MEMORIES 2007: BIKE TOUR THROUGH THE FINGER LAKES
Cayuga & Skaneateles
THE SPINNING DIVAS had a great bike tour of the Finger Lakes ~ Cayuga & Skaneateles.
We met Sunday morning at the Collegetown Bagelry on the Commons in Ithaca. After lunch (and a torrential rain storm as we got our selves ready to go), we took off! Little did we know that it would be straight up hill through Cornell's campus. Despite the wind we made it 28 miles to the beautiful village of Aurora and the spectacular Aurora Inn. Some of the women enjoyed a stop at the King Ferry Winery and then had a private tour of "Stay Home Again", the home of Victoria & Richard MacKenzie-Child, which operates as a B&B. We had a great dinner at in the Dining Room of the Inn that night.
Monday morning after breakfast on the back porch of the Aurora Inn (overlooking Cayuga Lake) we took off for 27 miles to Skaneatles. All of us enjoyed a visit to MacKenzie Childs. Some ventured forward and added a bonus ride around Owasco Lake! Others enjoyed massages & facials at Mirbeau Spa while others strolled the streets of quaint Skaneateles and then imbibed at the wonderful restaurants. That night several of us, along with girl*friends from the Rochester, NY area, dined at the infamous Rosalie's. We stayed at the Sherwood Inn that night. Wonderful...
Tuesday morning after breakfast on the front porch of the Sherwood Inn we packed Katie & Kate S. in to the back of the van along with (2) bikes...& (4) bikes on the bike rack for our ride across Route 5/20 to the top of Cayuga Lake. Michelle, Kate S. & Amy were our "heroes" as they cycled across! We all met for a fabulous lunch at the Sheldrake Winery's Cafe, Simply Red. The views as well as the food & wine tasting were spectacular. From there we all made it safely to the William Henry Mill Inn in Ithaca. 98 miles total for most of us...more for our "heroes". Karen was surprised and thrilled to be welcomed by her college friend, Jack, who she hadn't seen in about 20+ years! He now helps out at the Inn. Of course, no trip to Ithaca is complete without a visit to Rulloff's so Katie & Karen took several of the women up to Collegetown to show them where much of their time was spent in the early/mid 80's! Dinner that night was at Just A Taste, walking distance from the Inn on the Commons. We sampled much from their Tapas menu. We were joined by Karen & Katie's sister, Mimi. Dessert & coffee followed in the Dining Room of the Inn. Yummy!
The following morning a delicious breakfast was served in the Dining Room. Then it was time to say good bye...our achin' quads were happy to do so! It was a fabulous trip filled with great Inns, wonderful restaurants, tasty wines, spectacular scenery and amazing women! Looking forward to next year...
