1. Wrong Turn (2003)

Especially if you are driving.

2. Children of the Corn (1984)

Especially if you are anywhere near small towns and/or cornfields

3. Strangers (2008)

Especially if you are staying in houses in quiet or desolate neighborhoods.

4. Cabin In the Woods (2011)

Especially if you are staying in…cabins that happen to be located in the woods.

5.Deliverance (1972)

Especially if you are traveling through small towns, especially if you are boating near those towns.

6.The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Especially if you’re going to be anywhere in the woods.

7.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Road tripping in a van with a group of your closest friends? Hope you aren’t driving through Texas!

8.Wolf Creek (2005)

Same thing as above except pivot to you and your closest female friend.

9.Hostel (2005)

Planning on traveling through Europe and staying in Hostels to save some money? Maybe you should avoid this movie.

The post List of 9 Horror Movies for Travelers & Wanderlusts appeared first on Paige Ponzeka.

From Letchworth to Watkins Glen, New York’s Finger Lakes region is rich with some of the most breathtaking waterside trails in North America. You can walk alongside the gorge in Taughannock State Park and then stroll up to the base of the tallest free-falling waterfall in the northeast. Taughannock Falls is 30 feet taller than the famous Niagara Falls. Or you can take a break from all the waterfall trails and take in the incredible glacial lakes of Green Lakes State Park or head into the forest and hike along the plentiful streams.

The small college town, Ithaca is a great launching point for all of these incredible hikes and any number of the wineries and breweries located on the Finger Lakes Beer Trail  or Wine Trail are wonderful places to stop after a long day of chasing waterfalls. A bonus, if you are traveling with a dog, most of the places offer dog-friendly outdoor seating and all the trails in this list are dog-friendly.

1. Letchworth State Park – Gorge Trail – 14 Miles – Moderate

Letchworth State Park should be the first or last stop on this list since it is a bit further west of the Finger Lakes but it is worth the drive. Letchworth is one of the most popular parks in the area it is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the East. When you see it you’ll understand why, it has three different waterfalls and towering gorges that offer incredible views.

The trail provided might seem like a rather long hike but you won’t notice how long you’ve traveled because each step is a different, more breathtaking view. I highly recommend making a day of this and doing as much of the hike as possible but if you are limited in time you can always turn around at any point in the out and back hike. 

2. Taughannock State Park – Combine the North Rim Trail and South Rim Trail, and Gorge Trail – 5.1 Miles – Moderate / Easy

Taughannock State Park is home to Taugannock Falls which is the tallest waterfall in the Northeast. You can follow the rim of the waterfall and then head up to get an overview of the waterfall from a hilltop, then you can head to very easy and relatively short gorge trail to get underneath the waterfall for some incredible views. For safety reasons you cannot get RIGHT under the waterfall or swim in the pool since rocks have sometimes fallen down into the pool at the bottom.

If you only have time for one trail or want to keep it more kid-friendly, just go with the Gorge Trail which is an easy, 2 Mile hike to the base of the waterfall. 

3. Green Lakes State Park – Green Lakes Perimeter Trails – 10 Miles – Easy

Not normally on any Finger Lakes Hikes lists, I had never heard of this trail until a local mentioned it to me. The trail I chose for this park is rather long, and it’s not entirely necessary for taking in these gorgeous lakes.

It starts at a small parking lot outside the park but I really enjoyed hiking through the vast fields before coming into an overlook of the incredible turquoise green glacial lakes. You can shorten this visit by driving into the park and doing the easy trails around the two lakes. This trail also takes you by a swimming beach with a concession stand for snacks but keep in mind that the beach is not dog-friendly. 

4. Robert H. Treman State Park  – Rim Trail and Gorge Trail Loop – 4.3 Miles – Moderate

This is a moderate hike that is a bit of a workout so it could be rougher with smaller children but it was one of my favorite quick hikes in the area. The trail leads you right along the water through these intricate stone paths. There are a number of additional trails in the park if you’re looking for shorter or longer hikes to change your route. There are a total of 12 waterfalls at Robert Treman State Park but the main attraction is 115-Footer Lucifer Falls which this trail takes you past. 

5. Sampson State Park – Seneca Lakeshore Trail – 3 Miles – Easy

If you need a break from all the waterfalls the Seneca Lakeshore Trail was a great trail for an easy walk alongside Seneca Lake and is perfect for a quick trail run while you’re traveling. A couple of miles into the trail there is a point where you can head down to sit right on the side of the water at a little beach. There isn’t much foot traffic at this trail since all the other hiking trails get all the attention but it was a great place to take a break from all the crowds

6. Watkins Glen State Park – Finger Lakes and Gorge Trail Loop – 2.6 Miles – Easy / Moderate

Hands down this is the most famous hike in the Finger Lakes Region. I would recommend trying to hit this trail in the off-hours, I went early in the morning on a weekday and had the trail practically to myself minus some morning trail runners and it was amazingly peaceful and serene and I really got to enjoy the beauty of this wonderful place. The trail takes you right through the falls and at a few points you walk underneath the water as it falls over the side of a stone wall. This is a short hike but it does include a bit of stairs so take your time to enjoy the trail. There are a number of trails that lead into Watkins Glen State Park and the falls if you want to make this a much longer hike.

7. Buttermilk Falls State Park – Lake Treman Loop via Gorge, Bear and Rim Trail – 4.5 Miles – Moderate

This gorge trail can go on for a good long while so you are welcome to extend your hike beyond the 4.5 miles of this trail. This is a similar hike to Watkins Glen with gorgeous stone steps and dividers as you hike alongside the smaller waterfalls and take bridges the criss-cross the gorge, still a wonderful hike that’s not nearly as busy as some of the more famous trails.

8.Seneca Meadows Wetland Preserve – Trail – 4 Miles – Easy

Another great trail if you’re looking for a break from all the crowds at the waterfalls and just want to go for a nice evening stroll. This is another great place for a quick trail run. Some of the paths may be overgrown so you might be forced to take the primary path but its a flat route most of the way

9. Cayuga-Seneca Canal Trail to Seneca Lake State Park – 10 Miles – Easy

Hike 5 miles in towards Seneca Lake State Park and stop at the lake shore for a quick picnic at the more developed park before heading back. There’s some cute artwork further in the trail and canal or luscious green views most of the way. This would be excellent for any longer runners or bikers but could admittedly get a little boring for a solo hike. 

10. Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area – Van Lorne Hill Loop – 6 Miles – Easy

The name might be confusing but this trail is located in New York State in the Finger Lakes Region. Throughout the trail you’ll hear the bustling stream as you hike through the forest, a quiet trail, I didn’t see a soul when I hiked this early on a Sunday and appreciated a break from the busier hikes.

11. Geneva, NY – Generva Lakefront Trail to Seneca Lake Park – 4.5 Miles – Easy

Another great running route, this trail is a bit more developed than the others but its offers gorgeous views of Seneca Lake and you can also rent some kayaks and go out on the lake afterwards or stop for lunch in Geneva. 

12. The Ithaca Waterfall Tour

I found a lot of waterfalls closer to Ithaca, NY had very short hikes and just made myself a Ithaca Waterfall Tour with stops at several of them. I suggest stopping by my favorite coffee shop in town, Gimme! Coffee (I recommend adding on of their homemade syrups to your coffee!) and then swinging by these waterfalls that require very short walks up to the base of the falls. When you’re done swing by the Cornell Dairy Bar for some incredible Ice Cream. 

• Potters Falls
• Wells Falls
• Cascadilla Falls
• Ithaca Falls
• Triphammer Falls

Here’s a Map with the recommend route to check out the waterfalls throughout Ithaca

The post New York’s Finger Lakes: 15 of the Best trails near Seneca Lake appeared first on Paige Ponzeka.

Wild: From Lost To Found on the Pacific Crest Trail By Cheryl Strayed

This book has been my bible for the past few years. I’ve read it no less than half a dozen times.Strayed dealing with the grief of the loss of her marriage, the loss of her mother and her broken family and decides to drop her life and hike 1,100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Wild covers the events that lead to that journey, her person journey along the trail and the people she met along the way. Please do not watch the movie, they are not the same thing.

“Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked”

— Cheryl Strayed

I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff By Abbi Jacobson

This book is equal parts reflections, drawings and a tapping into Abbi’s brain as she talks about what lead her to drive across the country alone and takes your through her journey by reflecting on each city she lands in along the way. She touches on her hit comedy, Broad City, queer relationships and whether or not Bed and Breakfasts are good for solo travels.

“The stars out there, out west, are different, they’re brighter and bolder, and they make you feel that the world is so much more than you ever could have thought, that maybe you’d only been focusing on a tiny little corner. I know all those stars are there too, in my New York sky, but I don’t see them. There’s too much in the way. ”

— Abbi Jacobson

Woodswoman: A young ecologists’ life in the log cabin she build herself in the Adirondack Wilderness By Anne LaBastille

I accidentally stumbled upon this book on the shelves in my first stay in OWL Library and then couldn’t put this down. Written in 1991, LaBastille covers her own life from when she found a plot of land to build her own isolated cabin on a lake in the Adirondack wilderness. Her opinions on City life.

“ There is a dynamic and an energy in cities which is diametric to the life-forces of the forest. Still the cabin is the wellspring, the source, the hub of my existence. It gives me tranquility, a closeness of nature and wildlife, good health and fitness, a sense of security, the opportunity for resourcefulness, reflection and creative thinking.”

— Anne LaBastille

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States By Samantha Allen

Allen has an interesting take on the queer culture in big liberal cities vs. queer culture in smaller red state towns. Since the numbers of gathering places and people are smaller in small red cities, the L’s, G’s, B’s & T’s have to coexist under one roof creating more of a cohesive community instead of the fragments you see in larger liberal cities.

“Nothing could be queerer than getting out of your comfort zone.”

— Samantha Allen

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Centry By Jessica Bruder

I can’t count how many people brought up this book, actually the movie based off this book so I decided to check it out after not being able to finish the movie. Bruder spends a few years entrenched with several people who live out of their vans or trailers as the cross the country looking for work. The story is larger than that as she explores the communities this nomadic life style creates and the economic disparities that drive them to live this way.

“Some call them “homeless.” The new nomads reject that label. Equipped with both shelter and transportation, they’ve adopted a new word. They refer to themselves, quite simply, as “houseless””

— Jessica Bruder

Crier’s War (Book 1) By Nina Varela & Iron Heart (Book 2) by Nina Varela

Taking a break from all of the nonfiction, I found this Scf-fi fantasy novel that features some queer characters. After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.

“If longing is madness, then none of us are sane.”

— Nine Varela

The post Reading List for a queer woman on the road – Part 1 appeared first on Paige Ponzeka.