – Battery Harris East and Battery Harris West. The trail that leads to the Battery Harris West is across from the lot. This is what the beginning of the trail looks like. You can bring your dog for a walk here and it is also a good jogging trail.

Shortly into the trail, you will encounter a large shed-like structure. I’m not sure what this was originally, perhaps a garage for armored vehicles? I don’t recommend going too far inside because of the broken glass.

Further on, you will see a monstrous structure looming ahead that looks like spacecraft hiding inside a hill. This is Battery Harris West.

As you can see, this place is padlocked so you can’t wander around, but if you are set on it, you could probably jump the low fencing where there is a gap in the vertical bars. I don’t recommend it though.

Battery Harris East, just a few steps away, looks pretty similar to its sibling. The security on this one is a little tighter.

Some of the graffiti here made me smile.

There is a large pool of stagnant water in this one and I can only imagine how bad it can be in the summer when it is infested with mosquitoes.

Before you head out to the beach, definitely check out the panoramic view of distant Coney Island, Manhattan, and the Marine Parkway Bridge leading into the island. The stairs next to the battery will take you up to the viewing platform.

Apparently there is bad blood between the islanders and day-tripping hipsters. Ha ha.

At this point, you will probably want to head to the beach. The trail is just in front of the battery.

The thing that struck me right away about this beach is the large number of weathered wood posts clustered everywhere. They go vertically and horizontally across the beach and I guess they may have been part of one or more piers at some point? Notice how clean the sand is. It is very dense.

The easiest way to get to Fort Tilden is to drive. The toll before you reach the bridge to the island is $3.25 each way.  Like I said, you should be able to park at the fisherman lot during the off-season.  In-season, you will need a permit or you will be asked to park at Jacob Riis Park.

My understanding is that it is somewhat difficult to get here by public transportation, requiring several buses or a transfer from train to bus, then a half hour walk from the bridge. In the summer, the New York Beach Ferry provides service from Friday to Sunday from Pier 11 at Wall St. It takes you to Riis Landing between Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis Park. The park is open every day from dawn to dusk.

Stone Barns

I would wager that a lot of folks from the city go to Stone Barns for the multi-course “Farmer’s Feast” at Blue Hill, the highly reputable restaurant on the farm that does away with a menu and instead, offers whatever was just picked for the day. There are several price points, ranging from $88 for the 4-course lunch to $208 for the 12-course dinner. The restaurant is only open on Sundays. Although we enjoy a good meal now and again, we did not go to Stone Barns on this particular weekend to partake in an extravagant meal. We went for the fresh air, open space, and animals.

The name of this place fits very well with the cluster of stone buildings in the center of the farm. The restaurant is here, along with a take-out cafe, a gift shop, and the farm market that sells fresh produce and baked treats. We bought lunch at the cafe and ate it under the eaves in the courtyard. It was quite chilly but the lunch was very tasty – we had a roast beef sandwich, a bruschetta-like open face sandwich, and butternut squash soup.

You are free to walk the grounds, with the exception of some places that are closed off to the public. You can either do a paid guided tour or self-guided tour with a map. You will need to consult the program calendar to see what tours are available on any given day.  We opted to just roam around. Near the buildings are a cluster of immense greenhouses. They were growing kale, chard, and some other vegetables I could not identify in their native state.

We were very happy to see huge swaths of open space here. There are some hilly parts, but they are not that bad to climb. There are also some wooded trails that surround the farm.  In the interest of time, we did not do any of the trails but may come back another weekend to do them.

The main attraction, at least for me, are the animals. Farm animals are entertaining, even the not-so-cute ones.  These pigs live a life of luxury in their hay-padded shelter.

The sheep had the run of two pastures, one next to the other.  In each pasture was a genuine sheepdog guarding its flock.  This dog seemed friendly enough, but when I walked several yards away from it to take a picture from another angle, it immediately stood up, walked up to me at the fence and stood in front of me as if to say that if I wanted to steal any of his sheep, I would have to go through him first!

I don’t know if you can see this very clearly, but some of these chicken have very sad bald spots.  I have heard of chicken plucking their own feathers from stress, but have never really seen it.  I don’t know why they would be stressed here.  This seems like comfy living to me!

Our seasonal favorite, the turkey, times 200.  There was a fight among the turkeys where one would jump and flap its wings quite suddenly and then another would do the same.  At one point, one would gobble and the rest would gobble in chorus.  It was very odd and soothing at the same time.

Stone Barns is located at 630 Bedford Road in Tarrytown, NY. You can either drive or take the Metro North to Tarrytown and then hail a taxi from there. Parking is $5, but it is reimbursable if you spend over $15 on food or at the gift shop. Just make sure to give the cashier your parking receipt. Dogs are allowed on the grounds, but not in all places. There are signs that clearly tell you when you can’t take your dog past a certain point. Also, note that the fencing around the animals are electrified, so keep a tight grip on the smaller ones around these areas.

Washington Crossing Park

We visited New Hope this past weekend in hopes of seeing the start of some fall colors. We were lucky to have good weather and we did manage to see some changes in color. New Hope lies next to the Delaware River and is a small town that seems to know what a good thing it has going for it. It is surrounded by nature, most notably the huge Washington Crossing Park that is located on both the PA side and NJ side of the Delaware River. In PA, it is called Washington Crossing Historic Park. In NJ, it is called Washington Crossing State Park. For this post, I am treating them like they are one large park with the river running through it. As you can guess, George Washington crossed from one side of the river to the other in the vicinity.

If you are interested in making a day trip of it, you may want to strategize beforehand where you want to go in the park because there is a lot of ground to cover. The park on the NJ side is much larger, but the PA side has a tall tower called Bowman’s Hill Tower with amazing views of the surrounding area.

Before you cross over to the NJ side, take a pause by the bridge for a spectacular view of the Delaware River.

We did not do as much exploring as we would have liked on the NJ side because it was getting late. Here is one shot I managed to get before the sun set.  This is a great place to have an afternoon picnic!

If you find yourself with some free time, you may be interested in doing a self-guided tour of the 12 covered bridges in the area around New Hope. We started to do the tour but ended up changing our minds. The Van Sant Bridge below is supposed to be haunted.

If you are interested in seeing New Hope, take a stroll down the canal towpath that parallels the river. It is normally a true canal with water flowing, but due to the hurricane, I believe they put in a dam upriver as they make their repairs. Still, it is something to do if you are in town. A lot of folks walk their dogs and bike down the path.

I do not recommend staying in New Hope overnight. The town itself is very touristy with shops that cater to those who like antiques or are into what I call travel shopping. It is also extremely crowded during this time of year with masses of people waiting to cross the street at every corner.  We visited Lambertville on the NJ side as well and it is less touristy but still very crowded.

To get to Bowman’s Hill Tower, take I-95 to Exit 51. (This exit is between the Newtown/Yardley exit and the Trenton exit.) When exiting the ramp, turn onto Taylorsville Road toward New Hope. (From the south this will be a left turn and from the north a right turn.) Follow Taylorsville Road to Route 532. There will be a traffic light at this intersection. Proceed through the traffic light, remaining on Taylorsville Road. When Taylorsville Road ends, turn left onto Route 32. Proceed 2 miles to Lurgan Road to the tower. Travel time from NYC to New Hope is about 2 hours.

Fort Greene Park

Fort Greene Park was the first designated park in Brooklyn.  One can easily miss the significance of this given its more well-known sister Prospect Park to the south. As can be guessed by the name, Fort Greene was indeed a location for forts centuries ago. The forts were created for the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Today, the park is a nice hilly 30-acre neighborhood oasis. If you happen to be in the area, you should also explore the streets to the east and south of the park. They are lined with gorgeous brownstones!

There are 6 tennis courts, but you will need a permit to play.

The park is easily accessible from almost all the subway lines: the B, D, N, Q, R on Dekalb Ave to the west, the 2,3,4,5 on Nevins St to the southwest, the G at Fulton St to the south, and the A, C on Lafayette Ave a little further south. Some other things to note: the park also has basketball courts and barbecue areas. If you like to support your local farmers, there is a year-round farmers market in the southeast corner of the park every Saturday.

Block Island

If you are looking for a summer weekend getaway but feel Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard are too crowded and developed, Block Island is the way to go.  We wanted some relaxation and decided to do an extended weekend escape with my sister and her husband.  This trip took planning though, because Block Island is still pretty popular and the good hotels and bed and breakfasts are booked far in advance in the summer.   We managed to book two rooms at the Sea Breeze Inn in May for our July trip. We also reserved the ferry tickets in advance.

The drive took 3 hours from Manhattan to the ferry terminal in Point Judith, Rhode Island.  From there, we parked the car and hopped onto the high-speed ferry to Block Island.  The ferry took half an hour and went through some choppy waters, so I was glad to see the island’s famous cliffs grow larger as we approached

Block Island looks like Swiss cheese on the map.  It is dotted with ponds and is dominated by one particularly large one called the Great Salt Pond. The coastline is amazingly beautiful and is full of beaches, although some are better suited for sunbathing than others.  Here is a brief recap of the highlights.

Our bed and breakfast was within walking distance to the commercial part of town, and yet it felt like it was miles away from civilization.  This is the view from the backyard facing two ponds and the ocean beyond.  You can see more stars out here at night than you would in the city.

We rented bikes at the inn and biked everywhere!  It was a lot of uphill and downhill maneuvering.  Not entirely relaxing, but it did give our legs some sorely needed exercising.   I took this pic along the path to the southern lighthouse.  It is so picturesque here.

Block Island is home to the endangered American burying beetle, also known as the giant carrion beetle.  I had read about it on the ferry, but didn’t think I would see one.  I found this guy at the southern lighthouse as it was scurrying away from me.  In terms of insects, I was happy to see few mosquitoes on the island, but then I encountered biting flies.  Ugh.

This is the lighthouse at the southern end of the island.  It is technically called the Southeast Lighthouse.  It was closed when we got there at 4pm.

We also visited the famous Mohegan Bluffs nearby.  As you can see, the stairs leading down are a bit daunting, because you realize that once you get down to the beach, it will be a hard trek going back up!  It was worth it though.

The northern part of the island holds a second lighthouse that we had to see.  It was not as impressive looking as the southern one, but there was a rocky beach nearby where we had a good rest. Hubby took a stroll around the tip of the island and was dive-bombed by seagulls.  I think he was near their nests.

The Great Salt Pond in the middle of the island is so immense that it actually acts as a harbor for boats and yachts along its rim. There is access to the ocean through an inlet to the west.

During our four days here, we ate an immense amount of seafood. It was gluttony at its best rationalized by all the biking we did each day.

My favorite beach was close to town, called Crescent Beach.  It was clean and not that crowded.   Someone practiced his surfing in front of us because the waves were high, but he didn’t do so well.  We should have held up scorecards.

We enjoyed our weekend and wish we had more time to just sit and stare at nothing.  I liked the laid back vibe and hope to find that again here or elsewhere next summer!

You can take the ferry to Block Island from three different terminals. The closest to the city is at Montauk out in Long Island, but if you factor in the Hamptons traffic on a weekend, it will not be the fastest route. There is another access point at New London, CT, but we decided to go further to Point Judith, RI on I-95 most of the way. Parking at Point Judith is $10 per day. The high speed ferry is $36 roundtrip. If you bring bikes, you will need to pay an additional $12 roundtrip per bike. You COULD bring your car on the normal ferry, at a cost of $100 to $115 roundtrip, but we thought it was overkill considering the island is pretty small and is highly bike-able. Once on the island, bikes, mopeds, and cars can be rented in town. We rented our bikes from the inn for $15 a day.

The High Line, Section 2

Section 2 of the High Line opened with much fanfare about a month ago.  It adds 10 blocks of new green space to the tracks, stretching from 20th to 30th St.  Here are some of the views headed north.

These wooden steps were featured in a great musical ad campaign for the new section before it opened. It got me pretty psyched, actually. Here is the video.

This is the much-touted picnic lawn that is unique to Section 2. Wedged between buildings on either side, it doesn’t offer much in the way of views.  I wouldn’t call it a destination picnic spot, but if you happen to be in the area, it is a comfy resting place for people-watching. The only reason why it is empty is because it is off-limits for now.

Overall, the walkways mimicked the old section. Take a careful look at the plants along the way – some of them are quite striking.  It’s odd to know that many were native to the city before any of us were born.  There are some that I have never seen before.

The elevated walkover in the middle of this new section is another unique feature to this section. This is not the best depiction of it, but you can see that there are plants growing below you. Eventually, some of them will provide shade.

There is a viewing station of the cross-town traffic at 26th St.  If I had to choose between this station and the one in Section 1, I would park myself in the other one.  This one feels more cramped.

If you are thirsty from all that walking, fear not.  The new beer garden at the end of the line, aptly named The Lot, will probably satisfy everyone.  Just be warned that the line to get in can be long.  I opted instead to check out a nearby attraction called Rainbow City. The eye-popping wonder of a park is here temporarily to celebrate the opening of the new section.  It is closing this weekend, so if you would like to watch adults and kids grapple with massive balloons and have a go at it yourself, check it out before it closes on July 5th!

Section 2 starts at 20th St and 10th Ave and ends at 30th St. There are also access points at 23rd, 26th, and 28th St.  The entire park is open from 7am to 11pm. No dogs or bikes are allowed.

Riverside Park

Riverside Park is the quiet cousin to the crowded and boisterous Central Park.  Frederick Law Olmstead developed both parks, but considering the vastly different locations, they provide vastly different experiences.  Hugging the coast on the Upper Westside, the park stretches from 72nd St to 158th St, outshining Central Park in length, if not width.

The park lays claim to beautiful river views that can be seen from several vantage points.  There are technically three levels to the park, but I can only distinguish two.  There is a lower level with walkways and bike paths right next to the river.  Considering there are few trees at that level, it is wise to wear a hat.  Besides the river views, the lower level offers envious views of people’s boats docked at the marina.  I wonder if people ever take them out to fish along the Hudson.  Is it safe to fish in the Hudson?

The upper level contains the more wooded and landscaped areas you would expect from Olmstead.  Here is a view of the upper level with glimpses of the river.  Looks very much like Central Park, doesn’t it?

The upper level also contains lawn space and benches along the sides – perfect for quiet reading or picnics.  There were so few people around on a beautiful weekend afternoon that I had to wonder if this park is on people’s radars.

One landmark of note when you reach the upper 80′s is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.   It was built in the 1920′s to honor the New Yorkers who died in the Civil War.  It is reached via stairs, and the view of the park from up there is not quite as spectacular as the view of the monument itself up close.

The more famous monument in the park, Grant’s Tomb, is much further uptown in the 120′s. If you are up for a very long, leisurely stroll, it is very possible to walk from 72nd St to 125th St (there are breaks in the park for traffic at 96th St and 125th St). Just wear good walking shoes!

To get to the bottom starting point of the park, take the 1, 2, or 3 to 72nd St and walk west to the river.  The park is good for biking, dog-walking, and jogging. There are also many sports facilities and playgrounds sprinkled throughout the park.

Elmhurst Park

Guest writer Rich Wong highlights one of the newest parks in Queens!

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Do you remember the Elmhurst gas tanks?

From the Long Island Expressway in Elmhurst, you could see the two giant tanks looming next to the highway.  They were sort of landmarks for many residents and travelers.  “When you see the two gas tanks, go another mile and you are there.”  The tanks were down into the ground when they were full and up when they were empty.

The tanks became obsolete and unused for many years.  They finally razed the 270-foot-diameter tanks in 1996, and the land was rumored for development as a future Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Walmart.  Thankfully, it is now a park!  KeySpan, the owner of the property, sold the land to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for $1.

After an extensive soil replacement project and approval by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the park development proceeded.  During phase-1 of the project, the park was prepared with trees and grass and was kept closed for a year.  In phase-2, the park was re-landscaped with the final design, which included a playground, water park, and walk paths.

This sculptured park incorporates the use of artificial hills to obscure the view and noise of the Long Island Expressway and give the illusion of a bigger park. When you enter from the Grand Avenue entrance, you barely see or hear the trucks rumbling by.

The architects did a wonderful job with three unique play areas for the neighborhood children.  The walk paths are curvy and meander through the whole park.  You will not find a straight (boring) path.

I am just a tiny bit disappointed that we did not get a Walmart in Elmhurst, but the sculptured park serves me and my neighborhood just fine!

Elmhurst Park is bounded by Grand Avenue and 57th Avenue, 74th Street and 80th Street.  There is a single west entrance and two east entrances with ample parking.

Sunblock review: MyChelle Sun Shield SPF 28

I interrupt my normal posting of outdoor places to visit to share with you my favorite sunblock for the face. This post is completely experimental.  I will judge from your comments whether to do any more reviews in the future that highlight products for the outdoors. So…let’s continue on…

Anyone who stays outdoors for hours at a time must use sunscreen.  It’s just a given.  With the big ozone hole in the sky and sun cancer on the rise, it just makes sense to protect yourself any way you can.  After years of searching, I have found at last my favorite sunblock for the face – MyChelle Sun Shield in SPF 28. I am not being paid to promote this product nor am I affiliated with the company.  This is just a review of a favorite product I use for the outdoors and hopefully others will find this post helpful in selecting sun protection when they go hiking and such.

A little history here. I have sensitive combination skin which doesn’t take well to oil-based and many non-oil-based products.   I searched many years for a good facial sunscreen that wouldn’t irritate my skin and leave a greasy feel and shiny face. Physical sunblocks work best for sensitive skin since they don’t push chemicals into the skin.  The main ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, just sit on the surface, hence the term sunBLOCK. Physical sunblocks are also known to provide better sun protection because the ingredients are highly stable, while the ingredients in many chemical sunblocks are not.  However, up until recently, the physical sunblocks I tried left me looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost.  Fast forward to last year, when I discovered physical sunblocks with a zinc oxide that is either micronized or made into nano particles.  This means that the zinc is refined (more like pulverized!) to the point where it DOES NOT leave a white film on the face!

In researching the new zinc options some more, I realized that nano particles are somewhat sketchy because they could penetrate the skin.  What these nano particles do once they’re underneath the skin is still shrouded in mystery since there has not been enough research out there.  Micronized zinc oxide appears to be a better option, because the particles are large enough that they remain on the surface of the skin.  In looking for sunblock with micronized zinc oxide, I found MyChelle’s sunblock online and decided to give it a try.  I’m glad I did because it is the best physical sunblock I’ve ever used!

The greatest advantage to MyChelle’s sunblock is that it leaves just a slight trace of white on the skin – a great improvement over most other physical sunblocks on the shelf.  This trace of white also evens out my complexion a bit (like the redness around my nose), so that gets bonus points right there.  The second great thing about it is that it leaves a matte finish that actually remains matte over the course of the day, keeping my T-zone nice and matte in a way that other makeup products like foundation and powder cannot.  At the same time, it does not dry out my cheeks, which are neither oily nor dry.  The sunblock goes on easily like a cream, but dries to a powder finish.   It comes in a coconut scent and an unscented version.  If you are sensitive to fragrances, you should try the unscented one, which is what I use now.  It definitely has no scent.   One last thing, for those of you who go snorkeling and scuba diving, this sunblock is considered reef-safe because no chemicals are released into the water.  Needless to say, it is also water-resistant.

At $20 for 2.3 ounces, the sunblock is pricey compared to say, Neutrogena’s products.  However, I believe the MyChelle sunblock is higher quality and more “cosmetically elegant,” as the beauty industry would say.  If you are using it strictly for the face, one tube will last you the whole summer, so this ends up being cost-effective after all.  If you don’t care about cost, feel free to use it all over the body.  Be warned that the common wisdom is to apply one ounce of sunblock to effectively cover the whole body, so there is really only two applications per tube if you go that route.

Now that you’ve read my review, you should do your due diligence and read what others are saying about it here on Amazon.* Amazon also seems to have the best prices (sold as a set of two). Since this is a physical sunblock, the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide will not degrade over time like chemical sunscreen. I bought two tubes last summer and am using my second tube this summer. The consistency has not changed one bit even though I’ve kept it for a year unopened.

If you have a specific question about this sunblock or would like to share YOUR favorite sunblock, please leave a comment.  Also, please let me know whether you find this review helpful and would like to see future product reviews in the future!  I am thinking of reviewing, for example, my favorite insect repellent.

* I am not affiliated with Amazon nor do I get paid if you click through to the link.

Rockefeller State Park Preserve

As can be guessed by the park’s name, William Rockefeller (“the” Rockefeller) originally owned the land that the park sits on.  His estate, a 204-room mansion of exuberance, also sat on these grounds.  Over the next 100 years, the land and estate passed down through the family.  In 1983, an ancestor gifted the land to New York.  The mansion is now only a shell, but fortunately for us, the park is well-maintained with many winding trails for birdwatching, horseback riding, jogging, and hiking.

The park is immense and requires some careful planning to explore it.  If you are spending half a day there like we did, you will only be able to see probably a third of the park.  We hit only two of the highlights listed on the park’s website plus a third spot that sounded interesting on the map.

The park’s only lake, called Swan Lake, is close to the entrance. We circled the lake but did not see any swans, unless they were disguising themselves as geese.

As we walked the trail towards the Eagle Hill overlook, we encountered a number of animals, both domesticated and wild. Several folks on horseback took the trail with us.  You may bring your horses in, but there is no horse rental onsite for the horse-less.  The etiquette in these parts is that horses have the right-of-way.  You, the pedestrian, must stop and let the horses go by first.

We passed a herd of cattle along the Ash Tree loop.  It is always a joy to see cattle grazing on real grass rather than on modified corn from a trough.

We were walking along another trail when we spotted a rabbit that had frozen on its tracks upon seeing us.  We froze when it froze, and then it became a game of who moved first.  I did, with my camera!

We also encountered chipmunks everywhere.  Most scampered away when we came near, but some continued searching for food right in front of our path!  We jokingly said we could probably scoop up one or more of these stupid ones to take home as pets.

There were also plenty of squirrels, but they didn’t quite have the same appeal as chipmunks, since squirrels are a dime a dozen in the city.  This one just seemed picture-worthy because its tail mimicked the looping of branches on that tree.

We also came upon a few indications of other animals that we couldn’t find.  We think these are woodpecker holes.  We heard them in the distance making loud knocking sounds, but we never saw one.

Here is a large cocoon by a bug that I am glad I didn’t see!

The forest was primarily a constant green.  Mossy logs, mushrooms, and the occasional watering hole kept things interesting.

We made our way up to Eagle Hill lookout, but instead of seeing a panorama of the Hudson River and the surrounding farmland that was promised on the map, we saw a tiny sliver of the Hudson River.   Perhaps the views are better in the winter when the leaves aren’t in the way?  I do NOT recommend doing the loop for this lookout in the spring or summer.

We next made our way to the 13 Bridges loop.  Guess how many bridges we passed?  This is a typical view of the brook that meandered underneath the bridges.

By the end of this 2-mile loop, we were exhausted.  We had meant to see the remains of the mansion much further out, but realized the distance was too daunting for our tired feet.  That will be for another day when we return to visit nearby Stone Barns.  We turned around and took a different trail back, where we encountered this interesting underpass.  Does this remind you of the Noguchi Museum?

Rockefeller State Park is located near Pleasantville in Westchester. The drive from the city takes about 45 minutes.  Click here for directions.  The park is open from 8:30 to 4:30 every day except Christmas.  The vehicle entrance fee is $6 per car.  You can bring your dogs and horses, but no bikes.  Apparently you can go fishing and hunting too, and those require a permit.  In the winter, you can go showshoeing, cross country skiing, and sledding.