The Week of the Waterfalls

600 miles have officially been added to my car's odometer.  I have listened to probably 10 CD's all the way through and only almost ran one red light.  I was viciously yelled at by a crossing guard one morning in Interlaken, NY for not going 20mph near the school I didn't see because I was searching for a gas station and coffee (I was really afraid for my karma that day).

My first destination was Burlington, VT where I visited with my good friends Amy Goodnough and Ray Webster.  I was surprised to see so many housing developments going up outside of the city, but I guess even the Green Mountain State cannot fend off the masters of suburbia.  I wandered about the streets waiting for Amy and Ray until my feet lead me down to the shore of Lake Champlain.  The wind was simply ravenous for neatly brushed hair and the gray water was bumping the tied-up boats against the pier.  The mountains across the lake were more majestic than I had expected, made more so by the rain-threatening sky.  On my way back up the hill, construction workers were laying down fresh pavement along the middle of the road I had to cross.  The large thing with big rollers went by pressing the black crumbles down, so I felt it safe to cross.  As soon as I stepped onto the pavement, by foot sank into the hot sticky black.  I was so surprised that jumped up and high-kneed my way across the street trying (but failing) to leave as little trace of my steps as possible.  I guess I just leave my mark everywhere.  The guy standing across from me just laughed as I wiped my feet on the sidewalk trying to remove the hot pavement remnants.  Never fail, just when I think I'm walkin' the cool line and being smooth life reminds me that I'm human.

The next morning I had a lovely breakfast with my friend Nick Jean from UNH and was on the road early headed for Ithaca, NY.  The drive was long, very long...  I had never driven that far in one sitting by myself.  It was another beautiful day, and the Adirondacks were looking particularly magnificent. 

On the road to Ithaca, NY

I was visiting with two very good friends of mine. Chris LaRosa is composition student at Ithaca College who I met in Vienna last year.  He is unbelievably talented and I was fortunate enough to sing one of his song cycles while we were abroad.  The other, Seth Waters, recently transferred to Ithaca from UNH, so it was just a grand 'ole reunion!

Although I had been to Ithaca once before, I never had the opportunity to see the gorges.  So Chris and I rode our bikes to one of the nearest sites.

I have been hearing a lot about shale lately because of the controversy over the fracking in New York and Pennsylvania, but I hadn't seen it up close and personal to any great extent.  This gorge was an impressive and awing example of geological history and development.  Layers and layers of shale lined the walls of the ravine which descended steeply creating beautiful, prehistoric feeling waterfalls.

 

The next day we visited Taughannock Falls,which has a drop of 215 ft, taller than Niagara Falls, though not as wide.  It had rained heavily the night before and the water was raging!  The mist from the pool of the waterfall drifted along the canyon wall and glistened off the rocks.  It was hard to really grasp its size and the water was falling in sheets that seemed to be tumbling in slow motion.  It was pretty darn cool...

If you look to the lower right, two people are barley visible, but are standing against the stone wall.

We also went wine tasting that day at a vineyard called Americana.  I may or may not have walked away with 4 bottles... intending to share them of course! Their Dry Riesling was just too good to pass up.  The evening concluded with a showing of Lord of the Rings, duh.

Friday morning I headed out dark and early to visit the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, which was fantastic, before heading to Buffalo, NY to see my dear friend Simon Pendleton who is getting his Masters there in Geology (ooooo!).  I had a geographical light bulb go off while I was planning this trip that Niagara Falls is right near Buffalo, and, never having been, of course it was a destination!  We walked across the border to Canada, which to me was comical in itself.  Did you know you have to pay $0.50 to get back into the US, but Canada is free?  Go figure.

I had only ever seen picturesque images of the falls, and let me tell you, they do an excellent job of hiding the actual juxtaposition of the sight.  Towering casinos, hotels, and restaurants surround the gorge, which is just plain odd. 

For me, however, it didn't take anything away from the experience.  The sheer amount of water passing over the edge every second and the speed at which is travels is incredible! 

What I also found incredible was the variety of people there that day.  People of all different sizes, shapes, nationalities, and...colors.

What I thought most interesting, however, was that at some point in time, all of these people from all over the world made the same descision.  They planned to be there that day, as did I.  We all had the same idea to whitness the same wonder.

 

 

We had an awesome bike ride along Chestnut Ridge on which I was told by a police officer I had to ride on the right side of the white line....?  Oh, yeah, sure, I thought.  Get rid of the pothole mines and I'd be GLAD TO!  Anyway... I digress.

After the ride, Simon took me on a small hike which followed a river to a place where there was a waterfall with the most peculiar sight.  Under the rock of the waterfall, some of the natural gas which resides between the shale was leaking out, and was on fire behind the waterfall, resulting in an amazing state of water and fire coexisting.  Now kids, we can all learn a lesson from the water and fire, cant we?

 

I will conclude this segment which a small anecdote...

As were walked back down the river, Simon decided to be adventurous and cross a part of the river by way of a narrow, slippery log instead of walking along the rocky edge.  I examined the log, was skeptical, but decided I would give it a go (mistake # 1).  This log was probably 4 ft. at most above the water, and slanted downward towards the shore on the other side at bout a 32 degree angle, so nothing really treacherous.  The first two steps were good confidence-building steps.  The second step was accompanied by minor wobbling, but a regaining of balance.  The third step.... well... let's just say the third step fostered hesitation (mistake #2), which was the cause of ultimate failure.  But by the grace of Morpheus, I managed to straddle the log, grab hold with my legs, wrap my arms around the log, and swing to its underside leaving a 5 inch clearance between me and some freaking cold water.  After I composed myself and could hear Simon laughing, I realized that I did NOT want to get wet.  So I slowly schooched myself back up the underside of the log like a spandex-clad sloth and was able to put my foot down on a relatively dry rock so that Simon could haul me up to a vertical position... Just another day in the life.

Stay tuned for Week 2 in the eternally horizontal Mid-West!