We've traveled about 60 miles in the last two days after leaving Lyons, NY and are currently in Ithaca which is located at the south end of Cayuga Lake. The canal became very overgrown after leaving Lyons - I felt like we were on the river ride in Disneyworld and awaited a rising hippo or a roaring lion! We did see several eagles and finally osprey! The canal appears to be quite polluted with runoff from farmlands and towns so the osprey and eagles were a sign of good water to come.
The Montezuma Wildlife Refuge had a small dock off of the canal so we stopped and visited their center. This refuge area is one of many along the migrating bird routes and as such provides a protected area for rest as they make their way south. Some of the birds go as far as South American each year. Actually it was quite interesting -- and as always we came away with a renewed appreciation for the work being done to help preserve areas like this.
Once on Cayuga Lake (the longest of the finger lakes in New York at 38 miles), we remembered why it was that we really like being on a lake rather than the canal! The water is once again clear and inviting. We found a nice marina 7 miles down the lake (Union Springs, NY) and spent Wednesday night there. Finally - a sunset! It had been many evenings without being able to see a real sunset due to the enclosed nature of the canal.
The Montezuma Wildlife Refuge had a small dock off of the canal so we stopped and visited their center. This refuge area is one of many along the migrating bird routes and as such provides a protected area for rest as they make their way south. Some of the birds go as far as South American each year. Actually it was quite interesting -- and as always we came away with a renewed appreciation for the work being done to help preserve areas like this.
Once on Cayuga Lake (the longest of the finger lakes in New York at 38 miles), we remembered why it was that we really like being on a lake rather than the canal! The water is once again clear and inviting. We found a nice marina 7 miles down the lake (Union Springs, NY) and spent Wednesday night there. Finally - a sunset! It had been many evenings without being able to see a real sunset due to the enclosed nature of the canal.
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