Larry and the Family Jules are back on the road. This time we are doing a tour of New York State, excluding the Northern most section. We hit the road at 7a.m. heading towards Ithaca to visit the Finger Lakes and state parks in the area. We originally planned to camp out but due to weather conditions that I'll get to later we decided to push forward later in the day. It was 11:30 when we reached our first destination, Taughannock State Park. We started by taking a walk around the nearby Cayuga Lake and eating some less than mediocre food from a nearby concession stand.
Once satisfied we started our first hike to Taughannock Falls. The trail was easy and straight-forward but what was interesting was the river flow was so low that you could walk in the middle of the river. Upon reaching the end of the 3/4 mile hike we reached the less than impressive waterfall.
We thought with all the rain we've been getting it would of been a bit more intense but it was just a trickle compared to what it could be. We walked through the river on the way back to the car where we realized something. In all of our hikes throughout the country whenever you see another hiker they smile politely and say, "Hello." Not in New York. Although everyone seemed perfectly nice, not one responded to our greetings. Next up was Ithaca Brewing Co. I have to admit, I wasn't very excited about this brewery but I left with a change of heart. The place looked like shack with little to nothing going for it. So what is there to do there? An employee summed it up pretty well, "Taste, buy, leave." We did just that :)
After trying a few samples we made a last minute decision to check out Buttermilk Falls. This would be a cute place to hang out at but there isn't much to see besides the waterfall which is right in the front.
Watkins Glen State Park was definitely the highlight of the day. This was a place that took our breath away. Every turn this canyon made was more impressive and beautiful than the one before. We were in awe throughout the entire hike.
Because of rain warnings we decided not to camp out. We gained a few hours by driving to Jamestown that night. While driving we watched a single cloud produce lightning every few seconds for almost our entire 3 hour drive.
