Flat and boring Canalway Trail in Niskayuna
Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley
I have been playing with map color filters and this aerial photo of the Mohawk Valley seemed to touch me, even if its uncommon for the Mohawk Valley to be this free of clouds in summer months.
Mohawk Valley
Willie Marsh Trails
Willie Marsh
Willie Marsh in the Peck Hill State Forest has an extensive system of boardwalks and trails around a marsh, which is fairly ordinary but depending on the time of year might be a good place to observe wildlife, especially early in the morning or late in the evening.
Taken on Friday June 17, 2022 at Peck Hill State Forest.Boardwalk
Lock 8
Work began here in Rotterdam in 1908 on Erie Barge Canal Lock 8. In addition to constructing Lock 8, engineers built a three-span moveable dam (about 510 feet wide) that raises boats heading upstream as much as 15 feet when the dam is activated. Many people mistake the dam for a bridge, (which it is not) but a walkway that allows for necessary maintenance. Beneath the dam's trusses are steel frames each containing a giant steel plate. Below the dam's base, a concrete sill constructed on the river bed spans the river's width. When these frames are swung open and lowered by chains onto the sill, they form a dam.
Dam gates can be adjusted up or down almost like window shades, to control the volume of water and its rate of flow. Raising or lowering the dam must be carefully coordinated with the lock operators downstream to prevent the release of too much water which might flood the river bank banks. Therefore, lock gates downstream must all be raised or lowered accordingly.