September 12, 2023
Day 4-I see wineries but where are the vineyards?
Canandaigua to Hammondsport slowly on tired legs
Jim’s rear tire was flat this morning so we got a late start to breakfast. When we finally got to the breakfast room, I was excited to see a pancake robot! The first time I saw one was in a Comfort Inn in Oregon last summer; here was another at the Holiday Inn. Of course I had to have 2 delicious pancakes made by it!
We were on the road by 9:20 and riding slowly. Today’s ride was less rigorous than yesterday, but still had almost 1800 of elevation gain as we climbed over a few more ridges. But first we skirted along the edge of Lake Canandaigua. It was actually difficult to find decent access to view the lake as most of the lakefront is privately owned. Fortunately we found a small public lakefront park right before our turnout away from the lake.
Climbing away from the lake, it was apparent that we all were feeling the effects of yesterday’s exertions, evidenced by lots of moans about “tired legs” and early downshifts as the grade grew steeper.
The weather was mostly sunny and a bit warmer-well into the 70’s. We rode into a pleasant light, cooling wind most of the day. Another day of riding without rain-Hurrah!
At mile 22 we entered Branchpoint, right at the northern tip of Lake Keuka. There we saw the highway sign that indicated that West Lake Rd., our route, was closed due to construction between here and Hammondsport, our destination. So we went into Keuka Korners, a cafe/bar/convenience store to ask about this. One lady called W. Lake Rd. “a hot mess,” but thought we might be able to get through on bikes. A couple of guys and the waitress/proprietor were less optimistic and had several suggestions about alternative routes that involved climbing up the steep ridge on the west side of the lake, bypassing the closure, then descending back down, all of which would add both elevation and mileage to our day. While we were deciding what to do, we decided to eat lunch there; at least we would be fueled if we had to climb more and ride longer than we had planned.
Ultimately we decided to at least try to ride through the closed zone, which turned out to be the right decision. At the first barricade, the workers waved us through because, they”hadn’t dug a hole yet.” At other areas, we were able to ride off to the side of the work being done. All in all, it was pretty easy to go through on bicycles and the ride alongside Lake Keuka was generally very pleasant.
We passed numerous wineries on this road and all had steep driveways going up the ridge to our right. I had yet to spot a vineyard though (Amber told me later she had seen a couple small ones-I am not sure how I missed them.) But eventually I did see some areas in the hillsides on the east side of the lake that had been cleared of trees and looked suspiciously like small vineyards. So probably all the vineyards are up in the hills, hidden from view by the trees alongside the lake.
Our accommodations are right on Keuka lake. The town of Hammondsport is small and quiet right now. Right about the time we decided to walk to the town square to get dinner, it started to rain, HARD! We were caught in a downpour, and got thoroughly drenched. When we walked into the restaurant, the staff brought us towels to dry off. Then we proceeded to have a lovely meal topped off with some local wine, which was quite good.
Tomorrow is a well deserved rest day. Laundry is on the list, along with sleeping in and generally just relaxing.
Ride along with us:
Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 159 miles (256 km)
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