2015 Year in Review

Quite an exciting year this has been.  For the first time, we were able to attend a dance social, that was hosted by the Mohawk Valley USA Dance Chapter #3066 in Utica.

We went on a short Erie Canal Cruise.






  

For the third year in a row, we enjoyed another day at the Woodsmens Field Days, this time watching the chain saw carvings and the birds of prey.

We visited the source of the Black River, the North and South Lakes, and even returned at another time to go paddling on North Lake.

 


 
We loved Eight Lake for its serenity and for the loons that entertained us as we paddled around the lake. Being the only nearby state campground we could find that was open after Labor Day, we were able to return with some visiting relatives.  This time, they not only saw the loons but also a cormorant.



The highlight of the summer was a weekend trip to the Finger Lakes which started with another social dancing in East Syracuse, followed by wildlife viewing at the  Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge then wine tasting on the Cayuga Wine Trail.   We were mesmerized by the beautiful waterfalls at Taughannock Falls State Park.  Watkins Glen State Park's proved worthy of its status as the 3rd best state park in the nation.

Taughannock Falls

Watkins Glens State Park

Like the past years, we've enjoyed the usual lake activities of paddling, swimming, barbecuing, meeting friends and neighbors.  For about a week in the summer, we heard and saw a loon around the lake. We had some excitement rescuing a drifting pontoon using our old aluminum canoe.



But now, the good times have to end.  Fall has arrived and it's time to say adieu to the camp.  Til next year.

Paddling on North Lake

 When we first visited North Lake, we were enthralled by the serenity of the lake and promised to come back to do some paddling.  We finally got the chance to do it on the last Friday of August.  It was a cool, mostly cloudy day but with 0% chance of precipitation, we just had to go.

Unlike the first time when we were just driving through, we signed up at the registry as a day user.

It was still early in the day so there were still a few prime camping sites available.  Although we were not planning to spend the night, it was necessary to secure a campsite where we could set up our inflatable Sea Eagle kayak. Very close to the park register is Site #3 which appeared adequate and it was even close to a fairly clean outhouse.

 The water was very calm that day with hardly any wind, at least at the beginning of our paddle.   Even though we could see a few homes on either side of the lake, it was extremely quiet.  There was only one other vessel in the water, a slow moving pontoon boat.  Surrounded by a dense forest, it felt like a real wilderness.  The water was blackish characteristic of the Black River but still clear in the shallow places, where rocks and boulders can be seen at the bottom, as well as the shore.  Some areas have sandy beaches, including some of the small islands in the middle of the lake.

We would have loved to see a loon or two but sadly, we did not see any nor any other waterfowl.  Even the geese were nowhere around even though their droppings were all over the campsite.  Have they already left for the winter?


After an hour of paddling, we felt we've reached our half-way point and it was time to head back to our campsite.  With an area of 307-acre, North Lake was a little too big for us to completely navigate in 1 day.

On the way back, we decided to put our kayak into Site #5 which had a really nice sandy beach which appeared to have been ignored by the geese.   After our kayak had dried and been packed and we've had our picnic lunch, we set out with the idea of returning someday.  We then hope to pick a campsite further up the road to make sure we'll reach the northern end of the lake.

Woodsmen's Field Days Redo

When we first went to the Woodsmen's Field Days, we had no idea it would turn into a tradition.  We watched the entire lumberjill competition the last 2 years and last year, also the parade in town.

This year, we left the house at 10am hoping to beat the traffic going to the fairgrounds.  Did not happen. Those signs warning about traffic on Friday and Saturday of the event were not kidding. Bypassing the parking lot that was Main Street, it still took an extra 15minutes just to drive half a mile to Schuyler Street. Fortunately, we had earlier gotten directions to the back way and from there, it was smooth sailing to the fairgrounds.

After passing by some of the forestry and other displays, we stopped at the power chainsaw carve competition. It was amazing to watch the skilled carvers using those  powerful chainsaws to create such beautiful and intricate designs.


Our personal favorite was this carving of bears in a canoe.

Adapted from power carve's facebook page

The presentation by the Page Wildlife Center of the various birds of prey was fascinating.

We learned about the characteristics of the birds on display and got to get close to them (but no touching) as the presenters went about the crowd showing them off.  From the smallest owl (screech owl) to the large, ugly turkey vulture, each bird has its own special interesting story.  The Harris Hawk which can only be found in the southwestern part of the country is something we have to look out for once we leave our summer retreat and return to our main home.

Barred Owl

Great Horned Owl

Screech Owl

Barn Owls

Peregrine Falcon

Sparrow Hawk or American Kestrel

Harris's Hawk

Turkey Vulture

A demonstration of the red tail hawk's feeding left some observers slightly grossed out. But hey, that's how these raptors feed. 

Eight Lake

We love visiting the Fulton Chain of Lakes in the Adirondacks. We've cruised the Lower Fulton Chain which starts at Old Forge and continues for 10 miles from the First to the Fourth Lake on a rented pontoon boat but we've never paddled on our own. These first 4 lakes were just too busy with power boats for our comfort.  The pond-like, 13acre Fifth Lake which is accessible from Fourth lake appears just a bit too small.  A portage for boats is necessary to reach Sixth Lake which then continues to Seventh Lake.  From there, another portage is necessary to reach Eight Lake.


But, there is a state campground that allows boats to be launched on either Seventh or Eight Lake.  And so, for a chance to finally do some paddling on the Fulton Chain, we headed off for the Eight Lake Campground which is conveniently located along State Route 28 between Seventh and Eight Lakes about 1 hour from Kayuta Lake.

Eight Lake Campground Map

Although the campground is located on the southeastern shore of Eight Lake, it has campsites extending to Seventh Lake where it also has a boat launch .  With an area of 851-acre and an 11-mile shoreline, Seventh Lake, is the second largest lake on the chain, the largest being the 2,050-acre Fourth Lake. Some websites (e.g, landlubbers.com; adirondacks.com) mentioned how challenging it could be to paddle here when it is windy.  Although it was a calm day, we decided to go to the smaller, 303 acre, Eight Lake.

Seventh Lake

We drove towards the north end of the campground, passing by some of the 126 tent and trailer sites, many of which were occupied.  We parked by the picnic area and proceeded towards the beach between the swimming area and the boat launch to set up our Sea Eagle inflatable kayak.

Eight Lake Beach

Initially wary about the predicted high and humid temperature, we were surprised to find how pleasant the weather was.  The average depth of this lake is 39 feet, with a maximum depth of 81 feet.  Although the lake was also formed by a dammed river (Moose River) like Kayuta Lake (Black River), the water was extremely clear, so clear that we could see sand and rocks at the bottom even beyond 4 feet of water.  We wished our lake was also this clear.


Completely surrounded by wooded and undeveloped land, the lake was mostly quiet. There were only a few kayakers and canoeists sharing the water with us, the calm only briefly interrupted by two jet skiers.






After passing a small island, we saw one of the three lean-tos on the lake. 



Although we were unable to completely circumnavigate the lake, we did see the north end of it.  Soon after we turned around, we were entertained by 2 loons actively diving for food.

Watkins Glen State Park

South of Seneca Lake is the most famous state park in the Finger Lakes, Watkins Glens, which USA Today's Readers' Choice Poll voted the 3rd best state park in the US.  This is quite impressive since according to the National Association of State Park Directors, there are more than 2,200 parks and more than 6,200 additional recreation and educational areas administered by the various states in the nation.  Another NY state park, Letchworth Park, which we had visited a few years ago garnered the top honor.

Watkins Glens is about 150miles from Kayuta, which would have been quite a drive for us were we not already on Cayuga Lake doing the Wine Tour and seeing the sites (Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, Taughannock Falls).

After spending the night in Ithaca, we drove west towards the village of Watkins Glen and paid $8 to park close to the main entrance to the park.




On the left of the main entrance water can be seen coming from a hole in the cliff below the stone bridge.  This comes from a short tunnel that millers had chiseled through the rocks in the 1800's.  Water from Glen Creek then poured into a "flume" trough that led to a flour and feed mill that was located at what is now the parking lot.

Main Entrance

We went through the main entrance that had been carved through the limestone rock towering 200 feet high.  This lead to a set of stairs through the tunnel ending in the Sentry Bridge, the stone bridge we had seen from below.

Glen Creek can be seen twisting at the bottom of the gorge 21 feet below.  Twelve thousand years ago, the gorge did not exist but was solid rock beneath the creek flowing down the west side of glacier carved Seneca Lake. Thousands of floods through the years eroded layers of limestone and shale creating the gorge, the creek flowing down in a series of 19 waterfalls that descend like the steps of a staircase.
                                                                                                                           




We followed the 1.5 mile long Gorge Trail through stone steps and staircase that hug the cliffs,through tunnels and bridges following the course of the creek, which would ascend nearly 500 feet with more than 800 steps. Before the late 1930's these stonework walkway and stairs did not exist. When the park first opened to the public in 1863, visitors used ladders, wooden stairs and walkways.  Once it became a state park in 1906, tunnels, concrete bridges and staircases with iron railings were built, many of which, however did not survive the great flood of July 7, 1935.

Minehaha Falls

 


Minehaha Falls plunges 21 feet down to a heart-shaped pool.

Cavern Cascade

The trail runs behind Cavern Cascade as it pours over a sandstone ledge spraying visitors with its cooling mist before dropping 50 feet below. 

Central Cascade

At a viewing area about midway along Glen Cathedral, a long area flanked by 200ft cliffs on both sides, this pool of water is aptly termed baptismal font with the 60ft tall Central Cascade  up ahead. Visitors on the Gorge Trail go through the tunnel seen on the upper right then up more stairs ending at Folly Bridge above Central Cascade.

Rainbow Falls

After Folly Bridge and the Glen of Pools with its many sculptured pools and potholes is Rainbow Falls which comes from a tributary of Glen Creek which it joins after plunging 95 feet.   It is the second named falls in the park where the trail goes behind the falls.  We did not get to see the rainbow that is frequently seen here.

Rainbow Falls and Triple Cascade

Just up ahead, the creek drops 12, 8 and 6 feet in a Triple Cascade as it receives waters from Rainbow Falls.

Pluto Falls

Nine foot high Pluto Falls,  its name inspired by the Greek god of the underworld, is in an extremely narrow gorge with overhanging cliffs enveloping it in a perpetual shadow.

 We passed the junction between Gorge Trail, Indian Trail and the Finger Lakes Trail at the Mile Point Bridge and continued the next half mile along the wide and level path, the stream being calm at this point.

The New York Central Railroad Bridge, first built in 1877, destroyed by floods in 1935 and only recently  rebuilt, can be seen in the distance.






At the end of the path is Jacob's Ladder, a really steep (nearly 200 steps) staircase leading to the upper entrance area where there is a snack bar/souvenir shop, parking lot.  The bathrooms were closed but at least the porta potties had water for washing your hands.


From here, one can go back to the main entrance via a shuttle or take Indian Trail which follows the north rim and can connect with the Gorge Trail at different points.

View of gorge from Lover's Lane

After a small snack, we decided to trace our steps back to Gorge Trail to take another look at the gorgeous falls,  taking a little side trail to Lover's Lane.

Suspension Bridge

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View of Gorge Trail and creek fom suspension bridge.

We then crossed the suspension bridge and walked to the lily pond around which used to stand the Glen Mountain House, a Victorian Inn that opened in 1872 but burned down in 1903.

Lily Pad

 From here, one could go to the South Entrance, continue the hike on the South Rim Trail (Finger Lakes Trail) or head for one of the campgrounds in the park.  For us, we headed back to Gorge Trail, once more passing behind Cavern Cascade then towards the exit.





The  2 1/2 hours we spent to go slightly over 3 miles on a nearly complete round trip on Gorge Trail plus a little side trip was well worth the time.  We did not even notice the effort. The views were indeed awesome and something we would love to see again.  Maybe next time, we can identify more of the other 19 falls in the glen.  And maybe hike the other trails too.



References:
1) NY Falls. Watkins Glen State Park.
2) Watkins Glen State Park. Waterfalls in The Western Half Of New York State
3) Waterfalls of the Northeastern United States
4) Walk in the Park. Exploring parks in the Finger Lakes of New York and beyond.
5) Watkins Glen State Park.New York State of Opportunity. Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
6) 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Best State Parks
7) America's State Parks