It was a 45 degree day outside (very odd in January!) so we went and spent some time at the Nature Conservancy’s Christman Sanctuary. Nestled in Delanson just west of the Capital District is a nature sanctuary with a wonderful little set of trails and a large waterfall. Our hike was cut short due to poor walking conditions, but it was so lovely to see the sanctuary at this time of year.
It was a mild winter day, and we decided to take another walk in a local wetland preservation area. We visited the Swift Wetland Preserve, a small nature conservation area in Delmar, New York, and for just a little while, we were able to get away from it all.
We’ve been really enjoying our walks at the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, but decided to wander over to the other side of the Hudson River this week. We decided upon the Hand Hollow Conservation Area; a large conservation area with ponds, trails, and a lake. In the title I say “a glimpse” because our hike was cut short by the very strong and cold wind on the day of our visit. It was just not conducive to a small child. No worries! We shall return!
I love walking in the woods in the fall. There’s something about the smell of leaves in crisp, cool air that revitalizes my senses. We visited the Stewart Preserve on a nice fall day. Though the sun was mostly hidden behind clouds, when it did decide to peek out, the forest glowed. We will definitely be returning to this beautiful place in the early spring to see what else it has to offer.
Our little weekend adventures to the various preserves in our area have been one of the most wonderful things that we have started doing since our son was born. Our initial intent was to get our son out of the city and into the woods. Now, I see that it’s not just about getting him outside, but it’s for ourselves as well. It keeps things in perspective to get out of the daily chaos into a quieter place. This allows us to focus on the little things that matter, like the changing of the colors of the leaves, or the sound of a raven in the distance.
With that in mind, we visited the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy’s Winifred Matthews Holt Preserve in New Scotland, in upstate New York. It is my favorite Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy preserve to date, and that’s saying a lot.
Continuing our day trip hiking adventures, we visited the Bennett Hill Preserve in upstate New York on a gorgeous crisp fall day. The leaves were just starting to change for autumn, gently padding the path, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a perfect day.
We visited the Winn Preserve on a perfect day. The temperature was in the mid-60s, the air was crisp, the sun was shining, and the leaves were changing color all around us. It was also the first time our son put his boots on the ground and “hiked” on the trail with us! Okay, so he didn’t hike the whole thing, but he did walk a stretch of the trail and loved every second!
The Keleher Preserve is a conservation area in the town of New Scotland that is managed by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. This is a larger preserve, with over 440 acres and offers miles of hiking trails with some overlooks of the city of Albany. We got a chance to hike around this gorgeous spot to take in the final days of summer. We even spied some leaves already starting to change color on us!
The Lisha Kill Preserve is a beautiful place, and echoes the feeling I had while traipsing though the Black Forest in Germany. The forests here consist of tall, dark trees and soft pine needles trail riddled with roots to walk on. It’s simply magical.
Nestled within downtown Los Angeles is the natural wonder, the La Brea Tar Pits. For tens of thousands of years, tar has been seeping up in the ground here claiming the lives of poor, unknowing creatures and preserving them in wonderful condition for us to “enjoy” today. These remains were discovered in the early 1900s when the area was mined for asphalt. Oddly enough, “La Brea” actually means “the pitch (or tar)” in Spanish so The La Brea Tar Pits translates into the the tar tar pits.