October 2015
While we were visiting Alexandria Bay and the 1000 Islands region, the cool fall weather had already arrived in northern New York so we took advantage of the crisp fall weather with a visit to the Burrville Cider Mill in Watertown where we watched cider being pressed before stocking up on so many varieties of delicious apples to take home. We stopped in Watertown again on the way home from Alex Bay and visited the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park. The zoo is populated with animals that are native to New York.

If visiting Burrville Cider Mill on a crisp day doesn’t get you in the Fall mood, nothing ever will.

If visiting Burrville Cider Mill on a crisp day doesn’t get you in the Fall mood, nothing ever will.

Burrville Cider Mill has a great variety of local NY apples plus pumpkins and more.

There’s a waterfall right behind the cider mill

There’s a waterfall right behind the cider mill

Burrville Cider Mill has a great variety of local NY apples. We tried many of them.

Not just apples! It’s pumpkin season too!

Apples are brought into the mill to become cider.

This is what’s left once the cider is extracted from the apples

This machine grinds the apples into mash

Feeding the apples into the mill

Squirting mashed apples into the press

Burrville Cider Mill uses rather simple equipment to make a delicious cider

Pressing the apples

Dumping the apple waste

McIntosh apples are native to this part of the world

My mother slects some of the MANY apples we brought home with us.

Welcome to Downtown Watertown

Advertising doesn’t get simpler than this. I bet it works!

Looking out over the city of Watertown, New York. There’s even apples growing up here.

The New York State Zoo at Thompson Park features animals native to New York

Thankfully, this was a Halloween decoration, not a resident of the zoo!

It’s good that there’s a place to visit air fresheners

This porcupine refused to turn around for a photo. Maybe he’s shy.

Don’t wake the sleeping mountain lion

This mountain lion is proof that all cats are the same no matter what their size.

Bald eagle

Who knew that goats like to play tetherball?

Donkey

Pygmy goat

Guinea hog

Bobcat

This grey wolf looks much like a dog. You know, except that he’d be happy to eat you.

The moon wasn’t out but this grey wolf was howling his heart out.

Snowy owl

River otter

Hello river otter!

Wolverine

It’s not officially a zoo resident, but we spotted a chipmunk too.

Elk

Close-up with an elk

After the zoo we stopped at a cool little town named Adams, NY.

Jefferson County Journal Building in Adams, NY

Listening to these 4 regulars at Gram’s Diner in Adams, NY verbally spar with the waitress was the highlight of my entire vacation.

Gram’s Diner in Adam’s NY is a very cool little diner.

Gram’s Diner in Adam’s NY is a very cool little diner.