Views around the Valley in December....

I thought I would share some "non-traditional" views of December in the Mohawk Valley. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle and glitz of the holidays we often miss the subtle beauty around us this time of the year


~Dec 5



~Dec 4


~Dec 4


~Dec 3


~Dec 2

View Southeast from New Hartford
Dec 1 Apple Tree Sunrise, New Hartford

Does Anyone Miss Winter?

Except for the snow we had a few weeks ago, we had an exceptionally mild November. Most here don't complain and seem to resolutely accept that the snows and cold will inevitably come. And when they do, watch out. Meanwhile, the warm temps allowed me to do a lot of outdoor projects I had put off while I was doing a lot of long-distance running-training this season.


image: Utica Early Winter Skyline From Near Utica Zoo

Icy Adirondack Images

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Autumn around Utica

Late Autumn Images

Upstate Autumn Foliage Photos

Accessibility to the great outdoors....

Every year the power company "graciously" opens up the Trenton Falls to the public on four weekends a year. You hike about a quarter mile alongside a massive and obtrusive pipeline and then are afforded access at a few spots, to mostly obstructed views of the once mighty and magnificent Trenton Falls. The power authority controls water flow now and restricts access to the site except for the few times a year it allows guests in. So, out of town visitors who would like to see the falls should check to make sure the falls are open when they are visiting. Even harder to access, is the falls above (Prospect Falls) in the nearby Village of Prospect. The Village of Prospect maybe should take a look at the beautiful falls in Chittenango (see below) as an example of how allowing access to the public could bring in thousands of visitors to their town. Unless they like it the way it is. Although Chittenango can be a difficult climb down to enjoy the view from the canyon bottom looking up to the falls, at least it is accessible to admirers and even fishermen. The way it should be. NYS needs to work harder to make more of the states scenic and historic spots more identifiable and accessible, and not kept hidden secrets.


Trenton Falls, Oct 2011


Chittenango Falls, Oct 2011


Chittenago Falls, Oct 2011

Autumn in between the rain...

We are starting to get some of the first dramatic colors of autumn here in the Mohawk Valley, so try to get out in between the deluge of rain we've been getting to enjoy the view. One of the best spots to see the colors is at Roscoe Conkling Park in Utica. Walk around the "Eagle" T. Proctor Memorial area and hike into the Old Forest Cemetery to see some beautiful and spectacular old trees and color.

Chaotic and strange weather in the Mohawk Valley...

Very strange weather indeed. After a rough last couple of weeks, hopefully now we can settle into an autumn of sunshine, and lots of fall color and beauty (some of the flowers and insects during-and after the storms). Receiving an unprecedented amount of rain that created much flooding in flood prone areas, as well as many areas that had never experienced flooding previously. Many areas are still in a state of emergency, and today finds many others trying to dry out from these unexpected hits from 2 hurricane remnants (tropical storms).



Many schools remained closed on friday. Well if nothing less the weather as usual here in the Mohawk Valley gives us much to chat about other than the mind-numbing politics that go on around here. But we won't go there...as for me I'm headed outside to catch up on some much needed yard-work, and building maintenance at my business. And hopefully the weather will hold out long enough to enjoy a run or walk through Root Glen. ~Cheers!

A Visit with New Hartford Garden Artists; George & Louise White

Turning Stone Races...

A pretty good inaugural race for the Turning Stone half-marathon/10k/5k. I ran the half-marathon and am nursing some tired legs, so I'll be brief because I am a little cranky and think I'll take a nap. It was a beautiful and pastoral location for a 13.1 except for the few miles where we traversed busy highways. Although there was a very strong police presence and the time of the day we ran traffic was minimal.
All in all I have to give this race a good rating and one which I may run again. There was food(bagels,fruit) but no beer available like advertised, and if you wanted to use the $10 free gaming you had to go into the freezing casino and go to the "Diamond-desk" to claim your freebie. Other than that and the lame expo, I had a pretty good time and experience racing in a 13.1 right here in the Mohawk Valley!

The Erie Canal; The Pathway to The West; Photos of Erie Canal Little Falls Group2

One of the Mohawk Valleys most well known legacies except maybe the movie; "Drums Along the Mohawk", is the Erie Canal and this old classic song; "Low Bridge Everybody Down". most Americans know and can recite at least the first verse. The Erie Canal was an engineering marvel whose opening hyper accelerated the expansion of this country into the west. Little Falls was known for it's amazing set of locks that brought boats and passengers through 3 tiers of locks up the edge of the valley and down into the village.The 3 locks until recent years was the highest lift lock in the world at 40.5 feet

Low Bridge, Everybody Down
(Written by: Thomas Allen in 1905)

I've got a mule, and her name is Sal,
Fif-teen miles on the Er-ie canal,
She's a good ol' worker and a good ol' pal,
Fifteen miles on the Er-ie can-al,
We've hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lum-ber coal and hay,
And ev'ry inch of the way we know
From Al-ba-ny to Buff-a-lo

Low bridge ev'-ry bod-y down,
Low bridge for we're com-in to a town,
And you al-ways know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If you've ev-er navigated on the Er-ie can-al

A Visit to the Past... visiting Little Falls photo group 1

I'll share some interesting views from a visit to the Little Falls Canal Days celebration on Saturday. Although the event turned out to be a yawner, I enjoyed walking along the canal and seeing a bit of Little Falls heritage-legacy as a canal port and mill town on the Mohawk River. Unfortunately, much of the canal park area has been neglected. A motorcyle even pushed us along and off the walking path. What started out as a great idea, seems to be badly neglected now. The vendor tents seemed to be the major attraction as a handful of shoppers milled around the tents, and very few people took the mile or so hike out to the lock on Moss Island. Surely having the information booth manned, during the event would have helped greatly, but the booth along the canal was closed when we attended. Little Falls suffers from a similar problem found in towns like Herkimer and cities like Utica. The problem is that at some point, they allowed the DOT to put major arteries across their urban landscape, with no regard to maintaining the character and allowing easy access, much less building with historical character and accuracy, as well as exploiting interesting views.

If you like running hills and beautiful mountain vistas.....

Thought I would take in an easy 10K run this weekend and found myself challenged by a most difficult run. The Lane 10K in Speculator was pockmarked with at least a dozen hills including several that could be described as cavernous. Combine that with humidity of nearly a 100% and you've got one challenging course.

At the start


You're treated to occasional beautiful vistas and views


huff-puff at the finish 49:30 place 18/87


All and all it was a great race-run albeit a very challenging one. Once underway, it was just you against the course with the occasional challenge from competitve runners. For you non-runners out there Speculator is a great place to visit; there is a beach with parking. So, swim and take in the view of the mountain vistas, kayak on the Kunjumuk or on Lake Pleasant. And you're able to walk a short distance (1/8th-1/4 mile) down the street to get some lunch or dinner after.

Sunset over the Mohawk Valley

A moment, and its glory was no more. The sun went down beneath the long dark lines of hill and cloud which piled up in the west an airy city, wall heaped on wall, and battlement on battlement; the light was all withdrawn; the shining church turned cold and dark; the stream forgot to smile; the birds were silent ...~C. Dickens