FINGER LAKE’N GOOD

 Photos and route by Joseph Insalaco

Before starting this trip, I knew that we were going to see picturesque lakes and waterfalls.  I also anticipated some challenging hills between the lakes.  As promised, the scenery was fantastic but the first 2 hills were more than challenging.  After cresting the second one, I seriously questioned my desire to continue cycling and wondered if my heart and breath would ever return to normal rhythms.

Once again, we were drawn to water for our summer cycling adventure. With all our trips along rivers and lakes, we sometimes wonder why we don’t trade our bikes in for kayaks or canoes. On this trip we cycled from Syracuse, New York, up and down the Finger Lakes, before arriving in Rochester, New York.  From there we cycled along Lake Ontario as we headed back to Syracuse.

The Finger Lakes is a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario. This part of New York state is a very popular tourist area for cyclists. Besides its lakes, the area has numerous waterfalls, parks, large cities, unique small towns, historic sites, museums, and many wineries. Cycling north or south along the lakes is relatively flat.  However, cycling east or west between the lakes involves serious climbs.

In Syracuse, we left Joe’s van at our friend Dick’s house. The 3 of us met during our 2002 cycling adventure across the United States. Even though Dick wasn’t able to join us on this ride, he did provide great hospitality and we enjoyed sharing stories about our past cycling adventures.  Dick’s parting words were “some of the hills are really tough.”

The start of our cycling led us through the city of Syracuse.  We first stopped at Syracuse’s historic Clinton Square.  This square was the town’s original center and now boasts a beautiful panorama of architecture from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Clinton Square also houses a stunning fountain park where the Erie Canal once ran. This area also participated in  the Underground Railroad.  In Clinton Square we stopped at the Jerry Rescue Monument celebrating the October 1, 1851, rescue of William "Jerry" Henry, an escaped slave from Missouri. According to Wikipedia. Henry had been arrested in Syracuse and identified as an escaped slave. Federal officials eager to compel obedience to the then-new Fugitive Slave Act determined to return him to Missouri. The arrest occurred on the very day that a major abolitionist meeting was taking place in the city. Following one failed rescue attempt, a large mob stormed the police station and rescued Jerry Henry, defying the Fugitive Slave Act.

Heading out of the city we cycled through an area that at one time housed the city's affluent citizens. Sadly, many of the once stately mansions were in need of major restoration.

Soon, we encountered our first significant hill. We had been warned many times that we would have lots of climbing, but it took our first climb for that reality to sink in. This climb was about 3 miles long with some steep grades. It was tough, but we stayed on our bikes and felt good about beating this hill.  At the top, we asked ourselves, “how bad could the rest of the hills be?”

Our second climb let us know that the first hill was relatively easy.   This second killer climb occurred at the southern tip of Otisco Lake, just as we started heading north along Skaneateles Lake. Not only was it steep but we had to do it during the heat of the day when temperatures were in the mid-90s and the humidity at the same level.  While this climb was only one-half miles long, it required us to get off our loaded touring bikes and push them up an 18 percent grade .  It was very difficult. We were afraid to stop to rest, unsure that we could start walking again. Worse than the first climb, my heart and lungs beat so hard, my chest felt like it was going to explode.

After we recovered, we next stopped in the town of Skaneateles. There we enjoyed cool drinks and sat under a shade tree with a great view of the lake as we tried to forget the killer hill we had to walk up. Skaneateles is an Iroquois term meaning "long lake"  and the town dates back to the 1830s.   After reaching the northern end of Skaneateles Lake, we headed west on an easy 6 mile ride to the town of Auburn and our hotel for the night. After getting cleaned up, we forced our legs to carry us to a nearby restaurant.

We started our morning with a walk to Anne's Family Restaurant .  Anne served us the daily special of 2 eggs, coffee, toast, and home fries (which we both declined).  Before leaving Auburn, we visited the home of William Seward, who was instrumental in the purchase of Alaska from Russia.  We next stopped at the more modest home of Harriet Tubman, who led many enslaved people to freedom.

Leaving Auburn, we had a 20-mile leisurely ride south along Owasco Lake. What came next was another monster climb that Joe conquered but I walked up the last quarter mile. There were other climbs during the day and a few great downhill rides.

In Moravia, we stopped at Millard Fillmore's birthplace, a tiny log cabin.  He was the 13th US President.  From there we headed west to Cayuga Lake, one of the deepest lakes in the United States, measuring 435 feet deep. Once we reached the lake we headed south to Ithaca, which is at the southern tip of the lake.  Our route to the hotel in Ithaca was blocked by a street fair where we were tempted by the offerings of many food vendors.  We slowly walked our bikes through the fair for several blocks before deciding on a detour. However, that detour soon took us to a road that was torn up and closed.  Rather than “detouring a detour,” we proceeded through the construction to get to our hotel.

The next morning, we left our Ithaca hotel room a little after 6am, because the internet indicated that a nearby breakfast spot opened at 5am.  However, the hours posted on the internet were wrong.  The sign on the door said it did not open until 7 a.m. The only other nearby breakfast choice was a gas station that advertised breakfast sandwiches made fresh daily.  We bought 2 sandwiches but should have just left town hungry. A trail quickly took us out of Ithaca and into Cass Park and marina.  There we saw many runners, birders, and lots of big boats.  Following the park’s signs to an osprey nest we were rewarded with 2 big birds perched on the edge of their home. 

Heading north along Cayuga Lake, we encountered more hills, but thankfully they were modest.  That is except for the climb to Taughannock Falls State Park.  We wanted to see the park’s magnificent 215 foot waterfalls, which was high up the mountain off our route.  After taking pictures and enjoying the view, we had a great downhill ride, followed by relatively flat cycling.

Continuing north, we faced challenging head winds that reduced our 12 to 15 mph pace down to a painful 6 to 8 mph.  Twenty miles into our day, we dropped down from the Cayuga Scenic Byway to the Cayuga Lake Shore Drive.  Despite the fierce winds, it was nice to be able to cycle this close to the lake.  Large white caps were breaking on shore like they do at the ocean. Eventually, our lake shore cycling took us to the Thirsty Owl Winery and Bistro, where we stopped for lunch.

 

In Seneca Falls we toured its historic downtown and saw where the nation’s first convention for Women’s Rights was held in July 1848. Next, we passed the Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, located in the 1844 Seneca Knitting Mill, and finally, the “It's a Wonderful Life Museum” a local “Bedford Falls" nostalgia attraction with displays & memorabilia from the namesake film.

If we correctly remember our theology lessons, the prior 3 days we were in purgatory and on the fourth day we ascended into heaven.  Our first heavenly stop was at the marker claiming the town of Waterloo as the birthplace of the annual Memorial Day celebration in May of each year.  In the summer of 1865, a prominent local druggist, Henry C. Welles mentioned at a social gathering that it would be good to remember the Civil War’s dead soldiers by placing flowers on their graves. Nothing resulted from this suggestion until a year later. In May, the village honored the fallen with flags at half-mast. (While President Johnson proclaimed the town as its birthplace, new information indicates that an earlier celebration was held in Columbus, Georgia.)

Within a few miles we stopped to take pictures of a Cayuga Canal lock and noticed a sign on the other side of the water announcing a civil war memorial.  We debated going to see it but since it was early and a short day, we decided, why not.  Thankfully, we made the right choice and it became our second heavenly stop of the day. This unassuming and out of the ordinary cemetery contained dozens of simple granite monuments, each 5-foot high.  Beneath, there were tags identifying the man’s name, rank, age, and where he was from. Both of us were moved by this memorial, more so than when we cycled through the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania battlefield on a previous bike trip. Simple, but powerful. Unlike our normal behavior of stop, look, photograph, and move on, we spent an hour there as we were captivated by its solemnity.

After leaving the cemetery we started cycling west on the Cayuga Trail.  The trail was mostly a single-track trail that paralleled the Cayuga canal.  The trail was only 5 miles long.  Near its end we came upon a very unique 100 yards section of trail art (for the lack of a better description) that we counted as our third heavenly stop.  There were stuffed animals, toys, non-native plants, stick sculptures, drawings, signs, and more unique stuff that you can see in our photos.  As we marveled at this interesting section of the trail, Jim, a runner, stopped to talk to us.  Jim is a county legislator and a regular on this trail.  He said that he got to talk to the man responsible for these decorations.  Actually, according to Jim, talk was too strong of a word.  The best that Jim could determine was that the man, a recluse, is a seasonal neighbor of the trail and has made it his role to make the trail special.

One and a half hours after we left our hotel, we had gone only 5 miles.  This was so unlike us.  Our day definitely started out as something very wonderful.  When the Cayuga trail ended, we cycled south along Seneca Lake. Seneca Lake is the deepest Finger Lake at 618 feet and the longest at 38.1 miles.   At the end of the road, we entered a deserted trail that took us through Sampson State Park.  Leaving the park, we came to a fenced area containing a large collection of brick buildings that were boarded up.  We stopped a walker and asked “what are we seeing?”  We were told that it was a former state prison.  She said that the local community was trying to get it turned over to them for development but not having much luck.

Cycling along Cayuga lake presented a much different picture than yesterday when the waters lapped the shore.  Today, everything was calm (heavenly).  Another interesting feature of today’s cycling was that we had many wonderful (again, heavenly) downhill sections but didn’t remember getting to the tops of any hills.  Our climbs were very gentle and barely noticeable.  That is, except the last one to get to our hotel in Watkins Glen.

After checking into our hotel, we took a short walk to the Watkins Glen Gorge.  The gorge contains 19 waterfalls in a narrow passageway cut through the rocks.  In many places it is 400 feet deep and to hike the 1.5-mile trail required us to climb hundreds of steps cut into the rocks.  The water sprayed from some of the falls was cooling and the walk was not too strenuous.  It felt good to be off our bikes and immersed into nature.

Leaving Watkins Glen, we headed southwest to Corning. Immediately we started with a long climb that was only a 3 to 4 percent grade but seemed endless.  However, in comparison to our early climbs, it was easy.  Unlike the beginning of our trip, the day was overcast and cold enough for us to keep our jackets on all day.  There were no lakes between Watkins Glen and Corning, but we cycled in what should have been a picturesque valley, if only it were sunny.

We had a late breakfast in Corning and then headed north towards Hammondsport, fighting a head wind the whole way.  The highlight of the day was when we reached Hammondsport and checked into a new Best Western Plus with exceptionally friendly staff and a plate of fresh baked cookies waiting for us.  The highlight of the day should have been the Glenn H Curtiss Museum that displays 20th-century aircraft & motorcycles, but we were too tired to see it or go into the town for dinner. But we did find comfort in the brew pub next to the hotel.

Our ride from Hammondsport to Pen Yan was along Kuaka Lake but we didn’t see much of it.  We were on the third day of a weather advisory caused by the Canadian forest fires that were polluting the east coast.  While the advisory stated that all outdoor activities be curtailed, we cycled.  Because of the haze we could not see the lake or much else and it also made breathing challenging, especially on the climbs.  The day’s highlight was meeting up with our old friend Ray, who we also met on our 2002 ride across the United States.  At that time and at age 66, Ray cycled from his home in Pen Yan to the start of our cross-country ride in Williamsburg, Virginia.  After we cycled 4,500 miles to Astoria, Oregon, Ray continued cycling south to San Francisco then headed east to Salt Lake City before he decided he had enough.  Twenty-two years later, Ray is still cycling.

Because of the smoke filled air and the afternoon headwinds, we cut our ride from Pen Yan to Canandaigua short by eliminating the ride along the northern part of the lake and skipping the town of Geneva.  While we eliminated about 15 miles, we were still beat up by the headwinds. We did get to see the northern tip of Canandaigua Lake as we entered the town.

Another cold start as we left Canandaigua, but we warmed up with a quick infusion of joy from a trail angel.  Leaving the hotel, we had a short ride to an “open 24 hours” restaurant that wasn’t open.  When we got there, only the front seating area was lit and one person was setting up for breakfast.  We walked in only to be told that the restaurant did not open for another hour.  Mary, the manager, must have seen the sad look on our faces and said, “I will make you breakfast as long as your request is simple.”  We both ordered 2 eggs over easy with wheat toast.  Mary said that 2 eggs came with potatoes, which we declined.   So instead of potatoes, she cooked us some bacon and 3 eggs each.  The food was fine, but her kindness was wonderful.

We cycled through the town of Canandaigua then headed out into the country.  That is when things got confusing for us.  A little background:  Joe prepares our routes and down loads them into our GPSs (which are different Garmin models).  After cycling about 10 miles of country roads, my GPS directed that we turn right onto Mt. Payne Road.  However, Joe’s GPS indicated that we should continue straight.  After our painful climbs early on, we chose not to turn onto Mt. Payne Road, which was in fact, a climb.

In the town of Palmyra, we got on the Erie Canal Trail.  While most of the trail was in rural areas, we did go through several interesting towns. We stopped in Pittsford for coffee and pastries.  If our Swiss cycling friend HP was with us, we would have lingered for an hour watching the pleasure barges on the water.  We miss his “stop and smell the coffee” approach to bike touring.  To reach Rochester, we cycled almost 30 miles of the Erie Canal.  (Joe and his wife Nancy have cycled the entire canal from Buffalo to Albany.)

In Rochester we cycled 14 extra miles looking at various points of interest and seeing the downtown. We especially enjoyed Highland Park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1888. Spring-blooming flowers & trees line the 150-acre park and we made stops at its castle, sunken garden, and amphitheater.  The other notable stop was the Susan B. Anthony House.  After our downtown tour we got back on the Erie Canal trail to get to our hotel in Rochester’s western suburbs. From Rochester we planned to head directly north to Lake Ontario. However, a bridge over a causeway that gave access to boats entering Lake Ontario from Irondequoit Bay had been closed for the season, making our planned route impassable.  So rather than heading north out of Rochester, we headed east then north.  Once we left Rochester, most of the rest of the day we cycled in rural areas.

We did enjoy cycling along the Lake Ontario shore. For lunch we stopped at Burnap’s Fruit Farm near Sodus.  The farm stand also had a café where we got a great sandwich (that was large enough for us to share) made with bread that was baked on site.  We also had strawberry filled pastries that just came out of the oven.  We ate on their deck overlooking the farm and, in the distance, we could almost see the lake. If we didn’t have more miles to go, we could have sat there for hours. Next, we cycled to the historic Sodus lighthouse, our day’s first and only planned point of interest until we got to Walcott. In Walcott we saw the Wolcott Falls and the Buggy Museum.  We spent the night at the Wolcott hotel.  The hotel is old and that is probably the best thing we can say about it.

The next morning, we headed southeast toward our destination, Syracuse. It rained for the first several hours making us uncomfortable.  By the time we got to the Erie Canal, it had stopped raining but the rain left the canal trail  sloppy, and we got muddy.  As the trail passed through the town of Jordan, we asked about the availability of coffee and breakfast.  We were directed to a unique little place called Peace Love and Coffee.  The shop is run by Sarah and Mike.  Mike made us breakfast sandwiches with fresh biscuits and Sarah served coffee.  Sarah and her friend make the pastries they serve.  We just had to try the cinnamon buns. They were fantastic and the coffee was wonderful.  Sarah and Mike were great hosts and we wish them well.

We cycled on the canal trail for over 20 miles until we got to Syracuse where we had about 15 miles of road cycling to get to Joe’s van.  Our route through Syracuse took us on a trail through a park where a large Pride festival was occurring. Many of the festival participants were dressed in interesting costumes, but I suspect that the participants looked at us with the same thought.  Because of the crowds and narrow paths, it was slow going.  On the other side of the park, we exited the path and got on a street lined with folks waiting for the Pride Parade to come through.  We cycled the parade route until we came head on to the parade’s beginning where a police officer made us exit the route.

The final miles through Syracuse were hilly but uneventful as we cycled to the van.  After washing the mud off our bikes and changing our clothes, we drove to Joe’s home in eastern New York. The next morning, I drove to my home in Virginia.

More pictures and detailed map of our travels can be seen at https://fingerlakengood2023.blogspot.com/