Monday, April 27, 2009

Theme Thursday - Water: Hiking Buttermilk Falls



Buttermilk Falls Park is on South Greenbush Road, just south of Rt. 59 and east of Rt. 303 in West Nyack. The falls are usually running during the spring and whenever there has been recent rain.

Enter here.
This time we're looking for trees with a blue mark.



It's a little steep here. Feel free to stop and catch your breath.

Dads, pick up the pace whydoncha?

We couldn't catch up with these guys!

From the trail we have a great view of the falls.





From the top we have a great view of beautiful... downtown Blauvelt!?


Another way to access the stream is to take the Rockland Center for the Arts (ROCA) nature trail. ROCA is at 27 S. Greenbush Rd., just north of Buttermilk Falls Park.

Walk across their lawn behind the building - Surprise!

Miss B: "Looks like a giant sandspur! Run!!"

It's a sculpture garden! We were lucky to see some cool pieces by blacksmith/sculptor James Garvey.

Can you guess what this is?






The entrance to the trail is marked by this sign:



The trail is dotted with improvised compositions made from natural elements!



Follow the trail toward the right until you hear running water, then, if you're so inclined, shimmy down the log.




Heard at the waters edge:



Miss B. is gettin' in too!



Are there any pike in this water?

Mom! He's taking off his shoes.

Yikes, this water's cold!

Mom! He's throwing rocks!

Get the dog away from the rocks!

Mom! He's drinking the water!

Hey I found a pink rock.

EWWWWWW!!! GROSS!!! What IS that??

Mom! He's splashing us!

I can't feel my toes.

I can't find my socks.

I had no idea I was gonna do this today!

17 comments:

Leah said...

Thank you for sharing the hike with us! It makes me homesick for upstate NY!

Brian Miller said...

yay!looks like great fun with the fam! love hiking myself...relaxing...

Joanne said...

What great hiking trails you have going on there. I love places like that, with lots of walking. Now, regarding those chickens, I recommended a book, but I don't know if you stopped back so I'll mention it here too. It's a memoir I read a few years back, I think you'd enjoy it. Still Life With Chickens, by Catherine Goldhammer. She tells the tales of redifining her life, all while raising 6 baby chickens!

Wings1295 said...

Love the stream in the woods, reminds of my childhood. Thanks for sharing!

New Yorker wannabes said...

Oh that was beautiful! Thank you for taking us on a hike with you!

Take care
peace
xoxo

The Silver Fox said...

Re: The seventh photo. "Falls" is right! I thought I was going to fall in! Great shot.

tut-tut said...

What a great walk! I spy some good books on your sidebar. I love Hugh F-W; did you know you can see his shows on the computer? google him, or I can send you a link. They are worth your time.

Tom said...

Alright, going for a nature hike with the kids! Terrific fun...hope everyone found their socks.

Ronda Laveen said...

I liked the commentary at the end. The pictures made the hike look so serene. The commentary made it real.

lettuce said...

beautiful photos - i enjoyed the walk with you!

tho the paddling pics made my toes feel rather chilly

Kat Mortensen said...

Looks like a brilliant day and a wonderful place to explore. I remember following a little stream in the woods near my house, but no fantastic waterfalls to discover.

Lovely post!

Kat

Kris McCracken said...

I really enjoyed this one. I posted a similar trek earlier this week to a very different waterfall.

It makes for a very interesting contrast of habitats!

Dakota Bear said...

Looks like a great place to take a hike and you had a wonderful day.

Reyjr said...

it's great to have a nearby place to walk around and do some light hiking and take pretty pictures and play with your kids. :D

Michael Rawluk said...

That looks like a great outing for kids.

DineometerDeb said...

Buttermilk Falls. I was expecting buttermilk to flow and there would be pictures of y'all making pancakes. Totally disappointed ; )

Stromboli looks good too!

Anonymous said...

Your kids are so healthy and happy. Amazing what the great outdoors does to an exploring mind. That is a very pretty trail.