Finger Lakes, NY

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When we moved to the NY Capital region almost a year ago, we had our reservations about things to do in this region. We, mostly, like to do nature trails, casual photography and mild relaxing hikes. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of stuff you can do within driving distance from Albany area, which is a welcome change for us moving from Houston, TX (I would have to crib about it in another blog for this!)

Coming to the topic - Finger Lakes region. We haven't heard about this place until we moved to the area. It is about 3-4 hr drive from the Capital Region. If you want to go to the Northern part of the lakes, you can take I-90 west, which is a toll-way. If you want to go to the Southern part of the lake, you gotta take I-88 and so on...

On Saturday (May 23rd, 2009), we took the southern route and reached Watkins Glen State Park. Its located in the middle of the town on State Highway 14. There are several trails and our recommendation is the Gorge Trail which goes along the water trail - over the falls, behind the falls and on small bridges... Here are some pictures...

















Watkins Glen State Park

Totally, it took about couple hours to complete this hike.. Very relaxing and beautiful trail all the way..not strenuous at all...

We read somewhere that the drive (Hwy 54 and/or 54A) along the Keuka Lake was scenic and since we were supposed to abode that night at Geneva, NY which in the northern end of Seneca Lake, we took this route to get to Geneva. The drive was along the lake mostly, but almost all the shoreline is taken private owners. So, it was just a drive and no outing on the way! Our Hampton Inn in Geneva, NY was just across from the lake shore (Seneca Lake) and the shore line has a small park and benches to relax.. We took a stroll along the lake and you can have a 'wine icecream' at the shop there!

Next day we drove through Waterloo, NY to the northern end of Cayuga Lake. We were lucky to see the Memorial Day Car Show at Waterloo. It was amazing to see so many antique and rare cars in such a small town!


Waterloo, NY Memorial Day Car Show
Then, we took the Route 89 along the western shoreline of Cayuga Lake and hit the wine trail! The entire stretch had so many wineries along the route.. We took a lunch break in a vineyard. Nice view of their vineyard from the restaurant... We hit a few wineries along the way and reached Toughannock Falls State Park. Its so different in that the height was too much for the water to reach the ground.. It was misty by the time it reached the ground..
Toughannock Falls

We had booked another Hampton Inn at Ithaca for the night and surprised to see that there is another falls - Buttermilk Falls - within a mile from the hotel! So, here we go... We hit that place too! Took the trail along the falls - its beautifu, but a bit strenuous in the sense that it was quite steep climb in some places.. But, it was so serene and beautiful that the hike is worth the trouble! Here are some pictures...

Buttermilk Falls


We were so exhausted and headed to a restaurant before going back to hotel.. We went to this place - Aladdin's Natural Eatery. The food was so fresh and scrumptious that we gobbled it so fast! I would certainly recommend to try this place if you are interested in Mid-Eastern food and/or if you are a vegetarian.. Their Tourlou and Pita Pockets are really good tasting!! It reminded us of a place in Houston, TX. Abdallah's at Houston was a great casual eatery...

That's it for the day.. We were really tired... The next day, we just wanted to get up and drive back home, but found out that Cascadilla Gorge Falls and Ithaca Falls were so close and in the city... Both these falls are in the Cornell Campus and easy to reach. No hard trails or hiking, but Cascadilla Gorge Falls has a notice saying that the area is closed because many of the pathway is made of shales and it has eroded dangerously.. But, still you can see the falls from the front and don't have to venture deep against the warning... We did see some locals going through the trail without hesitation...


Cascadilla Gorge Falls

Ithaca Falls

That's it for the Finger Lakes trip.. A great relaxing trip, altogether..

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 18, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    Superda Senthil, good job, keep it up - Aravind

    ReplyDelete

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