Hammondsport, NY is a small village that sits at the southern end of Keuka Lake. Several years ago, this little town was voted as the “coolest small town” in the USA! It shared that distinction with Beauford, NC which is another very very cool place to visit. On January 7th of this year, Mother Nature issued the tie breaker with a recorded low temperature of -18 degrees and a wind chill factor of – 61 degrees in Hammondsport, NY (click here)! There’s no way that Beaufort, NC can ever get that cool – at least not in my lifetime. I can imagine that such a low temperature actually occurred as Hammondsport lies in a valley nestled between two hills on the east and the west. The village is exposed to Keuka Lake on the north and that bitter cold artic air mass with 50 mph winds came roaring down from the north.
Our visit to Hammondsport yesterday came with sunshine and outdoor temperatures hovering around freezing – something more normal for this time of the year in the Finger Lakes. Depot Park was deserted. Not a person or bird to be seen! The lake was a beautiful blue color as far as one could see.
Most of the cottages are closed and the owner’s boats are put away for the winter. Ice hasn’t even formed on the lake at Hammondport so forget about ice skating or ice fishing!
What I like about Depot Park are the summer activities which are held there like the antique boat show or the seaplane fly- in in the fall. But not today! There’s no one flying around! No ducks, no geese, not even a seagull!