We have 2 possible starts for this blog. First, the day was fantastic until we had to
climb up a steep grade for a half mile to get to our hotel. Second, if we correctly remember our theology
lessons, the prior 3 days we were in purgatory and on the fourth day we ascended
into heaven. Readers’ choiceJ
Once again we left the hotel hungry but determined to move
on. Our first stop was at the marker
claiming the town of Waterloo as
the birthplace of the annual Memorial Day celebration in May of each year. While President Johnson proclaimed the town
as its birthplace, new information indicates that the earliest celebration was
in Columbus, Georgia.
Within a few miles we stopped to take pictures of a canal
lock and noticed a sign on the other side of the water announcing a civil war
memorial. We debated going to see it but
since it was early and a short day, we decided, why not. Thankfully, we made the right choice. This
unassuming and out of the ordinary cemetery contained dozens of simple
monuments, each 5 foot high, made of granite.
Beneath, there were tags identifying the man’s name, his rank, age, an
where he was from. Both of us were moved by this memorial, more so than when we
cycled through the Gettysburg
battlefield. Simple, but powerful.
After leaving the cemetery we started cycling on the Cayuga
Trail. The trail was mostly a single
track trail that paralleled the canal. The
trail was only 5 miles long. Near its
end we came upon a very unique 100 yards of trail art (for the lack of a better
description). There were stuffed
animals, toys, non-native plants, stick sculptures, drawings, signs, and more
unique stuff that you can see in our photos.
As we marveled at this interesting section of the trail, Jim, a runner,
stopped to talk to us. Jim is a county
legislator and a regular on this trail.
He said that he got to talk to the man responsible for these
decorations. Actually, talk was to
strong of a word. The best that Jim
could determine is that the man, a recluse, is a seasonal neighbor of the trail
and has made it his role to make the trail special. Jim was interested in our ride and told us he
also cycles and offered suggestions of things to see and do.
One and a half hours after we left our hotel we had gone only
5 miles. Our day definitely started out
as something very wonderful. When the
Cayuga trail ended we cycled along Seneca Lake for a few
miles and came to a sign that said “no outlet” but we kept going. At the end of the road we entered a trail that
took us through Simpson State
Park. The
trail was deserted and over 5 miles long.
Leaving the park we came to a former state prison. We had to stop and ask why all the buildings
windows were boarded up.
Cycling along the lake presented a much different picture
than yesterday when the waters lapped the shore. Today, all was calm. Another interesting feature of today’s
cycling was that we had many wonderful down hill sections but didn’t remember
getting to the tops of any hills. Our
climbs were very gentle and barely noticeable.
(That is, except the last one to get to our hotel.) We did stop at a winery for food and were
able to purchase cheese and breadsticks which we ate on their patio.
Finally, we got off our bikes and hiked the Watkins Glen
Gorge. The gorge contains 19 waterfalls
in a narrow passageway cut through the rocks.
In many places it is 400 feet deep and to hike the 1.5 mile trail (in
one direction) required us to climb hundreds of steps cut into the rocks. Afterwards, we finally had a real meal in the
lodge.
Pictures
Map
Cumulative Map
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