I'm getting toward the end of my summer adventure; on Saturday I finished my 10th lake out of 11, going 59 miles around Keuka Lake.
This was the trip I had to cancel back in June due to a family health emergency that, thankfully, turned OK. My friend John Forbush and I rescheduled for this weekend and set out from his house with the sun just barely up.
John became a dad a year or so ago, so we had plenty to talk about on the drive out to Branchport and as we began our ride. There was supposed to be heavy rain, but again I got lucky - we didn't see a drop of it.
I wonder - if there were a survey of western and central New Yorkers of their favorite Finger Lake, which would come out on top? I would guess it would be among Keuka, Skaneateles and Canandaigua, and I have a feeling Keuka would be first, for a few reasons.
It's big enough that a lot of people are familiar with it, and it has vacation cottages and permanent residences spread along a good portion of the shoreline (unlike Skaneateles or Honeoye, for instance, where they're mostly clustered at the north end). And of course, its unique Y shape means there are many more views of the water from angles you don't get elsewhere.
Put all that together with fine weather, moderate hilliness and good company, and I'd say this was my most enjoyable ride of the summer. It was long enough to be challenging but not as grueling as 80-mile Seneca Lake. The main road on the east side had a lot of truck traffic, but it is paralleled most of the way with sheltered roads for cottages that were perfect for quiet riding.
It's hard to believe I only have one more ride, but it's a big one. Cayuga Lake is the largest lake by circumference, between 90 or 100 miles depending on the route you take. I'll be tackling it in two days next weekend with two of my oldest friends.
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