Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): June 28 – Salmon Creek, Lansing, NY

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Fly fishing is not about catching the fish. It is about enjoying the water, the breeze, the fish swimming all around. If you catch one, good. If you don't...that’s even better. That means you come out and get to try all over again.” ―Clare Vanderpool, Navigating Early

We spent the day exploring around Lansing, which is ten miles north of Ithaca on the east side of Cayuga Lake. Our first stop was Myers Park to check out the Myers Point Light. This lighthouse is probably the newest lighthouse we've ever seen...it was built in 1998. The park is a beautiful town park right on the lake. Our next stop was at Salt Point, across Salmon Creek from Myers Park. We actually stumbled onto this great little natural treasure simply by accident and I'll save pictures and info on this area for another post.

Our actual destination for the day was Ludlowville Falls and Salmon Creek. The creek is a popular fishing destination because it typically has a good run of rainbow trout (mostly in the spring) and we've been told it's a great place to fish for salmon in the fall. It made a wonderful place to have a picnic lunch and spend the afternoon…relaxing and taking pictures for me and fly fishing for Stan.

Salmon Creek cascades 36’ down a hard limestone cap to form the beautiful Ludlowville Falls. The soft shale underneath has eroded away, creating an overhang cave and deep plunge pool. This fall powered the early settlement of Ludlowville, named for the pioneer family that built a gristmill here in 1795. This area was once the center of the silent movie industry. Many small film companies were headquartered near Ithaca and several of the movie stars made their homes in this historic small village. Scenes from the movie " The Perils of Pauline" were filmed near falls and in the gorge area.