The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

The Best of the New York Finger Lakes

June 5th to June 18th

Ride Director: Charles Feerick
Ride Co-Director: Joan Feerick
Report by: Barbara Delaney

Perhaps you may have never heard of the Finger Lakes.  This scenic area in central New York State encompasses eleven long glacial lakes, running north and south.  Left by the movement of glaciers, they resemble fingers.  In June 2021 twenty-nine BAC cyclists came here to ride and experience all the best that the Finger Lakes had to offer.  We were not disappointed.

Our trip ran for 14 days, each day bringing with it new adventures and sights to see.  Each of the lakes lies in a valley, which affords sweeping vistas to go with the climbs and descents.Regardless, everyone was able to complete the routes at a comfortable pace.  There were always places to stop, take in the views, get a coffee at a local shop, eat lunch or enjoy some of the local wines that the region is noted for. 

We began in the Rochester, NY area and traveled to Geneva, Seneca Falls, Skaneateles, Ithaca, Watkins Glen, Penn Yan, Canandaigua and finally back to the Rochester area.  You get bonus points if you can correctly pronounce each name!  The average trip mileage was about 35-40 miles per day.  

There were so many wonderful things to see and do.  Highlights included touring Rochester, home of many companies including Kodak, Bausch and Lomb, and Xerox.  Riding along the Erie Canal there were opportunities to watch boats navigate through one of 57 locks that make up this 362 mile waterway.

Our first travel day was to the town of Geneva which sits on the Northern point of Seneca Lake   with amazing views from our hotel. Along the way we stopped at Clifton Deli, a very friendly breakfast stop in the quaint town of Clifton Springs.  

Departing from Geneva, we traveled on through scenic countryside passing farms, vineyards and small towns before arriving in Seneca Falls. Here, the Women’s Right National Historic Park tells the story of the early days of the fight for women’s equality. And not to be missed was the “It’s a Wonderful Life Museum”. The town is believed to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of “Bedford Falls” in the movie classic movie. The Gould Hotel, in a lovely renovated building, was a unique stay in this quaint town.

Along the route to Skaneateles is the town of Auburn which is a recommended stop to get a coffee and see the beautifully restored homes and hotels.  Tourists visit the Lake Skaneateles area where there is a lot to see and do.  On our “rest” day, some biked around the lake, or biked and hiked to Carpenter Falls.  Others shopped, enjoyed fine dining, explored the town or took advantage of the relaxing Mirbeau Spa that was included with our hotel stay.  The weather was perfect for an evening dinner cruise around the lake where we viewed some glorious homes that made us all just a little jealous.

Pressing onward we arrived in Ithaca.  This welcoming town is the home to Cornell University and Ithaca College.  The William Henry Miller Inn was charming and centrally located to points of interest in town.  We only had a day to spend in town but we hiked some of the waterfalls, walked up the hill to see the college and botanical gardens, went to the Ithaca Farmers Market, ate at the famous Moosewood Restaurant, biked a little and caught up on laundry.  

We had perfect weather as we cycled to Watkins Glen.  The route took us past scenic waterfalls, wineries and amazing views.  This was a beautiful ride topped off by a fabulous group dinner at Seneca Harbor Station overlooking Seneca Lake.

In Watkins Glen, home of the international raceway and the incredible Watkins Glen State Park, many of us enjoyed the scenic wonders of the park just a half mile from town.  The Gorge Trail winds over and under the 19 waterfalls.  If you can climb the 800 some steps you will be richly rewarded.  The park is unique and should not be missed.  

With a late start, our biking was interrupted by a serious downpour.  We were thankful to warm up in the hot tub in our hotel in Penn Yan.  The hotel staff was very gracious and treated us like family despite a group of tired and wet bikers taking over their lobby. Thankfully, this turned out to be the only time it rained on our trip.

With a day to explore in Penn Yan, there were options to ride around Lake Keuka, shop, go wine tasting, visit the remote Garrett Chapel, and/or eat in the adorable Penn Yan Diner.   A group BBQ dinner completed the day.

The toughest day of the ride was to Canandaigua.  There was almost 3,700 feet of climbing along the 47 mile route. The town of Naples was the perfect respite with a great coffee stop. While this was a tough ride most everyone loved the day and felt a great sense of accomplishment for completing the route including the infamous “Italy Hill Road” climb.  The scenic views were spectacular.

Our last riding day was from Cananadaigua to our starting point in Pittsford, NY.  We continued to have perfect weather for the easy ride to the end.  The Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park was a beautiful stop to see this opulent mansion and grounds built in 1887.  The Erie Canal trail took us back to where it all started.  We had a pizza and ice cream party to celebrate the close of the journey.

This trip truly encompassed all the BEST of the FINGER LAKES.  Chuck and Joan Feerick were outstanding leaders.  The routes and the itinerary were well planned and documented. The suggestions for dinner, places to see along the route and ideas of what to do were thoughtfully put together by Joan. Despite an injury that took Joan away from the tour Chuck was always gracious, well informed, available and so kind.  We truly appreciated all the efforts that they made to make this trip happen.  We are grateful to Chuck and Joan for making this exceptional BAC trip so special.

Final Thoughts:  I would be remiss if I did not give a shout out to the 29 participants who were on our trip.  We came from states all over the country, some were old friends but most of us were meeting for the first time.  The group was exceptionally friendly, courteous, social and lots of fun to travel with!  The group comradery made the trip a most memorable one.  We have all talked about future biking adventures.  It would be wonderful to meet up with each of you again somewhere down the road. Thanks for the memories and happy cycling!

Submitted by: Barbara Delaney and Steve Saxe