I'm not an avid hiker, at all! I just had to have some lab tests done at my local hospital, which is in the middle of nowhere. I decided that instead of waiting around for the next bus I would walk a while down the road. This is rural route 54 between Urbana and Hammondsport in Upstate New York. I eventually made my way to Keuka Lake, which is one of the finger lakes in this region. Here are some things I saw along the way. This wild life refuge is always deserted. I don't know if it's just a reserve or if it's a research/ observation area. But there are private properties surrounding the perimeter and they all say "no trespassing" and "no fishing and hunting", so I'm not sure where exactly hunters go in the winter months. I came across a strange area, this place on Google Maps says it's a defined location, "Keuka Lake dot Com" which is weird. I guess the locals wanted to get a place on the map so that Google would ping it? In any case, I added some photos just to fill in their page.
I don't know if anyone else does this, but I live in a pretty rural area so I often add info like hours of operation, photos and the like to different businesses and addresses on Google Maps. It's helpful to tourists in the area and honestly it helps me remember locations I infrequently travel to.
This is a really unique area. There is a long stretch of land that is occupied by a dead forest. It's a whole area full of dead trees, in the winter they just look like dormant trees. But in the spring and summer months, they never sprout leaves! I'm not sure if it's because of the Asian Beetle that's eating all the Ash trees up here, but it is a big area. There are some new trees growing at the base of the forest floor though. I think I'll have to write a short story or something about the "Dead Woods", what do you think?
All together I clocked 5.4 miles. I did take breaks along the way in a two hour span. I was stopping along the way to take photos and make notes. But Fall is in full swing here, the leaves are turning and there are brilliant strokes of orange among the evergreens.
Once I arrived in Hammondsport, I walked along the lake and fond that the condos they were building are almost complete! There look amazing, the whole lake front view is windows. Along Shethar Street, I found a comfy spot at Keuka Bakery Company, I think it's the same owner as the oil shop a little bit down the road. I had a strong espresso shot with my gluten free cupcake brownie. But I have to admit, I've been eating way too much sugary snack things lately. I need to do a cleanse soon.
When I say a 'cleanse' I don't mean starving myself or living off of juices. I mean just eating clean: veggies and fruit and water, no sugar or breads (even gluten free ones) and no processed foods. Ah, french fries... I will miss you!
I took today off just because the next coming weeks are going to be stressful. I'm having to deal with health related problems that are finally being addressed by the right specialists. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Hopefully I will be traveling in the winter months, so keep an eye out for new locations being added by yours truly on Google Maps.
