Vacation Leftovers

I am down to a few last photos from our Ithaca trip that are blog worthy.....

This was an old campsite area in the Watkins Glen State Park. It had quite a few cement top tables, but it looks like the moss took over. I don't think anyone would want to use them for eating unless they had a large table cloth! It made a neat spot for a photo-op however.....

And a large set of steps.......This time back at Taughannock State Park....

And finally, if you ever find yourself in Ithaca, be sure to eat here......

It's a world famous vegetarian restaurant in business since the 70's. The food was absolutely delicious!

Now, I am back to the dilemma of needing blog fodder. It's been miserably hot here lately and walks have been short and uneventful. For that matter, I haven't even been carrying my camera! Whatever will I post?!

Taughannock Falls State Park

On Tuesday, we drove to Taughannock Falls State Park. It was a short drive north up the western side of Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.

This was the location of the falls used in my new header photo. It was another dog-friendly park so we brought Wilson and Jimmy along for the hike. The trail worked its way along the downstream section of the falls. There were ample opportunities for the boys to dip their feet, but not really swim.......

The scenery along the way was quite impressive.....

It was another hot and humid day, but the destination was well worth enduring the heat. You were able to walk up quite close to the bottom of the falls and we got a nice heavy misting from the water as it splashed to the ground. The power of the falls also produced a strong breeze, that, mixed with the mist, was very pleasant!

I didn't take any really close-up shots as my camera did not need a drenching.

At 215 feet high, Taughannock Falls is the tallest waterfall in the northeast. While obviously nowhere near as broad as Niagara Falls, it is actually taller!

You could also drive up to an overlook above the falls to see it at a different angle.....

We went to one other state park while we were away. I don't have many photos from that excursion as the main trail was not dog-friendly and I didn't do a good job with my homework! We had brought the dogs along and so had to stay to the outer (almost boring) trail. It was hot and we were all a tad grouchy by the end of that one! But I'll share what I took in another post.....

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

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!

La Tourelle - Ithaca, New York

I have to say, all joking aside , I absolutely loved our hotel, La Tourelle. It made our trip! This is no exaggeration.  The staff bent over backwards to be friendly and helpful. The building was unique and eclectically decorated. Every room had its own decor, none of that franchised look. Our room was in the pet-friendly section and was spotless upon check-in. The floors were tiled which Jimmy and Wilson absolutely loved as the weather was rather muggy, and they could cool their bellies. A dog bed was provided. Even better, our room had its own back door to a small deck and access to the huge back grounds. For the humans, the lobby provided a most delicious coffee, available 24/7. It was so good, we bought a couple of pounds in town to bring home. Even better, everyday at 5 to 6, the hotel provided a complimentary wine happy hour featuring local New York wines. We only managed to be at the hotel in that time span once, but the wines were quite enjoyable. The area is known for their Rieslings. The visiting dogs (on leash, of course!) were welcome to hang out in the lobby with their owners.

Let me show you around.....

The main entrance

Complimentary dog-walker :-)

The room was pleasantly large and we were messy!

The boys, perturbed by the picture taking, want breakfast to be served, Pronto! 

The back of the hotel (which sits on 70! acres of land).
Our room was at the bottom level, left most part of the building.

The gazebo closest to our room

An old barn on the property that actually had a 3-bedroom suite in it.

The Koi pond

A view of the sun setting behind the pond.
 I didn't notice how I had caught just a bit of John
 smoking a cigar until I enlarged the photo. It adds a neat touch.

The hotel each night....

The hotel's trails ran straight into the state park. I'll save those photos for another post.

We usually opt for the least expensive places to stay, our thinking being that we don't spend much time in the room. Why pay more than needed? The room was a bit more expensive than the local Comfort Inn, but in this case, the old adage "you get what you pay for", was so true. It was SO worth the extra, I'd say, $200 or so more (total, not per night!). The ambiance, the grounds, the quality of life for the dogs....all priceless!

If you ever find a reason to visit Ithaca, NY, I highly recommend staying at La Tourelle (Room 100!). It is a lovely experience!