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| Hanging out with Ben and a couple of his bear friends! |
Other than Lake Placid, most of our week in New York was spent in the area where Ben lives. Even though he was working, we were able to spend a good amount of time with him and his sweet dog Allie.
Ben lives in the hamlet of Endwell, which is located in the town of Union, which is next to the town of Vestel, which is next to the city of Binghamton. Confused? So am I, but it seems like hamlets and villages in New York can be located inside towns and cities. I'm not sure how it all came to be, but I can tell you that when you're driving in that area you're constantly seeing "Now entering ........, Now leaving ........" signs. The sign vendors in that area have a pretty good thing going on! It's a very nice area, no matter which hamlet, village, town or city that you happen to find yourself. As always, Ben had plenty of great ideas to keep us busy.
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One of our favorite activities was relaxing at the campground while watching Ben direct all the fun for the campers.
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Jellystone Campground Binghamton NY |
| Although it looks like a pretty good swing on the golf simulator............ |
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he crushed me!
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While Ben was working one day, Beth and I revisited the town of Skaneateles (pronounced "Skinny-atlas"). This town is located on Skaneateles Lake, which is one of New Yorks famous Finger Lakes. The town and lake get their name from the Native American Iroquois tribe, and it means "long lake", which is an accurate description since the narrow (1.5 miles wide) lake is over 16 miles long. The spring fed lake has no tributaries flowing into it and is considered one of the cleanest lakes in the country.
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| On the way to Skaneateles, we stopped at Carpenter Falls which is near Niles. There was a nice short (.5 mile) trail that led to the falls viewing platform. |
The small town of Skaneateles has a population of just over 7,000 residents who have the good fortune of calling this scenic place home. If their home happens to be a lake front home, not only do they have the "good fortune of living there" but they also have a "big fortune", as lake front real estate is quite pricey. The small downtown is located on US Route 20. Route 20 through Skaneateles is only a couple of miles long, but the road itself is the longest continuous road in the US, running 3,365 miles from Boston to Newport, Oregon. The downtown has a number of shops, restaurants, homes and churches with beautiful city parks (Clift and Thayer Parks) on both ends.
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| Chilling a bit in Thayer Park |
Skaneateles
We enjoyed a bit of roaming around and eating at the Blue Water Grill, which overlooks the small marina. We were also able to get a little relaxing (and a scrabble game) in Thayer Park. The highlight of what was a very nice day was the time we spent on a guided tour of the lake aboard the Judge Ben Wiles. The one hour narrated tour went about halfway down the lake on one side, crossed over to the other shore and returned to the marina. Along the journey we learned about the history of the native people, how the Finger Lakes were formed and about many of the large houses along the lakeshore.
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| The one-hour lake tour on the Judge Ben Wiles was both relaxing and informative. |
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| One of the many large homes along the lakefront. We'd be happy with the boat house! |
Blue Water Grill
Doug's Fish Fry (another good place to eat in Skaneateles
Mid-Lakes Navigation
Skaneateles is a town with a unique name and exceptional scenery that's well worth a visit!
The day had arrived when it was time to pack it up and head back to Florida. Our flight was an evening flight out of Syracuse. The late departure gave us the chance for one more adventure, so of course we took full advantage of the opportunity. The State Fair of New York was in the middle of its annual two-week run in Syracuse, making it a perfect place to spend the day before getting dropped off at the airport.
We had enjoyed a day at the fair back in 2022, and since we had Ben and Moriah (a fellow Jellystone employee) with us, it was even better the second time around. How could you possibly not have fun with racing pigs, life size dinosaurs, fried food and the New York State Fair tradition of $1 baked potatoes? The only downside of our day at the fair was that it was exceptionally hot, but it wouldn't be fair to judge the day by the weather. Ben and Moriah dropped us off at the airport a little early so they could finalize plans for that evening's staff meeting back at the campground. This gave us a bit of time before our flight to relax and reflect on what had been a fun week in New York!
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| Racing pigs............. |
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| .........mean looking dinosaurs.......... |
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| .............more mean looking dinosaurs.......... |
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| ..........fried food galore............ |
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| ...........and $1 baked potatoes. They estimate that they serve over 50,000 potatoes during the fair (the line moves quickly)! |
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| So much to see and do at the Great State Fair of New York that sometimes you just have to stop and catch your breath! |
The Great New York State Fair
