2021-12-20: Main Street Cairo

Once I was safely home from college - and well-rested after the late-night trip home - I was eager to start roadwalking again, but decided to ease into it. I chose a rather short, 3.5-mile loop that took me through some of the more built-up parts of the town of Cairo, an amalgam of many short, busy streets. The second most populous town in Greene County, Cairo NY has a population of over 6500 people. Part of the fun of roadwalking for me is seeing uncommon rural areas, so the center of town is something I wasn't exactly looking forward to. I decided to get it out of the way so I could spend the rest of the winter break focusing on more enjoyable parts of the town.

Roads Walked: NY-23, CR-23B/Main Street, CR-41A, CR-84, CR-85, John Street, Lincoln Drive, Malstrom Drive

A view of the old site of the Cairo Fairgrounds, abandoned for nearly fifty years. The flat open areas and bare rock are the only reminders of the once-active site.

The fairgrounds are marked by a historical marker along Route 23B.

An old mechanic's shop in town, built in brick to give an appearance of historicity.

The Shinglekill Creek runs through the center of town, and is probably the most prominent geographical feature in town.

Looking straight down Main Street in the afternoon. The streets were lined with parked cars, but the workday kept the roads themselves fairly empty.

Rapids on the Shinglekill seen from a bridge in the center of town.

An abandoned house on Route 85. Downtown Cairo is relatively prosperous compared to the rest of town, but still has its fair share of sad structures.

Afternoon sun turned the Shinglekill into a blinding silver stream from the bridge on Route 41A. One of the shortest county highways in Greene County, CR-41A consists of a short bridge connecting CR-85 and CR-41, which run parallel to the creek on opposite banks.

Looking down Route 85 towards town in the bright sunlight.

One of the brick gates at the historic - and incredibly large - Cairo Cemetery, located opposite some businesses on Route 84.

A view down pathways in one of the newer, less densely-populated parts of the cemetery. Highlands to the northeast rise beyond the bare trees.

Windham High Peak (R) and the Catskill Escarpment rise above a fenced garage just outside of town.

A look down the cemetery from the west, showing its size and density. Many of the families buried here - including Jennings, Morehouse, and Warren Stein - gave their names to the area's roads.

A marker along Route 23, dedicating the four-lane divided highway to the county's veterans. The two-lane segment of NY-23, running from Prattsville to Cairo, does not share this designation.

A view down Route 23 where it splits into a divided highway and meets Route 145 in a somewhat convoluted intersection.

Tiny clusters of ice cling to this dead weed stretched out over an unnamed creek on Lincoln Drive. Lincoln is a fairly secluded and very residential drive, and I took care to respect the residents' privacy by not photographing their houses.

Ice on the side of Black Dome Mountain, seen from Route 23 as it ascends towards Acra.

A wider shot shows Black Dome (R) in context with neighboring Blackhead (L) and the highway.

This old rusted concrete cylinder speaks to a more prosperous age, when Route 23 was active enough to warrant streetlights. Today the road is dark for its entire length in Cairo.