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.

Wild February Day

This late winter day featured early daytime temperatures above seventy degrees followed by a drop below freezing.  Severe storms featuring small heavy rain cells with occasional thunder filled the early afternoon.  A local flood watch was in effect.  This raised serious questions about my driving route from Syracuse.  The customary nearly straight line drive includes secondary roads that follow rather narrow valleys.  Local flooding here would require that I turn around and head back toward Syracuse.  There are no paved roads that climb out of those valleys.

The early in the day trip found this favorite waterfall with a generous amount of water cascading over it.  At this point in time, only snow melt from the warm air was added to the typical flow.  On my return trip, heavy rain had greatly increased the flow and had colored it soil brown.  Not finding that color water photogenic, I pressed on toward home.

This old mill dam would be part of every drive except for the horrible pavement encountered as one leaves Norwich on route 23.  I believe that the lousy road surface is deliberate to slow traffic.  Driving that road is hard on both the vehicle and its occupants at any slow speed.  Exceeding the posted speed limit would shake loose car parts.  Today I drove there just to see this.  The heavy rainfall had passed by the time I returned.  No flooding extended to cross  the roads so the return trip was uneventful despite widespread flooded valley fields.  This usually quiet stream was roaring.

As I neared Syracuse, two heavy rain cells were encountered.  The first was about two miles wide with rain so heavy the it was almost impossible to see the road.  Reason would have dictated that I pull off the road but there were no shoulders here.  Not a fan of stopping in the roadway, I continued to move guided mainly by my knowledge of the road.  The second severe cell was encountered while on a better highway.  These unusually heavy rains are a new experience to me.  I cannot remember rain so heavy that visibility simply disappeared.  Might these small heavy cells point to a change in our weather patterns?

Winter Record

My frequent trips to Syracuse take me past this small waterfall.  What it lacks in size is offset by its convenient roadside location.  No scrambling over icy stream beds is necessary to reach this special place.  It is located near a curve in the road and remained unnoticed for far too long.  Reluctant to park partially in the road, many great photo ops were missed.  Finally I decided to act like most people and simply park it.

This photo, taken on December 31,2016, shows little ice in response to a partial thaw and warmer weather.  The light snowfall is new.  Had I been willing to stop on my trip one week earlier, an ice bridge at the top of the first fall would have been pictured.

One week later on January 07, 2017, the waterfall shows the impact of returning frigid temperatures.  Stream flow under the ice continues but at a reduced rate.  This stream is so insignificant that it does not appear on the road map.  If permission to explore here is given, I will walk upstream in search of the source of this stream.  A spring will likely prove to be the initial above ground appearance of this water flow.

Two weeks later on January 21, 2017, much of the stream ice and nearby snow are gone in response to warmer temperatures.  Once again I missed a picture of the upper ice bridge.  This unnamed waterfall on its unnamed stream is nearly midway on the trip from my home to the hospital.  It provides a few moments of soul soothing natural stillness.  When there is no snow on the ground, I intend to pocket a couple of shale pebbles that were loosened from this shingled slope.  If I carry one with me always, placing it in my hand will allow me to mentally return to this special place.

By February 05, 2017,  more typical Arctic air has once again covered the moving water with ice.  Less obvious is the fact that the sun remains above the treeline on my return trip now.  Long shadows show that the sun is about to set.  Increasing day length at this time of year allows a  round trip to be completed in day light.

Rain and warm temperatures are forecast later this week.  A special trip to the water fall is under consideration if the amount of rain is large.  When this stream is bank full and roaring it is a sight to behold.

Unexpected Beauty

For the past several months, weekly trips to Syracuse have been the norm.  A nearly straight line route utilizing a combination of town, county and state roads traverse a geologically varied region of New York State and make for a challenging  drive.  My focus is on finding the best track for the numerous S curves.  I failed to notice this waterfall until last week.  Traveling west the curve in the road and the shale ledge effectively hide the waterfall.  Most of the time little water moves in this stream.  Last week my drive followed a rainfall of some significance and huge volumes of white water poured over this ledge.  Traveling east, it was impossible to miss seeing this roadside waterfall but prior planning was required for a safe stop here.
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A shale deposit is very near the surface in this area.  Soil is thin and large areas of flat land suitable for farming are nonexistent here.  Small fields supported unprofitable farms in the past and the falling skeletons of abandoned barns are now common in this valley.  Soon even they will be gone.  Clusters of old tattered mobile homes surrounded by accumulations of trash tend to focus ones attention on quickly and safely clearing that area.  Music from the film Deliverance finds its way into the mind.  Then there is this spot of natural beauty.

Shingled shale slope is a frequently used combination of words used to describe this type of waterfall.  Water is continuously removing small bits of shale that now line the pool at the base of the falls.  One should reasonably expect that such mounds of wet stones would not provide secure footing.  That lesson was quickly taught as my foot pushed a pile of these stones back into the pool.  Once lightning fast reflexes combined with agility severely dulled by age kept both my feet and the camera dry but my move was certainly laughable.  In a place like this, there is no video!

This natural feature is one hour from our home.  Plans to make excursions here to capture the seasonal changes have already been made.  These trips will follow heavy rainfalls so that the water flow will be impressive.  Located right next to the road, pictures of ice formations will be possible with relative safety.  Hard as it is to believe, that has me looking forward to next winter.