TRAVEL TALES

Young Chang

Retired and all of 75 years old, Russ Henry visited the place of his

birth last month and was pleased to find that in 61 years, the population

of Canandaigua Lake in New York had grown by only 2,000.

At a whopping 10,000 residents, there was still a small-town

quaintness about the place.

“With homes that are just in excellent shape, on a lake that’s 17

miles long, so it’s gorgeous country. And everything was so green,” said

Henry, who once worked in the oil trading business.

The Newport Beach resident traveled to the Finger Lakes region of New

York, where Canandaigua Lake is, with his wife, Sue; his cousin and his

wife from North Carolina; and his brother and his wife from Los Gatos,

Calif.

And once Henry arrived in this old town, he even looked up two old

schoolmates he had known when he was 14, which was when he left for

California.

“One of them said I looked the same except for my gray hair,” Henry

said.

Canandaigua Lake and its surrounding areas were also blessed with

historians who accepted visits from locals wanting to know more about

their origins.

Henry visited one such expert and discovered that his family genealogy

stemmed back to the 1600s, with family who farmed along the lake.

During their eight-day stay, the Newport Beach couple also took a

quick trip to nearby Niagara Falls and, of course, took pictures on the

one day it didn’t rain.

“It was Wednesday, the only day the sun shone,” Henry said. “We took

all our pictures that day, and going around the lake was nice because it

is wine country and rolling hills have a lot of vineyards.”

Sue Henry, 68, said she enjoyed the beauty of the area -- a look that

had maintained itself despite harsh winters and age.

“I tell you, the area is gorgeous,” she said. “The lake, the farms and

the homes. The homes the people have are over 100 years old, and they

look brand new. The upkeep is incredible. I haven’t been to a place

that’s been held up so nicely.”

* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation

recently? Tell us your adventures. Drop us a line to Travel Tales, 330 W.

Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail young.chang@latimes.com; or fax to

(949) 646-4170.