Not much for us in the way of produce... we're not in the market for pumpkins or giant cookies. But we enjoy a second breakfast of corn chips and cheddar cheese while we wait for the phone to charge a little.
This farm stand will be as close as we get to the city of Ithaca. There's even a bus stop here; we could give up the trail, ride into town, and catch a Greyhound back to New York should we choose. Nah, let's keep going!
"Ithaca is gorges" is the unofficial town motto. The Finger Lakes Trail takes us up the gorge of the Lick Brook, with excellent cascades and pools that must be thick with swimmers in the warmer season.
Next is another segment of private property, with some road walking and some trails with wacky notes from the landowners. A lot of people on the trail in sporty attire -- looks like it's a popular jogging destination.
The end of the day takes us into Danby State Forest, where we can once again camp with impunity. But it's our anniversary and we're feeling celebratory, so we've got something else planned: A night in the whimsical village of Karenville.
This place popped up on AirBnb, not far offtrail, and we couldn't resist. It's an off-grid compound of tiny homemade buildings right on the edge of the state forest. Turns out Karenville is a pretty popular place, but luckily one little house was available for us.
Also of great interest to us was the shower. Grab a bucketfull of rainwater, heat it on the gas stove, pour it into a bucket with a faucet at the bottom, and it's pure bliss. There's no denying that we got clean.
Above, the shower house (with pink vent), the "hotel" (the grandest of the micro-dwellings), the greenhouse (mmm fresh basil) and the fire station (extinguisher and first aid kit.)
Here's the sitting room and the cafe, whose antique stove provides heat for the shower and for our anniversary pasta dinner. The fresh basil is put to good use, and a few greens from the garden, and the tiny box of secret wine we've been carrying since Watkins Glen. Grand and delicious! And as the sun dips, we're clean, full, and sleepy...
The hosts and other guests of Karenville, of course, are not running on hiker time. They been busy in Ithaca all day and reconvene for an evening of congeniality. The founder, Karen, is a survival skills teacher, and demonstrates the art of baking skillet bread in a campfire. Her partner Robert roasts mushroom and sausage, and plies us with red wine. Our fellow guests are friendly people too, and we share some common interests, such as eating, sleeping in strange places, and huddling around fires.
The fire's still going strong, but eventually we can't keep our eyes open, and toddle off to our little house in the corner of the property. We can only party so much!
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