Our mailing address is: 223 Canaan Rd, Brooktondale, NY 14817 and our phone number at home is 607-539-6153. Cell phone reception is very poor. Please allow 30 minutes drive time from Ithaca! More if there is construction or bad weather. Exercise and trail work events (bikes, skis, runs) leave promptly within 10 minutes (or less) after the announced time. Here is a crude hand drawn road map to Canaan Rd. from Ithaca side (not to scale). No cell phone voice coverage at our house - sometimes texting works. So it's ok to leave our number with babysitter etc ... 

CAT ALLERGIES: We have one or two cats who hang out in the workshop for part of their day. We generally just put the cats outdoors if they are bothering you. If you are extremely allergic: we advise please do not come to this venue, sorry! We also have dogs and chickens on the property. :-)

WebMapping: GoogleMap MapQuest  - CAUTION!! -  Do not let these mapping programs choose the route for you. This is a rural area and we have seasonal use dirt roads that are not suitable for travel with a passenger car.  Specifically: Canaan Road to the north of us, also Star Stanton Rd and Hammond Hill Roads all have sections that go through the state forest, are not plowed in the winter and vary from difficult to impossible even in the summer. The written directions below go around the state forest and avoid these roads! Also note: Our property is about 1/4 mile further north than indicated on the Google Map image.:-)

PARKING - It is pretty much single file on the side of the street. East side facing north. In the winter time please park on one side only (facing north works the best) so the snow plow can get past: less critical in the summer. If you have trouble getting around out of the car and need to park close, let us know ahead of time, we can figure something out! We recently purchased the property across the street in May 2009. We may be able to eventually use that for extra parking and you can use it NOW for TURNING AROUND :-)

from: ITHACA downtown  (scroll down for directions from other surrounding villages & cities)
Driving directions from Ithaca: hand drawn road map to Canaan Rd. East on Rt. 79 to Slaterville Springs, then Left on Harford Rd. (just as you're leaving Slaterville .. Harford Rd is labeled "Speed Rd." on some maps), then about 4 miles to Canaan Rd. which will be on the left (you'll also pass Hammond Hill Rd. on the left which is directly across from Flatiron Rd. on your right before you get to Canaan Rd.). Left on Canaan Rd., then we are about 1 mile north on Canaan Rd. on the Right hand side... 223 is on the mailbox. House numbers are NOT sequential. Please drive slowly on Canaan Rd! (thanks!) The "shop" is the second (northern most) building ... where most of these activities take place. [ Web Map ] Please allow 30 minutes drive time from Ithaca! Exercise and trail work events (bikes, skis, runs, hikes) leave promptly within 15 minutes (or less) after the announced time.

from: ITHACA Northeast
If you are coming from the NORTHEAST area of Tompkins [such as Hanshaw Road, Sapsucker Woods Rd, the airport, the Pyramid Mall] you can can cut through Ellis Hollow to get over to Rt. 79 and not go all the way back towards town: Find Hanshaw Rd. on your map and then Freese Rd. (near Sapsucker Woods Rd) Take Freese Rd to the Rt. 366 (Dryden Rd.) stop sign then cross straight through at the stop sign (this intersection is called Varna) where it then becomes Mt. Pleasant Rd., Take Mt. Pleasant Rd. about 1/2 mile up the hill to a stop sign at the intersection of Turkey Hill Rd. Turn right on Turkey Hill Rd. and follow that to the next stop sign and intersection which is Ellis Hollow Road crossing. Turn left on Ellis Hollow Rd and follow that to the next stop sign (it's a 3 way) bear right at the 3 way stop .... the locals call this section "the south road" it is labeled Ellis Hollow South Rd. on some maps and just Ellis Hollow Rd on others .. this will bring you to Rt. 79 ... left on Rt.' 79 to Slaterville Springs then follow the directions in the paragraph above ("from ITHACA")

from: DRYDEN Village
Driving directions from the village of Dryden: East/South on Rt. 38 to Schutt Rd, right on Schutt, then right on Harford Rd. (Harford Rd is labeled "Speed Rd." on some maps), then about 2 miles to Liddington Rd. right on Liddington (1/4 mile), then right on Canaan Rd, then we are about 1/2 mile up Canaan Rd. on the right hand side... 223 is on the mailbox. House numbers are NOT sequential. Please drive slowly on Canaan Rd! (thanks!) The "shop" is the second (northern most) building ... where most of these activities take place. [ Web Map ]

from: CANDOR Village
Driving directions from Candor: Take Honeypot over the hill to Slaterville Springs. Honeypot becomes South Rd which then becomes Buffalo Hill Rd. Turn Right on Rt. 79 when you get to the village of Slaterville. hand drawn road map to Canaan Rd. East on Rt. 79 ... then Left on Harford Rd. (just as you're leaving Slaterville .. Harford Rd is labeled "Speed Rd." on some maps), then about 4 miles to Canaan Rd. which will be on the left (you'll also pass Hammond Hill Rd. on the left which is directly across from Flatiron Rd. on your right before you get to Canaan Rd.). Left on Canaan Rd., then we are about 1 mile north on Canaan Rd. on the Right hand side... 223 is on the mailbox. House numbers are NOT sequential. Please drive slowly on Canaan Rd! (thanks!) The "shop" is the second (northern most) building ... where most of these activities take place. [ Web Map ]

from: WEST DANBY
Driving directions from West Danby: If you are feeling adventurous and want to try the back way (first we would recommend to get a Tompkins County Map! and don't go this way if the roads are really bad): Sarah and Tod take the shortcut through the State Forest  -- take Station Road up to  Bald Hill Rd and then to Rt. 96B, L 96B, Then R on Hornbrook Rd its the first right off of 96B, then the first Left (Nelson), then the next Right (onto Miller Rd East) to Coddington Rd. Follow Miller Rd E, all the way to  Coddington Rd ... a quick zig leftright  across to Caroline Depot Rd follow stay on this road until you come to a T, then go Left onto White Church Rd. and then  to Valley Rd .. straight across Valley Rd over the bridge and bear to the right onto Lounsberry Rd .. take Lounsberry Rd to Rt. 79 Turn Right and follow Driving directions from Ithaca: hand drawn road map to Canaan Rd. East on Rt. 79 ... then Left on Harford Rd. (just as you're leaving Slaterville .. Harford Rd is labeled "Speed Rd." on some maps), then about 4 miles to Canaan Rd. which will be on the left (you'll also pass Hammond Hill Rd. on the left which is directly across from Flatiron Rd. on your right before you get to Canaan Rd.). Left on Canaan Rd., then we are about 1 mile north on Canaan Rd. on the Right hand side... 223 is on the mailbox. House numbers are NOT sequential. Please drive slowly on Canaan Rd! (thanks!) The "shop" is the second (northern most) building ... where most of these activities take place. [ Web Map ]

from: RICHFORD
Driving directions from Richford (Intersection of Rts. 79 and Rts 38): Take Rt. 79 West. About a mile or so after you cross the Tompkins and Tioga County line (you'll pass Pacific Rd on the right and Level Green Rd on the left) turn right on Flatiron Rd. Flatiron is about 1 mile long. Turn right at the stop sign onto Harford (Harford Rd is labeled "Speed Rd." on some maps) then in half a mile turn left onto Canaan Rd hand drawn road map to Canaan Rd. then we are about 1 mile north on Canaan Rd. on the Right hand side... 223 is on the mailbox. House numbers are NOT sequential. Please drive slowly on Canaan Rd! (thanks!) The "shop" is the second (northern most) building ... where most of these activities take place. [ Web Map ]

from: BINGHAMTON
If you have handy access to Rt. 81-N then take that and get off at Rt. 79 and take 79-W to Richford -- Driving directions from Richford (Intersection of Rts. 79 and Rts 38): Take Rt. 79 West. About a mile or so after you cross the Tompkins and Tioga County line (you'll pass Pacific Rd on the right and Level Green Rd on the left) then turn right on Flatiron Rd. Flatiron is about 1 mile long. Turn right at the stop sign onto Harford (Harford Rd is labeled "Speed Rd." on some maps) then in half a mile turn left onto Canaan Rd hand drawn road map to Canaan Rd. then we are about 1 mile north on Canaan Rd. on the Right hand side... 223 is on the mailbox. House numbers are NOT sequential. Please drive slowly on Canaan Rd! (thanks!) The "shop" is the second (northern most) building ... where most of these activities take place. [ Web Map ]

March and Early April: Spring Mud Alert -- This is a rural property and is not all paved with nice little walkways (sorry.. it's on the list!) Just so you are not surprised by this.. it is mostly a problem in the early spring (March and April) when the ground is mostly frozen and the surface of the lawn begins to thaw and the snow to melt .. it smells wonderfully like spring, but can ruin a nice pair of shoes. So don't wear your best shoes, maybe even wear slip on boots and bring slippers or mocs or something to change into to jam in comfortably. Please take your shoes off before you go into the house. Shoes/boots in shop are ok but try not to track mud onto the "jam rug"  in the center of the shop. Thanks!

From our neighbor up the street 10/14/2005: "It's not a huge problem, because I fixed it, and I really don't want to make a huge issue of it...but someone KO'd my mailbox Wednesday night (10/12).  In fact, it could have been hoodlums on the loose!  But, just in case, would you mind asking folks to be careful turning around in my drive? See you, and thanks"  -Una --- Her driveway is north of ours on the left. This happened on a music jam night!! Please be careful, or fess up, and I'll go fix it. -Mike :-)

RSVPs are not required, but very useful to me if you have time - email is fine...  michael@canaaninstitute.org