To celebrate independence day, my family and I spent the long weekend in the Catskills, a rural mountainous region in upstate New York. We stayed in Fleischmanns, but explored Phoenicia and Woodstock, and also did some hiking. Here are a few shots from the weekend.
A hike up Balsam Lake Mountain
On Friday morning, we geared up for a hike to find a water tower atop one of the Catskill Mountains. It was a challenging hike for me, as I didn’t hike at all when living in the Dominican Republic due to the hot weather, but getting to the top was worth it! There was a firetower with views all around the Catskill Mountains. From there I could see other peaks that I’ve climbed and the weather was perfect. There were also volunteers from the Department of Environmental Conservation who gave us information about the firetower and the mountain and were very friendly.
Belleayre Beach
On Friday afternoon, after our hike, we went to Belleayre Beach, a cute little lake tucked away in the mountains. We had perfect weather to cool off after our hike, relax on the sand and dip our toes in the water. It seemed like a hidden gem off the highway and definitely somewhere I would like to return, next time I’m in the area.
Dinner at Peekamoose Restaurant
That night, we ate at Peekamoose Restaurant in Big Indian. While we waited for our table, we roasted marshmallows outside. It took over an hour for the food to come but we munched on tasty bread. The food was good but the service was way too slow. They must have been over capacity during the holiday weekend, especially being one of the nicest restaurants in the area. Fortunately they were sensitive to our dining needs (in our group we had vegetarians, vegans and also Celiac’s, so no gluten!) and they were able to walk us through the menu.
Saturday night Carnival in Margaretville
After a beautiful Friday, Saturday was full of rain showers. I took a quick walk through Phoenicia and then went back to the house. At night, following a tip from the Belleayre Beach lifeguard, we went to the Carnival in Margaretville to catch some fireworks. They didn’t start til 10:45 because of the rain, but we had heard 9pm, so we arrived early and got to enjoy the carnival! I saw a bag that said I ❤ Republica Dominicana, so I had to take a picture. After a whole year abroad, it was amusing to go to a very rural area in upstate New York and still find remnants of the Dominican Republic.
We took in the sights, did a little shopping, and went on a ride called the Typhoon.
The fireworks got off to a great start, then the smoke from the fireworks themselves blew in front of the display and obscured our view! We left after about 15 minutes, but beat the traffic home!
Woodstock wanderings
We finished off the weekend in Woodstock, NY, a town known for the historic music festival but now is a haven for tourists and locals alike. There is a flea market during summer weekends where we found some great jewelry and plenty of shops to peruse, and restaurants and bakeries to quench your thirst and sate your hunger.
Although I just completed a major purge, I picked up three great pieces from Woodstock, a gold rabbit ring, a thin silver chevron ring, and an open bangle bracelet with a hamsa.
Lens by Sarah 
Great shots! Love that jewelry! 🙂
Thank you!