Picnicing and Sauntering Upper Buttermilk Falls Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca, NY is probably the most crowed of the local parks because it is at the city's edge. Yet the Upper Buttermilk section is almost always quite, a great picnic and sauntering spot.
This small waterfalls and stream is actually the outlet of Treman Lake, a man-made lake formed by damming one side of a pinnacle of land that was the original stream bed.
It's always amazing that in a fast moving stream back eddies are formed that seem to catch and hold so much floating debris. The story of the stream can often be read in this floating mosaic.
The Treman Lake dam is deceptively high. The lake laps at the top and must be nearly 40ft. deep. No hand- railings on the water side, vertigo on the other! The old gorge and pinnacle makes a perfect dam site.
In the Finger Lakes gorges it must be said there is never a shortage of stairs. Built mainly in the Depresion era they have taken on a natural patina and even seem part of the geology now.
Sauntering around the lake, half the time was cloudy, then late in the day the sun broke out, then with a sunny backside, the reflections and gorge walls became painted with color.
And then its time to go home! RDS
1 comment:
Wow..what a beautiful area to walk around in. Many people don't realize how much beauty there is in NY. They hear NY and think NY City..Thank you for adding this post to Nature Notes. --Michelle--
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