The Story Behind the Travel Photo: The Peaceful Battle of the Lakes
- Marcia Crayton
- Feb 28
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 29
Like most people, when I think of getting away to some place near the water, oceans and beaches always come to mind. But then I happen upon a lake: relatively more calmer than the ocean, inviting, usually surrounded by mountains forests, almost always peaceful.
Living in New York, I have access to both oceans and lakes. I know people do not consider most of the Northeast of the United States as a beach destination, but when we can't go far, we make do. But lakes are popular, too. Several of the local city and state parks feature lakes, some manmade, some as a result of nature. Some lakes are accessible for swimming, others are great for boating and kayaking, still others may allow fishing. All of them are beautiful. And now, people ask me which one is my favorite.
I grew up near one of these parks. Like most children who had something all of their lives, I took for granted having a park with a lake: trails around it, rowboats and possible ice-skating in the winter. My relatives were fascinated and thought we lived in a rich area. Lakes were for resorts. I didn't think to tell them that there was another park with a bigger lake in the next county. It was common to me.
Technically, manmade or not, lakes are large bodies of water that are usually completely surrounded by land. Lakes are supposed to be larger and deeper than ponds, but nomenclature is relative: if the park near my house wanted to call that body of water a lake, than a lake it shall be. And I grew up thinking that the lake in our community was the standard. Well, in my college years, I was about proven wrong.
One day, I was literally chasing fall foliage. I started from the New York City area, which had a few trees that had started to turn, but life was still mostly green. I had not yet learned to check the fall foliage maps yet. I figured, it was October, just get in the car and go. I decided to head north. OK, now, we're getting somewhere. The landscape started to look more interesting. I wasn't nearly as far north as I could be, just about an hour away, but a sign intrigued me: the name of a drive within a state park.
Since it was after Labor Day, I was able to enter the park without paying but I do have my state park pass. I started following the name of the road I had seen from the highway: 7 Lakes Drive. Well, well, well. Are there really 7 lakes within Harriman State Park (and running through Bear Mountain State Park, as well)? I decided to find out.
At the first lake, glanced up. And literally almost had an accident. A painter, a film colorist, even today's Ai software could not have done a better job. The classic autumn foliage picture complete with shimmering lake was begging to have its picture taken. Of course, I could not resist and 7 Lakes Drive was most accommodating: there was a pull off. Perfect. And to this day, it's one of my favorite photos ever. And at that particular moment, no one else was there. The peacefulness was memorable. In fact, peaceful would start to be the adjective I would associate with lakes almost always, no matter how busy it might be.
I continued driving along and filled up my memory cards. At the end of this trip, I now had some lakes experience. I was ready for the next phase.
Enter the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. When you look at a map, the configuration of the lakes seem to form a set of interesting hands, with about 11 fingers rather than 10. One of the largest, Cayuga Lake, is in Ithaca. It has interesting stats: technically it's the second largest but it is also the longest, running through 3 counties. In fact, if we've taken the right roads, traveling from one historical town to another.
Ithaca is home to Cornell University (my alma mater) and Ithaca College, with so much history between them that it's another trip, much less a blog article. At the northern end is Seneca Falls, a notable site for history but also possible the inspiration for the setting for one of my favorite movies, "It's A Wonderful Life."
It's tempting for us to take Route 96 and get from one small city to another, but we took another route: Route 89, which hugs the lake at times, given us the literal scenic route, no matter the season.
Cayuga is a great place to visit. Like most of the lakes, there are plenty of activities, especially in what people term nice weather. But one day, I decided that winter was the season that I was going to experience seeing the lake. Well, honestly, I was on my way to see a frozen waterfall in nearby Taughannock Falls State Park. Actually, to be truthful, several parks share Cayuga Lake, there's more than enough to go around.
Since the lake is one of the largest and deepest, it takes a very cold and long winter for it to freeze completely, but often there may be sections along its 38 miles that might have ice skating or ice fishing, but I wasn't there to skate or take my chances. As usual, I was there to get photos. And I was there alone. Once again, peaceful. Freezing cold, but peaceful. Not even the sound of birds, who can be active in the winter.
Now, I had a real lake under my belt of experience with which to compare as I travel around the world. But just to be sure, I needed to see one more Finger Lake, so one summer I stayed near Watkins Glen, near Seneca Lake. Cayuga caters to a lot of outdoor activities, including nature boat tours, and Seneca offers them to, as well as dinner cruises.
The view of Seneca from Watkins Glen can be deceiving: you know it continues upwards for almost 38 miles, too, (Cayuga is allegedly .2 miles longer) but from the dock in Watkins Glen, it looks like it's surrounded by forests, the bend of the lake is just out of sight. It was like a cozy scene, enveloping the lake with manicured trees, with just a few boats skimming the surface. And again, peaceful. It was dusk. There are a few houses, cabins and small hotels that are around the lake at that point and lights were starting to be seen. It didn't feel spooky, although it looked like a scene from a movie just before the bad stuff happens. But my imagination is overworking, so let's continue our lake journey.
One of the towns we stay in while traveling to Florida is Santee, South Carolina. Since we are not fisher persons, the significance of the area went right over our heads for several years. But one day, we weren't in a hurry. We had explored the town the day before since we had arrived mid-afternoon. And for once, we actually had another day before we were due to check in to our hotel in Florida. So, the next morning, we decided to see the lake.
Now, you would think that our curiosity would have been sparked earlier. That's because we always get a magnificent view as we drive over the bridge on I-95, entering Santee. And what a view Lake Marion is. Manmade, it turns out that Lake Marion and Santee are a well known fishing spot in these parts. And a quick, side trip to Santee State Park, showed us why.
Boat launches were there and there were boats in the water, of course. One thing I do remember from going to summer camp is that you're supposed to get up early in the morning to go fishing. But despite the fact that it was summer, which meant that it should have been a busy season, once again, the area we explored was peaceful. I'm starting to see a pattern here. There's something about a lake that is mostly enclosed by land, no matter how large it is, that has a sense of comfort, like a large (albeit wet) blanket, enveloping me as I look from the shore.
Let's head back to New York State. In the western area, we share two of the famous Great Lakes with several states and Canada. In fact, we almost drove into one by accident. One feature of the Finger Lakes Region is that it produces great wine. In fact, New York State is the 3rd largest wine state, so that's kind of a big deal. But we had left that area and we were in Jamestown. Hmm, we thought, is there a winery nearby? We did a search, set the GPS and headed out. Well, despite the GPS' best intentions, somehow, we made a wrong turn and did not end of at the winery. In fact, when we took the last turn, thinking we were following the directions, with the GPS intoning, "you have arrived," we hadn't arrived at a winery at all. I looked up and saw nothing but water. And more water, And more water.
We looked at each. No, couldn't be. I think we're still in New York State because we didn't go over any bridges. I looked at the map on my phone again, zoomed in and voila, Lake Erie pops up. Okkkkk, well, no matter. Have camera, will travel. And once again, while taking photos, peace. Oh, and by the way, comically, the town we were in was Barcelona, New York. We never did find the winery.
This was not my first time seeing Lake Erie. Since I had been to Niagara Falls, I was familiar with the fact that we lived in a state with two great lakes (the other is Lake Ontario). In fact, I had even crossed Lake Erie, on foot and by car, while visiting the Falls. But, this time, the experience, unexpected, once again at almost dusk, with no one around, it was a different experience. And unlike my other times with lakes, nothing else was around. Just water.
We were to experience another Great Lake. While doing one my college walking tours for my YouTube Channel, all of a sudden, the wind blew across campus. It was summer, no one was around and up until that time, the air was hot. The breeze was welcoming, but I wondered where it came from. I looked west (and normally, I'm not good with that sort of thing and I saw water. And, lo and behold, the great Lake Ontario was greeting me. Along with the stillness of the campus, the peacefulness of the lake blended into the atmosphere. Eventually, I had to head back across campus to get back to my car, but that lake did exactly was a rest stop was supposed to do: give me enough of a break to continue the road trip.
Well certainly I now had enough experience to be able to compare a lake overseas. Welcome to Milan, Italy. We had just come back from Venice, which served as a jumping off point for a cruise. After sailing up and down the Adriatic Sea, you think we would have had enough water. Nope. We consulted our handy, dandy guide book that was digitally on my phone, did a little more research and headed up on a train out of Milan to Lake Como.
You know how you read about places tourists visit and then when you get there you wonder what the fuss was about? Well, that didn't happen. When we got off the train and walked up the street, we understood exactly what the fuss was about and why Lake Como is such a popular destination. We got off in Varenna, which is where we would be if we decided to stay there. The Lake Como area is a true resort region: chic, sophisticated and expensive. All of a sudden, my Finger Lakes seemed more cozy by comparison. Would I find my peace among the tour buses, bicycles, and Vespas that were whizzing by me?
The hustle and bustle was almost overwhelming. Where should I go first? Somehow, we made our way to the lake itself. And then it was there. The crowds melted away. I looked about, and no one was near us. Everyone was in the restaurants, cafes and the stores. I wanted to shout at them: But you came to Lake Como? Didn't you come for the Lake? Apparently not. It was at that point we decided to skip a tour on the boat and just walk around a little of the lake itself. And for that trip, that was enough. The peace had returned. The bend of the lake was out of sight, so it seemed as if the trees were surrounding the water. Yes, for me, this was a true lake: shimmering water, the dark green trees that mid-summer produces before the days will be shorter and the colors are revealed, and just a few boats going across the surface.
It was OK. This lake would be one I would visit again. Maybe I will even take the tour, and get out on the water.
Who won the Battle of the Lakes? None of them. The peace is knowing that wherever I am, I can find a lake to stop, reflect, think, refresh and yes, find a speck of peace on my journeys.
Live Love Travel
The NYC Traveler Tips for Your Trips
Subscribe to our blog!
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
Comments