Working Backwards, Then Celebrating

The Elusive Trail

I've been alluding to the Dutchess Rail Trail again and again, hoping to dig into what it was. It's oddly a subject minimally documented, and almost avoided. A bit of research revealed that the trail is also referred to as the Hudson Valley Rail Trail (HVRT), with intentions of local government and groups to continually expand it's length in the years to come. A very brief history is provided on the HVRT web site, noting that at least part of the current trail was in fact, a railroad line for a time. It fell out of use in the 1970's, due to a fire on a the Poughkeepsie Bridge (Ref - http://hudsonvalleyrailtrail.net/about.php). As I like to do, I cross checked the information and came upon a Wikipedia article, corroborating this information, but also adding some interesting details, which I haven't been able to to locate elsewhere. Here's a quote (Ref - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Valley_Rail_Trail):

"The Hudson Valley Rail Trail is a paved 4-mile (6.4 km) east–west rail trail in the town of Lloyd in Ulster County, New York, stretching from the Hudson River through the hamlet of Highland. The trail was originally part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route, a rail corridor that crossed the Hudson via the Poughkeepsie Bridge. Controlled by a variety of railroads throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the bridge was damaged and became unusable after a 1974 fire. By the 1980s the corridor's then-owner, Conrail, had routed all rail traffic in the region north through Selkirk, and was eager to relieve itself of the bridge and adjoining rights-of-way. In 1984, it sold the entire property for one dollar to a felon who did not maintain it or pay taxes on it. The section of the corridor west of the Hudson was seized by Ulster County in 1991 and transferred to the town of Lloyd."

If indeed the line was sold to a "felon", it adds color to the idea that certain blocks of the trail's history are intended to be forgotten and replaced, with the new public friendly appearance of a family trail it is today. Although unconfirmed, it is very interesting.


A 2nd Birthday

I was unable to get out on the road today, as I first had to work this morning, then attended my third son's birthday party. It was a different experience (from a photography perspective; the party itself was par for the course), and I feel like I'm gaining ground for how to use my camera. There is a growing comfort with how to angle and frame, and I felt like I did a fair job acting in the candid moments today. It was a good experience, and I of course celebrated with my boys!









For previous adventures, please see my Flickr feed - https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003675@N04/
Thanks for visiting!

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