2026-06-08 Geneva and Sampson State Park
Leaving Cazenovia, we continued our journey along the Cherry Valley Turnpike, beginning with the hilly country immediately to the west and gradually flattening out along the tops of the Finger Lakes. We weren’t headed far but had a few stops in mind along the way.
First stop was to be Skaneateles at the top of the lake of the same name. We’d heard that “The Pier” was a must see. Although The Pier isn’t some sort or engineering wonder that we sort of expected, the setting is great. To begin, Skaneateles Lake’s waters are crystal clear. The long pier extends into the lake from Clift Park that wraps the top of the lake. The park also hosts the Judge Ben Wiles, a pretty, 65-foot classic tour boat.
And the downtown is thriving with lots of nice shops filled with Sunday morning shoppers. We even found a busy little bakery that offered gluten free cranberry bars for Sandy. Bill even managed to find a delicious peanut butter cookie for himself.
Our intention was to next stop in Auburn to visit the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. Unfortunately, the place was closed and, on further investigation we found that it was only open Fridays and Saturdays. Our drive down the town’s South Street, however, was pretty cool as it is lined with amazing, large mansions along both sides of the street.
Our next stop was the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls. This one was open and both interesting and emotional. We’d visited the town last summer but had focused on the Erie Canal, which passes through it, the “It’s a Wonderful Life Bridge” and the amazing display of industrial inventions that originated here. Turns out we’d overlooked the important fact that it is known as the birthplace of women’s rights.
On July 19 and 20, 1848, over 300 women and men gathered in Wesleyan Methodist Chapel for the First Women’s Rights Convention lead by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The delegates produced the Declaration of Sentiments which asserted that women should have equality in every area of life: politics, the family, education, jobs, religion, and morals. Those ideas upset the social fabric of time that treated women bearers of babies and keepers of homes with virtually no rights as individuals.
It wasn’t until more than 70 years later that the 19th Amendment finally guaranteed women the right to vote. And it was only many years later that laws like the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title IX of 1972 moved those rights further forward. And, there’s still a ways to go.
We finally ended up at our day’s destination at Sampson State Park along the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. The place was a Naval training center during World War II but was converted to a state park in the 1960s. Although it has a lot of campsites, they are well spread out and ours has a nice view of the lake. We should see a good sunset if the clouds and rain finally diminish.
Dinner was burgers garnished with cheese & mushrooms along with a tossed salad.
2026-06-09 Geneva and Sampson State Park
Today was dedicated to a bit of housekeeping including laundry and grocery shopping in nearby Geneva at the head of the lake. Happily, the laundromat was just across the road from Wegmans so the grocery shopping was good.
Sautéed lemon chicken and asparagus with a side of pickled beets was dinner.