downtown Ithaca, part 2

The short stroll back to our lodging post-downtown dinner...

downtown Ithaca

It was an easy walk to "The Commons" where we had dinner at Taste of Thai. We were only beginning to grasp the complexity of Ithaca's geography in regard to creeks and waterfalls. A short walk across a nearby bridge gave us a glimpse of something called Six Mile Creek.

Ithaca, NY laundromat

The Ithaca, NY laundromat that we used, and the park across the street from it.

William Henry Miller Inn

No complaints about the William Henry Miller Inn in downtown Ithaca, walking distance to "The Commons" - a pedestrian zone full of shops and restaurants. The inn itself was lovely and full of historic charm, named after the prominent architect who built it in 1878 along with many buildings on the Cornell University campus. When the room key decided not to work after dinner, I figured it was ghosts, quirks or my own weird energy at work.

Moosewood

After the ordeal of traversing rural Pennsylvania, I was so glad to reach Ithaca, NY and find myself having a delicious, wholesome lunch at the famous Moosewood Restaurant. As I recall the soup was a real highlight and the rest was just very healthy.

Pennsylvania backroads

Glancing at the map, it seemed that driving north through Pennsylvania to Ithaca, NY would be a simple and pastoral affair. Often it did resemble the image above. But trusting the GPS took us on the craziest series of back roads known to man - some of them barely paved or barely striped. At one point it sent us directly to a nuclear power plant. I'm realizing now that the geography of Pennsylvania favors highways that either run east-west (like I-80) or conform to the Appalachian Mountains, which typically run at a northeast-southwest angle. But straight north wasn't simple. Lesson learned.

Wanamaker's General Store

The classic American general store is alive and well in rural Pennsylvania. This one - Wanamaker's - has been in business since 1886. Nice spot for a post-Hawk Mountain lunch.

Appalachian Trail

We couldn't help taking note that the Appalachian Trail crossed the road to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. So, on our way out, we made a point of hiking a short segment in each direction - one toward Maine and another toward Georgia. We didn't see any hikers but the trail was well worth the stop.

more Hawk Mountain signs

 

Hawk Mountain, North Lookout

Confusing as the trail network was, I'm pretty sure this spot where interns and docents were found counting raptors is North Lookout. It's a fabulous vista, which is why they set up there. And although we made a point of going peak season, the raptors were a very slow trickle. Even so, it was a nice trickle.

Hawk Mountain, the trails

At times the trails were rugged and steep, not to mention confusing in relation to the map we were given. We also passed a few stands of rhododendron growing in the wild (above).

Hawk Mountain, the cap

Hawk Mountain vistas

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary consists essentially of a trail network on 2,600 acres of Appalachian forest. The wooded paths lead to vista points like this one. From these vista points birds of prey can be spotted from afar (see third photo). Being September the fall foliage was only just beginning to appear.

Hawk Mountain, the signs

As the sign says, this is the world's first refuge for birds of prey. It is delightfully obscure and even more in the middle of nowhere than the Glasbern Inn. Had it not been for some books inherited from my birdwatching aunt, I may never have heard of this place.

 

spotted lanternfly, the sign

As seen at Hawk Mountain, PA.