After thoroughly enjoying a beautiful hike at Ricketts Glen (Link Back To Last Post) we opted to follow that up with a day of recovery.

What better way to do that then to spend another relaxing day with our dogs down at the lake-shore. We enjoyed our previous trip during vacation that we decided to take another crack at it and see if we could do it even better this time around. We went back to Taughannock Falls State Park for another day of picnics and relaxation and dogs.

Taughannock Minus the Waterfalls

On this trip we opted to skip the hike out to the waterfall and focus on relaxing down on the shoreline of Cayuga Lake.

One strange thing about staying put for so long over the course of a day is you really begin to notice how little people actually do this. We could often observe other people spending time enjoying the park and relaxing and having a picnic similar to what we were doing but more often than not it was just a brief stay for the other visitors. We usually outlasted everyone else at the park even those that arrived well after us.

People do not just sit around and relax and enjoy nature much anymore. I am as guilty of that as any and that makes me even more grateful to have chosen this style of vacation especially when it is something we would not likely have done in other circumstances.

I am glad to have set aside the compulsive need to be busy and make time to truly rest and relax. I need top make more time for this in my life.

Eventually it began to get busy at Taughannock. It was filling up with people. People were coming and going. It was making it hard to relax for us and the dogs. We decided a change of venue was in order.

Treman Picnic

We transitioned to a different location at Robert H. Treman State Park. This park is another spectacularly beautiful places. It is known for its gorge and its waterfalls. We took a different approach to our visit. We set out to continue the low key relaxation.

We drove to the upper park area at the top of the gorge. No waterfalls in site. There are however, open spaces and forests, and beautiful majestic trees mixed into a sparsely used picnic area. We brought our dogs and our goods to the perfect picnic table near the woods but still in the open but also close to the large trees and perfectly in the shade.

While there were plenty of people visiting the park, hiking the gorge we were about as secluded from that as one could be and still be at the park. Very few people ventured over to the picnic area where we had settled down. It was pretty perfect. I am so spoiled by the amazing state parks we have right close to home. So beautiful and spacious that you can pick out your own place for an all day picnic and be completely undisturbed for hours. I am truly fortunate to be able to have these experiences so readily.

Fair Haven Beach State Park

After spending a day at two state parks that I am most familiar with we planned to spend the day someplace I had never been before doing something that I don’t do very often.

We went to Fair Haven Beach State Park and spent the day relaxing and hanging out with our friends. I don’t go to the beach very often. I especially don’t go to the beach with the intention of just relaxing on the sand and swimming in the water. Usually if I go to the beach it is to take photographs.

I am just not really a beach person. However, I really enjoyed spending the day at Fair Haven Beach State Park. The beach itself was nice. There was plenty of room to have space all to yourself. It never felt crowded. The weather was nice as well. It was warm enough that I actually wanted to go swimming and the water was the perfect temperature. I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever been in the water in one of the great lakes.

It was a fun day of relaxing and socializing. Doing something different but still getting to relax was nice. I didn’t even take a single picture the whole day.

Home

For our last day of vacation we decided we didn’t want to waste any of our precious remaining vacation time traveling. We decided to stay home and enjoy the simple things we have right where we are.

We took our 3 dogs for a walk together in the morning. On our way home Stopping at the grocery store to pick up supplies. We went home and at home we stayed. Relaxing and watching movies and eating food we enjoy was the plan for the day.

We watched Project Power on Netflix. Then later on Hulu we watched The Postcard Killings. Both Movies were enjoyable: I had a beyond Burger for lunch and again later for dinner. I munched on bagel chips on and off during the day. Mostly to help me stay awake. I really struggle staying awake watching TV these days even watching programs I enjoy.

I also tried two new flavors of Ben and Jerry Non Dairy ice cream. I enjoyed the “Milk” & Cookies and the Coconut Seven Layer Bar. If you don’t think you would enjoy non-dairy ice cream I highly suggest you try out what Ben and Jerry have done. Pair the non-dairy ice-cream with the Beyond Burgers and it might be your gateway drugs to a plant based diet.

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