First Stop - Rochester. Yes, Rochester.

Just wrapped up the first leg of the trip - so much fun. Not sure that many people think of Rochester NY as a destination, but, well, yeah, you'd be wrong. Aside from the awesomeness that is Trav and Jess, Rochester is a hip town with a lot going on. We didn't manage to make it to a museum, which the town has bunches of, but we did get our culture on.

Yeah, that would be George Clinton getting funky at 75 years young.

George Clinton, you say? Parliament-Funkadelic ? Sophistifunk? Some other funky bands? All that and with waffles. Toss in a little throwback to Purple Rain at a small, historic, independent theater? Yeah, got that too, along with some lip smacking, need-a-bib dribble-worthy Vietnamese pho and some amazing Chinese ricebuns.

That doesn't even count the cool and laid back vibe at the campground we found; Creek-N-Wood has got it going on. Just on the outskirts of Canandaigua (and the lake), nestled in next to a burbling creek and with quiet neighbors and access to about anything. The new proprietors, Randy and Brittney, have something special shaping up.

We did manage to get in a bike ride (the Honey Badger is still evil and the Ridley is still a rocket ship). More importantly, Kady and Nate Drive up from Bellefonte PA to hang out, get funky at the concert with us, and to go on a kayaking adventure on the Erie Canal. We had a fun morning paddling by the baby ducks and geese. Water was low, so one of our detours around an island *might* have involved either butt scooting or portaging. You can try to guess who did which. They also twisted our arms (ha) us to try Trav's favorite cheesesteak joint, Mac's Philly Steaks, and a local ice cream shop, Moonlight Creamery in Fairport (both are just across the street from his work). The cheesesteaks were solid, but the ice cream...mmm...nom nom nom. You know that mouth happy sensation when you find local handmade ice cream and it just sort of makes your day? Yeah, that's the kind of stuff that they serve up in a bunch of super fun, inventive, and tasty flavors.

Pie-splosion. Piesplosion. PIESPLOSION! Can't explain the hows or whys, but Trav and Jess are exploring the world of preparing savory pies. Our introduction to piesplosion was a delicious pork, apple, sage pie with homemade crust that they baked to perfection.

To do in Rochester: check out local music scene; watch Wonder Woman!; kayak on the Erie Canal; convince Trav and Jess to host pie-splosion; camp at Creek-N-Wood; check out the college cheap-eats ethnic food options; buy something yummy at the farmers market (mmmm pierogies)

Not to do in Rochester: wear pissy pants; sulk bc it's allergy season in mid-June.

Teaser: Next stop - Lake Placid and the Adirondacks.