Thursday, July 11, 2013

Ithaca is Gorges!

My title is not a typo, it's the travel slogan for the Ithaca area. It's a play on the word Gorgeous no doubt, but also literally means Gorges. The Ithaca area is home to over 100 waterfalls! They were everywhere! The area has several state parks centered around hiking to see the various falls.

As my Tuesday post ended on a sign saying the hotel grounds were ending and the Buttermilk Falls State Park trails were starting, we will start there....

The first thing we encountered was this weird tree with it's shaggy bark....


Here's a close-up....

I call it the "Cousin-It" tree.
Who knows that reference?
Just the typical scenery.....




Here's an idea of the terrain. We did a lot of hill climbing!

Not a great photo but you get the idea....STEEP!
About the time we were negotiating this downhill trek, we could here a loud roar (no, not like a lion!) in the background. When we finally reached the bottom of the slope, here's what we saw.....



The boys were pretty hot by this time in the walk, but this just wasn't a safe spot to left them in the water. We had ventured off the established trail to get this view, so now we had to climb up that same slope. The footing was actually safer going up, but it sure worked the lungs a lot more!

Once more on the park path.....


Just past where Wilson posed above, we came to a lake. It was created with a man-made dam wall which also served as a walkway to the other side.

The boys gave MUCH consideration to jumping in the water!
We continued on to the other side and next came old stone steps.....

Looking to the Heavens....?

This was the point at which I decided to turn around and head back to the hotel. I'd been gone pretty long and figured it was time to return. All in all, a very photogenic hike. To the top of the stairs and back took a bit over an hour. It was hot and humid out and the boys were disappointed at not getting any water time in. There was plenty of hill climbing which we really aren't used to. When we reached the room, the boys were more than happy to flop on the cool tile floor and take a nap.


A quick note about leashes.....While many of my photos look as if I was walking the boys off-leash, I had them securely leashed for the vast majority of the walk. My boys have an excellent "sit-stay" command, and I feel comfortable using it for a posed photo without leashes. Going down the steep hill was just safer for me not holding on to leashes.....But in general I would never risk them running off after wildlife in unknown territory. In this case, all we saw were chipmunks....hundreds of them!

17 comments:

  1. Looks like a great place for a hike. So glad you enjoyed. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  2. Looks like a great time! Wonderful waterfall! I'm jealous!

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  3. That definitely looks like Cousin It's hair! What a beautiful place!

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  4. This place just went onto my list of places to visit. I have such a love for waterfalls and pictures and this looks like the perfect place.
    ~Rebecca & Teach

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  5. Wow! I want to go. What a beautiful place.

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  6. Oh what beautiful country! I love gorges and waterfalls and old stone steps. I miss all our vacation time in Tennessee, north Georgia and North Carolina. *sigh* And that tree is super cool!

    Don't tell anyone, but when I was in college my friends called me Cousin It.

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  7. The Adamms Family!! (sheesh I'm old)

    What an amazing place!!! Oh my goodness - I would never have wanted to leave!! Except for the lack of safe water to dip in - it's just about perfect!

    P.S. - I never worry about seeing your dogs in pictures without leashes - it's clear you are a great dog caretaker and those two have excellent sit/stays. :)

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  8. Cousin It Tree! I love it. (I used to have such a crush on Gomez. Does that make me a weird kid?)

    Ithaca ith gorgeouth! (That should be their slogan... Jutht thayin'.)

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  9. I LOVE Ithaca! It's one of my favorite places, ever.
    Nola's Mom

    PS: I meant to ask on the other post, but how do you like the ComfortFlex harness?

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  10. i visited ithaca years ago and loved it

    urban hounds

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  11. You're right it's a gorgeous area. We'd love to visit there. SHE says we are better behaved in a new area...we stay right with HER. It's in known areas that some of us....Bella....run off.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

    Thanks for all the beautiful photos.

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  12. Oh, that tree is FABulous!! And, yes! Ma got the reference right away...she loved that show as a kid!! BOL
    You guys really had an adventure! I bets that water was lookin' pretty good by then!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  13. Wow, what a neat place you visited. 100 waterfalls?! Really?! That's unheard of. I must tell my friend of this place because she loves waterfalls (and wants to get proposed to by one, hehe). Photogenic hike indeed. Now we know where your header is from!

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  14. What a gorges place that really is! What a lot of waterfalls, and they look very strong too! And, that tree looks really cool! Lovely photos, as always.
    Pippa :)

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  15. Oh my this place looks like a amazing hiking spot, and look at that tree! I have never seen a tree like that in my life! Beautiful! Love the pics!

    Have a great day!

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  16. Gorgeous is right! Stunning....

    And I love the Cousin-It tree. Do you know what kind it is?

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