Seneca Lake stands as the largest among the glacial Finger Lakes within the state of New York. Renowned for its substantial size and depth, it remains entirely contained within the state’s borders. The lake has earned distinction as the preeminent locale for lake trout angling, exemplified by its role as the host of the esteemed National Lake Trout Derby. Positioned at the northern terminus of Seneca Lake, the city of Geneva, New York, commands attention, serving as the domicile for Hobart and William Smith Colleges, along with housing the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, a constituent entity of Cornell University. Conversely, the village of Watkins Glen, situated at the southern extremity of the lake, boasts a notable reputation due to its association with motorsport, primarily due to the presence of Watkins Glen International racetrack, as well as its picturesque cascades.
Seneca Lake possesses an uncommon macroclimate that has bestowed it with the distinction of nurturing over 50 wineries, predominantly characterized as farm wineries. Its geographical attributes have led to the designation of the Seneca Lake American Viticultural Area (AVA), solidifying its reputation within oenophilic circles.
In terms of dimensions, Seneca Lake stretches across a length of approximately 38 miles, securing its position as the second longest Finger Lake. Remarkably voluminous, it is estimated to contain an impressive 3.81 cubic miles (15.9 km³) of water, accounting for nearly half of the cumulative water volume across all the Finger Lakes. The lake’s profundity is notable, averaging 291 feet, while plunging to a maximum depth of 618 feet. The expansive water body covers a surface area of approximately 66.9 square miles (173 km²).
Just another soon to be hot and possibly stormy ⛈ summer day. Very calm and quiet this morning in the woods, I was in no hurry to get up this morning as I stayed up way past midnight looking for shooting stars 🌠. Only saw one.
Sunny and 68 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. 🌞 Calm wind. The dew point is 61 degrees. I don’t have cell service here at camp, but I walked down the road where I knew that I could get a signal 📶.
I decided to pitch the tent 🎪 so I have a place to store my dirty clothing 👚 and things like pots and pans 🍳. This makes it easier to move things from the front to the back of the truck.
Today I got moved into the campsite ⛺ that I’m hoping to camp in for the balance of the week. It’s a nice quiet campsite with vehicle access so I can use my camper shell rather than the tent like last night.
Stayed close to camp today, doing a lot of day drinking, 🍻 reading 📖 and listening 👂🏻 to podcasts. Burritos 🌯 for dinner tonight. No cell service here, so I won’t be playing with my phone all evening 📱 which is nice. I’d rather just enjoy the solitude. Also hiked to Teeter Pond and to one of the pastures to observe the sunset.
High level smoke haze and 74 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 64 degrees.
The sunset 🌇 wasn’t too great at all. The sun was very red and faded away into the clouds high above the horizon. I was pretty disappointed 😥 about it especially after walking down the very muddy Backbone Trail to an even muddier pasture. Really needed my barn boots 👢. Next time if I hike back for the sunset.
Today actually looks a lot nicer than I had expected but I think I still want to stay close to camp and do some hikes 🚶🏻 and day drinking 🍻. Maybe move down to the campsite ⛺ I really want for the balance of the week if it comes available.
I got the stuff for burritos 🌯 for dinner tonight and I know what I can wash that down with. 🍻 Still hoping to get clams for later in the week. I saw some clam shells 🐚 in the dirt, they must be available somewhere locally. I’m sure I could get fried clams somewhere but they sure are good in beer especially when you don’t have to drive. 🚘
Monday I’m planning on going to Watkins Glen. I will need ice ❄ by then and also ice cream. 🍧 Spend the balance of the day at the Watkins Glen Pool 🏊🏻♂️ and maybe hike part of the Finger Lakes Trail through the state park 🏞.
The second half of the week is going to be downright cold ❄. It will save on the ice but sure will make swimming 🏊🏻♂️ unpleasant. Well good weather for hiking. Where to hike is the question. Maybe the Finger Lakes trail along some of the more open sections along farm fields. I like nice views of the Finger Lakes, especially ones I haven’t seen before.
Cloudy, damp and 68 degrees at the Finger Lakes National Forest. ☁️ Rained a while starting at the eleven clock 🕒 hour last night but done by now. There is a southwest breeze at 11 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 63 degrees. The skies will clear around 9 am.
It was a nice night, though it was tent 🎪 camping as I couldn’t get the drive in spot I wanted. That’s always the problem when you arrive on Saturday evening. Still this campsite isn’t bad and in some ways is pretty nice as it had cell service. Although I kind of wish I was more off the grid as I’m on vacation and don’t want to spend all day playing on my phone. 📱 Especially now that unlimited service now is a thing of the past, something I had during the pandemic but subsequently dropped. Maybe I can move to the campsite I really want for the rest of the week that I can sleep in the truck and doesn’t have service.
I am in no rush to get started today, as the plan for today is to just to hang around camp 😴 and hope maybe I can I can get the campsite I want later in the day. 📖 I’m going to do some reading in the tent for now and wait for the sun to come ☀ out and then have breakfast. Maybe later hike down to Foster Pond and watch the sunset over Seneca Lake and listen to the cows moo 🐮 over a west facing pasture. But today is all about relaxation and getting away from it.
