Aug. 3-10 Keuka Lake Vacation

Lake Life [lāk 'līf] noun - Escaping the daily grind and embracing the simple life by the lake. Slowing down to appreciate the water, wildlife and family. Where doing absolutely nothing is doing something.

This will be a long post with a lot of photos since we were gone for a week. I should have broken it down into more posts, but this will have to do. We enjoyed a perfect week on Keuka Lake. The weather was ideal, the water was amazing and the house we rented was just what we needed. We couldn't have asked for anything more. 

We did a couple of short hikes, the guys rode a portion of the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail and we spent a few hours on Saturday at the Windmill Market. Other than that we were content to be at the house painting, feeding the horses, playing games and relaxing. But most of all we were in or on the lake...swimming, riding on the boat, tubing or knee boarding. 

We all agree we like Keuka Lake the best. The lake is smaller and not as deep as Cayuga and Seneca so the water is warmer. But what we really love is how crystal clear the water is. It’s unbelievably beautiful.

The house

The kitchen...a bit small but we made it work.

The bedrooms

The kids enjoyed feeding the horses that were on property. They love carrots and apples.

The decks on the back of the house gave us the perfect place to paint and enjoy our meals. There was a bit of haze in the air from the wildfires in Canada...really not an issue because it made sitting outside a little cooler.

The evening views of the sunset were amazing.

Stan has helped all three of Kyle's kids learn to ride without training wheels at a summer rental. Hattie has now mastered riding a bike.

We enjoyed how close this house was to the water and the great water access. We spent most of our time either in the water or on it.

We were a bit rusty on this little sunfish sailboat...next year we will do better.

Kyle and Cora enjoyed a paddle on the lake one morning.

On Tuesday morning we enjoyed hiking part of the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail. We started close to Seneca Mills Falls. At one time this was a canal that connected Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake. Once in Seneca Lake goods could be moved into the Erie Canal and on to more market places. 

Seneca Mills Falls

Cooling off in the creek.

Brytanie and Graham had to drive home on Tuesday to attend a middle school orientation. So the guys went back to the Keuka Outlet Trail another morning and rode most of the trail on their bikes.

One of our favorite places to visit whenever we are close to Penn Yan is the Spotted Duck Creamery. All their ice cream is made with duck eggs.

The second hike we did was to the Eggleston Falls through the Eggleston Glen. This was a new find for us. We've been in the area for nine seasons and I've never heard of this one before. It was a nice hike up the creek although the water flow was very low and the 80' waterfall was almost dry.

With the low water levels it was easy to keep your feet dry, but a lot more fun to get wet.

We found lots of neat things along the creek. Cora was extremely happy to find a frog and a newt. We also found some great rocks and a piece of orange beach glass.

By far the very best thing about being on the lake for a week was spending time in our little runabout. Most days we went out in the afternoon and again after dinner.

Whether we were riding or being pulled we all had a great time.

We even took turns driving the boat...a few times so Stan could just sit back and relax.

Sunsets were the best time to be on the lake.

Unfortunately not all turns on the tube ended well. A few afternoons the wind was a bit strong and the tube would go flying. 

Lake life can make you tired. Especially when you play as hard as Hattie does.

One evening we took the boat up to the Main Deck Restaurant for ice cream.

We've had our little boat for 7-8 years and it's run very well, but this time Stan had to take time to clean the carburetor. Graham got a lesson in how to fix an engine. 

We enjoyed the fire pit almost every evening.

I think I could live here.

Good night Keuka Lake...we'll see you again next summer.

PA Cover Bridges (Part IV)

"Love is the bridge that joins all the world together." -Frederick Lenz

Chasing covered bridges isn't as exciting as chasing waterfalls because they aren't as unique as each waterfall. In fact they all look a lot alike, but it's fun to find them and explore the countryside. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state and we do love exploring new places. On our way home from our anniversary getaway we found a few new ones plus a few close to our home in Lewisburg.

Hubler Covered Bridge is only a mile from our home. Getting to the bridge requires driving through the property of the high-security Lewisburg Federal Prison. In fact, half of the bridge sits on their property. Hubler Covered Bridge was built in 1850, roughly 80 years before the prison was built. It crosses Little Buffalo Creek just a few yards above Buffalo Creek. The bridge is 33 feet long.  A chain-link fence keeps visitors from passing through it.  

The Rupert Covered Bridge No. 56 was built in 1847 and is one of 23 covered bridges in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest existing covered bridge in the county. The bridge is located between the Town of Bloomsburg and Montour Township and is still used to cross Fishing Creek.

The Knoebel Covered Bridge, officially named the "Lawrence L. Knoebel Covered Bridge," is a historic wooden covered bridge located at Knoebel's Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It was originally constructed in 1881. It spans the South Branch of Roaring Creek, connecting Cleveland Township, Columbia County, with Ralpho Township, Northumberland County.

The first White Rock Forge Covered Bridge was built in 1847, but was swept away in 1858. The existing bridge was built in 1884. The bridge is 103 feet long, 13 feet wide and spans the West Branch of the Octorara Creek in southeast Lancaster County.

The Colemanville Covered Bridge spans Pequea Creek in Lancaster County. It's Lancaster County's second-longest single-span covered bridge still being used. It was originally built in 1856. It is 155 feet long and almost 15 feet wide.

If the weather would have been better we could have done a little hiking around this bridge. It was a pretty area.

The Baumgardener's Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Pequea Creek in Lancaster County. The bridge was built in 1860 and restored in 1987 after it was damaged in a flood the previous year. During this restoration process the bridge was raised by 4 feet and lengthened by 9 feet to protect it from damage in potential future flooding.

The Forry's Mill Covered Bridge is the last covered bridge that spans Chiques Creek in West Hempfield in Lancaster County. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in the traditional white color. It's 103 feet long and almost 13 feet wide.

See other Pennsylvania Covered Bridges that we've discovered at the following sites.

PA Covered Bridges (Part I)

PA Covered Bridges & Cute Towns (Part II)

PA Cover Bridges (Part III)