story and photos by Bill Banaszewski and Michele Howland Banaszewski
Last summer, our niece Kelley from Texas called to say she was coming to the Finger Lakes in early September. She was traveling with a friend, Regina, and they had plans to visit their families and local attractions. Kelley asked if we knew anything about Finger Lakes Rail Riders. The truth was we had never heard of it, so we looked it up to find that Finger Lakes Rail Riders is located only 12 miles from our place on Keuka Lake in Yates County.
After Kelley’s call, I took a ride to Benton and down Havens Corners Road to check it out. I saw the Rail Riders sign, and I pulled into the busy parking lot. People were disembarking from a ride while another group was getting ready to board. There were license plates from six different states. I asked three folks who had just finished the ride, “How was it?” All three described it with one word: “Fantastic.”
As a frequent contributor and avid reader of Life in the Finger Lakes, I immediately thought the Finger Lakes Rail Riders would make for a good story. I hung around long enough to catch up with Kathy Ferron – the owner and engine behind the enterprise. She immediately booked seats for my wife and me on the same ride that Kelley, Regina and her family had already reserved. We also arranged a second date to experience the ride and take more photographs in late October when the colors would be at their peak.
On that beautiful early September morning, we arrived, shared greetings and hugs with Kelley and met Regina and her family. We were welcomed by canine Kirby, the official greeter and human resource director. With one slow wag of her tail, she allowed us to pass and enter the boarding station.
A shaded canopy sheltered the station where the rail cars were lined up for boarding. Each car is named for one of the 11 Finger Lakes. They are custom-designed for a very safe and comfortable excursion. Each has two side-by-side recumbent bikes with adjustable seats and pedals.
After safety instructions, we were each given radio handsets for the trip so we could clearly hear Kathy’s well-researched commentary about the history of the Finger Lakes and Yates County. The report included the natural history of the area and more than a few humorous and “corny” stories which earned laughter and groans from the riders.
Along the route, we learned a bit of geology and the forces of nature that created the Finger Lakes. Long ago, North America was covered with a glacier called the Laurentide ice sheet. Twenty thousand years ago it began to melt and recede, carving out the Finger Lakes and filling them with water. Human history in the region began with Native Americans. Fast forwarding to 1142, five nations of American Indians were at war. One of the leaders, Hiawatha, brought the nations together calling them the Haudenosaunee. They became the oldest democracy on the face of the earth. Further historical stories included the arrival of the Society of the Universal Friends – descendants of Quakers – and the establishment of Yates County, which now has 25,000 people, more than 33,000 cattle and is the only county in New York with increasing farmland.
Kathy’s narration also included interesting stories of transportation from the steamboat era to the rise and fall of the railways from Watkins Glen to Canandaigua. She told of the largest Old Order “horse and buggy” Mennonite community in North America and their arrival in Yates County.
My two experiences on Rail Riders featured stunning fall foliage, brilliant yellow maple leaves, a myriad of butterflies and a wide variety of wildflowers – Queen Anne’s lace, New England aster and giant sunflowers, to name a few. A red-tailed hawk and a great blue heron flew overhead, while we spotted a ring-neck pheasant alongside the track. We encountered a six-point whitetail buck as he approaching us, seemingly unconcerned, then high-tailed it down the tracks. There were picturesque Mennonite farm scenes with men harvesting crops. Alongside the tracks, corn was growing 12 feet high. It was so dense and impossible to see through, it caused me to wonder what animals were hiding among the stalks. The gentle curves in the track reminded me of my walks along stream banks and forest trails, always speculating what secret discovery lies ahead just out of sight.
The farmlands along Havens Corners and through Benton have been one of my favorite landscapes to photograph over the decades. Along those tracks, I had formerly taken images of some of what Kathy says are common sightings during her spring rides: a male cardinal hiding in the shrubs, an osprey flying overhead, a red fox near the edge of the track (probably with a den and young pups nearby), a curious whitetail fawn. Springtime brings coltsfoot, daisies and common fleabane in flower as the lands emerge green and fresh with farmers busy plowing and planting their crops.
The railroad line was active until 2004. Not long ago, the abandoned tracks were used to store close to 100 out-of-service rail cars, which created quite an eyesore. Thankfully Kathy’s vision for Finger Lakes Rail Riders has brought an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the landscape with a pleasant adventure riding those rails through some gorgeous scenery, taking in sightings of wildlife and wildflowers, learning about the history of the area and all the while getting a little exercise.
