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| gorge near Ithaca, NY |
Two former Redskins jumped in a rental car and took to the east this past week in search of, well, I'm not exactly sure what we searching for but whatever it was, it was all good.
Our trip started in the finger lake region of New York at the Robert H. Treman State Park in Ithaca. The Treman family must have did something in the area is there is also the Allen H. Treman State Marine Park right down the road. With a mix of gorges, waterfalls, and the hilly region where Cornell University resides, the whole viewing experience was outstanding. We did the camping scene there and while the park is nice, it is a bit too kid friendly. With that, it isn't for those campers looking for a little peace and quiet. We had the pleasure of having our camp site next to the Brady Bunch. The parents took control once quiet hours kicked in so it wasn't that bad.
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| Lake Champlain |
From New York, we ventured northeast through the southern portion of the Adirondacks, over to Middlebury, Vermont, and up to Grand Isle State Park on Lake Champlain. This park was one of the nicer ones I have ever been to. Well maintained, the rangers were very helpful, and of course, the views. A majority of the sites were isolated from one another and travel agent of the year Nancy reserved us an area right on the banks of this gargantuan lake. We took in a Greenfield Village-like place in Shelburne, Vermont along with a tour through Burlington; a cool little college town (University of Vermont).
From there, we fired up the rental car (put a few miles on the odometer) for the journey back west. We decided on a stop in Pittsburgh for a few nights as neither of us had been to the three river town and had heard some positive things about it from others. The town didn't disappoint. We took a ride up the Duquesne Incline (pictured below) which takes you up about 800 feet to a viewing area overlooking the rivers and downtown. Quite impressive. I got my sports fix as we took a tour of the Pirates' ball park. While I've only seen a handful of baseball stadiums to date, this one was the best I have ever seen. The skyline overlooks the outfield with the river between the buildings and the stadium. They did it up right in Pittsburgh. We concluded our journey on the trip with some good eats/beverages near the University of Pittsburgh.
Two thumbs up to the east.
Trail Head
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| Taughannock Falls - Ithaca, NY |
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| Middlebury, VT |
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| Shelburne, VT |
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| Willie Stargell statue - Pittsburgh, PA |
The scene was St. Helen, Michigan, this weekend as the fight for the Badwater Bass Club's AOY (Angler of the Year) award came down to seven hours Saturday morning on Lake St. Helen. When it was all said and done, the efforts of a guest fisherman, Tommy, had an impact on the final tally. The leech-master had to go artificial on the lure front but adapted quite well to the tune of eight pounds and took top stringer. The session was a major so those double points might have done some serious shakeup to the standings for those striving for the prestigious AOY award. But it was not to be as it appears leader Greg V. is the inaugural Angler of the Year recipient. Congratulations to the vocal ensemble dude.
Yours truly had a solid chance to get on the board this week, but.....(ready yourself for a fish story). There is about an hour or so left in the session and tug goes my line. This was not a weed and was definitely not another 13-inch Dunham Laker. Up to the boat the fish came; it was large and in charge. Does Tim have the patience to wait for the net? Unfortunately, not. The fish did a Fosbury Flop up in the air off the line, a bounce on the interior edge of the boat, and back into the water it went. Oh so close. 
