Tinker Falls and Fall Driving

It was one those halcyon fall days in the Finger Lakes Region, or, as Mr. Rogers would say, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” I especially enjoyed the drive from Cortland, northeast to Truxton, near where Tinker Falls is located. The corn was high on the farms at either side of the highway and the golden rod and purple asters alternated in Easter hues in successive patches that bordered the corn.

These are pictures I went back and took, when I realized I didn’t have illustrations for the words. I took pictures of Twin Oaks Farm in Cortland County because they have a side business and more space on the shoulder. You can also get an idea of the elevation.

As I drove, I went from Tompkins County where I live, to Cortland County, and then on to Onondaga (name of one of the Haudenosaunee tribes and name of one of the Finger Lakes) County. All three counties are part of the Finger Lakes region, 40 % of which is farmland. Cortland County ranges in terms of good and not-so-good soil; the variation has to do with where and how the glacier went through the area, but the most beautiful farms I drove through were there, probably because I was in the northern part of the county.

Onondaga County, where my Uncle Jack and Aunt Alice Mapes had their farm in Pompey Center, is 2/3 farmland. However, as my Uncle Jack discovered later in life, even with good soil, it’s harder to be a small-time farmer now. I thought about going back there, but my brother Barth says the barn has collapsed. I’m not surprised because my cousin told me that one of the tenant farmers cut a hole in the roof, so he could put the hay in the barn the easy way. Toward the end of his working life, my uncle was renting their land out to tenant farmers and working for Tommy down the road.

As I motored along, I thought of my grandmother on the Mapes farm in the Catskills who often had to expand her dinners for unexpected arrivals. “I’ll have to put another potato on,” she’d say. I wondered whether I would have been a good farmer’s wife. I would certainly have had to work on my cooking, although I did often peel and cut potatoes for our supper growing up, and place them on the burner on medium high, so I could certainly have dealt with potatoes.

It’s not surprising that I had trouble finding Tinker Falls in Labrador Hollow when you see the following picture:

I had to laugh when I saw this selfie in front of the falls. You can see my Botox was a little off the last time I was injected. Ah, vanity!

These are all pictures I took walking to the falls. You can see how little water is running through the creek bed. This region of the country is in what we call a “normal” drought; in other words, we don’t have a lot of extra water, but everything else looks great.

Tinker Falls

I was a little disappointed because it didn’t look like the picture online. It reminds me of a trip Lyndon Johnson took to the Twin Cities, where he was taken to see Minnehaha Falls, and remarked that it looked like someone was pissing over the ledge. This experience was pretty similar, except for the fact that it looked like three people pissing. In fact, I guess you could say that Tinker Falls was “tinkling” over the ledge.

The Road Not Taken

I was really tempted by this road, and may go back. From what I read ahead of time I think it’s quite a long trail and I always like to be able to see other people when I’m walking. I’m a little long in the tooth to attract a serial murderer, but there are many creepy people out there. This path in Labrador Hollow looked inviting and mysterious to me.