Visiting Another Finger Lake–Cayuga Lake

Ithaca, NY (68 degrees, rain on and off)

Cornell University Campus

Weather did not cooperate on our day off with our plans to go kayaking.  We have plans to attend the Ithaca Festival on June 2nd with John’s sister.  It’s a cool event held each year featuring 150 performing groups, crafts, and great food.  It’s sure to be crowded so we decided to drive to Ithaca and check out the city ahead of time. 

Herbert J. Johnson Museum of Art

Ithaca is a very hilly city on the south shore of Cayuga Lake and Cornell University is the centerpiece.  I could not get very many pictures due to the rainy weather.  On our next trip we plan to explore the campus more. 

John & Jimmy

We dropped our bikes off at the Bike Shop for a tune up.  They have certainly taken a beating spending most of their time on a bike rake at the rear of our motorcoach.  We also stopped at the visitor center and picked up some information and a map for the area.  Due to the hilly terrain navigating this city is not very easy and a map comes in very handy.  Plus, my Droid navigation is priceless.

The weather improved in the afternoon and we were able to check out two pretty waterfalls near the campus.  Across the street from the museum is a  suspension bridge overlooking Fall Creek Gorge.

Fall Creek Gorge

Overlooking south end of Cayuga Lake

This is the tributary which feeds the spectacular Ithaca Falls. We then drove down to the base of the falls to see it in all it’s splendor  It cascades over 100 feet and is 175 feet wide.

Ithaca Falls

Later in the afternoon we found The Commons, a  shopping area where the Ithaca Festival is going to be held.  Two days ago our manager of the KOA delivered a baby boy named Wesley.  We found some baby toys at a cute shop called Alphabet Soup  for the new arrival. 

Waterway leading to Cayuga Lake

We are also planning a kayaking trip in Ithaca and checked out a local livery called Puddledockers.   We made reservations for a kayak for next Sunday.  It looks like  a great place to paddle.  You can see  a lighthouse, bird sanctuary and  it’s possible to even pull up to some outdoor restaurants for lunch or “refreshments”.  The livery is located on a waterway which feeds into Cayuga Lake.

Maxie's Supper Club

We had dinner at Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar, a fun New Orleans style restaurant. Our meals were great and the prices were reasonable.  It was nice to eat out on their patio and there is live music on the weekends. 

On our way home we traveled along the west side of Cayuga Lake.  It is difficult to see much of the lake from the road.  There are houses all along the shore but it is heavily wooded.  We did get a brief look at the lake from one pull out. 

We are looking forward to next weekend and spending some time with Martha.  We’ll be busy at the campground the rest of this week.  It’s completely sold out for the weekend. 

On this Memorial Day weekend we wish to extend a specail tribute to all who have served, suffered, or died to protect us and our freedom.