March 22, 2014 VASSAR COLLEGE

     We numbered eleven and I think everyone was super happy to get out in the fresh air.  When I left home, it was overcast and 28 degrees with the promise of warming [which it did] and rain [which it also did but, thankfully, after we finished walking]. 

     We walked around the campus visiting the church and admiring the windows, walking around the lake and to the observatory then back to our cars.  There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground.  It's been a very tough winter and it was good to be outside.

the church

Tiffany window #1

Tiffany window #2

Tiffany window #3

Tiffany window at the staircase

campus view

the lake

the observatory

golf course

11/16/13 Dutchess Rail Trail - Gold's Gym entrance

     What a great day for our final walk!!  It was sunny, slightly cool when we started and then warmed up...just beautiful.  And there were 15 of us to enjoy this last walking day.  The majority of the group walked about four miles, some more and some a little less.

     After the walk, the lunch group decided to eat at the bakery at a nearby mall where we'd enjoyed brunch last year.  This involved ten people in five different cars.  When we arrived at the mall, the bakery was closed citing the owners had opened a new tapas restaurant, Tomas, at the mall next door.  Somehow we all managed to get there to enjoy a pleasant and decent lunch.

     The leaves were mostly gone and there wasn't much to take pictures of so there are only a few, not very exciting ones.

the new bridge

view from the bridge

and the other side

a little bit of trail side water

and some more

there were a lot of these "flowers" along the way

the trail

remains of an overpass

we crossed a small stream

another trail view

we took a group pic with 4 missing [2 still walking & 2 in restroom]-this one with me

and this one with Pat

     

11/9/13 Winding Hills Park

        It was overcast and 37 degrees when I left home and it stayed chilly for the walk.  How nice it was to have a short drive to the walk for a change. 

        There were 10 of us.  The map provided by the park is a little difficult to interpret but after passing the end of the lake,  there are three trails all leading left toward the dam. Only one actually goes there.  We had intended to walk all the way around the lake; and that involved taking the third trail.  We thought we were on it but it turned out that we had taken trail two which ends about half way to the dam.

        There was a big hill that we thought might lead us to Trail 3.  John and Dave scaled it...it was not easy...very steep and the leaves made it slippery.  With the leafy covered ground, they couldn't identify a trail even if it was there.  So we all turned around and walked back along the lake  on trail one.  When we got back to the station, 7 of us walked to a small pond nearby and, from there, 6 went on up a nearby hill.

        Six of us enjoyed lunch in the very nice back room at Copperfield's in Montgomery.

at the beginning of the trail

lots of leaves on the trail hiding rocks and roots

the rock on the downed tree tradition continues

the view across the lake

there were many fungi covered trees

another lake view

nice spot to sit and think

this is the hill Dave & John climbed...tricky going up and trickier coming down

the lake views continue

large wasp nest

interesting tree stump in the lake

more fungi

smaller downed tree earned a smaller rock...thanks to John

this still-standing tree was covered with fungi

and a close up...they were kind of spongy to the touch [Pat and I checked them out]

tree artwork

view at the end of the lake

leaf filled brook

this is the small pond

more of the pond

and the rest of the pond

six were off into the woods by the pond