Monday - Thursday, August 22 - 25th 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Today we departed Livonia NY and headed to the southern tier of NY to Chemung County Park Station campground. Before we left, I had time for my morning walk. It was my last 4-mile square in the 14466 area for this year!

Charlie had time for his favorite travel day breakfast... Cinnamon Rolls and Bologna! Our friends have stayed here before. We are staying here for 4 nights, to camp with an old friend and his wife because it is close to where they live now.

We are camping with Ted & Linda Decker. Let me back up, when Charlie & I lived in Hemlock, Ted and his wife Sharon were our best friends. Sharon was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on October 11, 2011. We all lost a dear friend that day. Ted was later able to reconnect with a friend from high school and they were married. We have met them at campgrounds in past summers. This is the first time we are able to camp with them. We enjoyed a great deal of time visiting and catching up. Ted & Linda have two dogs that were at home with a dog sitter. But, that did not work out … so they went and picked up the dogs and had to cut our time together short.

Ted walked with me our first morning here and we did see our first set of deer!

 

We did enjoy two dinners together and a night of “chocolate covered cherries.” Which is a very smooth after dinner drink … I did the WW calculations and it was 20 smart points for one drink. Good thing, I only had one!

On Thursday August 25^th, Charlie & I drove to Watkins Glen. Watkins Glen is home to The Watkins Glen International a world-famous car race track, known for the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it has hosted for more than 20 years. Also in the town of Watkins Glen it is where Mother Nature Meets Main Street with waterfalls, gorges, trails, parks, and more.

When in Watkins Glen, you must walk the gorge! Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course.

We followed the gorge path that winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. This is one of two waterfalls you can walk behind. This is made possible by the wearing away of a thin layer of shale rock underneath a tougher layer of sandstone. The waterfall has eroded this narrow section of gorge and the deep pools below. Cavern Cascade and other waterfalls have created Watkins Glen State Park by eroding the rocks deep into the hillside.

Beyond the next tunnel and staircase are the Narrows. The gorge here has its own “micro-climate.” It is shady, cool and very moist most of the time, similar to a rainforest. Plants including ferns and mosses prefer these conditions and thrive here.

The rim trails overlook the gorge in many spots. I found a unique rock table with tons of Cairns. Piles of rocks have been used since the beginning of humanity, mostly to set marks to not get lost in nature. Later, cairns were used as burial monuments and as landmarks to locate buried items.

There is a koi pond here too! It was full of lily pads.

My walking in the park afforded me some beautiful views! 

There are 3 major walking trails, all of them go all the way around the lake. The blue, is the flattest and closest to the lake. 

The red is part way up the hill, with some up and down. The green is the highest trail, with the most up hill. I tried all of the trails this week!

 

Charlie had a little friend that enjoyed his company! We enjoyed our time here with our friends, the wildlife and the scenery!