by Jessica Kuzmier

Created on: December 18, 2008

When I looked behind me, back over the trail I had walked, it felt like I had been in the woods for hours. High on this hill, this place felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. With the tall pines that seemed to go on for long times, and hills with nothing but wildlife and woods, the crisp air that surrounded us gave the sensation of being deep in the West rather than living in summertime here in upstate New York. Certainly not in a place with a funny name like Forest of Dozen Dads.

Finding this place had been somewhat an accidental reality of itself. Looking at our GPS for some random place to roam to, my husband and I stumbled across this place called the Forest of Dozen Dads. I imagined some wild forest where archaeologists ambled deep inside for treasures, coming upon twelves statues carved in petrified wood of men wearing signs called "World's Greatest Dad". It was in a county park in Middlefield, New York. I hadn't really known that Otsego County had county parks, which goes to show that even after exploring for years I didn't have my own region memorized quite yet. Just for the name alone, the park sounded interesting. But discovering a county park was a find to explore as well.

On a rural road off of the state road 166, the turnoff for the park was at place which we had passed by many times, but never noticed as being anything but an entrance to private homes. That was because there was no indication a park was there. Not to be confused with the nearby and more visibly advertised, Davis State Park, there were no signs pointing to Dozen Dads, 12 Fathers or anything else. A rural road, the kind where you expect nothing but forest hermits and mountain men to live off of, was the only way to get there. You had to be looking for it. Up a hill, the state road disappearing far behind, this park really was hidden away.

A gate that opened to a driveway was the only indication that we happened upon this place, and as though we were driving on someone's estate. For several minutes, we drove like we were on some cavernous ATV trail. If this was some rich heir, he had decided either to go for the whole ATV thing or this road was one of those places where the natives put a large sign on saying "go away". Between keeping yourself on the road, looking for potholes, and watching around the bend for someone else to pop out heading the other way, it was a strenuous work out just getting to the park itself. But arrive we did, with both us and the car in one piece.

The

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