For more area hikes and resources, see the trip summary: Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail We shouldn’t have stepped foot out of our car. Period. It was a rookie mistake that we will. not. repeat. Our plan was to hike the Hi Tor Blue Trail in the Naples area, from the Parish Hill Road parking lot to…
After exactly one experience with deer flies I felt compelled to write this public service announcement. Why? They’re an almost unstoppable, bloodthirsty menace, especially fearsome for the uneducated and unprepared. Like me. I saw a bunch of “houseflies”, shrugged, and proceeded to hike deeper and deeper into their clutches. Even worse, I hiked for four…
For more area hikes and resources, see the trip summary: Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail For this hike, Chris was the engine and I was the little red caboose struggling to keep up. Sure I had a 25-pound pack and Chris carried zip, but I would have brought up the rear regardless. Chris naturally hikes faster…
Remember the scene in Airplane! when Steve McCroskey hands Johnny a weather report and says “Johnny, what can you make of this?” and he replies “This? Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl …”? There were a whole bunch of Johnnys at the Cardboard Boat Regatta this weekend, but instead…
For more area hikes and resources, see the trip summary: Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail C’mon kids, hike along with Julie and learn about colors. Did you know that: Pink can look like orange, and Orange stands out more than white? Yup, I was color-challenged today and went off-track a couple times. I’ll get to those…
Our grand day out by the numbers: In 6 hours we hiked to 3 waterfalls, ate 44 tots, observed 1 pitched battle, witnessed 2 field surgeries, and tasted 7 different hard ciders. It was a satisfying day start to finish, but don’t hold me to the tater tot count - that was a stab in…
Here's the 2016 line-up for Music in the Park sponsored by the Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce: July 7: Abby Payne July 14: Misfit Karma July 21: Jorge Cuevas and the Caribe Jazz Allstars July 28: Moose River Band August 4: ilyAIMY August 11: It's My Party August 25: Hickory Project August 18: Alec Smith &…
For more area hikes and resources, see the trip summary: Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail A bear?! Are you kidding me? My first solo hike and I get a bear? Mind you I never saw the bear, but just hearing her was enough to turn a tranquil walk in the woods into an agitated tromp. Instead…
For more area hikes and resources, see the trip summary: Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail Things I did not expect to see on this hike: An orange salamander. A mailbox in the middle of the woods. Hugging trees. Pink flamingos. We kicked off Memorial Day with what was supposed to be a 5.3 mile loop on…
Hooo-eee. I may approach some tasks half-heartedly but I OWN cheat day. Truly. If you could see the food I put away in 16 waking hours…Chris just laughs and shakes his head, incredulous at my gleeful consumption. More later about what cheat day is and why I do it. For now, let’s dive into the…