A seven hour drive today ride us to fog book resort. The drive was pretty as we went through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. At one point, we recognised one city where I had taken pictures of a covered bridge, the creamery Bridge. This resort is nice and It even had a pool that we took advantage of. We had a nice dinner of chicken nuggets from the air fryer and broccoli.
After dropping off Heidi, we made our drive over to Schodack Island State Park. It was only about a four hour drive tops, but we did go through lots of rain. We’re only making temporary stops as we Make our way up to Canada. Funny thing we didn’t even remember that we had to camp here back in 2021.
Today we split up for adventures of all kinds! Kyle, Ron, Reed, Jeni, and Randy did the hop-on-hop-off trolley tour. Scotty, Larry, and JT took it easy—swimming and lunching at the Lucky Hare. I teamed up with Heidi, Carol, and Cathy for a little town jaunt: brunch at the Lucky Hare, roadside waterfalls, souvenir shopping at the Watkins Glen Gift Shop, and finally a wine slushie (with pop rocks!) at Miles Winery—thanks to Renee & Eric’s recommendations. It was basically a drinkable firework. We all met up later for dinner at 3812 Bistro—delicious food, endless conversation, and lots of laughs. The night wrapped up perfectly with more porch time, this time under a torrential downpour, rocking chairs, rain, and reluctant goodnights. Can’t ask for more.
Today’s pontoon boat ride on Seneca Lake was equal parts beauty and chaos—especially when we nearly torpedoed ourselves into the water thanks to some questionable weight distribution 😅💦. Turns out these older reflexes still work in a near disaster!
Dinner was a throwback to our Germany days—an hour’s drive to Rheinblick in Geneva for schnitzel, spätzle, and all the good stuff 🇩🇪🍽️. Sure, we were sweating in an alley instead of sitting along a cobblestone street, but the food and company made it absolutely worth it. Prost to good friends and good bratwurst!
We started the day with a peaceful hike to Taughannock Falls alongside longtime friends Jim and Deb Coder. About 45 minutes from Watkins Glen, this state park features a wide, mostly flat trail that follows the stream flowing from the falls. The path is shaded by tall, moss-covered trees, with easy access to the rocky riverbed. As lovely as the scenery was, the real joy came from walking and talking with Jim and Deb. We all lived in Illesheim together over 35 years ago, and it’s something special to still be sharing moments like this all these years later.
Back in Watkins Glen, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening gathered on the porch, joined by more familiar faces—Larry & Carol Maxwell, Jim & Cathy Thomas, Heidi Somers, Reed & Jeni Mellinger, Renee & Eric Marburger, Randy Hauptman, Kyle & Ron Ritter, and again, Jim & Deb Coder. Scotty grilled bratwurst, while others rounded out the meal with German potato salad, chips, liverwurst dip, cucumber salad, cookies, apple strudel, and of course—plenty of beer. It felt just like one of our old gatherings back in Germany—filled with laughter and shared memories!
We arrived at Watkins Glen State Park around 2 o’clock in the afternoon and made a quick stop at the grocery store to stock up on a few essentials. After settling in, we set out for a hike along the Glen Creek Gorge Trail—a stunning path that winds beside the creek with many waterfalls along the way. The area had clearly seen rain earlier, so we found ourselves carefully stepping over countless puddles. On the return trip, we took the North Rim Trail back to the campsite, completing a total of 2.2 miles. Dinner was simple: barbecue beef sandwiches, chips, and oranges. Later in the evening, we caught up with the Coders, who—conveniently—were camped just around the corner from us. It was a perfect, way to wrap up the day, reconnecting with old friends
With some trepidation, I headed over to Trail Eight with Scotty to take on the Three Dunes Challenge. It’s marked as the hardest trail in the area—rugged. The path takes you up three separate sand dunes, which sounded intense from the start. I figured if it got too bad, I could always turn around and head back. The dunes were steep and the sand made every step a workout—but since the trail is only about 1.5 miles, it turned out to be quite doable. The first climb was up Mount Jackson, rising 176 feet above Lake Michigan. Then came Mount Holden, a bit higher at 184 feet. The final dune, Mount Tom, stood tallest at 192 feet, and we reached its summit by way of a staircase. In total, we hiked 1.6 miles in 58 minutes, and now I can proudly say: I completed the Three Dunes Challenge. Sand, sweat, and all—it was worth it.
We decided to bike the Prairie Duneland Trail, a 10-mile paved path. Since my battery wasn’t fully charged, we opted for a five-mile out-and-back ride. The first half of the journey—five miles out—was done without any battery assist. It wasn’t too bad as trail’s even pavement and shade made it manageable. On the way back, I turned on the pedal assist, which made the return much more relaxed and enjoyable and I was able to beat the 10 year old girl that was gaining on us!! The trail itself is quiet and smooth, running through woods and behind neighbourhoods and past several neighborhood parks. After our hike and bike ride, we had built up an appetite. We had a late lunch at Val’s Famous Pizza and Grinders. We each loved our sandwiches. Scotty had ‘The Bomb’, a fried dough sandwich filled with beef and cheese. I had an Italian Grinder. You made it back to the trailer just as the skies opened up and we were able to close the windows of the trailer thank goodness.
