Two Lane Adventures: Day 71 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Friday July 11th, day 71 of our 2025 summer adventure. My morning walk included a few of the park trails.

Some call it, Ontario County Park at Gannett Hill, because of its location. It is one of the highest points in Ontario County and located in the scenic Bristol Hills. At an elevation of 2,256 feet above sea level, there are expansive views to the east; view portions of Ontario County and the hills behind Seneca and Cayuga Lakes.

The park includes 410 acres of woods and open lands, rental cabins, tent and RV camping sites. There are outdoor activities like a playground, basketball court, and fields for games, pavilions and 13 miles of hiking and biking trails including a portion of the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail system. There is also a fishing pond.

The Park trail meanders through a mixed hardwood forest, offering a canopy of green during the spring and summer months. I am sure a spectacular display of fall colors when the season turns. As I moved along the loop, I encountered a variety of flora, including towering oak and maple trees, as well as an understory rich with ferns and wildflowers.

The extended trails are the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail system. The Bristol Hills Trail is a branch trail of the 900+ mile Finger Lakes Trail System. The trail is marked and passes through three state forests, High Tor WMA as well as numerous private lands. This 12 mile section of the Bristol Hills Trail begins just off the county park road at the small parking area for the “jump off.” From here the trail winds near the summit of Gannett Hill and reaches its highest point along the trail at 2,247 feet.

The Jump-Off Trail on Gannett Hill in Ontario County Park is wheelchair-accessible and offers one of the most breathtaking scenic views in the Finger Lakes Region. I can only imagine why it is called the "jump-off"...

We enjoyed a relaxing day of visiting with friends and m brother arrived today to camp with us for the weekend. Ellen's sister, Janice, is in town. Bob is using this weekend as a respite weekend for him. I think he needs it!

Maybe you can help us... we spent the afternoon trying to figure this out. Is it a squirrel or a chipmunk? We have a split decision on this one! Here are a few photos.

Here is a funny story for the last two days too. Yesterday, there was a bird, a black eyed Junco to be exact, that was determined to build a nest under one of Dana & Dawn's slide. Every time we removed the nesting materials, they bird came back with more or merely picked up the nesting we threw on the ground.

So today, Dana tried putting a piece of onion there. Because his internet search indicated that birds did not like the smell of onions. Later, he checked and the bird had started to build the nest on top of the onion!

Karen suggested peppermint, because many things do not like the smell of peppermint. She soaked two disks in peppermint and put them there. Later, when she checked the spot, the disks were gone and the nest building had begun again! Uggghhhhh. So, they went with aluminum foil, more peppermint and some scented candle wax. So, far that seems to be working!