Being the husband of an avid marathoner has finally paid off.  My wife, BJ, and I seem to take most of our vacations around the marathons she participates in.  We go to the beach in the winter, and visit other locations as driven by the marathon schedule, and not necessarily during the ideal seasons.  I have to say that our trip for the Wine Glass Marathon in Corning, NY, was a real treat for me, as a budding photographer.  After paying the penalty of doing the half-marathon myself, I was afterwards free to enjoy myself as we visited the region.  We have been to this event twice now. It is held the first Sunday in October.

First, I have to mention the drive to Corning from the D.C. area, which takes about 4.5 hours if you make no stops.  The route up Highway 15 follows the scenic Susquehanna River from Harrisburg to Williamsport – about 80 miles.  You will pass Dauphin, PA, about ten miles north of Harrisburg, where you will see the Statue of Liberty on the Susquehanna!  I didn’t see a way to park for a civilized photographic experience, and had to wait for the return trip and prepare my long lens and camera settings for a “fly-by” at 50 mph (Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, 400 mm full frame equivalent, f/22, 1/400 sec, and ISO 500.)

The drive from Williamsport to Corning is also quite scenic, becoming more mountainous.  Fall colors were just beginning when we passed through, and generally peak around October 15.

The Corning Museum of Glass ( http://www.cmog.org/ ), in Corning, has the most comprehensive collection of glass in the world, with 35 centuries of glass artistry, plus a huge new contemporary art glass wing.  Master glassworkers put on multiple exhibitions of making art glass every day.  You can even sign up to try it yourself.  The gift shop is fabulous, as are the various galleries in town.

I have included a small sampling of the pictures that I took there.

 

 

 

 

When we visited, there was a special exhibit of glass marine invertebrate models (for marine biology students) made by a German father and son before the turn of the 20th century.  These are exquisitely delicate and fragile.

 

We attended one of the demonstrations as well.  These two master glassworkers were making a large bowl with a beautiful gradation of colors and an integral glass pedestal.  Temperature control and centrifugal force play a large role.

 

In October, glass pumpkins are everywhere.   They are for sale in the gift shop and the art galleries, and decorate the restaurants.  They wore us down – we now own three: orange, blue, and pink!  Here is one of them:

 

Corning is near the Finger Lakes.  The Finger Lakes are so called from their long thin shapes and parallel orientations, having been scoured out of the rock by retreating glaciers.  The area is known for its wineries, and these are a draw for tourists.  We were tourists.  There are bus tours that visit a number of wineries, with tastings at each one.  There are also micro-breweries and a distillery open for tours and tastings – it must be due to the long winters up there!

 

Seneca Lake is the nearest lake to Corning (a 20-minute drive), with Watkins Glen being the small town on its southern shore.  We stayed for two nights at the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen, a very nice hotel overlooking the lake.  One can arrange mid-day or dinner tours on the lake, including the sailboat, True Love, made famous in the musical film High Society, shown.

 

One big reason for our going to Watkins Glen was to hike the Watkins Glen State Park gorge (http://nysparks.com/parks/142/ ).  The gorge trail rises 400 feet from the visitors’ center, and the stream sits between 200 foot cliffs.  While one can do the hike from the top-down instead, you’ll be facing the wrong direction for the best views.  The trail is nicely paved, and has steps in the steeper portions.

 

 

Finally, if you are a racing fan, Watkins Glen is the home of Watkins Glen International, and hosts road racing of nearly every class (during the summer), and the venue is used for music concerts and a variety of other things.

In summary, we found an amazing number of interesting things to see and do in and around Corning, NY, and we plan to return again, even in the off-season (off-marathon-season, that is).