Thanksgiving 2018

This November has seen little outdoor activity from us.  The ground has been either frozen by unseasonable cold or drenched by seldom before seen quantities or rain.  So far the driveway has needed to be cleared of snow twice.  NOAA listed a wake up temperature for us of 7 degrees this morning.

Just across the Unadilla River a new foot bridge spans a short creek without a name.  Its shadow can be seen in the foreground of the photo.  High Bridge shows on the road map as a name for this area.  At one time long ago a single lane steel bridge was erected here and the road that crossed it was named High Bridge Road.  In my memory of this spot, only the stone abutments remained as the bridge was removed more than fifty years ago.  Why the footbridge was placed here now remains a mystery.  Parking is limited at best and the area contains only a few homes.  The secondary road sees little traffic.

This unnamed stream drains only a small area.  Rainfall runoff is not sufficient to have cut a gorge this deep.  Glacial melt-water was the force that cut this unusual feature.  To our west places like Watkins Glen or Enfield Glen were also formed by the retreating glacial melt-water.  There the gorges are huge and now hold state parks.  Here the geologic feature is rather small and is known to only a few.  A town road clings to the side of the hill for about one mile far above this stream bed.  The land is posted but the steepness of the decent would prevent anyone from safely scampering down to the stream.  The waterfall located here is largely hidden by the trees.  Near the top of this stream's plunge to river bottom land is another larger waterfall.  It too is on posted land but with permission of the landowner the water fall could be approached.  I have yet to see any human activity at the mobile home that is now likely to be a camp.  Without permission I will not get close enough to that waterfall for decent pictures.  If  I ever see people here and their dogs are without foam at the mouth, I will seek permission to approach and photograph their waterfall.

October presented this view of the stream and waterfall from the footbridge.  For me those totally unreachable water worn stones cry out for placement in a dry stone wall.

This is the base of the upper falls.  The stream bed is much closer to the level of the road.  Here fields and other signs of pioneer farming efforts can be seen.  More water than usual now fills the stream as a result of the recent heavy rainfall.  We let a couple of days pass following the rain so that the pictures would not show muddy water.