Middle Falls |
Upper Falls |
Gorge and Genesee River |
Four to Five Hundred Foot Drops |
I then spent the next three hours driving around the park,
getting my bearings, as it’s 17 miles long, the west side following the gorge
created by the Genesee River. At the south
end, I walked for about an hour along the seven miles gorge path, to both the Upper and Middle Falls, spectacular water falls,
though you cannot get very close to them.
I checked on kayaking but no one could tell me much other than I would
have to carry my kayak in and out unless I found someone else to paddle with,
so I pretty much have given up the idea.
There’s no way I can carry my kayak out and up a hill to the car. There were lots of people doing the same
thing as me, driving to the various sights, not too many people hiking or
riding bikes although within the campground, lots of people have bikes. The west side is the most crowded, with cars stopping at the various vantage points, taking pictures of the gorge, the river, and moving on.
I don’t much like this stopping in a car, taking a short
hike, looking at the falls, taking a few pictures and moving on, though I guess
I had to do it to get some idea of the topography. Tomorrow, I am going to figure out a couple
of hikes, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, where I will walk two or
three mile loops each time. I am going
to try to get on the other side of the river, the east side, as it looks as
though there are more hikes along that side.
This side is mostly along the rim of the gorge, with great views, but
not a lot of hiking trails.
Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warm with a chance of
showers in the evening, just what I need on my first foray in the wild! It will
be interesting to see how I sleep tonight, how early I get up, and what I will
do if I get up at my usual time, 6:00.
Start hiking, read, or just go back to sleep? I am going off for a short bike ride, then out of the park to a bar/restaurant one of the workers mentioned is decent.
It’s now about 9:00 and I am sitting outside my tent, in the
dark, listening to crickets and the conversations from neighboring tents. I took a brief walk around our loop of
campsites and lots of people have fires going, some in tents, some in big,
comfortable RV’s, the good life I suppose.
I drove about eight miles, out through the north Mt. Morris gate and ate
at a strange place. It looked like an
annex to a motel next door, and when I walked in, no one was in the place, not
even the bar. I sat down, ordered a
beer, a chicken quesadilla, and by the time I left, the bar was
full. I picked a good place. It’s now pitch black, Xmas lights only are
visible on some trailers. I did look
more carefully at the map and have some
hikes planned for tomorrow, perhaps a bike ride as well. Let’s see if I can read in my tent, or just
enjoy the outside, sitting here, in the blackness of night.
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