Gentle, Y-shaped Keuka Lake is the only one of the Finger Lakes [1] with an irregular outline. The name means canoe landing in Iroquois, and the lake sports over 70 miles of curving lakeshore, scalloped with coves and bays.
At the southern head of Keuka Lake lies Hammondsport [2], site of the nation’s first winery [3], established in 1860. The small-town Penn Yan [4] occupies the lake’s northern tip.
Several Mennonite communities are scattered throughout the Keuka Lake region. Driving south between Penn Yan and Dundee along Routes 14A or 11, or north of Penn Yan along Routes 14A, 374, and 27, you’re bound to pass a horse-and-buggy or two clip-clopping down the road.
Handwritten signs advertising Mennonite quilts, furniture, or produce for sale sometimes appear by the roadside, while more permanent shops are located near Penn Yan and Dundee.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-york-state/the-finger-lakes
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-york-state/the-finger-lakes/keuka-lake/hammondsport
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-york-state/the-finger-lakes/keuka-lake/hammondsport/wineries
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-york-state/the-finger-lakes/keuka-lake/penn-yan