Watkins Glen 2016

Watkins Glen is the kind of place we have always sought out wherever we travel: a narrow gorge filled with waterfalls, natural basins, polished rock, and trails that lead directly through the scenery instead of merely looking down on it from a distance.

The stream has spent an immense span of time cutting downward through layers of sedimentary rock. Water, sand, gravel, freezing, thawing, and repeated floods gradually widened cracks and carried loosened material away. The softer layers eroded more quickly than the harder ones, leaving ledges, plunge pools, curving walls, and a long staircase of waterfalls.

What makes Watkins Glen especially memorable is how closely the trail follows the stream. Stone steps climb through tunnels, cross old bridges, squeeze beside deep pools, and even pass behind falling water. Every bend reveals another change in the rock and another small waterfall or basin.

We took our time. Places like this are not just stops to check off a list. They are places to wander, cool off, look closely at the layers, and enjoy being together. A few days near a gorge, a lake, or a mountain has always been one of our favorite ways to turn an ordinary weekend into a real trip.

The Showboat Motel was a perfect base for the weekend. We could finish a morning or afternoon in the gorge, return to the lake, and immediately launch the canoe, kayaks, and rafts. There was no need for a complicated plan. The water and docks were right there.

That freedom was a large part of the fun. We could paddle, float, tow one another around, climb back onto the rafts, and start all over again. The motel became more than a place to sleep; it was part of the adventure.

Brinlin and Delaney quickly turned the quiet lakefront into a floating playground. Kayaks became towboats, the rafts became islands, and every close approach was an opportunity for splashing, tipping, or another ambush.

The water fights were good, but the seaweed fights were even better. Before long there were weeds flying from raft to raft and tangled through everyone’s hair. The best pictures are the ones where nobody is posing very seriously—just laughing, dripping wet, and clearly having a great time.

Trips like this have always been some of the easiest to remember: a dramatic natural place to explore, a comfortable place beside the water, and enough unstructured time for everyone to make their own fun.

Watkins Glen gave us the waterfalls and the gorge. Seneca Lake gave us the canoeing, kayaking, rafting, towing, water fights, and seaweed battles. Together they made a full weekend that felt much larger than the short drive from Pennsylvania.