It has been a perfect week of waterfalls, wine, kayaking, camping, and a boat cruise. Watkins Glen has a lot to offer a variety of people. Though we didn’t partake, this week we could have also enjoyed Six Hours at the Glen, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix. We didn’t know this would be going on this week and it certainly impacted the noise level and traffic in the entire town.
We stayed at Clute Park and Campground for a few reasons: (1) we wanted to be at the center of town to be able to bike, hike, and kayak from our campground without driving, (2) we wanted to be within walking distance of the lake, and (3) we wanted full hook-ups since we would have our trailer here for a full week. For those reasons, we loved the location of our campground.
But with all of the pros, we gave up much of what we love when we camp at a state/national park. We gave up privacy as they pack people in this campground tight! Our neighbors to our left were literally eating breakfast right under our window, our neighbors behind us shared an electric/water spicket with us, and then there was a baseball field less than 20 feet from our rig. We were packed in for real! We also gave up trees, this campground is like one giant parking lot. But Seneca Lake is directly across the street so there is that, and we hiked, biked, kayaked, walked to our dinner cruise, and played in the lake all without moving the truck. It’s what we wanted so we can’t complain (too much).
If you love waterfalls, you must visit the Finger Lakes. Watkins Glen State Park has 19 waterfalls alone. But you have to be ready for people – lots and lots of people! We tolerated the people (and the over 800 steps!) to see these gorgeous waterfalls but we were more than thrilled to hike the next day at Robert H. Treman State Park because there were a lot less people on the trail. This state park has 12 waterfalls and you can actually play in the water here. We climbed almost as many steps, enjoyed less people, got to play in the water to cool off, and just had a much better experience. The coolest feature of the park (and were you find most of the people) is their “swimming pool” which just looked like something out of the 1920’s. People sitting on rock walls, diving in to the deep waters next to a waterfall, and just enjoying this nature-made gem. We highly recommend Robert H. Treman State Park!
The last gem of the week was a hidden trail with 5 waterfalls on the North Country Trail in the Excelsior Glen. We had heard about this area before but couldn’t find the falls. Fortunately, our kayak guide Paul of Seneca Lake Kayak pointed us in the right direction and we enjoyed this hike on our last morning in Watkins Glen.
We had a fantastic time in the Glen. It was hot this week but the gorges, waterfalls, and a beautiful lake kept us cool!
Tag: seneca lake
Rainy Day = Wine & Cheese Tastings
Sometimes we love to hike in the rain, other times we love to just hang out indoors, but most of the time we are off finding some local fun. When you are in the Finger Lakes region the best thing to do when it’s raining is find a few wineries. This is our third vacation in the Finger Lakes region so we have a few favorite wineries that we have been excited to visit for one reason or another. When we have the time, we like to visit our favorites while sprinkling in a few new wineries.
This day started with a favorite winery for us and one that is known for its port at Ports of New York in Ithaca. We keep coming back to this winery for a couple of reasons, the story of how the winery started and the delicious port wine! Frédéric Bouché has been making wine in New York for about 10 years. Every year we visit the winery we get to see it evolve and grow.
Next stop was the Lively Run Goat Dairy Farm, established in 1982. This was the most impressive stop of the day. It was new to us but we will definitely be back! The visit started with “playing” with the goats, chickens, and the horses while our cheese tasting was being prepared. We did a lot more talking to them than actually playing with them, but oh my goodness they were adorable!
As if that wasn’t enough fun, our cheese tasting was ready. For only $5 a person you get to taste 10 types of cheese and 2 jams. We also had a few more tastes of cheese and jam once she realized how much we loved cheese! LOL The cheese was really that good! The flavors were rich, creamy, and a good variety to meet everyone’s cheese needs!
When we were in Spain last summer, we fell in love with quince paste jelly (tastes a bit like combination of apple butter and pumpkin pie filling). We were pleasantly surprised when she had quince paste and quince jam!! Needless to say, we left with 4 packages of cheese and some quince paste.
Next stop was another familiar winery. Lucas Vineyards has been in the Finger Lakes region since 1980. The founder, Ruth Lucas, not only started this family business but she also co-founded the Cayuga Wine Trail, noted as America’s first wine trail.
Brian was in a hurry to get inside because it rained all. day. long! 🙁 Lucas Vineyards is a beautiful place to listen to great music on the patio on Thursday nights, meander through their shop, and of course, taste good wine! We purchased Lucas Blues, a blend of Seyval and Cayuga grapes, to enjoy on a summer evening. We also purchased a couple of sweet bottles for our sweet wine loving friends. The wine looks good, tastes good, and is reasonably priced – this is a trifecta for us! We really love the Nautie line for a nice gift with a bit of attitude!
The last stop of the day was another new winery, J.R. Dill Winery. We stopped here because (1) they had wines that interested our taste buds,(2) they had a great view of Seneca Lake, (3) had a nice patio to enjoy their wine while looking at the lake.
This was a great find! If you enjoy looking at the character of a winery, you will love this place. They had an antique bar back from an old soda fountain shop and sea glass collected by the owner in the bar, just to name a couple bits of the character in this shop.
There is usually more to enjoy in a winery than just wine, which is great for a person who doesn’t drink or is the designated driver but still wants enjoy the experience. J.R. Dill Winery had cheese and are you ready for this? Riesling Garlic Dill Pickles! If you love garlic and pickles, you will be in heaven with this combination! Your friends may not love your breath, but if that is the case, they are not real friends! LOL
We ended our winery and cheese day with a nice glass of Cabernet Franc Rosé and a bit of cheese. I would love to show you the cheese but we inhaled it faster than I could take a picture. Now that is good cheese!
We have just a couple more wineries to visit before our time comes to an end in Watkins Glen, NY., including Shalestone Winery who has the best tagline ever, “All we do is Reds!” Check out their website to read their philosophy. If you love them, you love us! 🙂
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