I'm back from a wonderful waterfall trip in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Together with two prior trips this year that included waterfalls, I can say I am hooked!

You might think it would get repetitive after a while, but that didn't happen, as each setting was unique. Some involved rigorous hikes of several hours, starting at the top and ending at the bottom (of course you had to climb back up to where your car was parked), while others could be seen from the road and still others involved a 10-minute hike. 

It's really tough to choose one favorite as I loved them all, but if pressed, I would have to say that Watkins Glen was my favorite because of all the rock formations and falls, which carved fantastic caverns and amphitheaters made of soft shale, black shale and siltstone formed from ancient ocean muds deposited about 380 million years ago. I kept thinking of hobbits, wizards and elves.

What made this trip even more fun is doing it with an old friend from my Cape Cod days whom I hadn't seen for over 30 years! And my earlier trip to Bushkill Falls, PA, earlier this year was with "Dido" of SA fame.

Here are just a few photos representing 7 waterfalls in 3 trips this year:

This was part of a solo trip I made to Muckross State Park in Vermont this past spring. It wasn't established as a park until 2016, so it wasn't around when I lived in this town in my 20s, which made me curious to see it. There were only spaces for about 5 cars in the small parking lot and I had the place to myself.

Above is Bushkill Falls, which Dido and I visited earlier in September.

I think Watkins Glen was my favorite. It is a long series of waterfalls (not just one) as you climb MANY stairs. There are so many fascinating formations etched in the stone. Unwordly. Holy. Awe-inspiring. Stunning. These are all words I would use to describe Watkins Glen.

This is Shequaga Falls in Montour Falls, NY. When viewed from Main Street, these falls appear to be flowing directly into the backyard of this stately home. (They aren't.)  Can you imagine being able to give your visitors directions by telling them to just look for the waterfall?

Havana Glen, Montour Falls, NY.

Taughannock Falls, Trumansburg, NY.

These photos don't really do it justice, because what you can't see here is a natural amphitheater of stone surrounding this waterfall, carved and etched in a layered sequence of sedimentary rock about 380 million years ago when the entire Finger Lakes region was submerged under a prehistoric inland sea. It's jawdropping.

Butternut Falls State Park, Ithaca, NY.

I would have liked to see the Cornell campus in Ithaca, but by the end of this hike on our last full day there, we were both worn out. You start at the top of the falls and work your way down, seeing multiple falls from every angle. But then you either have to climb all those stone stairs you descended or hike back on a somewhat easier trail, minus the stairs. It took us about a half day, but it was so worth it.

Aside from waterfalls, we fit in a leisurely cruise on Seneca Lake and a few nice meals. We bagged the visit to the Corning Musuem as the weather was so perfect, we both agreed our time was better spent outdoors. The drive up and back was blissfully uneventful and was a little less than 4 hours each way not including breaks. The side-by-side rooms we booked were clean and totally functional. My only mishap was leaving some squash I'd purchased from an Amish family farm in the little fridge when I checked out.

Everything grown at these farms were the best I've seen, with much better prices than back home. There are also many vineyards hugging both sides of the lake.

Because this is a personal finance forum, I will tell you I spent $654 for a 5-day trip. Very affordable.

Today's been the kind of rainy day I like. Nothing torrential, just a nice, steady rain since early this morning. Like days of yore. It's a nice change from the every-weather-event-is-extreme weather of recent years. I really wish more was being done about climate change. The average person doesn't feel like there's much they can do about it, so we all go about our lives.

I took a break, skipping two consecutive gym workouts because my FitBit was telling me my "readiness score" was very low and my body needed more time to recuperate from my admittedly intense workouts. And I'd been feeling pretty low energy for days on end. Which led me to wonder if I should permanently reduce my current 3-day-a-week workouts to 2 days a week, so I have more time to recover. I think my body would really appreciate this and on a personal level, I would love this too, as sometimes I feel I spend so much time at the gym I don't have enough time for other things. 

I think I will allow myself to be guided more by FitBit because in the past I've been perhaps too disciplined about sticking to the three-day-a-week schedule. But anyway, I did get to the gym this morning since my readiness score was 53 (Moderate). I told AI that it's not unusual for me to need 3 hours to just lounge around after a workout, and it suggested I eat a handful of raisins immediately after the workout (bring them to the gym) and before I get on the treadmill. I've been doing this but haven't noticed any improvement in my post-workout fatigue level.

So a few days ago, maybe even a week, I remember waking up in the early morning, half-asleep, and I "thought" I saw something large and black scurry across my breast! Eww.  I felt it, too. I screamed, got up, put the light on, and searched the bedsheets but found nothing.  It was dark when it happened, I wasn't fully awake and I didn't have my glasses on, so maybe it was the tail end of a dream.

Well, last night as I was getting ready for bed, I drew the drapes closed on a window, which sent a large, black spider scurrying across the wall of my bedroom where the wall meets the ceiling.  It wasn't a dream! Normally I do a catch and release, but I was too tired to go look for a cup, so I did kill the spider, which I feel a little bad about. 

I wrote a nomination for my non-profit group that works to combat invasive plants like Japanese knotweed. I ran it by others in my group, two of whom had some minor changes, and after adjusting the content, submitted it to the state group who makes this annual award. We are a group of four women, and three of us are well over 50. We do so much...I think we deserve it. It's the first year we've ever sought out this award.

I think one thing that's cool about our group is that we each have different strengths that we bring to the table. Two people are pretty good at public speaking and have presented at public programs we've done at the library and community center. One of them is our town's conservation commission chairman and the other works at a local aroboretum. Another member is a Master Gardener. And then there's me, the writer who wholly overhauled and enhanced the website and led the charge on Facebook posts to engage the public and raise awareness. We are friends and treat each other with respect, but we don't always agree with each other. So far, it's worked.

I went to a native plant sale yesterday and bought a senna and a golden Alexander, but they have yet to be planted. They are just seedlings, so I'll need to secure temporary fencing.

We usually try to get together at least once a year. We have been meeting for several years now at a certain small town in northeastern PA, which is roughly midway between us. We've browsed the shops there, dined at the best spots, hiked Raymondskill Falls and even rented bikes to explore the neighborhoods with. 

This year, I proposed we meet at Bushkill Falls, also "roughly" midway between us. Just for something different. We met there yesterday and caught up with what's new in our lives while oohing and ahhing at the falls. Most of the falls in this area are state parks, but this one has been privately owned and operated by a certain family since 1800-something. Afterwards, we drove just a little ways down the road to have lunch outside at a popular restaurant. I had pierogies (!), a dish my Slovakian grandmother often made. 

Those walkways look a bit rickety, but they were actually very sturdy.

One of the memoralbilia displays in the history cabin.

We resisted temptation at the Fudge Shop.