THE COLOR COMES BACK!!

Tuesday, October 8

This is what greeted us when we went out this morning.  The sun was just rising and the long morning rays were setting the trees in the RV park and the mountain behind us ablaze with golden, orange brilliance.  It was the prettiest foliage we have seen on this whole trip.  This picture really doesn't do it justice, but take my word, it was beautiful.  This was just the start to a full fun day.

Once again we did a ride share with Earl and Eunice.  Our first stop was at the Glenn Curtiss Museum.  This is the same museum that Jenna and I visited on our way up here last month.  The video we saw today was better than the one we saw that time, and we had a guided tour of the museum today.  Glenn Curtiss was a genius when it came to inventions.  He died when he was 52 years old - in the prime of his life for inventing.  He became an entrepreneur while still a teenager when he made and repaired bicycles.  His love of speed led him to buiild and race motorcycles before moving on to airplanes.  He also developed an interest in other modes of transportation including the first 5th wheel travel trailer - complete with popouts!

We left the museum and traveled about 20 miles to Keuka Lake, one of Finger Lakes in New York.

There we boarded the Esperanza Rose, a 65-foot wooden vintage cruising vessel for a 2 hour sightseeing cruise on the lake.  Our drive to the boat was along the edge of the lake on a winding 2-lane road.  While the foliage here had not been as vibrant as what we have been seeing, suddenly we found it again.  I guess being along the lake helped bring out the color because it was a terrific drive.  Once we were aboard and out on the lake lunch was served.  We had a choice of a roast beef sandwich, ham sandwich, or Caesar salad and cheesecake.  The captain of the boat talked about the boat and the lake and what we were seeing.  They purchased the boat on E-bay from somewhere on the Chesepeak Bay.  They had to transport it the last part of the trip by truck since the canal connecting Keuka Lake to Senica Lake was no longer in use. 

     Lake houses large and small line both sides of Lake Keuka.

     Farmlands and vineyards were beautiful.

Again, the foliage was beautiful.  While we had mainly seen orange, yellow, and gold since arriving in Bath, suddenly we started seeing more reds mixed in.  The countryside was also dotted with wineries and grape vineyards.   It was really quite picturesque.

Following our lunch cruise, we went to the Pleasant Valley Winery for a tour and tasting.  After hearing about the winery's history, we went into a building where the wine is allowed to age.  

We saw tanks that hold close to 100,000 gallons of champage - enough to fill 500,000 bottles!  Our guide told us how they blend wines to make different varieties.  

      The Sherry Cellar

We visited the sherry cellar that holds wooden casks of sherry and cream sherry and a room that holds up to 100,000 bottles of champagne as it settles out some of the solids in the bottles. 

     Ron found the barrel of wine he wants.

This winery uses only grapes grown in New York and grows about 10% of what they use.  The rest are bought from growers in the area around the Finger Lakes.  He told us that grapes grow best in areas around lakes because the lakes keep them cooler in the summer and extend the growing season because of higher humidity in the area.  It was an interesting tour that ended up in the tasting room where we were give a taste of 5 different wines.  The Chocolate Lab with a dab of blackberry added and the Vanilla Cream Sherry were the best in my opinion.

We returned to the campground around 4:00 and had our last travel briefing and social at 5:30.  Tomorrow we head out to Niagra Falls, Ontario, Canada for our final days of the trip.  This has been the fastest 33 days.  It's hard to believe it is almost over.  Until next time, Happy Trails!