To Geneva

July 14, 2021

A beautiful ride, a beautiful day. Between yesterday and today I think we’ve seen our best cycling of the tour so far. And we stayed dry, nearly.

Hammondsport sits at the south end of Keuka Lake. It’s an unusual lake in the Finger Lakes district, being shaped more like a tuning fork than a finger. Our ride to Geneva began with a 15 mile ride north along its western shore, all the way to end of its left branch. It’s a lovely ride, and a refreshing change from most of the lakeside riding we’ve done before now. On this side of the lake the land pitches down sharply, and the inevitable string of beach houses and vacation homes sits below road level so you can see over them and regularly get decent views of the lake.

It’s overcast when we begin riding and looks like it could rain any time. And, once again we’re in a bit of a hurry trying to reach our endpoint before rain and thunderstorms arrive. As we bike north though the sky gradually brightens; and by the time we reach the north end of the west branch of the lake we’re starting to see sun.

Northbound along the western shore of Keuka Lake. No shoulder, but hardly any traffic either.

Looking across Keuka Lake. The point on the left is the spot at which the northern half of the lake splits into two branches.

Nearing the northern end of the west branch. You can see its end where there’s a bit of a gap to the right. That’s our route, when we get there.

At Branchport we reach the north end of the west branch. We turn east here, curve around the north end of the lake, and then cross the ridge that separates the two branches. It’s the only real climb of the day, and there’s not much to it really. It’s beautiful on top, and wine country - vineyards blanket the rolling hills. The sun breaks out in earnest, and suddenly it’s feeling hot and humid.

After a couple of miles we reach the top of the ridge and suddenly we’re plunging steeply down to the east branch of the lake - very steeply, and enough so that we’re breaking hard to control our speed. It’s at least a 20% grade, maybe 25.

At the north end of the west branch. We turn east here and cross a narrow ridge over to the east branch.

Image not found :( — Climbing away from the west branch. It’s warming up, making the relatively easy climb somewhat uncomfortable.

Reaching the summit. That’s Skyline Road running along the crest. This would be a great area to stop for another day ride and explore this peninsula to its end.

Dropping to the east branch of the lake. It’s already pretty steep here, but drops precipitously just ahead.

Down off the ridge, we ride Bluff Road and follow the east branch for a few miles to Penn Yan at its northern end. Somewhere along the way we lose the sun again, and then it starts sprinkling - enough so that for a few minutes we hide under the eave of a garage to watch and see which way the weather is going to go. After a few minutes it tapers off again so we continue; and within a few miles we’re chasing the near end of a patch of blue, and then catch it. We have a beautiful ride the rest of the way to Geneva, riding the crest of the low ridge between Keuka and Seneca Lakes.

Riding north on Flat Street (!), chasing the sun.

Prison break! Who, who, who let the hens out?

Video sound track: Pavane, by Pablo Segovia Gardel

We arrive in Geneva around one, and as usual too soon to check in to our room. Biking along the waterfront we pass the I♥️NY pavillion and stop in for lunch. It’s a perfect place for our needs - spacious, has plenty of room to bring our bikes inside, has WiFi, eats, and a good selection of regional craft beers. We each enjoy turkey & grape sandwiches, and I enhance it with a fine IPA. We hole up there for about an hour and a half and then head to our hotel, about two blocks away.

This could be a good theme for a complicated bike tour or quest. Let’s visit all the Genevas!

We loaf around our air conditioned room for a few hours - I work on the blog, Rachael takes a nap - and then walk two blocks to an Italian restaurant and enjoy a pleasant meal outdoors in the shade of a covered patio. Afterwards we walk back to the lake for a stroll along the north end of Seneca Lake. It’s really a beautiful spot, with the lakeside lined with willow trees, some of which are from the original planting in about 1890. It makes a perfect way to end the day - even though the temperature is still in the 80’s the shade of trees and the breeze off the water make it very pleasant. Geneva would have been a great spot for a multi-night stay, we realize now.

We included a photo of one of these purple martin colonies earlier, but I like this one more. Look at all the youngsters in there!

Looking south along Seneca Lake. It’s about 35 miles to it’s south end.

Some of the willows along the lake are quite spectacular.

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Ride stats today: 44 miles, 1,800’; for the tour: 1,756 miles, 48,000’

Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 1,756 miles (2,826 km)

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Zelda MekKeuka is a great lake to ride around. 35 mph for cars most of the way. Cayuga good too decent shoulder. Roads in between lakes are much calmer. Go to FLCC finger lakes cycling club website for detailed routes.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Zelda MekHey, thanks for the reference (and for following along)! I was gratified to see that the route they recommend around Keuka takes a different way between the two branches to avoid a ‘wickedly steep climb’. Obviously they must mean Culver Hill Road. We’d have been crying if we’d been riding the other direction yesterday.
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2 years ago