There are certain travellers that plan each moment of a trip. Itineraries are created and checked off like a shopping list. Good planning? Mechanical and unthinking? Perhaps a bit of both.
You might say I recently had one very special unplanned moment on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes District of New York.
Some context. I had a certain mission to accomplish in New York City and in Flemington New Jersey. New Jersey was enjoyable and for the most part beautiful. But then that mission to New York City involved getting in and out of it on The Jersey Turnpike enough to age a quiet Canadian several years. One wrong move and you might be on “The Pulaski Skyway”. And escaping Manhattan at rush hour via the Holland Tunnel an exercise in massive frustration.
So after all this driving from Toronto heading back to Toronto from Stockton, New Jersey there was a two day stopover in tiny Aurora, New York. Not being a planner of any expertise, my wife made the reservations at Inns of Aurora. We were in the E.B. Morgan House and calling it a house is wholly understated and far too modest but more about that in another article.
Aurora is conducive to relaxation. A small main street with a tiny convenience store, two restaurants, a library and an “opera house” and the impressive collection of inns. The stress ramps down to zero and driver’s leg and neck miraculously disappears. After a few walks on the main street I knew some of the dogs by name and stopped to chat with the locals.
The next day my planned mission was visiting Hosmer Winery on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail where I said my hellos as a rare Canadian wine and travel writer. A scenic drive on the shores of Cayuga Lake watching wineries passing by and unfortunately not stopping. Brooke at Hosmer suggested I visit Taughannock Falls” just down the road a bit”. So unplanned and knowing nothing about the Falls off we went and were very glad we did. Spectacular, rugged and unplanned.
And then back at E.B. Morgan House on the patio enjoying a glass of Hosmer Riesling with a view of the lake and a beautiful summer afternoon. A exceptionally well crafted Riesling and a calm and serene view of Cayuga Lake. It was one of those unplanned moments and basking in serenity the best moment of the trip.
Set the Bar 