Our friends organized a hiking trip to the Finger Lakes in New York!
We set aside the weekend and paid for staying in the house, but other than that, we did zero planning. Nice surprises all along. (Thanks for organizing, friends!)
Kris and I left after work on Thursday night and made the 6 hour, 45 minute drive to Honeoye, New York. We got there just before midnight and were ready to go in the morning.
Since we got there in the dark, I was delighted to see in the morning that we were right on a lake – Lake Honeoye, actually. (Pronounced Honey-oy. They asked a local.) The leaves were changing and reflected on the water.
There were ten of us, so we separated into two cars and drove to Letchworth State Park. It really started off with a bang – giant bridge, huge gorge, wonderful fall colors on the trees. We set off on the Genesee Arch Bridge Trail from the parking lot, and we saw the upper, middle, and lower falls, Inspiration Point, and lots of gorge-our rocks and water. It was absolutely stunning, and Kris and I wondered why we hadn’t even ever heard of this park when it is SO impressive! When we lived in Connecticut, we’d been to Watkins Glen State Park and enjoyed that, but this one was new to us. Later, my mom told me I HAD been there when I was five years old. But I don’t remember it. Good thing I’m writing about it now, so I have a reminder!
Our friends were so funny the whole way, and we’re always laughing.
We then parked at the Mount Morris Dam parking lot and went to the overlook. It was not as good as our first hike, which is funny when you start comparing beautiful scenes. Chris Hallead asked who brought the nap wagon.
We went to Solitude Brewing and had appetizers. They had a haunted path behind the restaurant, and we all walked through it. On our way home we went to Bird’s Nest for a meal (tacos, very cool place), and then Twisted Rail for live music. Since it was near Halloween they put glowing ice cubes in your drink, and they had a bowl of free candy. It was organic and terrible, but I had to have three pieces of it to really decide that.
Saturday
Happy Halloween! We drank coffee on the porch, looking at the lake. Heidi took a dip in the cold water, and we cheered her on.
We drove to Taughannock State Park and were once again incredibly impressed by the absolute beauty. Our three mile hike turned into a six mile hike as we made our way to the falls, then above and around the falls! The rocks were so interesting, since they had 90 degree corners and looked fake, like someone had formed them out of concrete. The falls were giant and beautiful. There was a dog dressed in a costume as a farmer, and we laughed really hard about that.
After that trail, we went to the Gorge Trail at Buttermilk Falls State Park. The parking lot attendant was rehearsing from something, as in whenever there wasn’t a person coming to pay, he was singing really loudly. A nice welcome! This trail was equally as great, as we followed the water down a long way, and there were a number of cascading falls. They had many signs to not swim, but it really made you want to get in.
We stopped at Personal Best Brewery, which had the kind of shuffleboard you use sticks, and outdoor seating. There were lots of families in costume, and it was a happy atmosphere. I wanted to drive by Cornell University to see it, and Matt Spiess suggested we stop at their dairy bar for ice cream. Great!
Kris had just had a meeting in this building, and they have a self guided tour of their ice cream making process. We all ate and then drove to a place called Irish Mafia near our house to have dinner. Even though it was, (checks notes), 7:26 p.m., they said their kitchen was closing in ten minutes. I get that it was Halloween…but it was also Saturday night?! They told us to go to Cheap Charlie’s, and when we went there they said they were just about to close because it was dead, but they would be happy to feed us. We all had giant burgers. The owner was working and everyone was super nice. He offered us Halloween candy out of a basket, and the Twix tasted like they had absorbed the flavors of some fruit candy. I ate it anyway. Trick or treat!
We went back to the house to hang out with the other car of people that tried to get pizza, but the pizza place was closed. Small town, USA. We get it!
Sunday
The clocks changed overnight, and the next day Kris and I left at 6:30 a.m. to make it to the pipe organ concert at his parents’ church in Hemlock. We waited at the Blue Water Bridge for an hour, we were stopped by an accident for an hour, but we made it in plenty of time – and even were able to see the sights in the light!
It was completely and totally worth the drive. We loved the hikes, and we loved the people. I’ll remember it this time…maybe!
