FAIR HAVEN - The combination of two feet of snow and a day off from school meant Fair Haven turned into a sledders haven during the three-day weekend.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Justin Deming, 14, of Fair Haven, takes a tumble while sledding at Fair Haven Beach State Park on Monday afternoon.
Justin Deming, 14, of Fair Haven, takes a tumble while sledding at Fair Haven Beach State Park on Monday afternoon.
The lake effect snow that blanketed northern Cayuga County drew people from other places where patches of yellow grass are more frequent than snow. As travelers near Fair Haven, accumulation in yards becomes less spotted with grass.
Sled tracks marked the snow near the side of the roads Monday, under green signs with snowmobile symbols.
Kevin Battle, and Will Dalton and his 8-year-old son, Billy, braved the stunning wind chill which took 10 degrees off the temperature to take advantage of the largest snowfall near Rochester, where they traveled from Monday. It was the first time the two men have been to Fair Haven Beach State Park to snowmobile.
“We got grass in our yards,” Battle said. “We didn't see (much) snow until we were south of Hannibal.”
The five hours in the state park was one of the best riding experiences of the season, the men said. Partly because of the perfect conditions, such as fresh powder, the sunny day, and not much snowmobile traffic.
“It's like skiing, it's nice to be the first one down the hill,” Battle said.
Another reason the day went so well is because they met people at a village store who became the Rochester trio's personal tour guides, showing them the park, but also its trails and a place to eat lunch. Dalton snapped a photograph of the pine trees with frozen precipitation hanging from the limbs.
Battle and the Daltons dressed in five layers to keep the wind out during the 30 miles they trekked.
“No doubt it adds to the beauty of the day,” Dalton said about the freshly fallen snow.
Fair Haven resident Robert Deming, too, decided to take advantage of the biggest snowfall in the county. He went sledding with his two sons and two stepchildren. From the dozens of colorful sleds stuck out of the snow piles near driveways or laying in front yards, other residents had the same idea.
Deming doesn't worry about stocking up supplies as a winter storm draws near.
“It doesn't bother me. I can get around, I have a snow mobile,” he said.
Most residents of the northern part of the county know to expect precipitation.
They received about 20 inches Saturday into Sunday, and four to five more on top of that. The National Weather Service estimated another two to four inches on Tuesday for the area.
Fair Haven Mayor William McVea praised the Department of Public Works, both Fair Haven and Sterling's. The employees monitor the weather conditions beginning at 3 a.m. and work to clear the roads so people can get to work and church on time.
“This morning by 7 o'clock, they had the sanding down and the roads plowed,” McVea said Monday.
The county notifies the northern municipalities about any worrisome forecasts. The municipalities have the snow equipment, the workers, and the know-how to take care of the snow. If one of the municipalities has a problem, it can share resources with the other.
“We're self-sufficient,” McVea said.
McVea advised anyone not familiar with the anticipated amount of snow to put snow tires on their cars and slow down when the streets are slick.
The Cayuga County 911 Center received four calls on Saturday and Sunday for weather-related car accidents or calls for service in Sterling, but had no reports of injuries, said Lt. Michael Wellauer of the sheriff's office.
“We should know how to live with the snow by now,” McVea said.
And that's exactly what dozens of snowmobilers and sledders did on Monday.
“I'm looking at Little Sodus Bay ... and it's beautiful,” McVea said, “and I can imagine the snowmobilers are having a great time right now.”
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
Sled tracks marked the snow near the side of the roads Monday, under green signs with snowmobile symbols.
Kevin Battle, and Will Dalton and his 8-year-old son, Billy, braved the stunning wind chill which took 10 degrees off the temperature to take advantage of the largest snowfall near Rochester, where they traveled from Monday. It was the first time the two men have been to Fair Haven Beach State Park to snowmobile.
“We got grass in our yards,” Battle said. “We didn't see (much) snow until we were south of Hannibal.”
The five hours in the state park was one of the best riding experiences of the season, the men said. Partly because of the perfect conditions, such as fresh powder, the sunny day, and not much snowmobile traffic.
“It's like skiing, it's nice to be the first one down the hill,” Battle said.
Another reason the day went so well is because they met people at a village store who became the Rochester trio's personal tour guides, showing them the park, but also its trails and a place to eat lunch. Dalton snapped a photograph of the pine trees with frozen precipitation hanging from the limbs.
Battle and the Daltons dressed in five layers to keep the wind out during the 30 miles they trekked.
“No doubt it adds to the beauty of the day,” Dalton said about the freshly fallen snow.
Fair Haven resident Robert Deming, too, decided to take advantage of the biggest snowfall in the county. He went sledding with his two sons and two stepchildren. From the dozens of colorful sleds stuck out of the snow piles near driveways or laying in front yards, other residents had the same idea.
Deming doesn't worry about stocking up supplies as a winter storm draws near.
“It doesn't bother me. I can get around, I have a snow mobile,” he said.
Most residents of the northern part of the county know to expect precipitation.
They received about 20 inches Saturday into Sunday, and four to five more on top of that. The National Weather Service estimated another two to four inches on Tuesday for the area.
Fair Haven Mayor William McVea praised the Department of Public Works, both Fair Haven and Sterling's. The employees monitor the weather conditions beginning at 3 a.m. and work to clear the roads so people can get to work and church on time.
“This morning by 7 o'clock, they had the sanding down and the roads plowed,” McVea said Monday.
The county notifies the northern municipalities about any worrisome forecasts. The municipalities have the snow equipment, the workers, and the know-how to take care of the snow. If one of the municipalities has a problem, it can share resources with the other.
“We're self-sufficient,” McVea said.
McVea advised anyone not familiar with the anticipated amount of snow to put snow tires on their cars and slow down when the streets are slick.
The Cayuga County 911 Center received four calls on Saturday and Sunday for weather-related car accidents or calls for service in Sterling, but had no reports of injuries, said Lt. Michael Wellauer of the sheriff's office.
“We should know how to live with the snow by now,” McVea said.
And that's exactly what dozens of snowmobilers and sledders did on Monday.
“I'm looking at Little Sodus Bay ... and it's beautiful,” McVea said, “and I can imagine the snowmobilers are having a great time right now.”
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
