Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Moving on in the Finger Lakes-Cayuga Lake

Sunday July 24 and Monday July 25, 2016                                                Most Recent Posts
Cayuga State Park                                                                     
Native American Music and Dance Festival
Seneca Falls, New York                                                              Buttermilk Falls & Moosewood

 

 

 

IMG_1919

Sunday we leave Sampson State Park on Seneca Lake for the 22 mile drive to Cayuga Lake State Park on Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls, New York.  We’re just hopping from one Finger Lake to the next and staying in their state parks or the ones I could get reservations in. 

New York state parks are VERY POPULAR especially on week-ends during the summer.  Even though I made my reservations months in advance, here at Cayuga I could not get 2 weeks in one site.   I could get six days, from Sunday through Friday for the first week and then I could get 7 days, from the next Sunday through Saturday for the second week, but I had a hole on the Saturday between the two weeks.   I checked and checked and checked for a cancellation.  Nope!  And then I finally discovered the problem.  Cayuga has 36 sites in one very small campground near the lake and 251 sites in a very large campground on the other side of Route 89.   Of course the small campground has electricity and the bigger one has none.  Neither has water or sewer.  In fact there is only one dump station for all 287 sites.   Can you believe that??

 

IMG_1921

So I take a boondocking site for Saturday.  No problem boondocking EXCEPT that temperatures keep going into the mid and low 90’s several days a week which for me means Air Conditioning.  But solar won’t support that.  

When we arrive at Cayuga Lake to check in, what do we see in the parking lot but Winnona’s great aunt Brave. Not sure what year she is.  I’m thinking about 1974 but as you can see in the first picture, she’s much smaller than Winnona.  I guess we all shrink with age.

 

We pull into site #15 in the east side campground electric loop.  Sites are pretty close together with no buffer between though there is a large common area in the back if you want to play ladderball or croquet or other games.

 

IMG_1931

 

There is no distance at all between us and US Route 89 which is fairly busy all day and night.  It’s not possible for us to leave our windows open at night even though it cools down enough to do so.  There is just too much auto, truck and motorcycle noise.  It doesn’t feel like “camping” to me.  But then I knew this was going to be an “urban” summer.

 

IMG_1933

 

After we set up, we take a walk down to the lake and over to the other campground to look around.  This is the trail that leads out of the east campground if you want to walk to the west campground.  Or you can walk back down the paved road you drove up the hill into the east campground on and then turn up another to head west.

IMG_1934

 

The dirt path connects to a short piece of paved road leading to a large rentable picnic shelter.  I walk straight down and see the bath house on the lake before turning left to walk back up another road, through the tunnel under Route 89 and over to the west campground.  

 

IMG_1935

 

Other than driving over to the sandy beach on the lake, this is the only way for west side campers to get to the water. From the size of the tunnel, you can see cars won’t fit. Nothing larger than a golf cart.

IMG_1937

 

After I get out of the tunnel I look back over route 89 and see Winnona.  Boy it looks really crowded from here.

 

Haven’t seen any birds in the East Campground where we are but this fella serenades me on the west side.

IMG_1949

 

I check out our boondocking site for next Saturday night and it is huge.  A very nice space.  I sure wish the temperatures would stay in the 70’s and low 80’s, I’d be happy to spend my two weeks here.

 

IMG_1952

 

or here

IMG_1955

 

Or here in site 226.  There are 8 loops in the west campground and many sites that are quiet and isolated. 

IMG_1958

 

Rain starts spitting so I hustle back through the tunnel to the east side but it only rains gently for about 15 minutes.  Not even enough to wet the ground much.  This is our crew’s rainy view out the front window.

 

IMG_1966

 

On Monday we go “into town” to check out Seneca Falls which is less than 3 miles away.  It’s really a village and one I’ve heard about forever as the birthplace of Women’s Rights and the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.   They have a very nice visitor center on their main street which is called Fall Street.   I love the old commercial buildings from the turn of the 20th century.  As I’ve said many times before, few commercial structures we construct now are as lovely as many constructed at that time.  But where are the falls?

 

IMG_1969

 

IMG_1970

 

 

We have to go into the visitor center to find out about the falls.  We learn that originally the Seneca River dropped forty feet in a mile and a half long stretch of rapids and small waterfalls where the Village is located today. Lawrence Van Cleef, the first permanent white settler in the area, operated a portage for river travelers trying to get around the rapids. The village grew and the rapids were dammed to create higher waterfalls to power mills. In the 20th century the falls were leveled during the construction of the New York State Barge Canal which is still upstream from the Village.  The Barge Canal cost millions of dollars to build and was used seriously for about 15 years. I guess if you want everyone to be able to go everywhere with any mode of transportation then the canal is necessary but I’d sure rather see those falls. 

 

 

The visitor center here is on 3 floors and has not only all kinds of tourist information on what to do and where to go and where to eat in the area, but they also have excellent displays of the history of the town, particularly its connection to the Abolitionist and Women’s Rights movements of the mid 19th century.  Later in the century, riding the wave of both the Industrial Revolution and the settlement of the western states Seneca Falls became noted for its machinery. The visitor center has this display of laundry equipment, notably cast irons for heating on the stove and ironing clothing.  I’ve never seen so many in one place.  We had several at the farm that we used as doorstops.  Wish I knew if they’d come from Seneca Falls.

 

 

 

The iron works also produced other household necessities such as pumps.

IMG_1980

 

 

The Visitor Center overlooks the Seneca River where along the waterfront they provide slips with power and water for boats to tie up for up to 48 hours or longer with permit.  In the center’s basement there are restrooms, showers and laundry facilities.;

 

IMG_1987

 

In addition to pumps and machinery and irons, one company produced most of the wooden rules used throughout the country.

 

IMG_1989

 

Not sure how they got it but the last ruler made was on display.  Did you have rulers like this in grade school?

 

Started in 1872, the company closed its doors in 1995.  Like many former industrial towns, Seneca Falls depends a great deal on it’s museums and tourism now.

 

 

Another company in Seneca Falls that seems related to Wescott is American Globe School Supply.  I actually sat in a desk like this in my early elementary years.

 

We examine some of what were considered kitchen appliances like these two washing machines.

IMG_1992

 

Pretty sure my Aunt Carrie used one of these in the 1930’s and was still using it in the 1970’s when I visited her in Ocala Florida.

IMG_1993

 

These kitchen pumps were quite common in the South well into the mid 20th Century.  Not sure they were this flashy red.

 

Love this, an electric lawn mower made right here in Seneca Falls.

 

One of the largest employers in Seneca Falls was the Seneca Knitting Mill which produced wool socks from 1844 to 1999 when it finally closed.  AS you can see from this picture, most of the machine operators were women at the turn of the century.  Not sure if that was true by the time it closed.

 

Back outside we enjoy more of Seneca Falls historic downtown buildings.  The Village Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1990, not only for its notable architecture but also for its contribution to the historic struggle for Women’s rights.  Along with information on the National Park, the Women’s Hall of Fame and other museums we found  pamphlets for 4 different walking tours of the area and hope to find some afternoons with cool temperatures to do them. 

 

IMG_2010

 

The Partridge Building built in 1894 looks much the same as it did then with businesses on the ground floor and apartments above them. 

 

 

Tomorrow we plan to get out of town a whole 5 miles to spend some time at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge for a natural rather than cultural history experience.

16 comments:

  1. Old Aunt Winnie is a cutie - great to see her still on the road. I'm hoping to see this cute village while we're in the area. The Women's Rights Museum is on the list for sure. It's surprising to me to see such a large variety of industry in what I thought was a very rural area. I have a lot to learn about this part of the country - am enjoying all your great information!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A really great area and little town! It seem like they are punishing you for wanting electric. However, I'm sure it is just necessary to have sites closer for the convenience of adding the power. The dry camping area sites are huge and very private. too bad it is so hot, as you mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not surprised campgrounds are full in August - the camping season will be coming to an end soon, as opposed to a longer season in the south and in California. I sat at that same desk in my day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks like my desk in elementary school. And my globe and ruler. But I never had an iron like that. :-) In my opinion, the only thing any iron is good for is to use as a doorstop (like you did on your farm). Seneca certainly has a rich history—I've never been to the Finger Lakes region. You're giving us lots of great ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Interesting about the ruler company. Did not know that! Seneca Falls is such a cool little town, like a movie set.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Seneca Falls area- that visitor center especially- looks inviting!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting town. Like the pictures of the old appliances - and the electric lawn mower.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Enjoyed the informative post, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice to see Winnona got a chance to visit one of her ancestors. Winnebagos sure have come a long way, but the "Eyebrow" design has always captured my heart. If I was ever going to down size, I'd be looking for one of the new "old" models.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I bet Karen remembers those old washer tubs with the wringer in between. We would do our laundry together in the basement of the women's dorm on Saturday mornings, unsupervised. Laundry was never so much fun after that. ;) I really enjoyed Seneca Falls - lots to do there for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember the wringer washer and the fun times in the laundry room. Laundry is not as much fun as an adult:). Enjoy all the falls and dribbles you can find. Love your blog Sherry. You can tell you spend a lot of time and effort with all the info and pictures.

      Delete
  11. Totally sucks that the falls were removed for convenience. I think I still have a ruler like that, somewhere. And also sat in a desk like that in grade school. What a delightful museum. Seems many towns in America rely on tourism which makes me wonder where all the tourists come from.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The electric lawn mower, for some reason, made me think of the old bonnet hair dryers that fit in their own little suitcases. Used one in high school.... Those buildings are lovely. Sorry you're kinda stuck in a crowded spot. More like a parking lot than camping.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the fact that you are staying in an area long enough to really explore. You've found so many things that our 5 day stay just didn't allow time for. We definitely want to go back to the Finger Lakes and I'll just save your blog posts for my TODOS list:o)) Thanks so much for all the work you do to create and share your blog!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Interesting campground. My parents camped on that lake many years ago:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Informative blog! Neat to 'go back in time.' I agree the architecture is more artistic than today for sure. I did use a ruler like that in school :) Neat history there.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are the best part of this blog for me.
I LOVE hearing from you!