As we bid farewell to upstate New York and headed east to Vermont, the road signs upgraded the deer crossing cautions into moose crossings. During our brief nine days in Vermont, we sadly did not see a single moose despite what the signs indicated as a possibility. We crossed into Vermont on US Highway 2 (Bridge Road) which leads over Lake Champlain, just one short mile south of the Canadian border. Our stay at Lake Carmi was filled with reminders…
As we rolled along Route 3 across New York, the dense growth of pine lining the roadside gradually thinned as small ponds and gentle streams sprouted outside our windows. The horizon opened to reveal low mountain ranges in the distance surrounded by fields of wild flowers blooming golden yellow and creamy white. A couple of road signs warned us to be wary of deer, as well as looming “Bumps” – but an upstate New York Bump is nearly imperceptible compared…
Located along a three-mile long gorge, Whetstone Gulf State Park features a small campground with 62 sites (24 of which are electric). The sites are all very spacious and mostly wooded, with two picnic tables per site as well as a stone campfire pit. The campground offers flush toilets and hot showers, a single washer/dryer room ($1 per wash/$2 per dry), a designated swimming area and beach, and easy access to a few hiking trails including a five-mile loop around…
Green Lakes State Park is aptly named, as the centerpieces of the park are two glacial lakes showcasing a deep green to turquoise hue. These lakes were formed roughly 14,000 years ago during the last ice age when the massive ice sheet covering this area of New York gradually receded northward as the climate warmed. The torrents of water from the melting ice carved out two deep basins, which became Green Lake and Round Lake because all of the more…
As we talked with more and more people about our travel plan to drive through the Finger Lakes, nearly everyone who had visited the area told us not to miss Watkins Glen. We weren’t originally planning to stop in the Glen because our planned route took us around rather than through the southern end of Seneca Lake. Earlier in the summer we booked five nights at Sampson State Park, which is roughly 25 miles north of Watkins Glen. Because we…
Driving into the Finger Lakes region for the first time was an oddly familiar experience for two people raised in and around Pennsylvania farm towns. If not for the road signs proving that we were indeed in the state of New York, the area could easily be mistaken for Cross Roads, Fawn Grove, Sidman, or any other area with a strong farming backbone. That is, until you see the first winery, followed quickly by a second, then a third, maybe…