Day 25, East Coast Trip, Friday Oct. 14, 2023 Mohawk R.Falls and powerplant.
There were two main objectives today. First was to get laundry done as we were really low on clean clothing. We were fortunate that this campground has a very small laundry building with three washers and four dryers. We were early enough to be ahead of anyone else. Costs for this one more similar to last time with washers at a $1.50 (30 minutes) and dryers at 24 minutes for $1.50. The sun was out so while we waited we sat in the sun on the porch overlooking the Mohawk River that runs by the campground. I took the binoculars and went looking for birds and found none. Ruth sat on the chair and found three species. Unbelievable! SORRY... PHOTOS IN AM!!!
We put the laundry away by the time it was 30 minutes before noon, so we had a short lunch anyway. We were heading out next, the second objective, to see the Coheos cascade and waterfalls.
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| The Coheos Falls ...2nd Largest in USA |
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| 1,000 feet across, The Mohawk River |
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| The canal going to the turbines around the Falls |
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| Upstream, many birds rest in calmer waters. |
These waterfalls are the second largest in United States as they are 1000 feet long and between 60 and 90 feet high. Only Niagara Falls is higher, but not longer. I think Niagara is around 650 feet high. The falls are located just above where the Mohawk River joins the Hudson River on the north end of Albany. The town of Coheos was the site of this dynamc power project that was built in 1915. At that time it was the largest Mill project in the country. The company built over 900 residences on site for the workers. These apartments still remain today and are rental units for people working in the Albany area. We talked with one woman, also viewing the falls on her lunch break, who was a premed student and lived in one of them. She hopes to be a surgeon
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| The power for the mills, now electricity for homes. |
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| Downstream it is quite quiet. |
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| The mills operated from 1850-1910 |
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| The feeder canal coming from upstream. |
While viewing the cataract, we spotted a few birds and some that were too far away to be accurately identified. Below the cataract a number of birds were looking for food that the falls had stirred up. Ironically, we saw three Great Blue Heron down below the cataract just watching for opportunities to catch food. Many Canadian geese and some type of gull we're gathered by the hundreds up above the Falls just resting on the rocks. (Too far!!!) Below the Falls on the quieter part of the river we're some Mallards. We anticipated seeing some Mergansers, but Ruth assured me that the had probably gone south for the winter. It was a grand viewing site with the turbines and the water pipes that bypass the falls all directly below the overlook. It was noisy with the rumbling of the massive amounts of water moving. You could see the overshot water coming out from the turbines.
One of the projects for this massive generation plant, were a series of small canals, a dam, and a large canal 400 feet wide) that carry water to the turbines from upstream. It produces 138,000 MWh enough to power 26,000 homes. This all from just water power.
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| The view of the Mohawk R. from our trailer |
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| Some of those pumpkins and gourds Ruth saw. |
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| A remarkable display of fall bounty |
After getting enough views and photos we headed back home, but Ruth had seen a very beautiful display of pumpkins along the way. We stopped and got out to take some photos of this unique display. There must've been 30 or 40 pallets of pumpkins and squash spread out in a pattern, set immediately on the yard in front of the house. This yard consisted of some 5 to 6 acres with the house on the back part of it up on the hill. It was all cut grass. The owners had also planted beautiful rows of dahlias and zinnias that were blooming still. It was a good stop.
Previously, Jim had seen on the way in, an ice cream shop called Guptill’s. They had built the store but also next-door was a huge roller rink. This complex was built in 1950 and was enormous. Ruth had a raspberry sundae and I opted for a strawberry/banana shake. Melinda was the helpful one that delivered our ice cream.
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| Ruth in the sun waiting for the washing |
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| The Boght Dutch Ref, Church |
After resting for a bit back at the trailer, we gave Ruth a break in cooking supper by selecting a restaurant at which to get a meal. Our choice was Ruby Tuesday in the town of Amsterdam which was about 10 miles away. Ruth opted for a Philly sub sandwich and onion rings, while Jim had potato soup and “no ending” salad bar. The salad bar was fully 30 feet long and had 40 choices of what to put on your salad. Just making selections was fun.
That was it for Friday, 13 October in the little town of Glenville New York. The weather is still cool and this morning was 42°F and stayed under 60°F all day. The wind is in the north but it died down during the afternoon. Tomorrow will be one more wildlife area. Thanks for reading ––Jim
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