A 25+ mile day on Cayuga Lake

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Taughannock Falls State Park

25.2 miles – and I’m toasted

My mom wanted me to go to Cornell, and if she was here today she’d be saying, ‘Al, for God’s sake, you’re only eight miles away – two to three hours at the most. Get back in the boat and row to Cornell.’

She’s right, of course. But she didn’t just put 25 miles under her keel in fiendishly hot weather after 5 hours of sleep.

‘But Al,’ she’d say, ‘they have a hotel and hospitality school at Cornell. Row there, and you’ll surely find relief.’

Mom … let it go. I’m done for the day, I really am.

So I’m here at Taughannock Falls State Park. Chris Olney is on his way over with his truck. I can’t leave my stuff here, and he’s not on the water, but it’s all good. Chris is with the Finger Lakes Land Trust, so this will be educational. Sooo hospitable.

Sadly, there’s no swimming here today. A harmful algae bloom has rendered this otherwise clean looking water unsafe (on this, one of the hottest days of the year.) Happily no such prohibition is posted at the beach-side concession stand. Two vanilla shakes have parted my teeth, but such is the burden a rower must carry.

A thunderstorm is coming in five minutes – gotta batten down the gear …