New York Trip: Thursday at Watkins Glen
Oct. 12th, 2009 10:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windinthemaplesThursday morning, we packed up the car with snacks and our portable DVD player (the baby pacifier to end all baby pacifiers) and drove about sixty country miles to Watkins Glen, this amazing little town at the base of one of the Finger Lakes and home to lots of water falls and water-etched gorges and cliff faces. Graeme fell asleep in the carrier and we took the Gorge Trail of Watkins Glen State Park up to the top--something like 800 stone steps along the way, up about six hundred feet in elevation and gorgeous with all the waterfalls and slate trails. Most of the stairs were wet natural slate without any handrails, so it was a bit treacherous carrying Graeme up all of them. I was definitely feeling winded by the time we made our final ascent to the park entrance at the top.
Daniel offered to hike down without us, collect the car, and meet us at the parking lot at this top entrance. There was a big playground at the top shaded with oak trees, so Rhi and I played with Graeme for about an hour while we waited for his return. There was a world of busy squirrels and chipmunks running around collecting a bounty of acorns. We divided our attention between watching them and playing on the playground equipment with Graeme. Daniel got back and played with us some more, getting Graeme nice and worn out before we had to load back into the car. :)
Don't we look chipper? We haven't started the climb yet. :D
Watkins Glen State Park's Gorge Trail
One of a dozen waterfalls we saw along the way up.
At the top, just when all the heavy lifting is over, Graeme wakes up. :D
Rhiannon used her Garmin-foo and veggie intuition to find a local restaurant for us to have lunch. (Wildflower Cafe). Based on the name alone, we bet it would have veg options and, lo and behold, it did. :D (Though it seemed like Watkins Glen was pretty vegan-friendly in general, being home to Farm Sanctuary and all.)
We sat and had lunch and then shopped at a few of the cute little boutiques and antiques haunts downtown in Watkins Glen. I found, in one, a pagan horse statue. ;) It is a garish, silver knock-off of an older Breyer Western Horse, but the saddle has little pentacles and snakes. It was too goofy to pass up. ;)
Close-up on the paganity. ;)
After lunch, Graeme conked out in the car. We drove along the lake past a ton of wineries, stopping at one so Rhiannon and Daniel could run in and sample some of the local vintages. The road curved home through farmland and forest and even past an Amish horse drawn wagon. It had been a beautiful day.
Daniel offered to hike down without us, collect the car, and meet us at the parking lot at this top entrance. There was a big playground at the top shaded with oak trees, so Rhi and I played with Graeme for about an hour while we waited for his return. There was a world of busy squirrels and chipmunks running around collecting a bounty of acorns. We divided our attention between watching them and playing on the playground equipment with Graeme. Daniel got back and played with us some more, getting Graeme nice and worn out before we had to load back into the car. :)
Don't we look chipper? We haven't started the climb yet. :D
Watkins Glen State Park's Gorge Trail
One of a dozen waterfalls we saw along the way up.
At the top, just when all the heavy lifting is over, Graeme wakes up. :D
Rhiannon used her Garmin-foo and veggie intuition to find a local restaurant for us to have lunch. (Wildflower Cafe). Based on the name alone, we bet it would have veg options and, lo and behold, it did. :D (Though it seemed like Watkins Glen was pretty vegan-friendly in general, being home to Farm Sanctuary and all.)
We sat and had lunch and then shopped at a few of the cute little boutiques and antiques haunts downtown in Watkins Glen. I found, in one, a pagan horse statue. ;) It is a garish, silver knock-off of an older Breyer Western Horse, but the saddle has little pentacles and snakes. It was too goofy to pass up. ;)
Close-up on the paganity. ;)
After lunch, Graeme conked out in the car. We drove along the lake past a ton of wineries, stopping at one so Rhiannon and Daniel could run in and sample some of the local vintages. The road curved home through farmland and forest and even past an Amish horse drawn wagon. It had been a beautiful day.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 03:51 pm (UTC)Garmin-foo made me lol. XD
no subject
Date: 2009-10-12 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 07:21 pm (UTC)That horse = :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Freakin' AMAZING!!! I loves him! What's his name?
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 08:13 pm (UTC)I don't have a name for him. Any suggestions? :)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-13 08:29 pm (UTC)Totally.