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| September 17, 2000-Hills and Hollows Part 1 | Back to Tom & Huck Page | |
| Back on the road...locally! I’ll
finish the Cozumel story when it’s snowy and blowy and nasty out and we
all need warm things to think about! But for now...
A week off...and What to do? What to do? In eager anticipation, we perused our paddling books and DeLorme NYS Gazeteer for some new adventure opportunities in an old favorite area...Watkins Glen and the surrounding Finger Lakes country. Ethan’s knee is healing nicely, and some limited hiking and canoe time should probably be OK. A few days away would be good, but not a whole week this time; we still need to mow the lawn every couple of days...it’s just not going to quit this year! And we didn’t want to leave our cat-family again; Sarah Me-Jowiee is still pouting about our trip to Mexico. We’ve also REALLY been enjoying our gardens this summer; they are...no lie...quite extraordinary. With the cool temperatures and plentiful rainfall, our yard looks about as beautiful as it ever has; it’s truly a joy just to spend time pulling weeds and take in the beauty and unique character of each flower and plant. Our green thumbs are a glorious gift, and believe me, they are usually very green and covered with dirt! We’d love you to stop by and visit; lilies are in full bloom, clematis, amaranths, daturas, phlox...give us a call or just drop by. Leaving our home in the loving hands of our good friends and neighbors, Joe and Diana and Colleen, we set out Monday morning. Our agenda started at Bucky’s Sodus Bay Marina and Restaurant for a superb breakfast and a visit with our local buddies. We almost "didn’t see" our friend O’Mike; great job on your diet, Mike! You’re an inspiration...we have a long way to go! Our next destination was Penn Yan, taking a leisurely tour through the farm country on Route 6 out of Geneva, then south on Route 15. It was time to stock up at the Spring Wheat Natural Foods store...Maytag Blue Cheese, XXX-sharp cheddar (they have over 30 varieties of cheese), dried black beans, red lentils and passion flower tea. And, of course, their special salt-free cajun and lemon-pepper seasonings. It’s such a cheerful, friendly store, and a favorite stop-in for the local folks to have a plate of the owner’s homemade salads. Lunchtime conveniently arrived as we approached Castel Grisch on Route 28 in Irelandville just north of Watkins Glen. I know I’ve gone on about this place before, but you absolutely have to try it. The wines from their vineyard are first class; our favorite this time was a 1998 Riesling..."semi-dry with rich floral aromas, and a luscious array of ripe fruit flavors combined with a citrus crispness". Ahhh. We both chose the Duck Salad; tender strips of roasted duck atop a bed of greens...romaine, radicchio, frisee...and a piquant blue-cheese-herb vinaigrette. We savored the view of Seneca Lake from their deck, and toasted our vacation and our good fortune to have each other to share such a perfect summer day and happy life. It was HOT when we arrived in Watkins Glen...down in the valley with no breeze. We’re so accustomed to having the cooling effect of Lake Ontario; it really can be a scorcher when you get away from the "Big Lake"! Shopping at the Famous Brands Outlet was in order; we’re both in the market for some new heavy-duty hiking sandals and shorts. We were shut out on the sandals; apparently we have the most popular foot sizes! Ethan was successful with the shorts and I found a totally cool new dress...almost to the ankle, sleeveless jungle print, with an attached jacket-top. Guess I’ll have to leave my "home office" more often to wear my neat clothes!!
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We parked ourselves at Seneca Lodge for the
night; we like the rooms that are at the back of the resort, facing the woods and pool.
The pool was looking good after the hot day so we took our books and "Happy
Hour" beverages up to one of the umbrella tables. The water felt great, and some
really fun kids and I rescued crickets, spiders, and bees from their watery trap. As it
began to get dark and hungry out, we wandered down to the restaurant. We always meet the
friendliest people there; lots of local folks that like to chat, and give you a warm
welcome to the area. The decor is wonderfully rustic, like a log cabin. Above the bar and
surrounding room there must be hundreds of arrows that are stuck in the walls, college
banners, fire department badges, more stuff that you can digest! Dinner was, as usual,
superb and reasonably priced...broiled scallops, baked fish, salad bar, yummmmm! I was
VERY bad, tho, and finished off with a piece of chocolate-peanut butter pie. There was some sort "event" at Watkins Glen International this week, and most of the cars at the Lodge were pretty hot items...Cobras, Porsches, Mustangs...all polished to the max. Some on trailers, but a lot of them came in driven by their owners. Good thing we didn’t bring the Firebird...nah...I’d be too afraid of "hurting" him at the track! Tuesday morning dawned warm and muggy, after a torrential rainfall overnight. It sounded like the Grand Prix was firing up outside our window as everyone ignited their cars and headed over to the track. We wandered down to the Mountain Market for coffee and pastries...I couldn’t resist the fresh blueberry and cream cheese streusel; Ethan headed for the cinnamon-twist pastry. Wow. What a great way to start your day! They had some really neat stuff for sale, too. A local artist sells garden path stones with stained glass inlayed into bricks, in patterns of flowers and birds. Great gifts...up...watch out friends! We decided to take a ramble and explore some of the lesser-traveled roads. (It’s time to get out your DeLorme NYS Atlas & Gazetter...page 45) The day’s destinations included: Round, VanKeuten, and Sanford Lakes, Cinnamon Lake, Mill Pond, Birdseye Hollow Park and State Forest...and of course, The Farm Sanctuary to visit our foster sheep, Simba. Checking out the map, we found an abundance of "Hollow" roads (that’s **Holler** for all you folks on Sodus Shores!!!). Our favorite was "Johnson Hollow"; we decided we would HAVE to take a drive down there in honor of our friends and neighbors MaryJane and Ron Johnson! The Hollow roads run between the steep-sided mountains...Coon Hollow, Buck Hollow, Owen Hollow, Erwin Hollow, and on and on. You can picture the countryside just by looking at the "Hill" and "Hollow" roads on the map. Our day was to be a series of "up the hill, down the hill" roads. Heading toward Sanford Lake we passed the track at the Glen and proceeded down Bronson Hill Road into the hamlet of Beaver Dams, picked up Hornby Road and came across Cinnamon Lake. It was a tiny lake, glistening in the sun, and bordered by 1700 acres of State Forest. We found some access trails into the forest off Monterey Road...to be explored when Ethan’s knee is better healed. Continuing on west on Sexton Hollow Road, the summer-sweet woodsy aroma of the pines was overwhelming, and the sublime song of an unknown bird made us pull over to appreciate it all. Absolute Peace and Quiet. Heaven. We spotted a DEC sign pointing to Sanford Lake, just off Route 226, and turned off on the gravel road. Following it on around, it appeared that Round and VanKeuten Lakes were private, lined with cottages. Sanford Lake is a DEC day-use area, with camping by permission, and no cottages on the shores. We put the canoe in, paddling the perimeter and occasionally casting in search of some fish. I did land a little Sunnie and Ethan found a scrappy little Northern. As usual, we easily released them from our barbless hooks and wished them well. It’s always good news to find small lakes that are healthy and support fish that are spawning; we’ll be back again to try to catch the wee-Northern’s parents! Next time...exploring the Hills and Hollows, a visit to the Farm Sanctuary and National Warplane Museum, Sugar Hill State Forest, and a look at the Chemung River! ********************************************************************** MANY new photos on our web site: http://irwinhome.freeservers.com
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