Today was “Explore and Sightsee Day”. Following directions from Gerry, Linda and Charlotte, we headed out for Taughannock Falls. After parking, we sauntered up a wide almost-level path to the falls. There was not too much water flowing down the river from the falls but we had high expectations. After a short walk, we came to the falls which are actually higher than Niagara Falls. I took a few pictures and we returned to the car.
The path to the falls
Taughannock Falls
We continued up the west side of Cayuga Lake to Ovid and then turned south, stopping at the Wagner Vineyard for lunch and a little shopping. We bought a bottle of Semi-dry Gewurztraminer and a blush. They were also a micro-brewery and one of their beers intrigued me. It was a small seasonal brew called Sugar House Maple Porter, made from sap from maple trees. I had a small taste and bought a six-pack. When I get home, there should be one beer each for my two sons, Alex and Scott, one for my neighbor, Robert, one for real estate advisor and friend, Bill Huss and two for me…unless a thirsty new best friend shows up and convinces me he (or she) should share one of my last two beers.
View of Cayuga Lake
We then drove down to Watkins Glen and hit the local outlet store where I picked up a new shirt. We then went around the corner to the sporting goods where we got some things for a certain grandchild who will remain nameless at this time since they read this blog. After loading the loot in the car, we did a drive-through of Cornell University and were amazed at its size. The campus is huge! Getting close to the cocktail hour, we returned home.
After sharing the tales of our outing, Claudia got a tour of Linda’s home and I got a tour of Gerry’s woods on an ATV. We then had dinner and retired to the porch for conversation and planning. We were interrupted by the antics of a mother robin whose nest was under the deck where we were sitting. She didn’t like us sitting on “her” deck and protested loudly. Tough! We were about to call it a night when Claudia spotted a firefly. We all went on “firefly alert” and soon spotted a few more. It was then time to head for bed, leaving the robin and fireflies to themselves.
The next day, we got up, packed up and set off for the thriving metropolis of Cold Brook, NY, home of the Adirondack Gateway Campground. During our drive, Linda had called, warning us of a MAJOR thunderstorm that just hit them and was heading our way. As we checked in at the campground, the owner asked if we had heard about the weather. That was a clue! She assigned us to a site she thought would be the safest and warned us to unplug the power when the lightning hits. That also was a clue! Ten minutes after we were all set up, the rain started. I unplugged the power cord as instructed. We then heard thunder. We then saw lightning. We heard a tornado warning on the CB weather radio. Claudia saw a lightning strike that looked like it was just outside the campground, maybe a hundred yards or so away. All I can tell you that when the light flashed, it was BRIGHT and the simultaneous “crash” was more of a “snap” than a “boom”, something I’d never heard before. Luckily, the storm was short-lived and we were soon plugged back into power. We returned to cleaning the rig (inside) and doing laundry and other chores. Tomorrow, we head out for a drive into the Adirondacks.
Boy are you lucky! The storm knocked out the phone lines and the Internet here at the park so…you are going to get another day’s blog since I couldn’t send out the one I had written.
After a wonderful night’s sleep, we jumped in the car and told our trusty guide, “Karen” - (our GPS unit), to take us to Old Forge which is off Hwy. 28 heading into the Adirondack’s. She eventually took us there but some of the roads we went on were more like backwoods trails except they were (sort of) blacktop. I was remembering Larry Slycord’s words of wisdom, “Don’t drive down the roads with tall weeds between the ruts.” We finally got to Old Forge and stopped at the Visitor Center.
Moose River on the way to Blue Mountain Lake
We got lots of great info and advice and were soon headed for Blue Mountain Lake and the Adirondack Museum. The lady at the Visitor Center had recommended the café at the museum for lunch so that’s where we went.
After touring the museum, we took off to continue our loop trip of the area. We swung down to Indian Lake, turned south to Speculator and then southwest to Piseco and home. One thing we noticed was that every town had at least one cemetery. They were everywhere. This is some of the most spectacular country we’ve seen to date. I’ve never seen so many trees, mostly birch, pines and hardwoods. We also saw lots of deer and several turkeys. I swung into the campground about 5:00...a great day!
Tomorrow, eastward bound for the Right Coast with an overnight stop at Westfield, MA. We are almost there!
View from the restaurant
The museum
Claudia had a mushroom soup and half-sandwich combination and I had soup and a barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Delicious…and with a great view of the lake. We toured the museum after lunch and it was one of the best museums we’ve ever been in. Granted, it was geared to the Adirondack area but, boy was it beautiful and complete. We recommend it highly to everyone if the fuel prices ever drop and you get out this way.
After touring the museum, we took off to continue our loop trip of the area. We swung down to Indian Lake, turned south to Speculator and then southwest to Piseco and home. One thing we noticed was that every town had at least one cemetery. They were everywhere. This is some of the most spectacular country we’ve seen to date. I’ve never seen so many trees, mostly birch, pines and hardwoods. We also saw lots of deer and several turkeys. I swung into the campground about 5:00...a great day!
Tomorrow, eastward bound for the Right Coast with an overnight stop at Westfield, MA. We are almost there!
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