Older than the hills

 

 

 

Fun fact of the day: When the Appalachian Mountains first formed 2 billion years ago, they were about 50,000 feet tall. Today, the tallest peak in the Adirondacks is Mount Marcy at 5,343 feet above sea level. 

 

Time does wear ya' down...

 

The iconic Cascadilla Gorge Trail connects downtown Ithaca with the Cornell Campus through one of the most picturesque gorges in the Finger Lakes Region. It was formed in only the last 20,000 years, as the ice sheet retreated from the area.

 

 

 

It is stunningly beautiful place. I've never seen anything like it, and on a cold, rainy, weekday morning, we had the trail mostly to ourselves going up. I look like a blimp from all the layers, but we hiked the hundreds of steep rock stairs to the university above town.

Speaking of older than the hills-- we went to a campus bakery for bagels and coffee, where we felt like true fossils among the student crowd.

So our stay in Ithaca comes to an end, and we check out of our little bungalow today and head to Niagara Falls, a 150 mile drive. I have to admit, the weather was a bit of a bummer, but fortunately we had that one beautiful day for the boat ride on Saturday. The rest of the week looks cloudy but mostly dry. We'll take it.

That said, the eastern fall rain does have its own special charm. In Seattle, the mellow seasons change slowly, but the nip of winter is truly in the air here.

And the rain came

 

We had a good day yesterday, despite the almost constant rain. After a slow Sunday breakfast, we went to the  Johnson Museum of Art  on the Cornell campus overlooking Ithaca.  

From the top level, there are sweeping views of the city, the college, and Lake Cayuga off in the mist. Designed by I. M. Pei, the museum opened in 1973, and has always been free to the public. 

I went to San Diego State, and find these centuries old, ivy league campuses awesome and intimidating,  although I suppose they are filled with normal (albeit very smart) kids like any other college. 

Anyway, the art collection was splendid, from ancient to modern, and the museum is about the perfect size to see everything comfortably in a couple hours.

The special exhibit covered 300 years of Latin American art, and the impact of colonization, evangelization, and the transatlantic slave trade. Interesting, but heavy (brutal) stuff.

Still raining in the afternoon, but we drove out to Taughannock Falls State Park for a soggy photo at the overlook. We did not hike the slippery gorge steps. 

At 215 feet tall, it's the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. To put that in perspective, Niagara Falls is 167 feet high.

 Speaking of which, that's where we're heading Tuesday. Tomorrow, another wet one in Ithaca.

Pilgrimage

 

It was a thrill for me, finally visiting the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

I've enjoyed their publications, admired their work and used their birding apps for years.

We took the early morning bird walk in Sapsucker Woods. There were 25 of us, led by an expert from the local bird club. It was a beautiful morning although breezy, and in autumn there are fewer birds around.

Still, even on this slow day, we saw among others, a bald eagle, kingfisher, red bellied woodpeckers, red winged blackbirds, wood ducks, and some lucky people caught a glimpse of the northern shrike (butcher bird) a rarity here that got the birding experts excited. John saw it; I was looking elsewhere, darn.

The newly remodeled visitor center was magnificent...

 

A glass, multi-level building with beautiful views of the pond and woods. It was fun seeing my favorite Cornell Lab Feeder Watch Live cam . Check it out!

 

In the afternoon, we took a two hour narrated "eco tour" up Cayuga Lake.

It was fascinating learning about the long history and geology of the area. The architecture in Ithaca is wonderful, and I loved seeing the historic homes along the lake and hearing all the stories.

So-- it was a great but exhausting day. After the boat trip, we got take out food at the giant Wegmans grocery store and headed back to our cottage on the hill, rather than fight the Saturday night crowds down on the Ithaca Commons. 

The weather made an abrupt about face last night. It is pouring rain today, so inside activities on the agenda.

A long journey

 

It is a long way from Seattle to Ithaca, NY. Our flight was a nail-biter yesterday. Up at 3 am, and everything looked great until we got on the plane, then sat at the gate for a 2 hour delay. On the long flight to JFK, we had plenty of time to contemplate missing our connection to Buffalo. Delta had already re-booked us on a flight the next day, which would have meant spending the night at JFK. Ugh.

As it turned out, through sheer luck, we did make our flight to Buffalo last night with just minutes to spare. Our suitcases didn't, but we picked them up at Buffalo airport this morning when we got the rental car.  All's well.

Today was a spectacular fall day, and I enjoyed the drive to Ithaca through rolling countryside dotted with small towns and farms. We took a side trip up through Watkins Glen, famous for the Nascar track and Watkins Glen State Park.

 

We hiked the waterfall gorge trail there, with a few thousand other people. It was spectacular. 

Tonight we are getting settled in our tiny cottage on the hill. We walked down to Ithaca Commons for dinner, but took an Uber home. We are pretty tired. One more nice day tomorrow before the heavy rain arrives on Sunday and sticks around for the rest of the week. We're looking forward to a fall colors boat ride on Lake Cayauga tomorrow, and visit to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Travel light(ish)

 

"He who wants to travel happily must travel light." Antoine de Saint

Frankly, neither of us are real good at that. We're "what if" people and try to be prepared for every little thing. John's big fear is running out of clean shirts before the trip is over. And I'm a weather fretter, always worried about being hot, cold, wet, etc. Or just looking awful in rumpled, dirty clothes. Hence, I always over pack.

Tomorrow morning, fingers crossed, we fly all the way to Buffalo NY. A few days after I booked the flight, good old Delta changed our itinerary to transfer planes at JFK instead of Minneapolis, which added another hour to the long travel day. So it goes. 

On Friday, we drive to Ithaca in the Finger Lakes area, known for dozens of waterfalls and Cornell University, among other things. I'm especially looking forward to visiting the Cornell Institute of Ornithology, and if we can get up early on Saturday, a guided bird walk at Sapsucker Woods Preserve. 

I rented a tiny bungalow in town, that's also adjacent to nature trails. It should be a fun city to explore for the first time.

On Tuesday, the highlight of the week, 2 nights at the glitzy Tower Hotel in Niagra, on the Canadian side of the falls. I've never been there, and John only once as a small kid.

Weather? I was hoping for sunny fall days but it looks like a mixed bag, with rain in Ithaca over the weekend. But the fall foilage in that part of New York state is just coming into the peak. It should be a most memorable trip. At any rate, something different for us. 

Happy birthday, Maya

 

Please stop growing up so fast...

In other news this morning, there isn't much that compares to Hurricane Milton. Rachel (John's sister) lives in central Florida, and we wish her the best as the storm barrels across the state.

I was out shopping yesterday on a spectacular fall day. You could buy a 150 pound squash at QFC, but the advertised specials were all out of stock. Well, not exactly a major complaint in the greater scheme of things.