Every year, we try to take a small vacation to get away from the winter doldrums. We don’t always escape the weather, but just a change of scenery is enough to get through until spring. This year we headed south–that is to the Southern Tier of New York–and we tried something new: we took the pups with us.
The weather was more than cooperative. It had been gray and rainy almost all of January. But on Monday morning, the day we headed out, the sun shone. Temperatures were in the thirties but it was still unbelievably great weather for early February.
Our drive took us about 90 minues south to the little crossroads of Trumbull’s Corners, a few miles southwest of Ithaca, NY, home of Cornell University and Ithaca College. It’s an area well-known for it’s hippie-type culture in the 60s-70s and progressive and eco-friendly ideas. If you have never been to Ithaca it’s like stepping into a new world.
We stayed in a lovely air bnb called Twin Ferns. It was comfy and cozy and felt like home. Our host Amoreena supplied everything we might need including dog dishes and leads (although we brought our own). It took awhile for the dogs to acclimate, especially after a long ride that they weren’t too sure they wanted to take, but eventually they settled in.
On Monday afternoon we took the dogs on a short walk and hung out. Nothing special. But on Tuesday morning we awoke to a heavy frost and more sunshine. We waited until the temperature got to about 30, then bundled up and headed out to Robert H. Treman State Park. We hiked a bit, although most of the trails were closed for the winter because of hazardous conditions. George eyeballed the falls and swimming hole as if he might take a dip–Magenta politely declined. We took a different route back to the bnb via the hamlet of Newfield, which lays claim to the oldest covered bridge (1853) in New York State that is still open to traffic.
When we got back to the bnb the pups were ready for a big nap!
Wednesday once again brought us sunshine and frigid temperatures. We packed up, loaded everyone and everything in the car and headed for home–with a stop at Buttermilk Falls State Park where we once again did some hiking…well we actually took a paved road this time. We tried the Rim Trail which was open, but a sign warned us that the hike would be very steep with a lot of stairs. After the first steep flight we detoured to the adjacent park access road. The dogs thanked us.
It was a short trip but we absolutely loved our lodgings and being able to take the pups. They were well behaved as usual and grateful to come along. We plan to revisit Twin Ferns again soon. You should too.
Susannah Willey Writes 