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Our weather in the Finger Lakes has been kind of nasty this week with night time temperatures just a little below freezing and day time temperatures in the low to mid-thirties. But for those of you who are looking for a sure sign of spring, these are exactly the right conditions for the sap to begin running in the sugar maple trees.

So it was with great anticipation that I left for Naples, NY to buy some maple syrup from an ad that I has seen in the Genesee Valley Penny Saver: “FRESH MAPLE SYRUP Quality guaranteed, taste before buying. State route 53, 2 Wheller Fritz Hill Rd., ½ mile to sign.” By the time that I arrived in Naples, NY, it was snowing and as I drove along State Route 53, I realized that I didn’t really know if the sugar camp was located near Naples, or if it was at the other end of State Route 53 which is 22 miles to the south and ends at Kanona which is just south of route I86.

I turned around and headed back to Naples, NY and to the old Naples Hotel. Surely, there would be someone there who would know where I could buy some fresh maple syrup on State Route 53. Everyone in the Tap Room agreed that there was nothing better than fresh maple syrup on a stack of thin pancakes topped off with a pat of butter. After quenching my thirst, I once again headed south, only to become lost again on some back road that was headed nowhere.

I admitted defeat and once again returned to Naples, NY stopping at Grimes Glen to take a few pictures. There was some open water flowing in and out of the ice along the stream, but it surely wasn’t sap from the trees along the hillside!