A Family Visit in Rochester, NY

Our last stop before arriving in New England was in Rochester, New York. Rochester was just an hour and a half hour drive from the Niagara Falls, so we were able to arrive just in time for dinner that Friday afternoon. The reason we chose to make a stop in Rochester, aside from the fact that its the third largest city in New York (after NYC and Buffalo), was because Skyler's aunt and uncle live there, and we wanted to visit them. The last time Sky had met up with them was on a skiing trip before he and I started dating, so I was excited about meeting them for the first time.

David and Karen, Sky's relatives, were super inviting and we felt right at home as soon as we arrived. Friday night they invited us to join in on a small birthday dinner party at their home. Being included in a family function really reminded us what we were missing out on by being away from our family on this trip. It felt so good to sit at a regular dinner table, use regular dinner ware, eat a home cooked meal and just swap stories. What also felt really great was to sleep on a regular bed that night. This was only our third night to not spend in the travel trailer in the seven whole months we'd been on the road. That bed felt like heaven, and we took full advantage of it by sleeping in late the next morning.

Sky, David and Karen

The following morning we were greeted with freshly made pancakes and eggs and steaming cups of coffee. David and Karen have a great hideaway on one of the Finger Lakes, and they suggested that we take a trip to their lake house that afternoon. We took back country to get there, and I was really blown away by how picturesque up-state New York really is. Beautifully wooded, winding, two-lane roads took us by stately farmhouses and homes, glowing red barns, and rolling meadows. The leaves had not yet started to change, but I could only imagine how beautiful these roads would be when that time came.

The lake house

While Sky and his uncle worked on a landscaping project, I sat on the upper deck of the patio and took in the lake view. It was one of those in-the-moment moments. Sitting on this deck, overlooking a lake in New York. Chloe and Sammy fully enjoyed the lake as well, fetching stick after stick out of the water.

The deck and the view

After they were done, David took us for a trip around the lake on his boat. Chloe got to ride at the very front, where the wind hit her from all directions. We cruised by multi-million dollar estates, and Sky and I picked out our favorites (for when we win the New York lottery obviously).

Going for a ride on the lake

The sky was pretty epic that day

Chloe said "This might not be one of the Great Lakes,
but I sure think this lake is great!"

One of the finalists

The other finalist (we're House Hunting here)

Enjoying the lake views close up (and Sammy is cowering at my feet) 

Sunday we went out on our own to explore downtown Rochester. We found downtown to be mostly deserted that afternoon, and we saw very few people in the public parks. I think we picked a bad day to see the city because the Rochester Marathon was that morning. Maybe the residents all competed and they were at home sleeping after the race?

We visited the Genesee River that bisects the downtown of the city and the High Falls. We walked the central business district, on Main street and then stopped by Highland Park and the Genesee Valley Park (Sky brought his soccer gear along in hopes of finding a pick up game, but no dice). After a quick lunch of yummy sushi from the famous Wegman's grocery store, we made our way back to Karen and David's and took a nice long nap on their very comfortable guest bed.

Downtown Rochester and the High Falls

We had a splendid visit in Rochester. I'm really glad I got to meet this side of Sky's family. We look forward to visiting with David and Karen again soon. I'm hoping to challenge them on a run on the ski slopes in Colorado!

To see more pictures of Rochester, click here.

Happy Family Time,

M.