Aug. 22, 2013

‘becca Glover,  Watkins Glen

First thing today we went north to collect the last of the five.  Sue had to put her feet into Lake Ontario, the last of the great lakes we have visited.  Finding public beach access has been challenging on the last couple of lakes but we have managed with some searching. We found a spot after some bushwacking and got the pictures.

East toward Rochester.  Along the way we found an Amish produce stand that had sufficient parking for the Carbus.  We bought some sweet corn, some squash, and a melon at very reasonable prices. 

Note to any one traveling cross country:
STAY OFF OF FREEWAYS AND THROUGHWAYS!!.   We would not have found this spot (or seen much of what we have seen) if we took fast roads.  Probably the best produce we have ever had – no exaggeration.  Definitely the best sweet corn I have ever had.  Melt in your mouth and smooth to the taste.  Could eat several ears at once if available.

On to Rochester.  A little girl (memories) whom we have known almost since she was born recently completed her doctorate here in mathematics.  She will begin teaching at a university here in a few weeks.  We called and asked if we might stop by to say hi.  Turned out that her sister was visiting from Oregon so we got to see both.  Rebecca had just purchased a home and was ‘camping out’ basically in a home well over a hundred years old as she got situated and began to make it her own.  Will be a fun project.  Nice to see her and her location.

South to Watkins Glen.

Watkins Glen is located at the southern tip of the largest of the Finger Lakes in New York state.  The Finger Lakes area is the grape growing and wine making center of New York and probably the east coast.  I have lived in Northern California all my life.  Have visited and lived near the Napa Valley and surrounding wine making areas for nearly seventy years.  I’m sorry California but the Finger Lakes region has you beat.  The scenery alone is amazing (and we saw it without color change).  Lots of vineyards but then the view beyond is a lake with green hills and vineyards  beyond.  Not vineyard after vineyard with brown hills around and tourist traps in between.  No castles. No tourist traffic.  Many wineries but lots of space and views in between.  VERY PRETTY AREA!

Watkins Glen among other things has a state park (wherein we are camped).  The state park primarily exists to protect and showcase a gorge.  Eons of erosion have created a waterway that is a naturalist and photographers dream.  We hiked about 3/4 of the gorge (the rest was not as spectacular).  Would be fun to see at different times of the day.