The sound on the roof was soothing and everyone slept well. In the morning it was still dark and rainy and a Tornado warning went off. I almost called Ryan to find out what she thought and then it stopped. We don't hear those in the western US so we were not sure what to do. Then the sky lightened and we decided to take the boys for a walk but our host saw us and waved us back. We had a good conversation with Sheila and met her puppy Reux a Golden Retriever and poodle mix. The color was identical to Tad.
Speaking of dead people. Normally, I would not think much of another park named after someone, but I feel compelled to see who has a park named after him. I suppose it is the museum visits that has me wondering. Luckily, there is a Friend's of Robert H. Treman Park that can help me out.
A passing camper said a thunderstorm watch was issued for the area so we put the awning back up, put the dog beds away, set the chairs under the mororhome and headed to the nearest (what else?) brewery. Ithaca Beer Company was less than 2 miles.
We had dinner and a beer, but it was too busy to stay for our zoom meeting so we headed back to the motorhome to call in to the Umpqua Watersheds Conservation meeting. It was good to catch up with our dear friend Diana Pace and hear from other conservation committee member Steve Cole. Everyone does such good work and we are grateful to be a part of it.
To make for a good walk we sought out one of the rails to trails nearby. We took them for over 2 miles and that satisfied Tad. With the moisture coming from the sky, I put Tad's raincoat on which helped to keep the weeds and mud off of him. He tends to be the one that wanders off trail a bit. There was only one other person on the trail. The rails to trails are nice because 2 people can walk side by side. We only had to dodge the water that accumulated in the low spots in the trail from last night's rain. The high vegetation along the trail keeps Tad from wandering too much.
We returned to the motorhome with 2 worn out dogs and packed up. We prepared to leave Keyes Trout Brook Sugarhouse & Alpacas, our Harvest Host site for last night. Greg was out and about and gave us the tour of the Alpaca farm and told us all about their herd. We picked up some yummy maple syrup from their home business and bid farewell. They graciously offered that we could come back this week if we needed another spot. It is nice to have options.
Our destination was set for Robert H. Treman State Park near Ithaca, NY, 68 miles from Honeoye, NY. The landscape in this area is filled with fields of corn. Corn, corn, corn everywhere. And graveyards. I have never seen so many graveyards so close together, but with so much history compared to the west, it makes sense that there are more dead people.
Treman was born in 1858 in Ithaca to a prominent family. He became a businessman and a trustee of Cornell University for 45 years. He studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University, graduating in 1878. At Cornell, Treman played baseball and became the team's captain in his senior year. He also rowed on the crew team and played football. He dabbled in banking and real estate and was elected to the board of the directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Park for which he was named, was originally a donation to the state park system from him and his wife, Laura. Originally called Enfield Glen Reservation, it was later renamed in his honor. He was appointed by the Governor to be the first chairman of the state parks commission for the Finger Lakes region. He would go on to serve in that role until his death in 1937 from a heart attack. Buttermilk and Taughonnack Falls State Parks were also donated by the Treman's.
Travelling by motorhome requires paying attention to all the gages: gas, propane, fresh water, septic tank, and grey water. Planning the stops for these necessities can be challenging. We needed to take care of all of these today. While Kasey is driving, I scour the available resources for information on where these necessities can be acquired trying to minimize travel time, stops and expense. We have learned to look at the pictures of gas stations to be sure they have enough space given that we are also towing a vehicle. Truck stops like Flying J are a good bet. For propane, U-haul is our first choice since we know that they do have the capability for RV's and not just exchange tanks. I found gas and propane close to each other but the UHaul propane required us to detatch the tow vehicle because it was going to require backing up to get out. We were only 3 miles from Treman State park so we opted to detach and drive the Honda from there. Some rv dump stations have fresh water, some don't. Some cost (sometimes a lot, as much as $25) and a few are free. Those in parks are usually available to campers staying at the park. Sometimes it still costs extra. At Treman it was free, but the fresh water was not working, so we have everything but that taken care of and will need to find a spicket before we leave the park.
We got set up at our campsite with the awning out, camp chairs, and dog beds when it immediately started getting dark, then a little windy. We called our Roseburg friend Woody who has some history in the area since he graduated from Cornell. He was travelling and gave us a few tips on what to see in the area and warned us that his wife, Jeri, would bever forgive us if we did not visit the Moosewood Cafe. It is on our list!
The thunderstorm never really materialized, but the rumbling from our neighbors generator did. I feel sorry for the tent campers.
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