2019-11-26: Howard Hall Road

On an unusually warm day in late November, I returned to my old habit of roadwalking. I walked a short section of Howard Hall Road, also known as County Road 53, in Athens NY. This was my first walk in Athens, a low-lying town along the Hudson River in eastern Greene County. The road, located just west of downtown Athens, runs over the top of a ridge before its intersection with Leeds-Athens Road, and is surrounded mostly by open farmland.

The hills of Columbia County rise above a small valley west of Athens Village.

Blackhead, Acra Point, and Windham High Peak stand in silhouette behind an abandoned barn.

Evening lights up a functioning diary farm along the top of the ridge.

Cattle stand beneath the imposing Catskill Escarpment at sunset.

Power lines cross the road, stretching on beneath the distant mountains.

Stoppel Point (L) and Blackhead Mountain (R) are about 12-13 miles from Howard Hall Road, yet still dominate the view.

Blackhead over the power lines. These lines stretch towards the Athens Generating Plant, a hydroelectric facility not far from CR-53.

A view of the Athens Generating Plant, a main source of electricity for both Athens and its neighboring towns.

Dead fields stretch out towards the mountains beneath land owned by a local hunting club.

Stoppel Point and North Mountain form a distinct unit from Blackhead. The Dutcher Notch separating them is fairly prominent from this view.

County highway signage near the intersection with Leeds-Athens Road.

Looking south down the road at sunset, towards the top of the ridge.

Berry bushes line the roadside beneath the power lines, where no trees are permitted to grow.

The outline of Round Top is just visible beneath Blackhead in this shot. I believe the multicolored field grows soybeans during the summer, but can't be sure given the season.

Farm buildings lit at sunset, heading south along the road.

The spot where I parked was near the Brandow Point Area along the Hudson River. The buildings and forests here are located in Greenport, on the other side of the river.