Lunch at Letchworth State Park, New York State, USA

The Middle Falls at the Letchworth State Park, NY, USA

On the third day of our Finger Lakes tour, we checked out from Ramada Inn at Painted Post at around 8:30a.m. after a nice free hot breakfast at the hotel. ( A decent place to stay)

This was the first time when all three of our cars formed a caravan and drove after one another.  It was not a long drive at all before we got to the Letchworth State Park.

The scenery at the park was breathtaking!

 We were, in fact, awed by the generosity of some of the wealthy Americans.

Glen Iris Inn - The former residence of William Letchworth

 This was the second property we visited during our tour, bequeathed to the government for the enjoyment of the American people.

Front Porch - Glen Iris Inn

The view from the front porch of the Letchworth house

Purchased in 1859,  this 1000 acre property was donated to the State of New York in 1906 by William Letchworth, an industrialist and conservationist.

Sitting on the front porch of Mr. Letchworth's former house, we admired and took in the magnificent scenery of the falls and its surrounding pristine woodland. 







Determined to preserve and protect the beautiful and fragile nature of the area, Letchworth made arrangement to deter  future commercial business on this property.







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The Vale of the Three Falls, the Middle Falls

Known as the " Grand Canyon of the East",
there are high cliffs, three major falls, namely, Upper Falls, Middle Falls and Lower Falls, plus numerous smaller falls in the park.

The Seneca people  believed that the great beauty of the Middle Falls inspired the sun to pause at midday to view the wonder of the falls.

Stone walled trail at the Letchworh State Park

There were much to do in the park!
It would be a great place for family and kids to camp at the site, hike the different trails, go rafting and fishing etc.
I wish we knew about this beautiful park when our children were young. It is only a few hours drive from Toronto. We could have gotten our kids here for a few weekend and enjoy all the park has to offer.

It would be great fun to come with our grand kids!

Visitor Centre at the Park

Due to time constraints, we only had two hours in the park, therefore we did not have much time to hike and explore the different trails.

Hiking in the park is a great exercise for boomers!

We did walk from the Middle Falls, along one of the stone walled trails up to Inspiration Point where we could have a good view at two of the three major falls.

Glen Iris Inn Dining Area

After hiking for a couple of hours, we needed to recharge ourselves with food and rest.

Entrance to the restaurant at the Glen Iris Inn

 We had reservations at the Glen Iris Inn Restaurant, a comfortable and an elegant place inside the park for lunch.

Visitors to the park can dine on the front porch

Should visitors prefer dining outside surrounded by this lush green natural setting, they could order food and enjoy it outdoor at the tables and chairs set up on this century old porch!

Well manicured ground at the Glen Iris Inn

The staff at the park and around the Glen Iris Inn have done a good job in maintaining the grounds and keeping the gardens beautiful!

 

Dining Room - Glen Iris Inn

 The restaurant was elegant and spacious, decorated with pictures and paintings depicting the astonishing beautiful scenery of the Letchworth  State Park.

It also served delicious food at a very reasonable price!

Here come the trouble makers - The Gang of Nine!

What better way to end our visit to the Finger Lakes region than enjoying a great meal in a nice eatery with friends and sharing what we have seen in the park?











It was a memorable trip with our friends and the fond memories will stay with us for a long time!

A lot of planning on my husband's part, but it was worth it when we saw the brilliant smiles on our groups' faces! 





R.T.
Letchworth State Park
New York State
USA

Enjoying Italian Cuisines in Hammondsport - America's Coolest Small Town

A park right in the Hammondsport business area

After hiking the 800 stone steps at Watkins Glen, we had lunch and a walking tour of Watkins Glen Village.


In the afternoon we drove to Hammondsport, a tiny picturesque town about a forty five minute west of Watkins Glen.

The business area

 Hammondsport, has been named as one of America's Coolest Small Towns  by a travel magazine.

I could see why as this is a very, peaceful and charming town.

A small town, Hammondsport  has a lot to offer to visitors and its residents alike.

Artwork of local artists could be found in many venues in the town

The main street has a lot of interesting shops, great restaurants, cafes, art shops, a beautiful park, a  picture perfect church and a scenic lake!

A related piece of artwork displayed in a store window

Strolling through these shops, we  discovered many artwork pieces done by local artists displayed at the various venues in front of or inside the shops, restaurants and on the street.

A free art show for all!

A Coffee Art Gallery

A Coffee Art Gallery
How cool is that?

I wished we had seen this coffee gallery place first! Unfortunately, we stuffed ourselves with some delectable drinks such as Root Beer float, ice cream soda and mocha ice cream coffee at an old fashioned ice cream parlour before we discovered this coffee gallery.

The Wine Barrel Shop

 It would have been very cool sipping on our cold drinks while surrounding us with art and admiring the artwork in the coffee shop.

By the waterfront at Hammondsport, NY

We walked by a house with a porch with an elderly couple sitting in the front. We stopped and chatted for a good fifteen minutes. Nice friendly folks!


Immersing ourselves in this tranquil little town and sitting on the waterfront boardwalk,  we took advantage of this relaxing environment, and shared our thoughts with others by the water.








We took turn, talked about our families, expressed our gratitude and counted God's blessings in our lives.

What a great opportunity to get to know some members in our cell group better!

Dinner at the Union Block Italian Bistro, Hammondsport, NY

Traveling in a large group, sometimes we had to wait a little while for tables at restaurants.

 After waiting for about thirty minutes, the staff at the Union Block Bistro did manage to seat us together and provided us with very friendly and courteous services.

Delicious food, great conversations and company!

We had some great Italian food at the Italian Bistro and everyone enjoyed some delicious food, good conservation and company with our friends.

One of our group members carried with her a step odometer and informed us that we had walked over 15,000 steps at the end of our visit to Watkins Glen!

An Italian combination appetizer plate we sampled

 We toasted to a fun day, great food and the exercises we did today!

Yum-m-m-m--m-y Food! What a great way to cap a fun day!

Lillian was so happy that she kept telling Stan what a good job he did.

My husband was delighted at how happy everyone was!


R.T.
Hammondsport
New York State
USA


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Manificient Falls in Watkins Glen State Park, NY, USA

Watkins Glen State Park -  New York State

For the second day of our Finger Lakes Tour, we visited the Watkins Glen State Park.

Park visitors could park their cars at either the  south parking lot (at the bottom of the park) or at the north entrance ( the park’s upper entrance) and  start walking the trails from either direction depending on where they have parked their vehicles.  

 We parked our cars at the south entrance.

Tunnel entry leading to the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen, NY, USA

We climbed 800 stone steps to the top of the canyon

 There are a number of trails at Watkins Glen. 

Starting at the main entrance, we took the Gorge Trail and climbed up the 800  stone steps leading to the park’s upper entrance. 

This trail led us past, and at times  behind some waterfalls, cliffs, pools and some special rock formations.

Going behind the staircase waterfalls and water curtains at the park

The scenery  walking up was breathtaking!

 There were bridges, stone walls and pathways,  numerous waterfalls, abundant green native plants cascading over pools and cliffs.

Rainbow Falls at Watkins Glen State Park

Special rock formation

We observed the layers of rock formations and marveled at the force of nature which created this unique and awesome scenery.

Staircase falls - Breathtaking scenery at Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen State Park provided us with many opportunities to hone our photography skills. 

   

With frequent stops for picture taking to capture the magnificent  views of the waterfalls and canyons, it took us about an hour and half before getting to the top. 

Abundant opportunities for picture taking

 The neatest thing about this visit was going behind some of the waterfalls and seeing the water from another angle.

We reached the upper entrance and saw a couple of dog owners hanging on to their pets wondering what they should do as they were greeted by a sign stating clearly that no dogs were allowed on the trail. (  it probably meant  no dogs allowed on the Gorge Trail - the main trail.)

 We were pretty sweaty, thirsty and tired by the time we reached the top of the canyon. 

Watkins Glen - A great place to observe interesting rock formations occurred over the years

Notice the differences in the plants between the north and south side of the cliffs

At the park’s upper entrance, there were  parking and washroom facilities, a restaurant and a playing ground for kids. Taking a rest from our trail hike, we replenished ourselves with some ice cream from the restaurant. I never had ice cream that tasted so delicious!

Time to rest and pause for a group picture!

For tired hikers, there was a shuttle bus available to take them back to their cars in either parking lots.

The shuttle bus charge was very reasonable: $3.00 per person. ( I wished there was shuttle bus service like that when we climbed Mount Fuji in Japan last year.)

Lots of fun with our group!

We did not take the bus but opted for hiking back down to the south parking lot instead. It only took us less than forty minutes getting to our vehicle. Not bad at all.

We had lunch at one of the fast food place outside the park and took a walking tour of the Watkins Glen Village and its waterfront.

The Watkins Glen State Park is a magnificent park and a great place to hike and enjoy nature’s spectacular scenery! It was the highlight of our Finger Lakes tour and we absolutely enjoyed every minute of it!

R.T.

Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen

 NY, USA

George Eastman House, Rochester, NY

George Eastman was a very famous person from Rochester. He was the founder of Eastman Kodak Company.

George Eastman House, Rochester, NY

George Eastman House, his former residence is one of the top attractions in Rochester.

Gallery at the Eastman House

We went to visit this famous house and joined a guided tour which provided us with a few insights into the life of George Eastman.

There are two main sections at the Eastman house:

The Gallery - provides an over view of the history and development of cameras, films etc.

The part I was more interested in was 
George Eastman's residence and his gardens which allowed visitors to take a closer look at the of the man and his private life.

Eastman handed all the ladies flowers as each descended to the Main Foyer

 We learned a lot about this inventor - a generous, wealthy philanthropist who shared his fortune with the American people, especially the residents of the city and the University of Rochester.

Eastman's Living/ Family Room

George Eastman's father died when he was very young, therefor, he was practically raised by his mother.

Unable to afford proper dental services,  Eastman's mother suffered from the pain of rotten teeth.  Eastman observed her lost of fourteen teeth by pulling them at the family kitchen table.

Dining Room

After Eastman became wealthy, he donated  money to provide dental care to all the children in Rochester!

The Music Room

He also donated much of his fortune including his palatial mansion to the University of Rochester as a museum.

Beautiful and well manicure garden at the Eastman mansion

 

Unfortunately, both of his sisters died early in life, and Eastman never married himself, had few relatives towards the end of his life.

Beautiful arches, and covered walkway in the Eastman House garden

However,  touring through his mansion, one got the sense that George Eastman was a person who enjoyed the finer things in life.

He went to England and loved the architecture he saw, so he incorporated some of that design for his house and gardens.






It was evident that Eastman loved nature as it was reflected in his beautiful spacious garden.

 He also wanted his house filled with fresh flowers every day, therefore, he had a special potting shack built close by so that his servants could pot fresh flowers and plants bringing them into the house easily everyday!







However, I was saddened to learn that in his seventy's, he arranged his financial affairs well, leaving a note saying that his job was done.
He then went up to his bedroom and shot himself.

What an unhappy ending to a brilliant inventor and a generous person who was willing to share so much of his huge fortune with his countrymen so that the public can enjoy this lovely property.


R.T.
Eastman House
Rochester, NY