Summer almost end, kids are back to school, gas is still cheap and it's my birthday. This can only mean one thing, best time for ROAD TRIP!!! we recently did a 9 days road trip starting from New York to Chicago. It's a 12-14 hours drive one way(depends which road you take), so we decided to take it easy and visit few hot spots along the way and drag it for 9 days. Spending about less than $100 on gas and about $50 on tolls(interstate) with EZPass.
I'm a person who likes to plan ahead before i travel so that i get the best deals on everything(damn i sound like i'm doing a commercial) It can be rigid at times but with smart planning it can work. So weeks before our road trip I've done some research on where to visit, where to stop and read a few suggestions online. All i can say is that everyone's preferences are different and here is Our's:
Day 1
we start early in the morning and headed to our 1st destination Taughannock Falls State Park at Finger Lake region, central New York , using the I-88
nice weather to start our road trip
before we headed to Taughannock Falls State Park we stopped by Cornell University, it was on the way anyway located in Ithaca so we though, why not! right?
coincidence it was also college visit open week for those who are college hunting, best time to visit
get to roam around without looking like a stalker lurking in the dark
love this work carving
what a beautiful place to study
the visit won't complete without a trip to the Cornell store, look at those blings
my tummy was already growling by the time we finish touring.
We then had lunch (a Korean restaurant, food was just ok so i'm not gonna put any photo) in college town before we headed to Taughannock Falls, which was about 20 minutes drive away from the College town
with a full belly, time to walk it off. Entrance fee to the state park is $8/ car but u can enter all the state parks in the area. There is a few trail options and we did the Gorge trail 1st which is shorter and more relax, probably a good idea not to work my tummy too hard after a heavy meal
late summer it's almost dry
better luck in spring
these rocks around once formed the bottom of an ancient sea 380 million years ago.
The gorge floor is made of light grey limestone that was once lime mud made from skeletons and shells of algae and other marine organisms
i think we just found lost Atlantis!!!
according to the explanation board there, these crumbly rocks on the gorge's wall is called "Shale". Shale was clay and slit that settle on top of the lime mud and eventually hardened into rock
this is the great Shale rock!! the Shale revolution is make an impact in gas and oil industry
apparently this region is full of them however the government of New York banned all fracking within the state, citing pollution risks
the hike along the gorge to see the Taughannock falls takes about 15 - 20 minutes, easy path to hike
not much rain, hence this not impressive shot
oh well at least there is some water dropping from this 66m high waterfall
Taughannock Falls, the name is from Native American origins, meaning "great fall in the woods" but there is another theory suggests that the name may refer to an Indian chief named Taughannock who died near the falls and his body was thrown over the falls during a battle between the Cayugas and Delaware Indians. Spoooooky!!
it is a beautiful sight
the rim trail, this is slightly longer and tiring than the Gorge trail, more uphill hike
but we got to see the top view of the gorge
it is said that the area surrounding the Taughannock Falls was inhabited by the Cayuga Indians before the Revolution War (1775 - 1783)
view of the Cayuga Lake
after 30 minutes hike we arrived at the viewing area
one can drive up to this point,
it it a big loop rim trail but we cheat only gone half way
well it is just the 1st day, didn't want to wear out....hehehe
after a tiring hike, time to enjoy the cool breeze at the Cayuga Lake on a hot summer day.
This Cayuga Lake is the longest among a group of 11 lakes of Finger Lakes
from the map it really do looks like finger
there is also beach area for public to enjoy a cool dip in the lake with lifeguards of course. This is the USA u know
setting up our cooking spot by the lake
was really a brilliant idea, we get to enjoy this beautiful scenery longer while enjoy good food
i originally plan to camp here but unfortunately there is a minimum 2 days stay at the campsite. It is possible to camp for 1 night but the booking can only be done 1 week before the camping date by that time it was already fully booked(maybe next time). But at the end of the day it was fun even without camping, less setting up and clean up.
we then drove to a nearby town and stayed in a highway motel for the night( Horseheads Knights Inn $68 tax included).
~ end of road trip Day 1~
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