Waterloo Part 13

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We have our seasonal site in Waterloo through the end of October at which point the campground closes for the winter. Back in early August, we had ordered sun shades for our rig and scheduled an install date for late October in North Carolina not too far from Winston-Salem.  So we knew we were not going to stay through the end of the season in the Finger Lakes and we considered simply heading south after we finished up our stay in Letchworth, but that would leave us nearly 4 weeks to travel the 700 miles or so to get our shades installed. While that would be a nice leisurely pace, we weren’t positive we had enough things we wanted to see and do along the route. Plus the weather in this part of New York was still pretty nice and the fall colors were starting to show themselves. So we decided to simply head back to Seneca River RV Park.

We weren’t positive the specific site we had been parking in for the past 5 months would be open when we returned. But having been here for nearly 5 months this season, we also knew there would be plenty of other sites. In fact, we decided that the site we had been in required too much effort to get level and setup with utilities so we picked a spot closer to the road that was much more level. It was still a pretty desolate campground with only a half dozen or so rigs still there. The plan was to spend the next 17 nights here before we start our journey south.

A couple days after returning, we head out for a day trip to an area on the west side of Skaneateles Lake about a 40 mile drive from camp. Carpenter Falls Unique Area and the Bahar Nature Preserve are two adjacent land parcels that follow along the Bear Swamp Creek. It sounded like a pretty place and we have never been there before. There is a 3 mile, round trip trail from Upper Carpenter Falls all the way down to the lake and back. We had the added incentive of there being 5 geocaches hidden along the way.

We were coming on a Thursday morning so we weren’t expecting too many other hikers to contend with. But as we pulled into the parking area, there were nearly a dozen New York State Forest Ranger trucks in the parking lot. This didn’t seem good to us. Did we even want to go for a hike when there was this much ranger presence? Fortunately a couple of them were coming out to their truck so we asked what was going on, and would it be safe for us to hike here? They laughed and said it was fine, they were simply having a training session in the ravine along the creek. With that concern dismissed, we head out with our first stop to see Upper Carpenter Falls. There is a nice wooden boardwalk to an overlook so the view of the 90 foot tall falls is even handicap accessible.

Upper Carpenter Falls

A set of stairs leads off the boardwalk and picks up the hiking trail. The trail follows along the top of the ravine and we can often hear the water in the creek rushing below but the dense tree cover makes it tough to get a good view. We do run into a few small groups of rangers just off the trail. They do indeed appear to be going though some sort of training although we didn’t see any of them rappelling into the ravine. We joked with one group about how this is likely the safest hike we will ever complete!

Entering the Bahar Nature Preserve Section of Hike

Mushrooms All Lined Up

There were some sections of the trail that were just a maze of tree roots. It made for more challenging hiking at points. The trail works its way down to shore of Skaneateles Lake. There is a road and several homes along the water as well, but the preserve does seem to have about 100 foot of frontage to allow us to legally get to the shoreline.

Rooted Trail

Along the Shore of Skaneateles Lake

We could have simply backtracked along the same trail, but based on another geocache hidden near here, we knew there was a secondary parking area and trailhead just up the road. When I said just up the road, I mean it. It was only 1/3 of a mile but gained over 200 feet making for a 13% grade! We find the spur trail and start our hike back. We did run into a few other “non-ranger” hikers out enjoying this wonderful place but it was a very peaceful hike.

Second Trailhead into Bahar Section

We knew our next destination was to head into the town of Skaneateles for some sightseeing using an Adventure Lab as a tour guide. One of the stops was at a seafood restaurant that had excellent reviews, so we decided to skip the picnic lunch we planned on eating in the parking lot and instead drive into town to eat at Doug’s Fish Fry. It turns out the reviews were correct, we enjoyed a great lunch with leftovers to put in our cooler for another meal. After lunch we started our Adventure Lab tour along the northern lakeshore.

Dock in Skaneateles

Beautiful St James Church

This is a very picturesque town with lots of old, well maintained homes. I suspect the lakefront homes here aren’t cheap! The water was reasonably calm but there weren’t many boaters out except for that looked like some sort of tour boat with a couple dozen people aboard.

Home on the Lake

Gazebo in Clift Park

Sightseeing Cruise

Most of the stops were along the main road and up to a nearby cemetery. Some of the old mansions in town are quite impressive. The walking tour was a good way to work off some of the fish fry we had for lunch.

Colorful Metal Bird Ornament

Lakeview Cemetery

Large Old Home

A final stop from the Adventure Lab took us north of town to the Charlie Major Nature Trail. It isn’t a real long trail - about 3/4 miles each way but it was a pretty walk. The trail follows the old Skaneateles Short Line Railroad. And is right along the creek that used to power several mills here. There are several old stone and concrete structures that look to be the remnants of some of the old buildings or raceways to direct water into the mills. It was a pretty walk.

Graffiti Central

Calming Waters

Along the trail, we saw a sign for a brewery. We hadn’t realized there was one nearby but decided that rather than walking the spur trail there, we would head back to the car and drive there. Skaneateles Brewery was right along Mill Road. There was a nice indoor and outdoor sitting area. We looked over some of the brewery tanks, and then picked a couple beers that sounded good and headed out to enjoy the late afternoon. It was a great way to end a nice day exploring the area.

Overlooking Brewery Kettles

The Brewing Process

We had some colder and wetter weather for several days. But the weather didn’t detract from one of our goals. We headed back to Spencerport to the home of a friend for another happy hour with former workmates. The first one we had about a month ago was a spur of the moment thing so we only had five of us show up. This time, the word went out well in advance and we ended up with a dozen coworkers and a few family members that tagged along. A few of them were people I hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years! It was such a great time being able to catch up with so many friends from work.

We eventually had a stretch of better weather again so we were able to get out for more exploring. Our main goal was to make it back to the Ithaca area but we made a stop along the way in Trumansburg, a small town about 10 miles outside of Ithaca. We have driven thru here many times but don’t recall ever stopping. This time we had an Adventure Lab to complete that toured us around town. Our first stopped was at Grove Cemetery to gather some information on a famous person from the area buried here. The gatehouse at the entrance to the cemetery is a very beautiful stone building. Just across the street from it is Smith Woods. This 32 acre wood lot is now a nature center with some nice trails. We only went as far as needed to get a geocache but it is a pretty area.

Entrance at Grove Cemetery

Trail in Smith Woods

Next we park in downtown Trumansburg for the rest of our tour. We had to do a fair amount of walking but we got to see so much of the town. One local artist has a large collection of metal frogs scattered about their yard. Since Halloween is approaching, the pumpkins were on display as well. One of the more interesting stops was at the location of the “Taughannock Giant”. During construction of a nearby road in 1879, workers uncovered the petrified remains of a 7 foot tall man-like form. A sample of the stone was analyzed at Cornell University and was determined to be consistent with what a petrified body might contain. For months, the area was in the news with the discovery of this previously unknown species. But over time, the truth of the matter came out as just an elaborate hoax created by a local resident. The present day giant on display is a replica of the original. There are some very unique things to be found if you only take the time to look.

Ribbit

Taughannock Giant Replica

With our Trumansburg visit done, we head down to Buttermilk Falls State Park, just south of Ithaca. It was mid-afternoon by now so we didn’t have a lot of time to explore here but there is one main loop trail that shows off a great deal of the beauty of this wonderful park. The Gorge and Rim Trail Loop is just over 1.5 miles long but does have about 500 feet of elevation gain. Depending on which direction is picked will determine whether you head up the gorge first or up the rim. The views of Buttermilk Creek are much better along the Gorge Trail so we start the loop in a counterclockwise direction.

Buttermilk Falls

The trail starts out as mostly a series of stone stairs just above the creek level. It is a decent workout to climb step after step. There are a couple of viewpoints early on that provide a great view of the lower section of the falls. There isn’t a lot of water flowing at this time but it is still a nice view. At one of the stops, Chris recognizes a former work colleague from her days at the GM hydrogen fuel cell research facility. They have a long talk about the old days and what they have both been up to. As we continue up, I remember to look back to see what the view looks like in the other direction. It helps to give a sense as to how far we have climbed.

Looking Back Down the Creek

Well Eroded Section of Creek

There are so many smaller falls along the trail and we can get a decent view of most of them. Some are just a few feet tall while others are 10 to 15 feet tall. Having all these falls to stop and look at helps the lungs and heart from overworking.

At about the half mile point is a bridge over the creek. This can be used as a shortcut to the Rim Trail on the other side. We decide to press on.

Bridge Over Creek

At around 3/4 mile we intersect with a park road that has another bridge over the creek. While another trail continues up the creek, we know we are limited in time so we cross over and head back down the Rim Trail.

This portion of the hike is much more of a hike in the woods. There are times where there is a bit of a view of the creek and the Gorge Trail below, but the views are not all that great.  Much of this trail is just above the water below, so you are hearing the water flowing. But the last half mile of this trail is a rather steep downhill and there are a couple of switchbacks to lessen the slope. Personally I feel the direction we took was the preferred way since there is much less scenery to stop and look at on the Rim Trail so the climb up would be a slow and monotonous one.

Starting Back on Rim Trail

Woods Walk

We switched back to mountain bikes the following day and headed back into Rush not far from our former home. We had hiked some of the Lehigh Valley Trail to check up on some of our geocache hides about a month ago. But we came back today to attempt two of the Adventure Labs that are along this route. Both of them were rather long to complete as a hike but would be perfect via bike. Like we remember from our days living nearby, there are some sections of this trail that can be either wet or muddy and today wasn’t much different. But for the most part, the cinders lining the trail were in decent shape and it was nice to be back on our home “turf” again.

Bridge Over Honeoye Creek

Rochester Junction

At Rochester Junction, there is a newer building with restrooms and water. The town has done a nice job in revitalizing this small park with a couple of rail cars as well as a few of the remains of the area back when there was a train depot here.

Flatbed and Boxcar

Flower Bed at Rochester Junction

We also worked in several geocaches that are new since we last visited this trail system. One of the hides was a rather unique field puzzle cache. The large ammo can that is found at first is not the final container but contains the items required to determine the coordinates for the final location. Inside the ammo can were about 15 pairs of sunglasses along with some images to look at. I recognized the concept pretty quickly. Find the pair of sunglasses that make the answer appear on the images when you look thru them. It did take us awhile to find the correct pair but it worked. I personally liked the oversized lime green glasses even if they were not the correct ones!

View Through Correct Glasses Shows Answer

We managed to get all the stages of the Adventure Labs as well as many of the geocaches we had along our nearly 4 mile ride to the east. On the return trip, we realized we would be heading past the very first geocache we ever found and it is still an active cache. What was even better than simply finding this cache again was the fact that the original cache logbook from when it was placed back in 2004 is still in the container. We scrolled back to December of 2009 and found our simple entry. Hard to believe how finding this hidden container that cold winter day would change the trajectory of our life in such dramatic fashion.

View Along the Lehigh Valley Trail

Back Over the Bridge

Our Log Entry from Very First Geocache