May 22 - Keuka Lake Outlet Trail

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park 

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ―George Eliot  

There are so many places to explore around this area and it seems like we're finding new places all the time. Today we drove over to Pen Yan and walked part of the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail. The trail follows an old rail bed; previously a canal towpath (Crooked Lake Canal), that even earlier, was a pioneer dirt trail. The canal is now mostly dismantled or buried, but it can be traced by swampy ditches and crumbling locks. Along the trail you can see old factories and mill foundations. It was fun trying to envision what the area looked like hundreds of years ago.

The Keuka Lake Outlet is a natural waterway that drains the waters of Keuka Lake into Seneca Lake crossing over 8 miles and dropping 280 feet along the way. The first saw and grits mill on the outlet was built in 1790 and over the years there have been 40 mills in operation on the outlet. Now the outlet caters to recreation with a multi-use trail that offers access to the outlet waters. 

Birkett Mills is the only mill that remains on the Keuka Lake Outlet. It's been in continual operation since 1797 and today is the world’s largest producer of buckwheat products.

Seneca Mill Falls is the most popular stop along the trail. The falls are a three-tiered cascade that starts as a small dam spillway and then crashes down two large limestone drops into a deep pool. The remains of the paper mill can be seen at the foot of the falls and above the falls you can see the rusty old mechanics that once harnessed the power of the outlet, and was a component of the electrical plant that took over the site after the paper mill left. 

This is a picture of the falls and the Seneca Paper Mill built in 1884

Cascade Mill Falls is about half the size of Seneca Mill Falls, and definitely not the prettiest site, but the complex is made up of old mills, factories and oddities that are in an advanced state of decay. Most notable is the Baker Chemical Company’s carbon bisulfide plant, which resides right next to the falls, and the Kelly Tire building which reconditioned tires and relied on carbon bisulfide for rayon. 

After hiking the Outlet Trail we stopped at the Spotted Duck Creamery for a little reward. This creamery makes their custard using organic local ingredients...much of it comes from their farm. They use duck eggs, hence the name Spotted Duck. Why ducks...according to the owner’s, they “make a far superior custard than chicken eggs; the increased yolk size makes a much richer flavor while the firmer whites are a better suspender, giving our frozen custard it’s signature creamy texture.” The farm was beautiful, the service from Dane was exceptional, the ice cream was very good and the flavors were fun. 

We shared the Hollywood, which was a flight of four flavors....we chose: Raspberry Truffle, Maple Nutt, Emu Tracks and Real Cookies n Cream.

May 13-20 - Lots of Visitors

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

“Family and friendships are two of the greatest facilitators of happiness.” – John C. Maxwell

We had a busy week...weather is starting to improve, here and there, so we can finally get out of the boat. The theme for this week was visitors. Our first visitors arrived on Wednesday. Barbara and David from Miss My Money are back in the area getting their boat ready for the season. We had a great visit and enjoyed lunch at a local place overlooking the lake. We've known them for a long time and it's always nice to reconnect.

After lunch we took Barbara and David up to Taughannock Falls. All the rain we've had makes the waterfalls beautiful.

On Friday our son and grandkids arrived for the weekend and they brought the sun with them. It was a beautiful weekend and we had a great time playing with the kids. We stayed very busy...the kids wore us out and we wore the kids out having so much fun.

Graham is learning to ride his new bike

We had a wonderful sunset and enjoyed seeing the full moon rise over the marina on Friday night.

After breakfast on Saturday we started our fun at the Ithaca Farmers Market. Where we picked up ingredients for a wonderful dinner.

Our next stop was at the Ithaca Children's Garden. It's an amazing place...one of the kids favorite places to go and mine too. We could spend all day here. This is the frog (tadpole) pond. 

After playing hard at the garden we enjoyed lunch on the patio at the Ithaca Beer Co. We got to relax and the kids had fun playing with the other children while we waited for our pizzas.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a little time on the lake. The kids enjoyed driving Poppy's boat.

Sometimes you just have to take a break from having fun.

Giving Poppy a back massage.

Our last visitors for the week were Ted and Sally from Amici. They stopped by on their way home from seeing other friends in the area. We spent the afternoon visiting and enjoying a picnic at the Lucas Vineyard. We may only see each other once or twice a year, but it seems like we've never been apart. Catching up with friends is always fun.

Our view for the afternoon

Dinner at the Boatyard Grill

May 11 - Sodus Point, NY

“A sailor’s joys are as simple as a child’s” —Bernard Moitessier

We took a little road trip on Saturday...we ended up in Sodus Point. The village is on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, straight north of Cayuga Lake. It's a point of land on the northwest edge of Sodus Bay. The name "Sodus" is derived from a native word meaning "Silvery Water." Sodus Bay is six-mile-long and three-mile-wide and is the largest natural harbor on Lake Ontario.

The lakeside community is a popular summer hang out, surrounded on three sides by water. The area has lots of boating options, fruit farms to visit and vineyards for tastings. Today was sunny but very cool, so walking out to the lighthouse and looking at the beach wasn't as nice as it would be in another month. We'll definitely have to come back when it warms up.

Sodus Point Map

The Sodus Bay Lighthouse sits atop a 20 ft bluff, where it has stood for the last 140 years. The beautifully landscaped property offers spectacular vistas of the lake as well as historical markers describing the existing lighthouse and one marking the ground where its predecessor stood. The lighthouse itself is now a museum, exhibiting the maritime history and tourism legacy of the Great Sodus Bay.

This marker shows where the original lighthouse stood.

The pier at Sandy Beach is capped with a light, this is merely a modern beacon (not a house) constructed in 1938 and used for navigating the entrance to the bay. 

Sandy Beach...not too inviting today.

Sodus Bay looking east

The main street in Sodus Point has a lot of restaurants and a few cute shops.

History Lesson:

Sodus Point was first occupied in 1794 by Captain Charles Williamson, an agent for Colonial land investors, Pulteney Estates, with the intention of creating a port settlement. Roads were built from southern settlements in Palmyra and Phelps and the Village of Sodus Point was founded shortly after. “The Point” became the site of a battle in the War of 1812, when British forces besieged and burned the village to the ground on June 19, 1813. The village was quickly rebuilt and continued to prosper as the war ended and the shipping industry began to blossom.

Looking for destinations to entice passengers in the late 1800s rail companies sought out small lakeside villages to build resorts in. The Rochester Railway Company formed a Sodus Bay division and began extending its trolley line out to Sodus along Ridge Rd in 1901. The clear and calm water of the bay with rolling hills and orchard-covered plains, combined with the clean vast expanse of the Lake and an abundance of fish, made this a prime location for budget vacationers. With an influx of weekend passengers from the booming city of Rochester, several resorts, campgrounds and an amusement park sprung up in the point. 

Back on the Boat

Beacon Bay Marina

"Memories made at the lake, last a lifetime."

We've been back onboard for two weeks, so I guess it's time to update the blog. We spent the first three days “On the hard”. This is what boaters call it when we have the boat hauled out of the water and blocked up on land. It's the way we store our boat during the winter here in upstate New York. Staying on the boat when it's on the hard isn't fun, especially when the weather is hot or cold. Without water the heater/AC unit doesn't work. Maybe that's why it's called hard! 🤣Water and electricity is limited too, but at least we were able to use our heads (toilets). 

Unwrapping The Pearl...coming alive for the season

Our front door while on the hard

Just a few things to unpack and stow (all this stuff came up the ladder...plus more boxes that were in the stateroom and v-birth).

This year seemed especially hard since the weather has been so cold. We woke up our first three mornings to cabin temperatures ranging from 35º-41º...that's pretty darn cold. Plus it snowed all day Saturday, but despite the weather Stan finished the items on his to do list and we were launched on Monday morning. Meaning we could turn on the heater. 

The main reason we returned to the boat so early this year was to have a new enclosure made for the flybridge. The Mahaney brothers at Mahaney Canvas located at Beacon Bay Marina did a wonderful job. They were very professional and got the job done in four days. We couldn't have asked for a better job, and the price was very reasonable. 

The first step in getting our new enclosure was to install an extra support for the bimini top

Then the new bimini went up

and they made patterns for the new isinglass 

Our new enclosure looks very nice

On Friday (after being on the boat for a week) I went down to Pennsylvania to visit our little ones while they finished our enclosure...little did I know the Mahaneys would finish our top before I got to Kyle's house, so on Saturday while the weather was decent Stan moved the boat down the lake to our summer slip. Several friends met him on the dock to catch his lines...pretty nice my delivery captain had the boat all ready for me when I got home.