Cannonballs in Seneca Lake ~ August 19

Upstate NY

Today’s goal: immerse ourselves in at least one Finger Lake. After a weekend of funking it up, the fresh air of the forest is most welcome. It is approximately 130 miles to the Finger Lakes National Forest and Justin takes the first leg as I happily relax in the passenger seat and provide navigation. We stop for groceries in Ithaca and I take the wheel. Twenty miles later we are wandering along dirt roads looking for somewhere to camp in the National Forest. Dispersed camping is free in most National Forests so it's a great option for budget travelers.

Smith Park, Hector NY

After an hour of dirt roads we hit a main road that heads for the lake. I test my luck. Fortunately we come across a Park Ranger Office but it's Sunday, so the office is closed. We are able to get our hands on a few maps so we head back to the Forest to try again. But a sign for Smith Park catches our eye that indicates swimming is available. We are eager to fulfill our goal, so we take the detour. Smith Park is a public campground overlooking Seneca Lake and it has a lovely little beach with a pier. Unfortunately the invasive zebra mussels keep you from wading into the water, but we cannonball off of the pier and rinse the festival funk off in that cool fresh water. Follow that with a picnic of hummus wraps and chocolate and we have a great afternoon. The lifeguard tells about the area, which is rich with wineries, and makes a few recommendations. 

Camping in Finger Lakes National Forest

Dusk is advancing quickly though, so we decide to postpone any wine tasting until the next day and go make camp. The map indicates a few dispersed camping locations and we head down a road with 3 or 4 options. The first site is occupied, but the second is secluded and seems to have had many previous visitors which makes set up pretty easy. We hang the hammock, pop our tent, start a fire and put dinner together. Half an hour later we are planning our next steps over a few Lord Chesterfields and an arugula salad. Darkness comes quickly and there are a few curious animals at the edge of the woods, so I’m happy to curl up in our tent and catch a few z’s.

Wagner Vineyards

It's already 11am when we open our eyes... we are way behind schedule. A quick breakfast of wraps and tea before breaking down our camp. First stop - Smith Park to fill our water bottles and use the camp showers, which were cut short due to the icy cold water... But hey, they are free. Our first winery stop is Hazlitt Vineyards, self proclaimed “Home of the Red Cat”. It’ has a very laid back vibe and we enjoy a quick flight and some popcorn. The region is known for its Riesling, and many of the wines share the same sweet, light quality. Not our favorite but delicious nonetheless. 

Next stop is Wagner Vineyards, one of the oldest wineries in the region. This is a larger operation that includes a restaurant, vineyard, and brewery. We share a wine tasting but forgo a beer flight; instead deciding to take a pint outside and enjoy the gorgeous lake view. We could easily spend a week in this region visiting the many wineries and swimming in the lakes, but we have dates with future CS hosts to make. So after meandering through the vines, we feel energized enough to hop in the car and travel 225 miles to our next destination.... Canada!

August 17-19: Equifunk!

It is Friday morning and we are frantically preparing to leave for what would be a fantastic adventure. By early afternoon the last bit of gear is loaded into the car and our friends have arrived to join us on the first leg of our journey, the Equifunk Music Festival in Equinunk, PA.We intended to be on the road by 10am, but what would turn out to be a recurring theme we grossly underestimate the amount of time needed.

Our first stop  - Lancaster Brewing Company for dinner and some of their delicious Amish Four Grain Ale. The pouring rain motivates Maggie to periodically check the weather to see if this festival will be more akin to Woodstock ‘64 than the advertised fun in the sun.

We arrive around dusk, just as the rain stops.  Our home for the weekend is football field with a few hundred tents packed together into the lower 50 yards. Other festival-goers stay in the cabins....ok wait, let’s back up a minute so I can explain this place...  

Water slide!

Most of the year, Equinunk is a summer camp for children. There are sports, horseback riding, a pool with a waterslide, and pow wows around campfires. The place has cabins, a girls side and a boys side, mess hall, the works. We are greeted by a few young British lads, and it seems the festival is staffed mostly by Europeans and a crazy guy riding around in a golf cart yelling through a loud-speaker. The place is great for a festival except for one little issue... the bathrooms were scarcely placed, overflowing port-o-pots with one water fountain to clean your hands. On top of that, we are unable to find the showers even though one of the volunteers assured us there were some, but hey, water slide. 
 

Dumpstaphunk

The weekend was spent dancing to some great funk bands like Orgone, Dumpstaphunk, Pimps of Joytime, and Galactic. Nothing beat Saturday afternoon in the sun watching some great acts while taking periodic trips down the waterslide. The festival ticket included three meals, camping, music and unlimited beer; not bad. The food was ok, but Maggie found it lacking in vegetarian options and would pack something supplemental the next time. The Beer was Coor’s - not a favorite of mine - but when you walk up to the truck to get it they refuse to let you leave with less than two so I will let it slide. I could see us coming back to this festival again.

After a full Saturday of funk, waterslide rides, and endless light beer, Sunday morning was rough to say the least. On top of that the crazy guy is yelling at us “funky funky people” to “get the hell out” followed by a “I love you guys”. We part ways with our friends and the two of us head for our next destination - The Finger Lakes National Forest.

2,300 Miles To Go ~ August 2012

Bye Bye Baltimore!

When Justin and I realized that we were about to have at least two weeks of uninterrupted down time, we started plotting... Neither of us had really seen much of Canada... Both of us wanted to see Acadia National Park and eat lobstahs on the coast.... The thought of sitting around our tiny Baltimore apartment staring at each other and sweating in mid-August was less than appealing... Since we already had tickets to a funk festival in upstate PA, that's where it all began. We sketched our route, set a budget, purchased a tent and a few other odds and ends, packed the car and off we went!  What resulted was an 18 day road trip through northeastern North America. Along the way we camped, couch surfed, and stayed at a couple of nice B&Bs. We hope to embark on a much longer journey in the future, so this was a great way to figure out if our travel styles were compatible.