'21/#35 Water, Water, Everywhere!

 

We are spending a few days in the Ithica NY area in search of waterfalls. There are rumored to be at least a hundred of them nearby and we will try to see as many as we can in the next couple of days. Waterfalls are right below lighthouses on Mary's list of things to see and I also find them some of Mother Natures greatest creations.

It turns out one of the falls is just a few minutes from our campground so we started there, at Taughannock Falls. We were able to drive right up to the falls with only a short walk from the parking lot. This turned out to be the norm for most of the falls we saw.

Our next stop was Robert Treman State Park. There we would find the Lower Falls and Lucifer Falls at opposite ends of the park. Entrances at either end allowed us to drive in from both sides and limit the hikes to comfortable strolls. The lower falls look like a cross between a fountain and a wedding cake. Apparently it is a swimming area but not for us. Mary stuck her finger in the water and commented "BRRRRRR".

Smiling and why not? 

Lucifer Falls was more of a hike but the trail was pretty level with steps and bridges blending into the scenery for easy access. I'm not sure of the origin of the name but going over Lucifer Falls will not end well. Again it was an easy stroll with plenty of view points to observe the falls.

The next two falls were right in the town of Ithica. Buttermilk was right off the main road with another cold swimming area and Ithica Falls was in the middle of a neighborhood. Ithica falls was used to power local industry in the 1800's and the residential area grew around the job market it created.

With a good amount of walking and lots of fresh air we called it a day. A little shopping on the way home, some dinner, a bit of TV time and we were done. It was an early night and we slept well. Today we will head out to Watkins Glen State Park to see what it has to offer. We are getting ready to go so this is goodbye from our home in the Finger Lakes Region because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#34 Always An Adventure

 In life a little rain must fall and also in the life of an RVer. We left Corfu and took the scenic route instead of the super slab known as I-90. Yes, I have my EZ Pass for that but why look at miles of concrete when we can see America the Beautiful? State road 20 took us through farm land and small towns that have been established since the late 1800's and gave us some ideas of things to do when we come back. The scenic route only added about 30 minutes to our drive and still got us to our destination well before dinner time.

Now the "rain". Turning south between Lakes Seneca and Cayuga our multiple route planners had us on SR 96a. It was a pretty road running along the Lake Seneca shore. The only thing that ruined the scenery was a sign saying "12'10" bridge". That is a problem since our trailer is almost 13'6"! We pulled into an empty lot and started to check maps, GPS, Google Maps, and our atlas and soon found a way to our destination. That meant turning 57' of RV around, doubling back about 10 miles and cutting accross to route 414 and then, route 96 (not 96a!) and head south again. 

Except for that little hiccup we were able to get to our campground and get set up in time for dinner. It wasn't that long of a day, but it was our first day on the road in months and it took it's toll on us. After dinner and a little TV time we called it a day. Wednesday we will search for waterfalls.

So until the next blog goodbye from our home in Trmansburg because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#33 Touchdown! Game Over

Game over and a new clock starts. We are on the road again and headed south. We will be back in Florida in about a month. The next month will be sightseeing and visiting friends.

We are starting in the Finger Lakes so I will say goodnight from our home in Ithica NY because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#33 Third And Inches

 This will be brief. The past two days we got everything stored away and ready for the road. The holding tanks were dumped and flushed and all of the assorted hoses have been stowed. The tire pressure monitoring system was activated and checked while Mary's plants all found homes in the basement. We are just about ready to leave. 

While all this was happening we also managed to find the time to go to the Appleumpkin Festival in Wyoming, NY. Our supervisor lives there and was all excited to show us her town in all it's fall splendor. It was also an opportunity for a last goodbye. We have made some really good friends while staying here at Darien Lakes.

With nothing to do but put away the electric cord and hook up the truck I will call this third and inches with only seconds to go on the clock. The next time you hear from us we should be moving on to our next adventure. 

So this will be one of our last goodbyes from our home in Corfu, NY because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#32 Second Down And Only Yards To Go!

 Just a short blog to keep everyone updated. We spent the last two rainy days cleaning, organizing, and packing things away. We also did a big laundry including all the throw rugs from around the trailer. All of our work clothes were shrink wrapped except for what we will need the next two days and uniforms for today and tomorrow are laid out.

This is all progress so let us call it short yards gained, second and goal, and the clock is ticking. We can see the goal line and it is within our reach. So close yet so far.

 There are two more days of work with a concert in the park on Saturday. I really don't expect that big of a crowd with the weather getting colder and the ground so wet from the recent rains. They are scheduling us to be open late as if people are going to leave the concert to come to the General Store. The concert ends by 11:00 and we close at 11:00. Management at their finest! Oh, by the way did I mention that this big crowd they are expecting is to see the Jonas Brothers? What do I know? I'm just an old fart and a work camper at that.

Well I am going to relax before it is time to go to work, so until the next blog this is so long from our home at Darien Lakes because .......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#31 First And Goal!

 It's getting down to the wire now and the excitement is building. Only seven days until we are back on the road. The past few days we started putting things away outside the rig and prepping the trailer and truck for travel. All twelve tires (yes twelve!) are aired up and checked for safety. We brought the slides in and the landing gear up to make sure all the hydraulics were working fine after sitting for almost five months. All is well and ready for the road. Laundry is done and some last minute shopping was taken care of while the check list is getting shorter.

Like I said, only seven more days. To stay with the sports analogy it is first down and goal. That means two days off, two days of work, two more days off, and then the wheels start rolling. It is raining today and more is forecast for tomorrow so we are prepping the inside of the trailer. Cabinets are organized and secured for travel, and everything is getting a good cleaning. Tomorrow we do our last big laundry and a last stop at the grocery store for anytthing we may have forgotten.

The past couple of years we have started getting ready earlier than usual. The last minute rush to get things done was insane and we both had had enough. Now we start sooner, at a relaxed pace, and take breaks as needed, both physical and mental. In fact I am on a break right now and it seemed like a good time to blog, but break time is over and back to the check list we go.

So until the next blog, that I guess will be soon, goodbye from our home in upstate New York because.....

Home is where  park it,

Frank and Mary

'21/#30 BANG! And The Timer Starts

 It is that time of year for Darien Lakes Theme Park. The season is winding down and they are only open on weekends. That means we are down to our two day a week schedule. WOO HOO! That woo hoo is not only for the extra time off and more time to have fun, it is also because we are that much closer to getting back on the road. Like I said before, this our is two minute warning on the workcamping season.

We already have plans to visit a winery, some cider mills, a peach festival, watch the leaves change, and go to the Apple-Umpkin Festival. Yes, Apple-Umpkin is a real thing that happens every year in Wyoming, NY. It is also the home town of our boss at the General Store and she is so excited that we will be there to share it with her. That will be our last adventure before we depart Corfu,NY.

Now this whole time will not be all fun and games. If you have followed us for a while you also know that there is work to be done before we leave. The truck needs to be checked, all the tires need to be aired up, things that have been out while we lived here need to be stowed for travel, and a whole list of things that are part of the RV lifestyle. That will also be squeezed into our five day weekends. "Five day weekends". Sounds like every workers dream and it is part of our life. We are living the life, aren't we? 

This year at Darien Lakes has been different from years before like everything else during the pandemic. Organized gatherings for the workcampers is something that HR usually does but was put on hold because of restrictions due to Covid, staffing, and time constraints. One of the workcampers decided to take it on herself to organize a dinner for the workcampers at a local restaurant and we got to meet and talk to a lot of people we have seen around but just didn't have the time to get to know. We now have new friends that we may see on the road, in Florida this winter, or even back here in New York next year. 

Yes, we are seriously talking about coming back. There  is a lot we haven't seen yet and we hope that next year we can go visit Canada. We also enjoyed spending time and working with the new friends we have made during this adventure. But that is next year and we haven't got the "jello" mixed yet alone set.

Well today starts our next three "two day" work weeks, which is the official start of the two minute warning, so I have to get ready for work. Until the next blog this is so long from our home in Darien Lakes because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary