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Take a Hike or Take Your Bike...a Return to Sampson's WWI Base

NYS Gazetteer pages 57, 59

  The squeaking fawn...read on!

Whew!  Where on earth did the summer go???  It seemed that every day was an exercise in keeping the gardens alive, dragging hundreds of feet of hoses, adjusting sprinklers. Way too hot… and I am a heat-lover. Our efforts paid off, and we were rewarded with a summer-long, and on-going, harvest of exquisite flowers for my floral-arranging hobby and abundant salad greens, veggies, and edible flowers for our grazing pleasure, and for our friends and neighbors.   

It has been a year of so many changes, beginning with my Mom’s passing in the Spring, followed two weeks later with my dismissal from my 30-year “day job”, to adopting our sweet kittens, to Ethan’s dismissal from his 38-year “day job” upon his return from 4th of July vacation, to becoming “Publishing Barons”, with Ethan’s new position as partner of The Sun and Record.   The past few months have been a blur, and suffice it to say, the “necessary” components of our new newspaper responsibilities...learning to design advertisements, put legal notices together,  obituaries, etc., are keeping me real busy, leaving little opportunity for writing my “personal” stuff. 

And so, I decided it’s high time to take a break and share some of the neat places we explored this summer.  As usual, we continue to discover some wonderful new places, with something for everyone… time to get out your book of maps!  We  have a new favorite book:  Take Your Bike! Family Rides in the Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley Region, by Rich and Sue Freeman (they also have a companion book, Take A Hike! Family Walks in the Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley Region). The mountain bikes have become a favorite...and there are SO many places to go! 

We have visited Sampson State Park many times, but usually just hike  or have a picnic (Tom & Huck July 12, 2001…”Soldiers, Sailors, and Eagles Wings”).  Located off Route 96A about mid-way down the eastern shore of Seneca lake, we discovered that it’s an absolute paradise for bicycling.  There’s a great narrative in our Take Your Bikes book which describes the 9+ miles of bike trails within what was formerly the second largest Naval training station in the country...which, by the way, was named for Palmyra resident Rear Admiral William T. Sampson.   The level,  paved roads criss-crossing the bustling military community of World War II are now mostly overgrown, but provide a splendid opportunity for safe, automobile-free bicycling.  As you glide silently past abandoned buildings whose residents are now only scrub trees and wildlife, you can feel the presence of the young soldiers who trained and dined and laughed and worried before “shipping out” to an unknown future.  Kind of spooky, but there’s also  a sort of peaceful feeling in the air, of people that  served their country, did their job, and were proud of it.  The “Lake Trail” offers a special treat; as part of an Eagle Scout project, Boy Scout Jonathan Lanning installed markers next to over a dozen trees, providing their botanical and common names, and a description of their uses.   You’ll also come across some beautiful views of Seneca Lake.

It’s a super place to take your family...plan to spend the better part of a day, especially if you want to visit the museum, which is a MUST!  If you don’t feel like packing a picnic, there’s a concession stand that’s open all summer and serves everything from breakfast to pizza and special BBQ’s.  It’s an easy trip south on Route 14, then swing across the northern end of Seneca Lake and pick up route 96A south.  You can take Route 125 also; it splits from 96A just south of Seneca Lake State Park.  It’s the “scenic” route, running right along the lakeshore. 

Another day trip plan hatched as we listened to the news one Sunday morning and heard an announcement about an Air Show in Geneseo.  We love the air shows that feature WWI and WWII aircraft and have enjoyed the shows in Geneseo and Elmira for many years.  The trusty Dodge is always loaded with our traveling adventure necessities, so we only had to load up the bikes, some munchies and water bottles and hit the road.  Uncharacteristically, we opted to take the “zoom” road...390 South...and “get there”.  Perfect timing put us in Geneseo at lunchtime, and we decided to try The Big Tree Inn’s Grill Room; we weren’t quite dressed for their lovely formal dining rooms!  I believe the last time I was at the Big Tree was when my brother Eddie attended college at SUNY Geneseo, back in 1968.  Do the math. The food was fantastic...the creamy curried asparagus soup made me want to go home and replicate it, and their Chicken Sate Salad with its peanut and sesame dressing was a real treat. 

Leaving the restaurant, we were hit full-on with the day’s 95+ degree heat.  Phew!  We approached the airport on Route 63 and looking down into the valley  could see the heat waves rising.  We decided that we’d cook if we spent the afternoon sitting out in the field, and opted to forego the air show.  So...what to do now?   I had spotted a chapter in the “Bike” book describing a section of the Genesee Valley Greenway that runs between Cuylerville and Avon.  Hey...why not take the bikes for a spin when it’s almost 100 degrees??  Just beyond the sharp curve in Routes 39 and 20A in Cuylerville, there’s a grassy parking lot and a 2-lane dirt road that takes off into the countryside. A “Genesee Valley Greenway” sign marks entrance to the converted railroad bed.  Unloading the bikes from the rack, we began to question the wisdom of our ways; considering the oppressive heat we wisely decided to pack extra water bottles...a very good decision.   The bike path was described as “crushed stone, mowed grass, and packed dirt”.  In truth, it alternates between dirt, weeds, and an exciting mix of stones resembling marbles on mega-steroids.   Grasshoppers exploded into the air, and the summer’s singing Cicadas whirred their heat-song as we peddled through the fields adjacent to the Genesee River. The sun was a scorcher, and any breeze had long since packed up and left town. Reaching Route 63 at Piffard, discretion became the better part of valor:  let’s turn around and go back before we die in this heat.  Crossing back through “the flats”, sun beating down, the sight of overhanging trees made us pick up the pace.  Shade.  A break. 

Slowing down as we slid silently into the trees’ sheltering canopy, I looked ahead and whispered “STOP! NOW!”  Ever so slowly getting off the bikes, the most unbelievable “event” tottered toward us.  A tiny, spotted fawn was testing her spindly legs, walking directly toward us on the shady path.  We knew her Mom had to be fretfully waiting in the trees.  We didn’t breathe; the baby kept coming closer and closer.  Finally, she was within an arm’s length, looking at us with her beautiful round baby eyes.  I think she knew we were OK; she looked right into our eyes, opened up her mouth,  and SQUEAKED!!!  She turned around and slowly picked her way back into the woods…safe.  I never knew fawns (or deer for that matter) spoke!  It was something we’ll remember forever; a special gift from God. 

Needless to say, the squeaking fawn made the 95 degree bicycle trip worth every sweaty, thirsty, frustrating mile.  It’s a memory we'll treasure forever.

We plan to revisit the Greenway; you should put it on your list, too.  This is a perfect time of year for outdoor sports...perhaps you’ll see our squeaking deer as you hike or bike.  The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway continue to make improvements and extend the trail network...try it out!

You can find all of our Tom & Huck adventures at our website: 

http://irwinhome.freeservers.com.