Check it out.

Lovely paths along the strand...

How did this path get so nicely tamped down? We had our answer about halfway through the walk, when a cross-country skier begged pardon to play through.

A small copse of trees, lined with brush piles, makes a wonderful habitat for animals to make dens where they can sleep away the harsh winter.

Trudge, trudge, then look back and call the dog. She scampers over the footprints. The crafty pup is hanging back, waiting for me to make more tracks.

At this point the Chemung looks like a vast snowfield. Down river, beyond the Madison Avenue Bridge, the river is thawed and running fast. More on that later.

In this weather Ellie doesn't stray far. We are behind Pirozzolo Park, in the trails heading upriver. She doesn't like the closeness of the woods in the cold.

But the wind is very cold. That is, after all, why we are alone on the strand of river bank. HuggaMutt is ready to look for the car, usually parked either at the Town Offices, or at the bottom of a cul de sac.

We went home and warmed by the gas fireplace. Wee doggie set Herself in the bay window to guard the neighborhood.

We'll return when the air is a little less crisp.

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Little Pond

Warning: nasty shot below

Our visit to the Chemung on Tuesday took us behind the power substation across from McWane International, Water Street. We were greeted by eagles, one of whom graciously circled above until I got a decent shot.We visited with other dog owners and wandered the waterfront, but it was really blustery and cold. Eventually we hauled over to Newtown Creek and checked for conditions there.
Two other hikers warned us that the water was very high, and it was, indeed.
The cold, icy waters rushed by, making a lot of noise, none of it inviting. Ellie decided to give it a miss. Back toward the substation, I was astounded to run across the fully stripped carcass of a deer, perhaps a highway crash victim. The photo is somewhat disturbing, but the most interesting part of the experience for me was my dog's complete lack of interest.Apparently it doesn't really smell like anything that would catch her attention. Deer tracks, yes. Complete deer skeleton, no.

Weird.

Little Pond

It had been a week since we'd been to the river, and it was just pouring cats and, well, you-know-what.

Ellie hates her slicker, but after a summer of stinky dog, we weren't going to set ourselves up for wet, stinky dog.

Except for Her Nibs, there was nothing worthy of our immense photographic talents. We walked our usual paths to where Ellie goes down into a drainage ditch to the river. The ditch is usually dry. Little thing was nonplussed by the "raging torrent" of rainwater.

Frankly, she wouldn't go near it, but I still wanted a clip to save for enjoyment during our next drought.

I did not edit this film at all.

It's just to show the runoff from West Elmira streets. Wish we could send it to our drought-ier neighbors.

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Little Pond

Happy Fall from RiverDog

Short Autumn

Here in Upstate New York, leaf peeping season is often cut short by very cool, dry days. We had a rather dry summer, and that compounds the problem.Most mornings in October can begin with fog near the Chemung River.
It makes for poor photography, but deadens sound, so we can get nice and close to our subjects.
When it burns off, we are left with clear, clean skies. This week we had a cold rain, and that washed away a lot of our pretty leaves. But the view is sparkling.
If you've been to our main site, you've already seen this photo and caption. Double click the picture for detail.
We were very cold, unpleasantly so with the wind, but we still walked down to the spillway. The leaves make their leisurely trip downstream.Upstream, towards Corning, New York, the colors are really striking. I'm told it's worth a drive through the country. We went to the Red Lobster in Big Flats and took the long drive over the hills. Still plenty of green, so maybe we haven't yet peaked.

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Little Pond

Some more color

Ellie and I pulled into the parking lot across from McWayne, near the retention basins. We were looking for the fall colors, but were somewhat disappointed.
It is still too early. There are spots of color, here and there, but they are not anywhere near peak. I believe this view is looking towards Quarry Farm. They tell me there are lots of eagles up that way.
Still, the cooler weather made a much more pleasant walk than we had in the middle of the summer. There are almost no insects to bother us, even under the old railway trestle.
Perhaps the cooler weather made for some pretty sights on the water. This is a view of Brand Park from the Elmira Fire Department river access.

We always see at least one eagle on each trip, but they stay far, far away from us. This time I watched one perfect Baldy flapping over the water, then suddenly drop and pull out a fish. He then flew to the mouth of Newtown Creek. I spotted it later, but as I say, he wouldn't pose pretty for me.

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Little Pond