Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and comprises the whole of the Ithaca metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,564. The county seat is Ithaca, and the county is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College.
Tompkins County is in the west central part of New York State, south of Syracuse and northwest of Binghamton. It is usually geographically grouped with the Finger Lakes region, but some locals consider themselves to be part of Central New York or the Southern Tier.
Hiking at Taughannock State Park on the last day of vacation I got absolutely soaked hiking the Black Diamond Trail. I won't say the part of the trail I hiked was the most scenic but it's a nice connector for those who live in Ithaca.
Kind of an anti-climatic end to the summer vacation. But the weather has been better this week than many recent weeks. After the rain chases me from Taughannock today, I think I will head to Ithaca and out awful Route 79 to Whitney Point Reservior and if it’s not raining too hard there maybe stop for a while. 🎣
Then I think I will take NY 26 all the way up to Pine Woods and US 20, so to explore the Otselic Valley. 🚘 Been on parts of NY 26, but not most of it. Just a different way to go. I’m sure it’s just lot of fertile dairy country 🐮 and small towns but I’m in no rush to get home 🏡. I just want to be home before dark which might happen early with rain ☔ on its way. Rather take the back roads so if the weather is bad I can drive slowly or stop somewhere.
If I go that way I can stop at Mike Price’s dairy in Whitney Point and get sweet corn 🌽 at his farm stand. I’ve watched his MikeP7810 YouTube channel for years now, it’s kind of fascinating to watch him work at his family’s small tie stall dairy and crop operation. I’m sure his sweet corn is awesome and maybe I’ll even get to meet the celebrity. It’s just interesting to learn about how the land is worked in these many small towns in Upstate NY and the people who turn dirt and manure into food. 🐄
Then it’s back to the cesspool. 🏡 I wonder how much mold has grown in my apartment while I’ve been gone. Been cold and relatively dry, hopefully not that bad. Got to make that money 💵 though. 📱 Going to need to replace my very smashed up phone this week, I am hoping to get the same phone used and just swap over the SIM and SD card for a quick change over with a little hassle and cost. Sucks I shattered my phone screen but it was a good vacation. 🏖
I guess you could say happy 😊 although truth be told, I’m a little sad summer vacation 🏊🏻♂️ is in its closing hours ⏳, having gone by too quickly but it was much needed week of relaxation.
Mostly cloudy and 67 degrees at the Taughannock Falls State Park. 🌥 Light breeze. The dew point is 57 degrees.
I sit here, kind of grizzled looking, wearing my mud, ash and pancake batter smeared Don’t Tread on Me t-shirt. 🐍I did not bother to shave today.
Nine nights, 500 miles later summer vacation winds down. 🏖 All good things must come to an end. I was up fairly early this morning, before seven 7⃣ and made pancakes 🥞 topped with blueberries, this time just store bought ones.
Had a nice fire 🔥 last night, it roared for a while but there was plenty of wood left over for the next camper as I haven’t had many fires this week. Just been too tired 😴 after I got back to camp at nine 9⃣ most nights 🌃 and cooked dinner. 🥪 Just grilled cheese and ham last night with slices of bell pepper and some beer 🍻 before watching the fire burn down and lights out. 💡
Hurried a bit to get the table, tent 🎪 and tarp down before the rain 💦 but despite clouds early it cleared out for a while. 🌤️ Rain soon, I see it on the radar. ☔ After camp was mostly down, except for the flags 🏳️🌈 and the burying the eight days of poop 💩 in the bucket shitter, I paused ⏸ for a few minutes in the hammock. Broke camp by ten 🔟.
Sad 😔 to see it wind down but all vacations must come to an end. Still have four weeks to Labor Day so there is time to go to Mine Kill and the Potholers 🏊🏻♂️ before summer is done. 🍂 Plus that autumn trip down to West Virginia most likely or maybe just Pennsylvania and the Allegheny National Forest. I’m not fully decided.
I so really crave that small town lifestyle 🚜 🐽 🐮 🌳 but I know where the money 💵 is – the city. 🏢 Back to working downtown, catching the city bus 🚍 to work most days. But there are future trips and I know my tight budget is helping me get closer to where my heart ♥ is. If I can stay the course, I’m really looking at ten, maybe 15 years📆 at the most before I can truly get the life I want to live. 🔫 🐸🐖🌲🐮🔥
