Seneca Lake loop #BTFL11

Tricia and I are on a mission to complete the Finger Lakes Cycling Club's "Bike the Finger Lakes 11" in which we circumnavigate all eleven Finger lakes. Seneca is one of the two larger lakes, about 30 miles long, and the loop being 83-ish miles around. With Seneca complete we have 7 of the 11 finished, with one large lake and a few smaller 40-milers left.

We're grateful for the cycling club's GPS maps on Ride With GPS. We'd have spent too much time on the highways and missed the wonderful low-traffic farmlands and other treats. We're also grateful for the perfect weather we had.

After we climbed out of Watkins Glen (No photos, it was too steep to do anything but try to stay upright) we rode along the vineyards that produce the area's grand Riesling. 

The Finger Lakes is a rural farming community that's home to many Amish and Mennonites. They use horses and buggies,  but also a lot of utility bicycles. This lad said he didn't mind me photographing him as he transported his flowers.

We've seen a lot of "Be Aware" signs on our area, but they've always been for motorcycles and buggies. This is the first to include bicycles and farm equipment. Way to go Farm Bureau!

We also saw more than a few birds of prey, and several nesting on utility poles. We didn't see any mink, weasels or groundhogs, though we have in the past. There were buzzards out as well, which always makes us wonder if they're just waiting for us to falter and become a meal for them.

Of course, we also see cattle and horses, and make the required animal sounds cyclists make when riding past.

The North end of the lake in Geneva has this large "I Love NY" installation, which is impossible for anyone with a camera, even a cell camera, to pass by and not photograph.

The last half of our ride, to our surprise, took us through the old gravel and crumbling pavement of 2,070-acre Sampson State Park. We'd thought we'd be on the highway, but instead we rode many miles through what once was the Sampson Naval Training Station during WWII and later during the Korean War, the Sampson Air Force Base. It was rougher than good pavement, but the absence of cars more than made up for it's surface quality.

We both were pretty worn out with 25 miles to go, so there aren't any more photos, just memories of fun, clouds, hills and that damn truck on 414 that came way way too close.

Executive summary: 83.38 miles, 3635 feet of climbing.