On the road again
First stop: Finger Lakes
The first stop on our North American road trip brought us back to the Finger Lakes, somewhere near and dear to us. We’ve taken a few trips to the area over the years, camping on farms, checking out vineyards, and catching the 2024 solar eclipse.
For this visit, our friends a & n made the journey from NYC to join us. We each had a roughly 7-hour drive and landed at camp just before dusk. The last stretch of the drive took us through sunny wine country, as things were just starting to bloom for spring.
Get into the camping spirit with this week’s playlist (s/o n & a), and follow our recommendations on the map here
We considered primitive camping at Sugar Hill State Forest in Watkins Glen, but the gate hadn’t opened for the season yet (neither had the gorge). So, we returned to one of our favorite Hipcamp sites at Six Circles Farm in Lodi (Pro tip: Hit us up for a more direct booking).
The farm has two campsites that can accommodate tents or RVs (two vehicle campers, in our case), and both have sweeping views of Seneca Lake. Our host, Lael, told us they also have a cabin site coming soon. Since Lael and his team were busy planting onions near Site 2, he suggested we stay at Site 1. The property also has a barn with a covered porch (where our group rode out a rain storm the first night), an outhouse, potable water, and they sell their homegrown garlic, hot sauces and other products on their website here.
As mentioned, shortly after we settled in for the first night, an intense rain storm rolled through. Once things calmed down, K started cooking dinner — a cozy crab curry that he prepped beforehand, paired with a bright rosé (more to come on the wine below).
With everyone’s chef skills, we ate well during our stay. The next day, a & n made pancakes with brown sugar and caramelized bananas, we noshed on a charcuterie spread for lunch, and then had smash burgers on the Skottle (more below) for dinner.
It was a great, chill day hanging by the fire, and we even saw a bald eagle fly overhead. Watch the sunset over the lake in our latest YouTube video here.
The following day, on Lael’s recommendation, we visited Taughannock Falls State Park in Trumansburg. It was a short, easy walk to see the falls, and they were massive — we could feel the spray from the viewing platform! Definitely worth a trip (and the $10 parking).
That was all the exploring we had time for this visit, but here are some other Finger Lakes highlights from our past trips: Silver Thread Vineyard (cute tasting room with a view of the lake, we love their pet-nat), Hawk Meadow Farm (another Hipcamp on a cool mushroom farm), and Babe’s Burger (casual spot with an outdoor deck).
We capped off the last day with dinner in our gazebo (chicken pitas stuffed with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and tzatziki sauce) and a game of cards inside the truck. In true April fashion, the weather swung from rain storms to strong afternoon sun, and even a dusting of snow when we woke up to leave.
What’s on board
Our road trip is made possible, in large part, by R’s dad and his adventuremobile. We’re traveling in a Ram Power Wagon with an Alu-Cab cabin, installed by OK4WD in Stewartsville, N.J. (Watch more on the build here)
Safety first: R’s dad made sure we’re equipped with recovery gear from Glue Tread, MaxTrax, Warn Winch and Yankum Ropes, plus an onboard ARB dual compressor for our tires, Giant Loop armadillo bags for extra fuel, a Bauer water pump, electric chain saw and impact wrench, various other tools, fire starter kit — and can’t forget a head lamp!
For the gear heads: We also have a Webasto Heater on board, a Joolca Hottap system for hot showers, and Wrappon portable toilet. While the Alu-Cab has a 270-degree awning and a shower cube, we also have a Gazelle portable gazebo (which proved helpful when the black flies came for us on the farm). The cabin is powered by a REDARC Redvision system and solar, and we also have a Jackery for greater mobility.
As for communication, we have a Starlink Mini, Garmin InReach and Midland radio, so we can research our route and work from anywhere. Many of the handheld devices are kept organized using Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions, and other storage and mounts are from Goose Gear, GP Factor and 813 Fabrication. (We also have a bunch of different apps we’re trying out and will report back on later.)
K’s kitchen: We have a few cooking options with us: a Jet Boil fast boil system (mostly for coffee), a Partner Steel 2-burner stove and something called an Oris Skottle (first use for the smash burgers above). We also have an ICECO VL75Pro fridge loaded with fresh groceries and condiments, 1 bin of dry goods (rice, pasta, etc.), 1 bin of wet goods (cans, sauces, etc.), 1 smaller bin of K’s spice rack (who knows, we may need the fenugreek), 1 smaller bin of storage containers and things like tinfoil, a set of nesting pots and pans, dishes, utensils, coffee mugs, wine glasses, dish washing supplies, and then some unexpected stuff we couldn’t live without: our Vitamix immersion blender, Japanese mandoline and tortilla press
R’s wine cellar: We started the journey with 10 bottles on board (all from our favorite, Graham Wine Co.) For bubbles, we have Pomalo Debit Pet Nat & Dorcha Rose Pet Nat; For orange, we have Etheric’s Skin Contact Pinot Gris; For rose, Blažič Eva (paired with our curry) & Jose Luis Ripa Rioja Rosado; For white, Eminence Road’s Riesling Botrytis & Haarmeyer Cellar’s Cresci Chenin Blanc; For red, Caves São João's Baga Novo, Tenuta di Fessina’s Erse Etna Rosso & Iruai’s Cosmic Cowboy Cab Sauv
Usual suspects: Clothes (hopefully headed for warmer weather, but ready for anything), shoes (hiking boots, camp/water sandals, 1 nicer pair), towels & toiletries (sunscreen, bug spray, first aid), bedding (our comfy pillows), laundry supplies, electronics (laptops, cameras, etc.), books & notebooks (R has a handful from H’s library, K is reading a history of Colombia) and binoculars (to see more eagles!)
Next week takes us through Michigan, catching up with friends in Detroit and then on the western side of the state. We’ll also talk wine and flowers with a couple running a cool shop in Grand Rapids — can’t wait to share more.
Until then,
R & K