Nomad Life - Day 181

With a full weekend day ahead of me, I decided to explore as much of the Finger Lakes region as was possible in 24 hours.  This morning, I woke up at 0530 but then managed to doze for another hour.  After making the decision to wake up, I worked on Duolingo, puzzles and reading before moving on to Blog updates and planning for the coming day.  Meanwhile, there was ice and snow on the cars outside - it was also very windy.  At 0800, I went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Best Western (Palmyra).  There were lots of LDS "Docents" there, passing out literature, but they left me alone.  Back in my room, I updated my Nomad Life "fans" on social media.  There were still problems with the WiFi so I didn't stay at the hotel very long.  At 1010, I packed up my car and departed Palmyra.  As I'd seen from the window, the conditions were icy and windy (temps right at freezing), with flurries being added to the mix.  From my hotel, I drove south on NY-21 until Google Maps told me to turn east on NY-96.  Realizing I'd miss one of the nearby lakes, I turned around and got back on NY-21 again.  This decision allowed me to reach Canandaigua Lake by 1030.  After exploring the marina and taking a look at an interesting paddle wheel lake boat, I made my way to nearby Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park.  I found several interesting kinds of birds there but there wasn't much in the way of infrastructure.  Wanting to get more out of the day than just a lakeside view, I resumed my drive.  I first used US-20 (it's been interesting to encounter this road so often in my Nomad Life travels! and then got on County Road 5.  Along the way, I passed some hunters - they'd set up elaborate decoy systems to hunt ducks and geese.  Unlike my last encounter with hunters, I didn't see any birds get killed...  Before long, I was on NY-14A and had entered Yates County.  I reached the town of Penn Yan by 1120 and followed signs to Keuka Lake.  I'd hoped to reach the nearby State Park but it soon became obvious that it was going to be much more of a detour than I wanted.  Instead, I followed the edge of the lake on NY-54A until I reached Keuka Park (1130).  From there, I ended up backtracking to Penn Yan and parking at Indian Pines Park (1140), where I did some more birding.  Once I had my fill of Finger Lake #2 for my day, I drove back into the center of town and got on NY-54.  As I was approaching Seneca Lake (from the west), I noticed a sign for Spotted Duck Frozen Custard (1150).  Since it was going to open at 1200, I relaxed in the parking lot until I was able to order two scoops of goodness: Toffee Gingerbread & Seneca Salted Caramel.  After enjoying my "lunch", I continued east to NY-14 and then followed the shoreline of Seneca Lake to the north.  During this time, I passed by a LOT of wineries ("Seneca Wine Trail").  I didn't make any stops, though...  Instead, I reached Geneva (1225) and explored the waterfront there; I also made stops at the Finger Lakes Visitors Center (got tourism brochures) and Seneca Lake State Park.  Before long, I continued east on US-20.  At one point, I passed through the town of Waterloo, which touted itself to be the "Birthplace of Memorial Day".  My main target, however, was the town of Seneca Falls - I arrived there at 1300.  For the next two hours, I immersed myself in the "small town America" feel of the town, which was where the drive for Women's Suffrage began in 1848.  Seneca Falls later served as the inspiration for "Bedford Falls" (of movie fame).  I visited Women's Rights NHS (Visitor Center, Wesleyan Chapel, where the "Declaration of Sentiments" was signed, and the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Home).  Later, I warmed myself with the nostalgia and friendly faces of the "It's A Wonderful Life" Museum (lots of artifacts made by fans, signed by stars of the movie, donated because they looked like items in the movie).  Across the Canal (which I walked along on a paved pathway), I noticed there was a "Women's Hall of Fame".  During my visit, the temps were 39 F and the weather was overcast and windy.  At one point, I crossed a steel bridge that had "It's A Wonderful Life" signage ("George Bailey", "Bedford Falls", etc.) and then paid my respects to a local hero (and Italian immigrant who inspired Frank Capra) who sacrificed his life to save a woman trying to commit suicide.  Before departing the area, I visited one of the Canal Locks - I even was able (signs encouraged it) to walk across the river (dam and lock) there!  Finished with my visit at 1500, I drove towards the east.  Along the way, I passed a gas station with HUGE lines - with the Iran War ongoing, that didn't bode well for my nearly empty gas tank.  Setting aside that concern for a moment, I visited my next Finger Lake (#4): Cayuga Lake.  There was a State Park right where the road ended and I stopped there for some birding (1510).  There were a LOT of birds on the water!  Next, I backtracked to a Casino (Lakeside Entertainment) I'd passed and checked out the Seneca Nation gas station there - unlike the other location, there were no lines.  The price ($3.13) was MUCH cheaper than everywhere else but the 90 Octane Unleaded made me curious.  Oh well - I was able to figure out how to make the pumps work (and helped another lady who was having trouble) and had a full tank of gas by 1520.  Unfortunately, my TPMS was still acting up and there was no free air available at the station. Departing the are, I used NY-89 and US/20 to reach Montezuma NWR - from there, I took NY-326 to the town of Auburn.  My main reason for visiting this area was so I could explore sites connected with the Harriett Tubman NHP.  Using Google Maps (and brochures I found later), I located the Home for the Aged & Indigent Negroes site and, a short distance away, the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church.  Noting that Ms. Tubman was buried in the nearby Fort Hill Cemetery, I figured out how to get inside and found another map.  With the latter aid, I located the Harriett Tubman Davis grave (1610); it was located in the northwest section of the cemetery under a large tree.  Her stone was marked with information that indicated she was a Veteran and the inscription said "Servant of God.  Well Done."  There were lots of flowers on her grave (it was located close to her brother's plot).  After getting in my car again, I drove to another part of the cemetery to visit the grave of Captain Myles Keough (Irishman and Catholic), who died with Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn; I didn't realize it at the time but I just missed seeing the burial plot of William Seward (of "Seward's Folly", Alaska Purchase fame), Secretary of State for Lincoln.  By 1620, I'd finished paying my respects to American Heroes and got back on the road.  This time, I used NY-38 and began looking for access points for Owasco Lake.  I was successful and then spent about 30 minutes (1630 to 1700) walking in Emerson Park (Auburn).  It was windy and cold but I found a lot more birds there.  With most of my daily step goal completed, I used residential roads to return to US-20 - this route took me to Skaneateles Lake (arrived at 1720).  I stopped at City Park and then tried to find a place to park.  The meters were initially disconcerting - but then I figured out that no one had been adding any money to them.  So, I left my car in a spot on the Main Street and started exploring Skaneateles.  Unlike the other towns I'd visited today, this place was on the "bougie" side of the spectrum.  There were so many restaurants to choose and there were a lot of high end shopping establishments.  My brain essentially "flipped a coin" when I stopped for dinner at Gilda's, which had a sign about pizza and small plates.  There was only one seat at the bar but it was enough room for me to order food - I got the "Sam's Favorite" pizza and washed it down with a "Cigar City Maduro" beer.  While in the restaurant, I made a reservation for hotel night near Syracuse.  Feeling full from by good meal, I departed Skaneateles at 1825 and took NY-321, NY-5 and NY-695 to reach I-690.  On the way, I passed by Onondaga Lake (Finger Lake #6 for the day) but didn't stop for photos.  After getting off the Interstate at Hiawatha Boulevard, I used Park Street, NY-137 and NY-148 to reach my hotel, the Days Inn (Liverpool/Syracuse), by 1900.  I was able to check quickly but was not impressed by the poor conditions of the room; also the WiFi was no good.  Generally, security seemed suspect so moved big chair in front of the door (the security locks and deadbolt were broken).  For the rest of the evening, I tried to ignore my "Spidey Sense" and watched movies until bedtime (2230).  Feeling very good about my Finger Lakes excursion today!