Cody’s blog

Keuka Lake State Park
3560 Pepper Road
Bluff Point, NY 14478

315-536-3666

September 18 – 22, 2022

I went on one camping trip with my brother and sister-in-law before I decided that the big truck and trailer were too much for me, and later, I ended up trading in the F-150 for a small pickup truck, a Ford Maverick, and trading the trailer for a Class B campervan. I loved my trailer once it was safely settled into its site! But, after one experience hooking up my trailer and getting it out of its small parking space at my house, driving it along winding rural roads to a state park, backing the trailer into its site and getting set up, I was so stressed out I never wanted to do that again!

Not to mention that I’d fallen and broken my hip ten months earlier, and my hip had gotten infected and the partial hip replacement was loose and constantly subluxating painfully. I didn’t know this at the time, all I knew was that I was weak and feverish and in pain. So I wasn’t able to do a lot of things I’d have liked to do.

On Monday, our first full day at the park, we drove around the park to see the other campsites and the beach and boating area, and visited the Indian Pines Fruit Stand for snacks and supplies. Then, in the afternoon, after napping through a thunderstorm, we went out to visit a couple of wineries.

Our first stop was Stever Hill Vineyards, where we each chose five wines to taste. I picked all sweet wines — one red, one sparkling, one rose, one white, and a cream sherry. After five glasses of wine, even small ones, I was feeling pretty zonked. I also bought a tee-shirt there.

Then we stopped at Hunt Country Vineyards. They offered a chocolate tasting plate, so I had that instead of wine. Two pieces of milk chocolate, one white chocolate, and one dark chocolate, all yummy.

For dinner, we went to Keuka Restaurant in Penn Yan. I had a rice bowl with black beans, corn, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and vegan sausage. It was delicious, and there was plenty left over to take home for lunch the next day.

On Tuesday, we went to do some hiking along the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail, a seven-mile trail bordering the Keuka Outlet that runs between Keuka and Seneca Lakes between Dresden and Penn Yan. There are two main falls along the way, Cascade Falls and Seneca Lake Falls.

We stopped first at a spot where we could go up the trail to one of the Cascade Falls. It was supposed to be the smaller of the two main falls, so my brother and I rested near the parking area while my sister-in-law hiked up the trail to the falls.

Then we drove to the next parking area, where we hiked to Seneca Falls (I might have the two falls reversed, I can’t remember now which was the one I hiked to).

Wednesday was a lovely warm clear day, so we packed up picnic lunches and went to the beach.

After lunch, we visited Yates Cellars, and possibly other wineries, but I only have pictures of this one.

Then in the evening after dinner, I visited my brother and sister-in-law at their campsite to sit by the fire and enjoy our last night at the campground.

The next day we hooked up and drove home. I really liked the campground, all the sites were spacious and surrounded with trees for privacy. There was a lot to do and see in the area, and I would love to go back there sometime when I’m feeling healthy and can enjoy it all.