Mohawk River Trail

Time to get off my butt!

It was a beautifully sunny day, although a little on the cool side. Temps only getting up to the low 40’s…

I had spent enough time playing video games. I should get out and move.

Last year the city of Rome extended the paved trail along the Mohawk River. The section they created, I have walked for years but it was a winding dirt path between Chestnut street and Olney’s Flower shop. Now it is an official part of the trail. I intended to walk it last year when it opened, but to be honest I wasn’t that ambitious.

Come with me on my walk…

I’m not happy with the colors after the snow melts and before Spring kicks into high gear. I tried being a little creative with the processing but I knew as I was on the walk I would be processing the images as monochrome. Knowing this does change the way I capture the images. I’m more focused on the shadows and highlights. Let me know how I did.

It is only a couple hundred yards of walking from my apartment to Olney’s Flower Shop. The trail follows Black River Boulevard until it turns toward the river near the car wash. I would call this view the beginning of the trail. To the left of this view is an area that appears will eventually become a rest area. I’m looking forward to see how it turns out.

As I approached the river I ended up crossing a part of the old dirt trail I walked for years. In the winter it is a snowmobile path. As you can see, the trail planners didn’t understand the ground water flow. Behind me in this view is a small pond which is obviously filled from water now blocked by the raised trail. Should be interesting to see how the new trail holds up.

The next section of the trail follows the Mohawk River. I like how it turned out. I used to fight the overgrowth to get a look at the river. Now it is much easier to capture the views I want.

The new section ends at Chestnut Street. Walking under the bridge connects me with the old trail. Over the Mohawk River and then into the familiar section that heads toward Mohawk Valley Community College and eventually ends (usually where I stop) at Culverton Road.

I’m not sure if it was the guilt of sitting on my butt all morning or pride out weighing common sense. I kept walking. According to Google maps the eventual round trip was a little over five miles. I was out walking for almost two hours. It was a good day.

I did find a few foreign visitors after I crossed the bridge. I was far enough away to not startle them as they walked up from the river. I tried asking for a more photogenic pose but they refused my request.

The next section of the trail is where I typically search for images with my macro lens. There are not a lot of worthy views but once the foliage starts anew, I will have many options. I knew there were a few stops approaching that would be nice landscape monochrome images.

And just like that I was at the end of the line. The trail continues toward the Barge Canal but I typically end my walks here. It was definitely a good place to stop yesterday considering I started walking from my apartment. This view in my head as I walked wasn’t as spectacular as I wanted but it will improve as the leaves return to the trees.

The return trip was a little quicker as I did not stop to capture any images. Probably smart to keep moving though as I was beginning to feel the walk in my legs. This needs to be a recurring activity. I need it! LOL

I hope you enjoyed following me on my walk…