Ithaca, New York State…

After stripping the Big Fella of his panniers, we loaded our clothes into the top-box and the tank bag, and set out for Richard and Sally’s home on the Finger Lake in New York state.

I was beginning to think that all roads lead through Pennsylvania. Apart from New Jersey, I think I have spent more time in Pennsylvania than any other state.

No visa required…

Although it was not a long ride, I wanted to stop as often as possible in order to make the journey as comfortable as possible for my nervous passenger.

We refueled just before crossing into New York state, ate a light lunch there, and then stopped again before making the final run to our destination.

Our ride up to Ithaca went off without a hitch, and while Patricia seemed to enjoy being on the bike, I could tell that she wasn’t exactly feeling the thrill of being so exposed to all the elements !!

The elements in this case included blazing heat, as well as a few thunder showers we rode through after exiting the I-81 at Castle Creek, and taking the back roads to Ithaca. I could tell from the cloud cover that we were bound to get wet at some point, and when we hit the first patch of rain, I felt Patricia tense up behind me.

And our 19th of the “25 State Tour”…

We stopped at Castle Creek to refuel both bike and ourselves, and call Sally to let her know we were nearing our destination.

I shouted back to her that I felt it would not last long, and for a change, I was right !! No sooner had we ridden into the rain, we were out the other side of it and back into sunshine.

Just as our clothes were drying off, we rode into another small squall, and got wet again. This happened four or five times, but by the time we reached the southern tip of Lake Cayuga, we were dry…

I had been warned that the Mennen’s driveway was not to be taken lightly, as it wound steeply down from the main road, and contained two hairpin bends that would best be taken at walking speed.

As soon as we reached thee turnoff to their home, Patricia insisted that she be allowed to walk down to the house, rather than ending up in the Lake, or worse still, parked in the living room of the house.

he Mennen’s beautiful home on the shores of Lake Cayuga…

Although the entrance was just as steep as had been described, I got down without a problem, and from then on, we rode in and out, Patricia clinging tightly to me in trepidation…

View of the private jetty from the upper deck…

The four days we spent up on the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, were some of the most peaceful and restful I have had for some time.

All of Sally and Richard’ children had gone up to Ithaca after Caley’s wedding for a family get-together. Tiernan and Rachel, who are getting married in just a few weeks time up in Canada, wee there; as were Mikaela and Raphael from Santa Barbara in California; and last but not least, Youngest daughter Caitlin and Jeff with baby Ellis.

Sally and Patricia’s youngest brother Tommy’s children, Christina and Stephen we also there, and we spent much of out time swimming in the take, or just relaxing; reading and chatting.

Stephen got himself all wrapped up in the hammock.

While I took a turn at babysitting Ellis. Who says bikers are hard-bitten individuals…

Early mapmakers of this area thought the eleven roughly parallel lakes here, which were formed by glaciers, looked like the fingers of a human hand, and thus the name Finger Lakes became the collective name for this region. They are amongst the deepest lakes in the USA with Lake Seneca being almost 200 metres deep.

The Finger Lakes Region of New York State.

After a visit to the winery, we chose the Pinot Gris as our favourite and over the next few days, I think we managed to lay 4 or 5 bottles to rest…

“Honey, please can we come live out here…??”

This is a popular tourist destination, not only because of its natural beauty, but because of the large number of wineries located on the shores and between the lakes…

More than 100 wineries are registered in this region. Enough to keep you sozzled for a long, long time…

We took a rid out to one of them on Lake Cayuga, and spent an afternoon at the Sheldrake Point Winery, tasting wine and then sitting out in their garden enjoying a glass of the one we enjoyed the most.

We bought a few bottles to take home with us to share with our hosts.

The area along the lakes is perfect for riding. Traffic is light, the road surface smooth and twisting along the lake shores.

I would have liked to let the Big Fella loose, but each time we got up to the 80 km/h mark, I felt Patricia’s hands grip my shoulders tightly. and her nails dig into my flesh through my t-shirt…

I quickly discovered that it is difficult to ride a motorcycle when your trapezius muscles are being ripped from your skeleton…

Early morning sunrise over Lake Cayuga.

Nestled on the western shores of Lake Cayuga, the Driftwood Inn is a place I could return to, over and over again…

Our hosts and owners of the Driftwood, Jim and Tammy.

When Sally and Richard began packing up to head off to New York, Patricia and I decided that we were not yet ready to leave this beautiful area.

While she took a yoga class in Ithaca, I rode out to Lake Seneca, the largest of the Finger Lakes.

Rain dogged my ride all the way to Burdett and Watkins Glen, and I eventually gave up on the idea of riding further north along the lake shore, and headed back to Ithaca to collect Patricia instead.

We headed back to Sheldrake, the small town further up the lake, where the winery of the same name was located, and checked into the Driftwood Inn, which had come highly recommended, and with good reason.

Sally and Richard had stayed there over 25 years ago, and paid just $25 for the privilege !! I daresay that 25 years of inflation had altered the price for a room somewhat, but it was still well worth it.

Our hosts, Jim and his wife Tammy, made us feel welcome from the moment we stepped through the door, and kept us and the other guests entertained with Jim’s impromptu singing and wise-cracks, and Tammy’s dedication to good service.

The water up in this part of the lake was far colder than it had been 20 miles to the south near Ithaca. Needless to say we did not spend too much time in the water.

The Inn has all the amenities you could wish for, if you’re planning a lakeside getaway…

We joined Sally and Richard at a local restaurant that same night after they had decided to postpone their trip for a day. The Golden Buck is well-known for its cuisine and is an unpretentious little place in the nearby town of Ovid. The meals we ordered were those suggested by Jim back at Sheldrake, and his selections proved spot on.

We love the same meals you do, Jim !!

Richard and Sally invited us out to dinner at the Golden Buck, where something called legal beverages are sold… Much better than moonshine I am told…

Out on the dock, Patricia begins her day by saluting the sun…

And ends her practice with one of her more classical poses…

We left the Sheldrake Inn after a scrumptuous breakfast, rode south along Lake Cayuga to Ithaca, and then out along highway 11, back the way we had come…

Getting ready to leave the Driftwood Inn for our ride back to New Jersey.

We arrived back in Freehold about 5 hours later, having not been troubled by rain, despite the very cloudy conditions. The heat was not as intense as it had been on the way up, and my passenger was also not as tense… Although there was a moment as we passed through Ithaca, that Patricia had mentioned something about looking for a bus schedule…

Freehold to Ithaca. Our 1000 km round trip to the Finger Lakes and back…

Despite her misgivings, I think Patricia enjoyed her first long ride with me, and I hoped that she would join me again when timing allowed for it.

We had very little time to relax once we got back to Freehold, as we had been invited to the monthly bikers night in the town hosted by The Elks, and their president, Keith Weber.

©GBWT 2013