Our fall weather here in the Finger Lakes can be sometimes quite fickle. Nevertheless, I have been asking my brother from California to try to come for a visit when our leaves are at a peak and when Mother Nature dons her most splendid garb before retiring for the winter months. We were overjoyed when he accepted our invitation and came for a ten day visit in October.
It was a summer like day when we visited one our favorite places along the Finger Lakes: Wolffy’s Grill and Marina at Seneca Falls. The temperature was a summer like 82 degrees but the humidity in the air was gone as well as the burn of the summer sun. We gazed out into Seneca Lake and just watched the smooth surface of the water and a few boats which were still on the Lake. After lunch we stopped at Locks 2/3 in Seneca Falls. I was hoping that there might be some boating activity so we could watch a few pleasure boats passing through the locks. But all was quiet. I struck up a conversation with the Lock Master and he seemed ready to close and go home. And no wonder as he told me that today, the 11th of October, the Seneca-Cayuga Canal closed to boat traffic for the season!I have always been fascinated with the construction and workings of the Locks along the Eire Canal system. And in their hay-day, much freight was moved along this water corridor. Now, only a few pleasure boats use the water way and in the winter months, the water level of the canal is lowered and repairs are made to the banks and locks of the system.
And of course there were trips to several wineries. We love Keuka Springs Winery near Penn Yan, NY. And as we arrived in the parking lot way up a hill which overlooks Keuka Lake, we watched as a newly picked load of grapes were brought into the winery for pressing. The summer crowds were gone and we were able to sample some of their award winning wines.
On another day we went to Wagner’s Winery near Lodi, NY. The object of our visit was the Ginney Lee Café and lunch. It was just a bit cool to sit outside on the deck but we were able to sit close to a window and enjoy a glass of wine and the view of Seneca Lake with our lunch. So many wineries in the Finger Lakes, so little time!
The best place to view the beautiful colors of fall near Canandaigua Lake is in the hills located at the southern end of the Lake near Naples, NY. The sun was playing peak- a- boo with the grey clouds overhead, but when it did make an appearance, it cast some interesting shadows on the hills located there. The fall colors were not quite at their peak, but the view of Canandaigua Lake from the route 21 overlook is my favorite.
My brother has returned to California. In his younger days he used to climb mountains and take 400 mile long bicycle trips carrying only what can be loaded on a bicycle. And of course there are all those wineries that are located in California. But for my money, I am content and happy to be here in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.
