2022-01-06: Silver Spur Road

With temperatures warming up (or at least approaching freezing again), I headed out for a noon walk in central Cairo NY to cover some more roads in the town's more populated areas. This Thursday I followed a five and a half mile loop that ran through both Purling and Cairo, focusing on the southeastern, strip mall-dominated section of town, as opposed to the more traditional northwest portion I did almost three weeks prior. Like most built-up areas, I wasn't very much looking forward to this walk, but it was nice exploring some areas of town that I'm not too familiar with, and there were some rural landscapes along the walk.

Roads Walked: NY-32, CR-23B/Main Street, CR-24/Mountain Avenue, CR-80, Birch Street, Cedar Street, Joel M Austin Road, Lake Avenue, Silver Spur Road

A very old truck, parked on display in someone's lawn just west of the center of town. I generally refrain from photographing people's lawns, but some things are too cool to pass up.

A view of the historical asylum, used to house the mentally ill in the 19th century, at the end of Route 80, one of the county's few dead-end highways. Today, the building houses county offices, which somewhat ironically include the mental health department.

Windham High Peak towers over the Angelo Canna Town Park. The sizeable park in downtown Cairo hosts a number of big events throughout the year, including fireworks on Fourth of July and the Greene County Youth Fair.

Houses in Cairo seen beyond the park's sports courts from Route 80.

The historical sign marking the old office building. This sign was erected only in 2015, relatively late for such a notable structure, one of the largest buildings in Cairo by volume.

Perspective makes the shorter Acra Point (L) appear taller than the more distant Windham High Peak (R) in this shot from Mountain Ave.

Another view of Acra Point centered over hardwood forests from near the local county EMS headquarters.

North Mountain, silhouetted against the bright midday sky, stretches out over this clearing beside Route 24, looking west towards Purling.

Blackhead Mountain presides over the valley below in this wooded shot. Black Dome is just barely visible over its right (north) limb.

Blackhead dominates this view looking down Mountain Ave in central Purling.

Brown fields and pine forests line Route 24 in this view eastbound towards central Cairo.

Old signage on an old building along Silver Spur Road. While the sign is probably a novelty, the idea that Cairo once hosted a racing pigeon club seems almost appropriate for the quirky small town.

A view along Route 32, looking almost directly north along a straightaway approaching town from the south. Billboards and signage for long-defunct businesses line the highway.

Green algae fills the windows of this old abandoned trailer, hidden in the woods and overgrowth along Route 32.

A rusting old car is one of many vehicles that sit outside a car shop just south of town.

Signage lines Cairo's busiest intersection, where NY-32 and CR-23B meet, just a few hundred feet from their intersection with NY-23. The welcome sign lists the town's hamlets, and the historical marker briefly describes its history dating back to 1803.

Looking into Cairo from Main Street. The elementary school is at left, with the Methodist Church and bank at center down the road.