Finger Lakes to Ontario

Finger Lakes to Ontario

Album Finger Lakes to Waterloo

Ovid, NY, is on Cayuga Lake in western New York State. It is one in a series of seven narrow lakes that were formed by glaciers moving over the land many years ago called the Finger Lakes. We met Richard & Pam Pelletier at Sned Acres Family Campground. It was a remarkable place. It didn’t just have clean facilities (with no hot tub), but an excellent view from our parking sites of the lake.

We were just a few miles north of Ithaca, the home of Cornell University. We cruised the campus where thousands of freshman were just arriving, and went on out to the Cornell Ornithology Lab. It was a nice visitor center with displays of birds, and a hands-on demonstration of the science of recording and charting bird sounds. Scientist Richard M. enjoyed that. There were telescopes to use overlooking the preserve, just thru the window. It’s easy to see how people get fascinated by birds.

Moosewood Restaurant, the origin of a series of ...
cookbooks, was one of our stops. We had a disappointing lunch, but were pleased to see that “health food” can be served in a profitable restaurant.

We drove a long day (over 6 hours pulling a 16,000 pound trailer) from Ovid thru Waterloo, NY, westward on US Highway 20 and over the border to Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Our destination was Green Acre Park RV Park where Richard & Pam live half the year, and claim their residency. It is a beautiful 5-star park. A HOT TUB for Richard M., swimming pool, hayless rides, peddle-carts, gated entrance, and more, make for a nice community. The transient pull-thru sites are close together, but because of the steep angle of the parking, the offset doors and windows make it semi-private for each rig.

From that base, we were escorted (as in chauffeured) to many points of interest and through beautiful countryside by Richard & Pam. We saw vineyards, tasted and bought wine; we saw corn, bought and ate the sweetest corn Richard M. has ever tasted; we saw old and historic buildings, and ate in some of the contained restaurants; we went to Niagara on the Lake to see the G. B. Shaw play “The Doctor’s Dilemma”; we were introduced to great specialty foods and groceries.

It was all pleasurable, but not all positive. I was able to get my slow leak repaired in the left rear trailer tire. A headless 8 penny nail was replaced with a plug at a Canada Tire store. They are a store chain that does a lot more that service tires or the automobile. They have household wares and hardware items. There is probably more, but we did not walk the whole store.

We had our DirecTV service for the first part of our Canadian visit, but the LNB (working part of the satellite dish receiver) got bumped quite forcefully during the trailer hook-up process when we had to change our parking site during our visit. Hence, we now have no TV. Well, we now have to do without NCIS, Rachel Madow and Keith Olberman.

Back in the U.S., we are at a 3-star (by me) park, Pope Haven Campground, and hoping to survive this rain and lightening. Tomorrow we will drive on thru Warren, Pennsylvania, and on to Washington County. With a few days there, we hope to uncover more details on Richard’s Masterson and Laughlin family, and Kay’s Tout, Sheppard, and Dement family lines.