Nestled in the heart of Upstate New York, the Finger Lakes comprise a distinctive network of lakes, presenting a captivating bioregion. This locale has garnered popularity as a sought-after tourist destination. Resembling elongated fingers, these lakes gracefully stretch along a north-south axis. Notably, these majestic lakes, echoing the graceful curvature of human fingers, collectively form a natural wonder evoking awe and inspiration.
Of note, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake hold the distinction of being both among the longest and deepest lakes in the United States. Each spanning nearly 40 miles end to end, and never exceeding 3.5 miles in width, they exhibit remarkable proportions. Among these, Cayuga Lake boasts the longest stretch at 38.1 miles, while Seneca Lake commands the largest total area. Delving beneath sea level, Seneca Lake plunges to an astounding 618 feet (188 m) in depth, while Cayuga Lake follows suit at 435 feet (133 m).
When you get south of the Finger Lakes, you get back into the hill and hollow country that is common in much of Central New York and Western NY. The rolling country common in the northern Finger Lakes, gives away to fairly steep hills with narrow valleys.
Yesterday, I downloaded the National Land Cover Data for 2016. I had some older data but I hadn't updated it in years, but soon realized I could make some very interesting maps and graphics with this data. The Finger Lakes are kind of interesting to look at in particular as you can see the Northern Finger Lakes have a lot of cultivated lands -- mostly corn and soybeans -- for feeding dairy cattle, while the more upland and rocky lands in the Southern Finger Lakes are either wooded or pasture.