Finger Lakes

August 24, 2015

What's that racket out there?

Sampson State Park on Seneca Lake

Today, we find ourselves camped in a forest on the edge of Seneca Lake, in the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes are a series of eleven lakes in Upper New York State that are long and narrow, resembling fingers. Seneca Lake, at over 600 feet deep, is one of the deepest lakes in the United States, with its bottom well below sea level. Our campsite is on the shoreline of Seneca Lake in Sampson State Park. Satch and Bebop love running in and out of the lake to stay refreshed. At night, they both sit by the window inside the Dolphin listening to the crickets, tree frogs, wood frogs and other critters whistling, snapping, creaking, croaking and making quite a racket. The boys just don't know what to make of it all.

Moosewood's first cookbook

In the '70s when I became a vegetarian, a must in our kitchen was the Moosewood Cookbook, with the mousy brown cover. So, while in the Finger Lakes region, we had to go to the altar and sample Moosewood's own cooking. Moosewood Restaurant has been in the same location since they opened in 1973. The decor still has the feeling of a '70s hippie restaurant; even the dishes they served the meals on had the faded look of the 70s. All-in-all, it was a hugely disappointing experience. I had the vegetarian Thai curry; Cheri had pecan-encrusted salmon. The meals were average, at best. We actually had better meals in Youngstown, with amazing pizza at Wedgewood, and wonderful Mediterranean food at Aladdins. But I digress.

Moosewood has been the in the same place since 1973

We visited Moosewood on Saturday night. They weren't suffering from a lack of business; the place was full. They are living off their reputation (and Mollie Katzen's recipes). As I think back over the meals we've had while on our RV adventure, Moosewood wouldn't even make the top 10. The number one meal I've had so far was in, of all places, Duluth, Minnesota. The Duluth Grill serves Organic, Sustainable, and Local food. It's truly farm-to-table That's a claim that Moosewood can not make, as they do not talk about the quality of their food suppliers or of the food they put on their mousy brown plates.

Ithaca Farmers' Market is a fun time!

We also made it a point to visit the Ithaca Farmer's Market. This is the first time during this trip that we have been able t make it to a farmer's market, and I'm so glad we did. There is a dedicated site right on the river for the market, which is open every Saturday and Sunday. We strolled through the mixture of produce stands, arts & crafts booths and food stands. We ended up getting some delicious Cuban meals to eat, purchased some local artists' work, including some wood bowls made from local redwood, and some delicious organic fresh fruits and vegetables to take back to our site.

Taughannock Falls, one of many Finger Lake waterfalls

One other stop was at the Taughannock Falls Waterfall. This area is known for its abundant waterfalls. Cheri had hoped that we would get to many of the different waterfalls in the area, but as we approached Taughannock Falls, we noticed how crowded the area was with vehicles. The parking lots and the overflow lots were packed. Figuring we'd have a better chance later in the day, we went back in the evening and found that the trail to the waterfall was closed. We were able to go to an overlook and see what all the fuss was about. It's stunning.

Amish horse & buggies abound

The New York Finger Lakes region is home to many Amish communities. We ran across several Amish horse and buggies on the road. The Amish are fundamentalist Christians, and hold on to many old world beliefs. They live simple lives, with no electricity or running water, and no motorized vehicles, thus the horse-and-buggy. We stopped at an Amish market and purchased some of their wares, including a natural insect repellent of simple oils and fragrances to use on our skin and on the dogs.

Once again, at the end of our three nights in the Finger Lakes, we found that we ran out of time. I can't say enough about what a wonderful camping site this was. There was plenty of room all around us, even a large field where Bebop and Satch could romp and then run down a path into the lake. We certainly could have spent more days and nights here. Cheri had a list of things she wanted to do and see, but we just didn't have time to get to everything. It's making us rethink our camping strategy, and possibly change to a 2-3-4 model, where we don't travel more than 200 miles between campsites, we arrive at our destination by 3:00, and stay at least 4 nights. The picking up of the camp every 3 days just seems rushed, so for future planning, we are talking about slowing down the pace. What's the rush?


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