The Finger Lakes are eleven long, narrow lakes created by glaciers 550 million years ago. We are camped near Cayuga Lake. It is the longest lake (about 40 miles) and is only 3.5 miles at it’s widest. Taughannock Falls State Park lies at the southern end of the lake and is known for its stunning natural gorges and waterfalls. The word Taughannock means “great falls in the woods”. The main waterfall, in the park, stands taller than Niagara Falls.
Another interesting thing about this area is its close proximity to Ithaca, NY; home to Cornell University. We decided to check out the campus, after we settled in, and made so many cool discoveries. The campus buildings are a mixture of old and new architectural styles. The University was formed on progressive ideals and its history is peppered with fascinating moments, achievements and influential people. Before visiting the campus, the only thing I knew about Cornell was that it is a prestigious Ivy League school with a high student suicide rate. The Cornell gorge suicides were a series of suicides, at the University, that got a lot of media attention; especially after a high profile cluster of six suicides in the 2009-10 school year. The suicides occurred on bridges that span several gorges on Cornell’s campus. The bridges have all been netted now, and there hasn’t been a suicide involving a bridge since 2010.
We were lucky, on our visit, to be some of the first visitors, on campus, to experience a brand new walk through art installation called Polyform, by Jenny Sabin. This unique sculpture, made of metal and glass, changes as you walk through it by refracting light in a way that distorts perspective. A reminder that all our experiences are unique even if we visit the same places.
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