Many of you will know of our brew reviews, but that's not all that's available to imbibe.
Welcome to the Finger Lakes of New York State, otherwise known as the Wine Country. Nestled between Syracuse and Rochester, the Finger Lakes bring many tourists to west-central New York for their wonderful products and beautiful scenery. Some of the primary lakes from which to choose, among the several other that make up the area, are Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka, and Canandaigua. Each are surrounded by rolling hills and wide outlooks that will take the breaths of visitors, which is why the area is also a popular location for destination weddings. Rieslings and white wines are some of the best in the area due to the soil, but the reds and rosés can be just as good.
While in the Finger Lakes, consider one of the several area-wide events in the region, such as the Seneca Lake Wine Trail's annual summer kickoff event. The trail member wineries, sometimes numbering a couple dozen, sitting on the east and west sides of Seneca Lake will participate. Starting at one of the random locations, visit each winery, tasting what they have to offer as both a wine and food pairing. Do try to bring a non-participating driver with you, as it will become quite intoxicating, even after spreading the trip across the full complement of days. The cities of Geneva to the north, and Watkins Glen to the south, can provide good resupply or stopping points. Even if some of the wineries don't participate in the trail event, they can still be great places to visit for a short wine or even beer tasting, depending on the location.
A trip to the Finger Lakes would not be complete without a visit to the Windmill Farm and Craft Market. Situated outside of the village of Penn Yan, the Windmill is where vendors from around the area of many different walks of life come together on Saturdays during the summer season. First started by the Gunderman family in the 1980's after a trip to a similar outfit in Pennsylvania, the Windmill caught on quickly and saw several mile-long lines of backed up traffic. Although today's market days are not as popular as they once were, the wonderful environment cannot be denied for those seeking local purchases.
So if your Internal Compass takes you to the central or western parts of New York, be sure to stop in the Finger Lakes and the Wine Country.
Once again in a new series, time to hit the links and throw some discs. What, discs you say? Not clubs and balls? What sort of sorcery is this?
Many parks today are placing disc golf on their grounds. For the uninitiated, this combines then fun of throwing a Frisbee or similar brand disc with the challenge of a golf course. Mind you, a typical Frisbee-brand disc is not used in playing, as there are specially made discs made for all different sorts of distances and curves for any throw you wish to make. Instead of your traditional hole you'd see in golf, the "hole" is a metal bowl-like structure with suspended chains above, all mounted on a short pole or hung from a tree. Hazards range from tall grass to tree branches and trunks, and sometimes a small stream. The course length is a bit shorter because throwing the disc covers less distance than hitting a ball, but there's a good amount of ground to cover for a full 18-hole course.
We first tried disc golf a few years before getting the RV. Picking up a good deal on a starter pack of discs at the Mall of America during one of our road trips, between hectic work schedules, home improvements, and inclement weather, time was finally found to play a bit. The first ever match was at Clay Park Central in Liverpool NY. Located within a municipal park, this is a much more challenging course to play, even more so when there were no maps or signs explaining the course along the path. If it wasn't for painted hole numbers on the tees, we would have been completely lost. Plenty of hazards exist, and the course is designed to play the entire 18 holes in one go, meaning an awkward hike was awaiting for us, when we only wanted to play 9 holes.
Although each hole has a "par", for us, Match Play is the way to go. During match play, the "winner" of the hole is determined by who gets the disc in the "hole" in the fewest number of throws. If each player uses the same number of throws, the hole is "halved". Unlike James Bond and Goldfinger, there aren't any big prizes for winning a hole, not even who has to dump and flush the black tank. However, we'll keep score during the series so you can root for who you want. Each "match" is going to consist of 9 holes since that's what we usually play at a time, although we may be inclined to go for all 18 at a course, whether across two sessions or all at once. For those curious, a "starter pack" consisting of a distance driver (Innova Sidewinder, 9/5/-3/1), mid-range (Discraft Hawk, 0^), and putter (Innova Colt, 3/4/-1/1) are what we are using, and we'll make an update if we get new discs. She gets the distance driver while he gets the mid-range disc as the handicap, and the putter disc is shared as desired.
Not too much of specifics are remembered with this match other than her winning, and there's some question as to how many holes were actually won, but we have agreed to the following score:
Front 9: His holes: 1 Halved: 5 Her holes: 3
Back 9: Not played
Course Record: Him 0 - 1 Her Holes Record: Him 1 - 3 Her
Looks as if she has the advantage. How long will she be able to hold this? Stay tuned as we Follow our Internal Compass points towards the next course.
The third trip, and first without a return, saw us visiting the Lake George Riverview resort in Warrensburg NY. Situated on the Schroon River, Lake George Riverview provides a family camping experience for visitors to the southern Adirondack Park. Like the last review, we'll rate the site on five criteria and give our overall impressions.
Grounds: The location of the campground is very conveniently located off the interstate highway. However, its only entrance is along the only thoroughfare connecting the highway and the hamlet of Warrensburg, a popular tourist destination in the summer months. A left turn along this stretch to get to the highway can be daunting, especially with a long RV. Not much can be done to improve the situation, but traffic is light enough that a turn can be made.
Sites: The campground has around 150 sites for either RV or tents. Most require a back-in, but a number of pull-through are available. Our site wasn't exactly the most level, but nothing that a few blocks couldn't fix. Unpaved loose stone seems to be the method of choice for the RV sites, a bit unfairly judged against the last time, but you live and learn. The map was easy to understand, although the pull-through sites were only marked on one side. At least one fully grown tree was at the site providing adequate shade while still allowing for the awning. Hookups were easy, although the water at their side had a tendency to "spit".
Staff: Check-in and check-out staff was friendly. Maintenance and security was attentive, as we unfortunately had to witness on account of some badly-behaved neighbors. All of the staff is on salary; there are no "workamping" opportunities, but with everything running smoothly, they don't seem to need any additional hands.
Amenities: For the price that was paid, you would expect some decent amenities, and the park gives some. These include a pool, a beach, an arcade and playground for the children, horseshoes, and a bocce setup. Even simple walks around the property are a joy. Construction was happening during our stay so some amenities changed from what was listed, such as volleyball and a pool bathhouse. A single sheet addendum or sign at the main house would have helped guests understand what was happening. One of the men's shower stalls had a lock that wasn't lined up to the hole, making it impossible to lock. One of the women's houses could have used more regular cleaning, and one of the women's shower stalls had a floor that seemed ready to break.
Atmosphere: If you want something that is family friendly, this is a good place to go. Children, whom we once again had in tow for this special trip, have ample opportunities to make friends and remain entertained. Although many guests will spend the day exploring attractions the surrounding area offers, even those preferring to stay in one place won't be disappointed. The park is also very dog-friendly, many animals of which receive great love and praise from most other guests.
Overall, Lake George Riverview receives a rating of 8 out of a possible 10. The price was the biggest stickler for point deduction, as this is less geared towards the young full-time RVer, and more towards the city dweller. Sure, the amenities were nice, but it doesn't make up for the lack of value for money, especially when premium pricing was not involved. With better rates, it is worth returning, but until such time, other locations may be better.
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