Our second stop on this journey South is the Camp Bell Campground just off I-86, Exit 41 in Campbell, NY – just 141 miles from our previous stop in Oneonta, NY.
Camp Bell Campground is one of our regular stops when we go in this direction. Always a nice grassy pull-through with water and electric. Passport America rate is $22/night including Cable TV. It’s close to the Corning Glass Center which is really a must-see that we have visited and written about in the past, as is this campground (See: http://www.snowbirdrvtrails.com/campbell.htm).
Our favorite place to visit when we stop here is on the “Keuka Lake Wine Trail”. The Wine Trail begins just a few miles from the campground in Hammondsport, NY on the Southern end and circles the lake. The attached map shows 7 wineries but there are actually several more. All invite you to stop in, take a tour, and sample their product. The view from each of the wineries, over the vineyards and down towards the lake, is gorgeous, especially on a Fall day when the leaves are showing their colors.
Now, our favorite winery to stop by is the Bully Hill Vineyards, and it’s not for the wine! Actually neither of us cares for the Bully Hill wines, but we do love their restaurant. It offers numerous dishes but our favorite is their “House Special”.
It consists of a succulent Maryland crab cake and scallops on a huge portobello mushroom cap, served with french fries, gourmet salad, and thinly sliced cucumbers in their own special sauce. Everything is well prepared and seasoned to perfection and it is reflected in the prices. As we say, it is probably the most we will ever pay for a lunch ($70), but worth every penny. We shared a slice of homemade blueberry pie a la Mode for dessert and both felt the heavy use of cloves overshadowed any taste of blueberries.
After the nice lunch we continued our circuit of the lake taking pictures and just enjoying the 70* temperature and changing leaves.
(Click any picture for full size version)
Both gas and diesel are available at the Sunoco station at this Exit. Gas tonight is $3.739/Gal.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we head for our next stop which will be the first of two stops in Ohio.
