Camping

I'm just back from a week with my college roomie. We have been doing this for 15 years now. We began as back-packers, doing sections of the Appalachian Trail. We have taken all 4 of our children at various times and it has been a time of separation from the day-to-day running of the real world. Several years ago, roomie, messed up her ankle (broke it, I think) and couldn't go, then I developed heel spurs and tore my Achilles tendon. My foot dr says I will never backpack again. Not sure I believe him, but it wasn't happening this year. So....
We went camping instead. We threw an old mattress in the back of my Exploder and headed out. Ended up at a different campsite every night and only got to do a little hiking. (Tendon was still pretty ouchy) But we saw some beautiful scenery. Mountains and waterfalls and the Finger Lakes of NY state. Lovely.
Buttermilk Falls allows swimming, but was closed for swimming when we were there. The lifeguards were 're-arranging' stones to allow a better flow. They had removed two boards that formed a dam to allow the water to flow freely while they worked. While my Roomie hiked up to the top of the falls, I did Tai Chi exercises and watched the process. When they finished to their satisfaction, they replaced the 2 boards, about 10-12" total, and I watched the water fill in. The pool was about 50-60 feet in diameter and fairly circular and it took about 7 minutes for the water to rise up and flow over the 2 boards. I was surprised at how fast it rose.
All the waterfalls we saw were cutting through 50,000 years of sediment. The gorges were gorgeous. In fact I saw a T-shirt that made a play on the two words, but I can't remember how it went right now. Maybe later.
I was fascinated by Watkins Glen. My first visit was at about age 6 or 7 when one of my mother's sisters was in college near there. I remember a lot of 'caves' or 'tunnels'. There are not so many now. And as I stood and watched one of the falls, I realized why. We were now on the other side of the gorge from my first visit and the remains of the trail I had taken were very few. Only a tunnel hinted at what had been. Each winter the frost and water cleave sections of the wall off and in the nearly 50 years since my first visit, that section is no more. Made me realize how old I am becoming and how young I am geologically... I think I will stick with the geologic date! :D
Anyway it was a wonderful week - maybe some pictures to come - if I can figure it out!