State Park Tour

While so many complain that living elsewhere in the U.S. would rob them of the seasons, there is only one season I would loathe to miss, and that is Autumn. New colors and textures are revealed daily, and it is magical.

Our weekend was a wonderful mix of time in town and time in nature. After a delicious lunch at Homespun Foods, we chanced upon an open house at the Shambhala Yoga Center in Beacon where I got my first mehndi tattoo. At my request, the artist improvised the design. The design is lovely. Getting the tattoo before hiking Mt. Beacon was not so smart.

While attempting a hike post-henna tattoo is not entirely wise, the hike would have been a failure regardless. Due to my lack of conditioning, and I was unable to venture much beyond the base of the northern peak trail. The ascent is steeeeep. The hike is a mere one mile from trail base -- minus vertigo-inducing access stairs (see photo left) -- but that one mile is a 1,531-foot ascent!

As I struggled up and then down (my fear of heights is triggered more during a decent or when looking down), a young woman in running shoes zipped by without a slip or slide. Joe needs a different girlfriend; my idea of adventure is finding an intact and inexpensive 1920s cloche.

Sunday was a better day with lunch by the Hudson River at Lake Taghkanic State Park. After lunch, we drove further north to Schodack Island State Park. From there, we went to Grafton Lakes State Park and did a 2.5 mile hike around one of the lakes. From there, we drove south to Olana in hopes of catching a sunset. We just missed it, but the light was still shining from from behind the mountains.