Panther Mountain, Adirondack Park

If you get bored with the Mohawk Valley, one of the great things about living here is our proximity to the Adirondack Park. It's a well kept secret it seems as on most of my hikes or canoe trips, I rarely see anyone else. This view on the top of the south side or the overlook( accessible on Piseco Lake Road off rt8) of Panther Mountain is stunning and worth the hike. Although logging cleared out most of the old growth forest here, you can still find a remnants of ancient hemlocks tucked away in some hard to get to areas. On one trip up, there were many trout in the stream, and overhead a couple of turkey vultures flew overhead.

Uticas Val Bialas Parkway Ski Hill

I've always thought they should open this ski lift in the summer so people (tourists and locals)
can enjoy this view. Plant tulips on the ski hill too to create a showy burst of color in the spring. And reopen the back entrance to the zoo so they could stop in if they wanted at the same time. Connect some running trails from the "Switchback" and you would see a whole
lot of good things start happening up there! Take this one step further and put concessions and small boutique type businesses in the chalet area. Really a lot of possibilities with this great asset!!! If nothing less show your stamina and hike up the hill ( take the 1st hill to the left-facing up as it is a less strenuous climb) the shorter hill to the right is climable if you are in good shape and the ground is dry. Enjoy the view!
Pat Huther

An Evening Ride Through East Utica

The daylight was waning as I pushed down hard on my ten speeds pedals and powered the bike up Bleecker Street towards the Parkway. The aroma of tomato sauce wafts out the windows and vents of the large two family homes and Italian restaurants that dot this area of Utica. I hear a loud conversation from an apartment above, I look up at the porch of one of these homes and meet the eyes of an elderly man with a white tank top t-shirt sitting there watching me go by. The talking fades, drowned out by a truck going by. Bleecker Street is busy with people and is vibrant because it is home to many colorful, mostly Italian-American small businesses. The many interesting people, smells, sounds, scenarios and landmarks always make this an interesting part of my bike rides. AsI look at the window of a furniture store with ornate satiny furniture in the window, I watch my blurry reflection as it passes quickly by and is cut-off by two middle aged Italian men who don't even look up as I pass. One is looking down with hands in his pockets as the other man animatedly talks with his hands and is consumed with making his point.
Driving by on my bike at 15 to 20 mph, much of what I see is a fragment and a blur. An abstraction of all my senses. As an outsider I can never know the intimacy of this special place
that was East Utica in 1975. Many of the special people, places and things that made Utica special then are gone, however the solidarity and sense of community that made Utica strong and
vibrant, lingers now through the families that lived and loved that intimacy, and still reside here or hope to return.
Pat Huther

Battle of Oriskany Monument - An American Jewel

We often take for granted all that was done by those before us, and especially those 800 men who took up arms, left their families and livelihoods to battle invaders and neighbors, to what end? The patriot force would suffer 450 casualties including the loss of General Herkimer, making it one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution. There were few families in the Mohawk Valley who had not lost a relative or two or three in this bloody civil battle (loyalist against patriots). It was an overwhelming loss for the small community of settlers in the Mohawk Valley.

As I was traveling to Rome one Saturday morning last autumn to make a delivery, I realized I was near the Oriskany Battlefield Monument and decided to take a moment to stop and maybe take a photo. The gate was closed, but I stepped onto the green as the sun was rising over the
eastern edge of the Mohawk Valley. The fall foliage was a magnificent backdrop to the monument which pays tribute to General Herkimer and the milita and Oneida Indians who answered the call of freedom. This is definitely one of those "jewels" of not only the Mohawk Valley, but the whole United States. One that more people in the Mohawk Valley need to know more about. Excuse me... all Americans should know about.

Sorry for the lapse in this blog, I've been kind of focusing on my graphics blog lately and


haven't done too many of my newsletters which are the basis of my blog posts for "Still Alive"

Thanks-Pat Huther

If A Window of Opportunity Appears...

...Don't Pull Down The Shade.

This rail underpass tunnel just outside of Barneveld is really cool to drive through and honk the horn . The kids still get a big kick out of this. And after you pass through you go through some beautiful and scenic countryside (especially in the autumn).
Pat Huther

Railroad Tunnel Outside of Barneveld, NY

Utica...the Core...the hope of the valley

One of my favorite pieces of the Utica area I did last winter. On Court street looking SE towards Grace Church. It shows the decay, yet also captures the glimmer of hope, and also the wealth and dignity that was Utica's strength at one time. Many landmark buildings that were remnants of the textile industrial/Erie Canal heyday in Utica have been torn down. The Devereux Building, Old City Hall (Designed by Upjohn), The Globe Building to name a few. It is a shame because destroying our landmark buildings is like erasing our history, erasing who we are. No wonder so many people leave this area, many of whom are 3rd, 4th, 5th or greater generations of MV residents. Often never to return, only perhaps to die here or be buried here.
This areas only hope is to rebuild this rotting core, maintain it's cultural identity through restoration and maintenance of architecturally significant buildings, hold onto ethnic neighborhoods, provide more assistance for the development and growth of hi-tech companies like: Black River Systems. Utica with a vision and a plan that is shared with all, can be the catalyst to the rebuilding and controlled growth of the whole community.

Trenton Falls

This year they "opened up" Trenton Falls to the public for a few weekends a year. Was really cool to see, and worth the hike in. This is one of those jewels of the Mohawk Valley that should be accessible to the public all year. It would be a great tourist attraction just like it was a hundred years ago. Although, the falls beauty have been despoiled greatly by the hideous pipes and dam put in by Ni-Mo or their predecessor.
Pat

A View From Above; the "Eagle"

The brown leaves whirl and rustle on the recently blacktopped road of the New Forest Cemetery. I walk along a grassy stretch, and it is tantalizingly quiet here until I hear a car rolling along on the gravelly roads nearby. I look up to see a dirty white compact car with a lone driver zip along on the road just above the Rathbone monument. Above me the grey skies are stirring and churning, occassionally revealing hints of blue skies beyond. A burst of sunshine pierces the clouds for a few seconds and highlights a white birch tree which seemingly glows and basks in the warm golden glow of the sun.

I am unsettled as it is late autumn again. Autumn is a season of contrasts here in Upstate, New York. A season which starts out with beautiful vibrant colors as leaves turn magnificent shades of yellows, reds and oranges accentuated by deep blue skies, and then transitions to overcast brown and grey brooding landscapes and skies. The air becomes bitterly cold as the onset of winter approaches, and my mood seems to change with the season as I anticpate the five or six months of winter to come. Geese fly overhead somewhere in the swirling clouds above and are only given away by their honking, and I pause to search the skies to see them as I feel a longing to somehow go south with them.

It is getting colder and darker as I walk along the quiet road and push on to the top of the hill.
The silhouette of the "Eagle" becomes clearer as I approach the top . A forbidding darkness has settled in around me as I stand next to and under the outstretched wings of the "Eagle". I look down on the city lights below and at the traffic winding down into the other side of the Mohawk Valley. Looking down at the twinkling lights and the glow of the city from here, all the flaws of the city are hidden.

I shiver as the city is truly beautiful and inspiring and I am also quite chilled. I head down the hill and melt into the darkness again while reflecting on the images of the city lights, the silhouette of the "Eagle", the sun-drenched white birch tree, and the honking geese. I step out of the cover of trees onto the broken sidewalk and into the amber streetlights and the flourescent glow of the convenience store across the street.
Pat Huther

Lets talk Mohawk Valley!

Hi...always looking for people in and outside the Mohawk Valley who love the area and have similar interests to share some thoughts on:
Artistic; I love to photograph and do paintings and digital illustrations of the barns, churches, historic buildings and landscape of our area.
Fitness; I've run many Boilermakers, X-country ski-Love the Parkway In Utica In Winter!
Political; no doubt we need some serious help.
Cooking Italian, Japanese-love most Italian, tolerate some sushi, prefer tempura, yakitori, sukiyaki, fried rice. Grilling and Dining Out at many of our fine eateries.
Interesting Sites/History: This area is chock full of history and interesting places to share with all.