Finger Lakes - Cayuga Lake Wine trail

Map of New York's Finger Lakes

Just a short drive from Kayuta is one of the nation's top tourist destination- the Finger Lakes. More than a hundred thousand years ago, ice sheets flowed southward from Canada gouging enormous holes in this region.  When the final glaciers receded, they left incredible gorges, waterfalls and lakes. The 11 lakes, which lay nearly parallel to each other within about a 75 miles long span roughly from Syracuse to the east and Rochester in the west and extending to Elmira-Corning in the south, appear like splayed out fingers (the imprint of the Creator's hand, per a Native American lore) leading to the name. They range in length from a mere 3 miles (Canadice) to 40 miles (Cayuga) and a depth of 30 ft (Honeoye) to 618 ft (Seneca). Although not one of the 11, Oneida Lake at the region's easternmost boundary, is sometimes considered the "thumb".

The Finger Lakes region is considered by many wine magazines as the most important wine region in the eastern United States.  The region's wine making history started with the first vineyard in 1829 and the first commercial winery in 1839.  Dozens of wineries came and went until 1880 when the highly successful Taylor Wine Company made the region the center of New York's wine industry. In the 1960's Dr. Konstantin Frank and Charles Fournier started growing European varieties which skeptics thought would not thrive in the East and produce world class wines, their success leading to the "vinefera revolution". Now with over 100 wineries spread in 7 of the 11 lakes, the region produces 90% of New York wines,  many award winners that can stand alongside California's best - Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer and others.

Cayuga Lake's Scenic Byway Map

At the center of the region is Cayuga Lake, the longest and second deepest of the Finger lakes at 38.2 miles long and 435 feet deep at its deepest point. Reaching 53 feet below sea level, it is among the deepest lakes in North America, along with Seneca Lake (618 ft, maximum depth).  Having an altitude lower than that of the other Finger Lakes, Cayuga has the longest growing season (190 -205 days), a definite advantage for the production of vinifera varieties.  There are 26 wineries along the lake of which 16 are members of the  Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, the first organized (1983) and longest running wine trail in the United States, which also include 1 cidery, 1 meadery and 4 distilleries.

And so, we chose to visit Cayuga Lake, not just for their wineries but for the other attractions which will be covered at another time.

 Several companies offer tours to the wineries.  We decided to do it on our own so we can choose where we go.  At the Goose Watch Winery, we first enjoyed a picnic lunch on their grounds overlooking scenic Cayuga Lake. Then for a fee of $3, my husband got to taste 6 different wines.  Being the designated driver, I could only watch and occasionally take a little sip. 

 











Some places like our next stop, the Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery offer winery tours, but we wanted to do some more sightseeing so we just did the wine tasting.  We had planned to hit at least 4 wineries but after tasting 12 wines, my husband has had enough alcohol for the day.  Although spitting is allowed, he did not want to waste any of the good wine he was tasting.

Having jotted down the names of the wines we would pick up on our way home the next day, we ended our very short wine tour hoping to come back another time for more.

North Lake and South Lake - Sources of the Black River

We know Kayuta Lake is just a dammed portion of the Black River which eventually flows northwest,  ending at the eastern end of Lake Ontario.  The major source of the Black River is North Lake in Herkimer county, at the foothills of the Adirondacks about 25 miles east of Boonville. East of its southern end lies South Lake, the second source of the Black River.





To get to these two sources, we drove north on Route 28, turned right immediately after crossing the Forestport Reservoir then right again at Woodhull Road. We followed the road which eventually became North Lake Road.  After about 15.5 miles (the last 1.6 miles unpaved), we reached the North Lake Reservoir.


We veered right onto South Lake Road, passing Wolf Creek Road which went along the southeast side of  North Lake, a private road with a " No Trespassing" sign.  Arriving at South Lake, we were awed by the beauty and peacefulness of the lake which was however marred by the swarm of black flies we had to fend off as soon as we got off the car to take this picture.

South Lake

The 486-acre South Lake averages about 25 feet deep with a maximum depth of 60 feet. It's dam is still the original that was built in 1859 to create this reservoir to ensure constant flow to the Erie Canal.  There was a boat launch (which some campers told us is open to the public) and at least two small waterfront campsites by the road.  Shortly after the campsites, the road forks, the right following the shoreline (South Lake Club Road) leading to private camps, the road blocked by a locked gate.  The left fork, Honnedaga Lake Road would have taken us to Honnedaga Lake which was not in our plan for the day so we turned around and retraced our route back to North Lake.



Immediately after the dam on North Lake, we turned right onto the Loop Road.  Near the beginning of this dirt road, there was a kiosk where campers and day users are supposed to sign in.  We learned from the poster there that the current dam has been here since 1899. Like South Lake, the dam was built to provide water to the Erie Canal.  The original dam was completed in 1857 but failed due to massive flooding in 1869.

North Lake Dam

North Lake has an area of 307 acres and averages about 18 feet deep, with a maximum depth of about 50 feet.  It's shoreline is mostly forested.

A campsite's view of North Lake 

As part of the 121,506 acre Black River Wild Forest, the North Lake and South Lake Recreation Area offers opportunities for camping,  hiking, boating and fishing.  We saw some of the campsites (number 2-22) by the side of the loop road.  Most of the lakeside sites have beautiful views of the lake, some with easy launching sites for canoes and kayaks, some even adjacent to privies.  Black flies, though were also a nuisance here. 

Left gate on north end of the North Lake

After about 4. miles, the Loop Road ended at  2 gated trails right after a large DEC parking area. The left is a continuation of the Loop Road while the right is Wolf Creek Road which would eventually go to the east side of the lake where most of the other public campsites (#23-32) are.  These sites can only be accessed by boat or by hiking.



Unable to explore any farther, we turned around and headed back home.  North and South Lake look like interesting possibilities for a future kayak trip.  But only when the black flies are not around.

Ballroom Dancing in Utica

One thing that we've been missing when we spend our summers in Kayuta is ballroom dancing.  Not that we're good dancers, we just love it.  Gives us a chance to socialize, practice and learn new dance moves, exercise.  My husband says it's the only time that I follow his lead without question- at least most of the time.

Last Saturday, we were finally able to attend a social dance hosted by the Mohawk Valley USA Dance Chapter #3066 at the Utica Maennerchor. As soon as we entered, we were warmly welcomed by organizer Tom Chin and soon after by Patti Lewis who was behind the lovely decorations centered on the "June Weddings" motif and also the MC of the night's activities.  Geno Aureli, owner of All for the Love of Dancing in Syracuse was already more than halfway through his bolero dance lesson so we could only watch and regret coming late to the dance. 

As soon as the lesson was over, open dancing started.  We had a wide berth on the dance floor since there were only about 2 dozen people present.  With lovely music played by DJ Joe Carino, we danced the cha-cha, rumba, hustle, swing, tango, waltz, foxtrot, merengue. We had to sit out the argentine tango which we still have to learn but got to do some dance walking near the end which everybody participated in.

Everybody we met there was very friendly.  We even got the scoop on other dances around the county.  We're looking forward to joining this group again at one of their monthly dances and checking out the other dance venues.

Some attendees of the June 27 dance.