Fingerlakes Region New York - Day 2

This morning we are exploring the town we are staying in, Ithaca Falls.  Our hotel was very close to Cornell University and the Falls.  So we saw a lot of students. 

The tunnel below is very short - you can see out the other side.  It might be part of Ezra's Tunnel which opens up on top of the falls.  Ezra's Tunnel was built around 1832 as a waterway tunnel.  It fed into a raceway that provided the power for most of Ithaca.  People used to go through the tunnel to get to the top of the falls to swim and sun.  Several students died.  It was gated off at the top in 2018 after a long controversary.

                                        

Just across the street is this interesting house.

And the falls themselves.

After we finished exploring this area we walked back to the parking lot.  I could not resist using the fisheye lens to photo this house.

We drove through the countryside on our way to Moravia. 

Moravia is filled with 19th Century houses.  We parked across the street from this church to skype with daughter Alexis in Amsterdam.  Isn't technology amazing?

Here is a fixer upper for you!  Probably a bargain now.  It reminds me of haunted houses I have seen.

This was a tavern early on in history.

The house below was purported to be the oldest house in the town of Moravia.

As we headed back to Ithaca Falls we stopped outside of another small town.  We found a parking spot in an abandoned school yard.  And walked up and down the road taking photos.  Cornfields and big skies make interesting photos.

The next morning we headed back to the airport and home.  The trip was short, but it accomplished its purpose.  We saw something much different than the mountain west.  

Fingerlakes Region of New York in September

 We really needed to get out of Dodge!  We decided the risks were worth it.  So we booked our tickets with United and packed our bags.

Being at the Albuquerque airport was surreal.  It was so empty!

Chicago O'Hare was much busier.  Most people were in compliance and wearing a mask.  Both flights were very full.  We stayed in a hotel near the Rochester airport the first and last nights.  The other two nights in Ithaca - so we were more centralized.  On the way there we stopped in the town of Canandaigua which is on Canandaigua Lake.  The boat houses were fun to photograph.  There were signs explaining the historical background of the area as well as an interesting tidbit that they had to pass a law saying no one could live in the boat houses - they were for boats only.

The Yacht Club

We drove from the waterfront to the main street through town.  Lots of interesting  19th Century homes.  Many of the houses have been refurbished and look like new - at least from the outside.

Some government buildings were also interesting to see.

We were not planning to visit any wineries - though this region is known for it's excellent wine.  We saw an interesting looking one, and decided to visit.  Only to find out that they (and all of the other wineries) are open by appointment only.  We stopped to take photos of the grapes on our way out.

We drove between Canandaigua and Seneca lakes, on our way to Watkins Glen.  Another quaint town on a lake - this time on Seneca lake.

It is quite far away, but can you see the Dollar flag next to the U.S. flag?