The Glens of New York  are a series of narrow valleys south of the Finger Lakes of central New York State. The Finger Lakes are so-called because of their obvious resemblance to fingers on a hand when seen on a map.
 
The Finger Lakes occupy ancient south-north river valleys that were scoured and deepened by the advance and retreat of glaciers in past Ice Ages. The advance of the glaciers was halted by the valleys' southern highlands, and the lakes were filled with melt water as the glaciers retreated.
 
Water still flows northward from the higher lands to the south. As the streams descend the slopes of siltstone and shales, they cut deep and narrow valleys, called Glens. Due to the relatively soft rock, the streams drop in short steps or slides as multiple terraced waterfalls as they head to the lakes. The Glens are very popular places to visit and have been designated as state parks, with tourist facilities. The result is a uniquely picturesque and accessible landscape.

I was born in Upstate New York and visited Watkins Glen as a child, but I had not returned until this trip. Nancy and I thought the Glens would be a great location for the "evidence-based" photography for healthcare we do for Iris Arts. So, one October, we spent a week in the Glens and another in the Adirondacks.

We had perfect conditions for photography—high clouds, peak fall colors, plenty of water in the streams, and time. The Glens of New York image gallery shows work from several Glens and State Parks in the region. A few additional images can be found in the Blog posts on the Glens.