Kent is off doing laundry. Thank you. Thank you. I am hiding out at home and catching up with my blogging and maybe some bird ID review. I am having trouble with a couple hawks we have seen too. I think they are broad winged? We haven’t seen them very often and these are juveniles with less distinct markings than in the adults. Figuring it out is half the fun with birding.
We head out to Montezuma Wildlife Refuge on the north end of Cayuga Lake. Ponds have been let down to expose underwater plants and seeds. Canada Geese are taking full advantage of the place. There is a smattering of ducks as well but I am really out of practice identifying then especially in non-breeding plumage. I am sure I will be even worse with waders who pretty much all look alike in the winter. I need to spend a little time with my Sibley’s. The drive to and from the refuge is through peaceful farm and orchard land and through small towns. There is little traffic so Kent can enjoy it too. We happen to pass the Purity ice cream shop on our way back to camp so we just have to stop. Kent got another turtle sundae and I, in the spirit of the season, went for an apple crisp sundae. It was a good choice. We will have salad for supper!
It is 43F this morning and we dawdle getting up. After a late breakfast we head north along Seneca Lake to check out the vistas and maybe a winery. We stroll a bit in Sampson State Park and find a bright sunny spot with a great view to laze a while and have lunch. We choose Wagner Winery and Brewery for our tasting stop. The main draw? They have root beer. Ok, not the traditional target when ones goes tasting but it sounded fun. The barkeep was great and the root beer fantastic. Unfortunately they only have it on tap so we can’t take any with us. We lounged out on their deck with a wide view of grapevines and Seneca Lake. Their café is well recommended too but we passed on it this time. We will have to return one day. We wind through the countryside toward home with plans for a quiet evening in camp.
I always forget how many food choices there are at farmers markets. The Ithaca Market is no exception and I was sorry I wasn’t hungrier. We skipped Thai and BBQ and crepes and wraps and lots more. I sampled rhubarb wine (ol so sweet) and garlic/scape pesto plus shared a cider donut with Kent. We continued our practice of sampling cinnamon rolls whenever presented the option. We rated this one fair…a bit dry. Tomatoes looked wonderful so we had to have more as well sweet corn and local greens. We will be eating well the next couple days. Home we go to store our goodies.
Enfield Creek at our park was the site of a grist mill in the early 1800s. They have preserved the main building and much of the equipment. The water wheel is gone but all the drive mechanisms are still in place. Since it no longer operates, we got close enough to see how some of the great mechanisms worked. I learned a few new things.
A local drumming group put on a concert by the falls. I checked it out for a bit but the roar of the water mostly drowned out their sound. It added a bit of culture to close out the day.
Skies are overcast but rain is supposed to hold off until late afternoon/evening. Today we are off to Watkins Glen. This gorge is the area’s signature hike so we have to do it even though we have both walked it a time or two before. The hikes are different every time. 
We start off at the south entrance and drop down into the gorge right at a spiral staircase that leads the trail behind a wall of water. Very cool. We checked that out then continued up through the gorge dodging lots of dripping ledges, oohing and awing at the sights around every turn. I think the gorge at Treman is a bit more dramatic but this one is fantastic too. If water falls are you thing, this is a great place to check out.
While we are in town, we check out the Seneca Lake Watkins Glen Marina. Sailboats crisscross the water in front of us but don’t go far down lake. Winds are picking up and expected to be 40 mph as the cool front bringing rain moves in. It is a lovely place to just hang out and we had our picnic lunch. We cruise by a couple roadside waterfalls and make our way back to camp.
Buttermilk – A smooth crowned
rock face guides rivlets across to cascade and dance to a pool below. Further back the gorge still pools create breaks between narrow chutes and wide laminar flow. Think beauty and grace and detail.
Ithaca Falls – A wall of water
crashes over the jagged cliff and pounds to the pool below where the space is filled with the roar. Think power.
Both falls are beautiful and magnificent examples of natures fine work.
We had a splendid lunch at a Farm to Table place in Ithaca, Café Dewitt. It is actually just a wide space in a downtown mall walkway but hey, this is a college town, anything goes. I had a crusty toasted bagett (baked by a local bakery) layered with bacon (raised and cured locally), Cheurve goat cheese (from a local dairy), local greens and cranberry chutney (probably not so locally sourced but I didn’t ask). It was delicious as was my black bean soup. Kent had a specialty turkey sandwich with olive tapenade and some awesome sauces/spreads. Oh, there are fish tanks all along the back wall…interesting atmosphere, great food.
We went local for dessert too, Purity ice cream – they claim to be inventors of the sundae; maybe, but for sure they make good ice cream. Kent choose a turtle sundae and had no complaints. I went for ice cream straight up, a scoop of mocha and one of bulldog special (vanilla and caramel and choc bits). It was a-ok
Today we head for Robert Treman State Park on the south end of Cayuga Lake. It is to be our home base for exploring the Finger lakes Region. I’m driving separately. Our tow bar is in the trailer that is still in storage. The drive is curvy and hilly but goes by quickly. There won’t be problems with solar here! Our site is in an open grassy area. That’s ok. It isn’t supposed to be too hot and it will be nice not to run the generator. We settle in and take a short break then it’s off exploring.
The centerpiece of this park is the gorge formed by Enfield Creek
and the falls that are created. The trail begins right here in camp and takes us up the ridge then back down through the gorge. What great trail work! The stone walkway winds through the steep walled gorge next to the creek and 115ft Lucifer falls. There is even a crossover bridge. It’s been a good day.
We spotted a yellow bellied sapsucker on the ridge trail at Catskills Interpretive Center else it was a quiet ¾ mile hike. Local artists have won the opportunity to display their works along the longer nature trail. A doe and fawn made an appearance but the main draw is the art. 
Check out these scarabs and their urban dung balls. Other favorites are a mermaid constructed of mechanical odds and ends and an installation entitled unwrapped (birch-bark-like fabric unpeeling from neighboring trees). Kent and I frequently ponder how it is one gets onto these contributing artists lists.
Campfire! It has been months. No S’more makings but still a nice evening.
Still thinking stroll rather than hike, we explore the trails around camp (Kenneth Wilson State Park). Kingfishers chatter and swoop and a beaver glides across the pond. Surprisingly, there are no mallards but a noisy gaggle of geese gather on the shore. Shoreline benches are inviting and we return later to watch the sunset and wildlife settle in for the night. It made for a lovely quiet evening.
The Ashokan Reservoir provides 40% of NYC drinking water and its shorelines provide great habitat for nesting Bald Eagles. A shoreline trail is a nice place for a morning stroll. An abandoned eagle nest clings to a high pine and we get glimpses of the occupants as they perch high above the water. Good thing I had my binoculars!
We get ambitious and head for the Ashokan High Point trail for some long Catskill vistas. We start out along a beautiful creek. We are climbing but gradually and the trail is a bit rocky but tolerable in boots. The climb gets steeper and small seeps wet the trail. It is warm and muggy and within a mile we are dripping wet. I’m thinking this is a 4-mile round trip hike. We can do that! We trudge on. There is a cool spring bubbling up into a catchment basin around the 2-mile mark. I splash my face. On we go. The trail gets steeper. At 3 ½ miles in we find multiple sets of rock steps. A quick google check says still 800 ft up. Yikes, but we have come this far. After 4+ miles and an elevation change of 2030 ft we collapse at the top drenched in sweat.
We consider that we might have bitten off a little more than we should have. We relax as we take in the view. The 4-mile return trip is considerably less tiring.
The very things that make the Catskills a wonderful place make hiking difficult; rugged terrain created by creeks and streams everywhere, lush green forests that thrive in the high humidity, and rock-strewn trails. We will keep hiking, just choosing shorter routes or overnight stays. There are even two cool creekside campsites on this 4-mile trek to Ashokan High Point.