Tuesday, May 27 – The day dawned cool but with the promise of reasonably warm temperatures and no rain, so all was good in the world. Got to the Finess Center exactly at 6:00, cognizant that I was already a half an hour behind boot camp at home. Despite the late hour, I got in a good resistance workout and had the whole place to myself which was nice.

The young folks aren’t quite as enthusiastic about morning, but got moving fairly early (for them) to have breakfast at 8:15. Dan found an eclectic little coffee shop around the corner whose macrame and ceramic decor brought me back to 4th grade art class circa 1971. The staff seemed about as enthusiastic about morning as Erin & Dom, but they they did prepare some good breakfast sandwiches, lattes and cappucino for us, so all was well.

After breakfast we strolled to Watkins Glen State Park which was blissfully free of yesterday’s tourist crowds. I did not miss feeling as though I was on the subway at rush hour, and there was nobody walking 4 abreast or blocking the trails posing provocatively. There was one candidate for the Darwin awards standing on a moss covered stone wall under a waterfall but thankfully today was his lucky day.

We had a lovely hike up the Gorge Trail and down the North Rim, with time to take photos, read the signs and enjoy the views.

That took us to lunch which was at a little pub steps from the hotel. Great atmosphere, nice guy manning the bar and servicing the tables, but they seemed to have some issue with supplies — three times he had to let us know they were out of various menu items. Despite this, we managed to get fueled up for the afternoon’s adventure, which entailed renting bikes and riding down the Catherine Creek Trail (yes, it paralled the creek we kayaked yesterday).

The bike guy was great–he seemingly works out of his garage, but had our bikes ready to go 20 minutes after Erin called him. The bikes were new models, and well tuned, something you can’t always count on with rentals. One thing you can always count on is Dan complaining about the seat on his bike. After 35+ years, pretty sure the problem is with his seat, not the bicycle’s, but you know me, I am not one to judge…

Despite Dan’s sore posterior, we had a lovely ride along the creek and through the woods, stopping by the Shequaga Falls which are beautiful. It was a good day for riding — a little cloudy, but warm and, best of all, no rain.

After returning the bikes, Dom suggested stopping at an ice cream place–it was a good call and I enjoyed my first soft serve of the season.

We got back to the hotel for a couple of hours of down time before dinner, which was appreciated by all after an active day. Plus, I need my note taking time!

Erin’s recommendation for dinner was at a restaurant just down the street. A small, farm to table place specializing in local wines and ciders as well as the locally raised food. No tables when we arrived, so we sat at the bar. Incredibly, the folks who took our photo at Shequaga Falls were 3 seats down from us–this kind of thing happens all the time to Dan and Erin, not to the rest of us mortals. The food was, by far, the best so far of this trip, so I am finally posting some food porn. Nancy, you are welcome! An excellent dining experience.

After dinner we took a little stroll down the main street, then Erin and Dom went back inside and Dan and I wandered out to the water to see the sunset before coming in.

A lovely finish to a lovely day. Tomorrow, it looks as though the rain returns, but all good as we are heading to the wineries.

18,214 steps

8.4 miles

16+ miles biking