Chasing Waterfalls
I seek out waterfalls. And sunrises… and sunsets… and just about anything else that makes magic out of the ordinary. If I’m in a place with something to see then, well, I’m going to try to see it. I’ve chased down steamed cheeseburgers in Connecticut, lighthouses in Maine, Heady Topper in Vermont and driven halfway across Portugal to see the end of the world. Like Thoreau, I want to live deep and suck the marrow out of life.
Today I found myself hunkered down in a hotel in Ithaca, NY. For a snow town they do a lousy job plowing this city during a storm. Ithaca is known for its hard winters, its hills, and its gorges. And of course the gorges are where you’ll find the waterfalls. Like this one, Cascadilla Falls, from the creek that bears the same name.
It’s no wonder Cornell chose this location for his land grant college. Ithaca is unique and interesting, and largely undiscovered for me. Driving around gives you a sense of this, but there’s no substitute for walking. Even if walking today meant shuffling through eight inches of snow on uncleared sidewalks. Sometimes living deeply is more work than at other times.
There’s never enough time for these detours from the routine. But I manage to squeeze in a few memorable moments each week. I’ve grown to love Upstate New York over the years. It’s more than cows and corn at 70 MPH on I-90. I hope to convey that in future posts.