Dining
Matouring – a TravelBlog
New York’s Finger Lakes:
an Elderhostel Learning Adventure
an Elderhostel Learning Adventure
By Robert and Mary Haught
Although we’ve only taken two Elderhostel trips, we are thoroughly sold on this idea for mature travelers. Founded in 1975 by Marty Knowlton and David Blanco, Elderhostel was designed to give older adults opportunities to learn and grow and therefore change the face of aging.
The name "Elderhostel" was coined in a moment of inspiration, and the co-founders meant for it to stand for intellectual stimulation, personal growth, fellowship, exploration, self-discovery and a lot of fun.
After 34 years, the name is changing. Elderhostel President James Moses said that for the uninitiated, the name is a barrier for many people – either because they don’t perceive themselves as "elders" or because the word "hostel" represents an inaccurate description of the accommodations. (Our experience has shown that the lodging is nothing like the bare bones youth hostels in various parts of the world.) The new name will be announced in September.
Now we are beginning our third Elderhostel trip, to the Finger Lakes region of New York. It’s a five-day program titled: "Finger Lakes Sampler: Tasty, Beautiful, Historic, With a Full Bouquet." Here is how the program is described in the Elderhostel catalog:
"Such a Feast for the Senses! The fine art of wine tasting co-mingled with an appetizer of glacial geology, gorge hike and Finger Lake cruise. The entrée – the amazing 3,000-year history of glass from the famous Corning Museum of Glass, with its Hot Glass Show and Innovation Center. Side dishes include guided walks of local architecture and historic preservation, and amazing museum of aviation and a presentation on Iroquois culture. Dessert is a visit to the study where Mark Twain wrote his most famous novels and a special feature all about the English glassmaker, Frederick Carder, founded of Steuben Glass in 1903."
The program is held in association with Watson Homestead Conference and Retreat Center at Painted Post, N.Y., which offers motel-type rooms, a heated indoor pool and country-style buffet meals. Located on 600 acres of unspoiled land, Watson Homestead was established in 1955 by Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM, on his birthplace.
We want to share our experiences with the readers of Haughtline Dweethly on a daily basis by means of postings to this TravelBlog. Be sure to check www.haughtline.net each day to get the full story of our adventure.
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At least 15 states are represented in this group, from New York to Florida, from Kansas to North Carolina. Not everyone is retired. Six are first time Elderhostelers. But all are leading active lives. Some had done more than two dozen programs. Bob and Kaki Swann from Kensal, Va., are celebrating a wedding anniversary. There's a wide range of interests, from quilting to cooking, from antique cars to woodworking. Liz Cross, a bridge enthusiast (she teaches it on cruise ships), ended a rainy vacation in Maine and stopped off on her way home to Florida.
There are a number of people in the group whose passion is music or theater. Ray Bassi, whose booming voice could almost be heard back home in New York, easily reflects his stage experience. Another New Yorker, Jenny Madison, is a longtime member of the Sweet Adelines. Trudy Cutler of Rhode Island, who has a background as a cabaret singer, suggested an after hours singalong and persuaded Jill Quinley to limber up her piano-playing skills. With some dancers and other talent in the group, a talent show night later in the week might be a possibility.
With the specter of being euthanized under the health care overhaul looming, some in the audience perhaps were jarred by the professor’s blithe statement that the coastal area of California could slide up to Alaska sometime in the future.
The name "Elderhostel" was coined in a moment of inspiration, and the co-founders meant for it to stand for intellectual stimulation, personal growth, fellowship, exploration, self-discovery and a lot of fun.
After 34 years, the name is changing. Elderhostel President James Moses said that for the uninitiated, the name is a barrier for many people – either because they don’t perceive themselves as "elders" or because the word "hostel" represents an inaccurate description of the accommodations. (Our experience has shown that the lodging is nothing like the bare bones youth hostels in various parts of the world.) The new name will be announced in September.
Now we are beginning our third Elderhostel trip, to the Finger Lakes region of New York. It’s a five-day program titled: "Finger Lakes Sampler: Tasty, Beautiful, Historic, With a Full Bouquet." Here is how the program is described in the Elderhostel catalog:
"Such a Feast for the Senses! The fine art of wine tasting co-mingled with an appetizer of glacial geology, gorge hike and Finger Lake cruise. The entrée – the amazing 3,000-year history of glass from the famous Corning Museum of Glass, with its Hot Glass Show and Innovation Center. Side dishes include guided walks of local architecture and historic preservation, and amazing museum of aviation and a presentation on Iroquois culture. Dessert is a visit to the study where Mark Twain wrote his most famous novels and a special feature all about the English glassmaker, Frederick Carder, founded of Steuben Glass in 1903."
The program is held in association with Watson Homestead Conference and Retreat Center at Painted Post, N.Y., which offers motel-type rooms, a heated indoor pool and country-style buffet meals. Located on 600 acres of unspoiled land, Watson Homestead was established in 1955 by Thomas J. Watson, founder of IBM, on his birthplace.
We want to share our experiences with the readers of Haughtline Dweethly on a daily basis by means of postings to this TravelBlog. Be sure to check www.haughtline.net each day to get the full story of our adventure.
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After an enjoyable drive from Virginia with friends John and Jill Quinley, including a picnic lunch at a picturesque spot on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, we arrived at the Homestead in late afternoon. The place lived up to its description for beauty and serenity.
Along with our room keys and registration packets, we received a friendly greeting from Jenny Monroe, an Elderhostel coordinator who has been doing programs at the Homestead for seven years. She gave an orientation on the week's activities after dinner and, as is customary, asked each of the 41 participants to tell a little bit about themselves and what they are "passionate" about (excluding grandchildren).
At least 15 states are represented in this group, from New York to Florida, from Kansas to North Carolina. Not everyone is retired. Six are first time Elderhostelers. But all are leading active lives. Some had done more than two dozen programs. Bob and Kaki Swann from Kensal, Va., are celebrating a wedding anniversary. There's a wide range of interests, from quilting to cooking, from antique cars to woodworking. Liz Cross, a bridge enthusiast (she teaches it on cruise ships), ended a rainy vacation in Maine and stopped off on her way home to Florida.
There are a number of people in the group whose passion is music or theater. Ray Bassi, whose booming voice could almost be heard back home in New York, easily reflects his stage experience. Another New Yorker, Jenny Madison, is a longtime member of the Sweet Adelines. Trudy Cutler of Rhode Island, who has a background as a cabaret singer, suggested an after hours singalong and persuaded Jill Quinley to limber up her piano-playing skills. With some dancers and other talent in the group, a talent show night later in the week might be a possibility.
Day One
Monday's program featured two excellent lectures on the Geology of the Finger Lakes by Mariana Rhoades of St. JohnFisherCollege in Rochester, N.Y. Her explanation of how mountain building and plate tectonics formed the state of New York provoked intelligent questions and comments. She described how the Finger Lakes resulted from glacial activity during the Ice Age, as did the Watkins Glen Gorge.
Monday's program featured two excellent lectures on the Geology of the Finger Lakes by Mariana Rhoades of St. JohnFisherCollege in Rochester, N.Y. Her explanation of how mountain building and plate tectonics formed the state of New York provoked intelligent questions and comments. She described how the Finger Lakes resulted from glacial activity during the Ice Age, as did the Watkins Glen Gorge.
With the specter of being euthanized under the health care overhaul looming, some in the audience perhaps were jarred by the professor’s blithe statement that the coastal area of California could slide up to Alaska sometime in the future.
She also gave a brief review of the New York wine industry, which had its early beginnings when Henry Hudson in 1609 observed grapes growing on the banks of the river that now bears his name. The Finger Lakes region is the second largest wine producing area in the U.S.
Jenny Monroe acted out several roles in telling the Iroquois story of creation and other fascinating stories about the Haudenosaunee, "people of the longhouse." In these structures lived members of the five tribes of the Iroquois. Longfellow’s Hiawatha lived in one. Monroe said women were a dominant force in the history of the Iroquois and had an influence on the beginning of the women’s movement in the U.S. in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
The day’s physical activity (and there is plenty of that scheduled during the week) presented a challenge to climb a 36-foot vertical tower. A number of men and women of various ages strapped on harnesses and made the effort, a few reaching the top. One who tried but barely got off the ground was Rita LaBelle, a Connecticut great-grandmother, who said she had lost some strength in her hands from years of handling turkeys on a family farm.
With mostly sunny skies and pleasant temperatures, Monday was an ideal day in the clean, fresh air of this bucolic setting, climaxed by the rise of a full moon.
Day Two
Tuesday’s schedule called for an early departure for a full day’s outing, starting with a stop at MontourFalls and hiking through the famous Watkins Glen Gorge. Also on tap was the first of three wineries on the week’s itinerary, Lakewood Vineyard, a Seneca Lake sightseeing cruise and a visit to ElmiraCollege to see Mark Twain’s study and an exhibit.
Watkins Glen, with its spectacular gorge and 19 waterfalls, is a scenic wonder that began to form 12,000 years ago when great continental glaciers from Canada carved out a giant trough in an ancient river valley. This magnificent feat of nature fully lived up to expectations.
Tuesday’s schedule called for an early departure for a full day’s outing, starting with a stop at MontourFalls and hiking through the famous Watkins Glen Gorge. Also on tap was the first of three wineries on the week’s itinerary, Lakewood Vineyard, a Seneca Lake sightseeing cruise and a visit to ElmiraCollege to see Mark Twain’s study and an exhibit.
Watkins Glen, with its spectacular gorge and 19 waterfalls, is a scenic wonder that began to form 12,000 years ago when great continental glaciers from Canada carved out a giant trough in an ancient river valley. This magnificent feat of nature fully lived up to expectations.Most of the group began at the top and walked down the 1 ½ miles, while a few of us either began at a lower point or at the main entrance and walked as far as halfway up and back. Cameras and videocams were busy – walk a bit, stop and shoot, walk a little farther, pause and click – and while the hike gave our bodies a workout, the incredible experience was well worth it.
A picnic lunch in a rock pavilion on the lakeshore was a welcome stop, as was Lakewood, a winery on the western shore of Seneca Lake, which dates to 1951, when a dentist named Frank E. Stamp got bored with his profession and decided to try his hand at growing grapes. We enjoyed an expertly done tasting of a choice of dry or sweet prizewinning wines.
On the hour-long lake cruise, the boat captain delivered an interesting commentary on a major industry, salt mining, pointed out the Palisades-type cliffs on the shoreline, and even worked in a little early American history.
Then it was on to Elmira, the home of Olivia Langdon, who became Mrs. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain’s real name) in 1870. During the following two decades the Clemens family spent summers at Quarry Farm in Elmira, where he wrote major portions of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and other works. We saw the Clemens’ graves at Woodlawn Cemetery and their statues on the college campus.
It was a genuine thrill to stand in the study where this great American writer worked and looked at photos and mementoes of his professional and family life. The study is a relatively small gazebo-like structure with windows all around. His sister-in-law had it built in an octagonal shape reminiscent of a steamboat pilot house.
Day Three
Wednesday picked up on an enthralling Tuesday evening recitation of the accomplishments of Glenn Curtiss, the brilliant inventor and aviator of the early 1900s, by Kirk House, former director of the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport. An expert on aerodynamics and the history of flight, House doesn’t fly. "Can’t afford it," he said. So we bought one of his books.
We began our day at the museum in the home city of the man who made the first pre-announced public airplane flight in 1908. (The Wright brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk was a private experiment.) The museum is filled with exhibits tracing the life of Curtiss, who set bicycle, motorcycle, airplane and racing car speed records. Planes he designed are on display, including the Curtiss "Jenny", the P-40 "Flying Tigers" aircraft, and the "flying boat."
Tours of two more wineries – Pleasant Valley and the Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars – followed, with another picnic lunch in between, this one at ChamplainBeach at the beautiful Keuka Lake.
Established in 1860, the Pleasant Valley Wine Co. bears the designation "U.S. Bonded Winery No. 1", which means the first to pay taxes. A tour through its historic stone buildings and caves carved into the valley’s hillside gave us the feeling of being in an old world winery. A tasting allowed us to sample Great Western champagne and other wines that give this winery a stellar reputation.
The day’s second tasting was at the winery that bears the name of the European immigrant who succeeded growing vinifera grape varieties in cold climates in the U.S. and changed the course of winemaking. Dr. Frank’s claims the title of New York’s most award-winning winery, with its highly acclaimed Rieslings and other products of its international winemaking team. Adding to our enjoyment of the tasting was the magnificent panoramic view of the vineyards and the lake.
With no program scheduled for the evening, the Haughts and the Quinleys took advantage of the free night and went into Corning to see the outstanding collection at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and have dinner at the Thali Indian restaurant – both very satisfying experiences.
Day Four
A trip to the Corning Museum of Glass, a highlight of this Elderhostel program, occupied us for a large portion of the last full day. After exploring the galleries exhibiting 3,500 years of glassmaking from around the world and seeing the Frederick Carder Steuben collection, the group took a walking tour of Corning’s historic Market Street district.
This fabulous museum houses the world’s finest collection of art and historical glass – 
more than 45,000 objects in all. Its numerous exhibits tell the story of the science and technology behind innovations in glass. We assembled at the Dale Chihuly "Tree" and then proceeded to spend the entire morning and part of the afternoon in New York’s third most popular tourist attraction. We saw a live demonstration of glassblowing in which a beautiful bowl was made right before our eyes. In another session, the mysteries of fiber optics were explained.
Jenny Monroe walked us through the downtown Gaffer District (named for the term given to a glassblower) and pointed out interesting features on the brick and terra cotta ornamented commercial buildings,which date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The district was the model for the "Main Street" preservation program.
Hand-cranked ice cream was a special treat for our final night at the Watson Homestead.
Day Five
We concluded our adventuresome, enriching week with a gripping narrative about the salvage and rescue effort when the Corning museum was under water during the 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972. Jinny Wright, who was the museum's librarian at the time, used a slide presentation of pictures to demonstrate how the staff froze the books, thawed them out, dried the pages, and restored them for use by researchers.
These five days in the Finger Lakes region of New York gave us an enjoyable, informative, inspirational learning experience that we can highly recommend to anyone.
This travel adventure took place during the period of August 2-7, 2009.
More Travel
Hand-cranked ice cream was a special treat for our final night at the Watson Homestead.
Day Five
We concluded our adventuresome, enriching week with a gripping narrative about the salvage and rescue effort when the Corning museum was under water during the 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972. Jinny Wright, who was the museum's librarian at the time, used a slide presentation of pictures to demonstrate how the staff froze the books, thawed them out, dried the pages, and restored them for use by researchers.
These five days in the Finger Lakes region of New York gave us an enjoyable, informative, inspirational learning experience that we can highly recommend to anyone.
This travel adventure took place during the period of August 2-7, 2009.
More Travel
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