November 17, 2012 Walkill Rail Trail at Gardiner

      Our last walk of the season and it sure was memorable!!...we all got lost thanks to my poor directions.  I had walked the trail back in the spring of 2010 with Mt. St. Mary Nature Walks.  I recall that the directions were confusing but I didn't have that much difficulty locating the parking lot [supposedly right on Dusinberre Road with parking lot on right after passing old house].  Well, there was nothing there.

      I drove down the road for quite a ways and couldn't find it; so I turned back thinking I'd get directions at the hardware store.  Almost at the end of the road, I saw Katie and her carload and turned around.  As we met, three more cars of confused people pulled up.  They decided to go back down the road to a spot Dave had noticed.  In the meantime, Vince and his crew came along.  He got directions from the hardware store and since we weren't sure what happened to the others,  I followed him to a parking area on Second Street.  

      Katie found us there and led us to a parking area on Steve's Road...left off Dusinberre Road.  [There was an old, deserted house at the intersection but on the left].  John W and Pat subsequently found the group.  Unfortunately, at least one of our members was unable to locate us.
       We ended up with 13 members plus potential member, Lisa, walking.  

We look a little chilled but it was a beautiful day.  Thanks for taking the pic Lisa

I was a little desperate for photo ops...this shows the frost on the trailside leaves

I like the fact that this trail isn't paved

view of a farm and the Gunks

and a close up

We felt sorry for these horses.  Their "pasture" was mostly mud and  water

They really don't want trespassers...survivors shot again, oh my!

       Although it was chilly, it was a beautiful day and, once we got started, it was a great walk.  We walked back to the town of Gardiner and noticed another parking area.  We thought it was for the library but it turns out it's for the rail trail.  [I contacted the Walkill Rail Trail regarding their lack of helpful directions and they said the parking areas were indicated on their web site...no reason given for lack of signage]
       To be honest, when I said I'd be willing to do the paper work for the group, I didn't quite realize that meant I would also become the unofficial "leader."  Although there were a couple of times [when the weather was iffy and the drive was long and I was alone] when I wondered what I'd gotten myself into, once I arrived at each walk, I enjoyed it.
       Eleven of us enjoyed lunch/brunch at the Village Market in Gardiner.
      As we parted company at the end of the walk, someone said "See you March 16, 2013."  We discussed this over brunch; trying to remember when we started.  Surprise folks...we started at the Poughkeepsie Cemetery the first Saturday in March. 
       I hope everyone enjoys their holidays, has a good winter and gives some thought to places they'd like to walk next year.
      

November 10, 2012 Bear Mt State Park

      There were nine of us who gathered at the parking lot.  Unfortunately there's an $8 fee to park and four of us were unable to combine transport.  Although sun was promised, we only had a couple of glimpses and it was mostly overcast.  As usual, we walked around the lake and then down to the zoo.  Most of the animals were visible and are left outside during the winter.  They have also been somehow disabled and are unable to survive in the wild but some of the cages [such as the coyotes, although a new area appears to be in the works, foxes and even some of the birds] have very limited space in their enclosures.

   Eight of us enjoyed breakfast at Hudson Hils in Cold Spring.

our first view of the lake

the boats have been put away for the winter

tumbled rocks result of glacial work

Bear Mt Bridge in the background

tranquil lake

our Hudson River views were almost painterly

the bits of gray make this bear look old but handler said both are 7 1/2

bear #2 having some lunch

we walked down almost under the bridge

you can just barely see Metro North train under the tree branches

another river view...train just barely visible in distance

another bridge view

and another river view

last view of the bridge

turkey vulture checking caged "buddy"...deer in background

swan and some duck friends

November 3, 2012 Poughkeepsie Cemetery

     It was cold.  We had sun early but later it clouded over and became a "little" breezy.  We only repeated two sites this season:  Norrie Point cuz there were picnic tables and we decided to have our picnic there and Poughkeepsie Cemetery...it was our first walk of the season; a drizzly, miserable day.  They have so many beautiful trees I thought it would be nice to get some autumn color [and I hope to go back for the spring blooms in 2013] but we really should have gone there mid October. 

       After Sandy, I thought the trees would be totally denuded but, thankfully, they have quite a few Japanese Maples and they still had foliage so I got a few decent pictures.
       There were eleven of us.  The personnel at the cemetery had given us directions of where to park and we almost missed Dave and Rich who had parked where our group had previously parked.  We got together, thankfully and we had a good walk.  After, six of us brunched at Table Talk.

  

we had a view of the Hudson River

sweet little pumpkin on heart-shaped memorial

checking out the Hudson view

yeah, had a little "boost" help here

pond view with a little "boost"

some of the older tombstones

how the pond really looked

the group in front of pretty Japanese Maple

a little "boost" here too

the gazebo

I do seem to take a lot of waterfall pix