Green Lakes State Park

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away."
George Carlin

Time stood still as we walked around the lakes.
It was difficult not to stop and stare.
With every step another wonder!

The Colors!
looking down, farther down
past the trees trunks strewn along the shore
even deeper, and deeper still

until I noticed
somehow,
the deepest green had become the deepest blue!

pumpkinseed sunfish!
so bright and clear
somehow they disappeared
right in front of my eyes.

their stillness was remarkable and admirable.

deeper in the woods,
gazing across the lake,
the sky reflected the water!
a beautiful illusion.

immortal tease!
billowing clouds, lazily drifting across everything blue.

This secret world
with ancient trees
beckons adventure.

Deep, “Green,” And Meromictic: Glacial Jewels of Green Lakes State Park

Green Lake has 65 surface acres and is about 195 feet deep. Round Lake, a National Natural Landmark has 43 surface acres and is 170 feet deep. These pristine lakes, occupying glacially-carved basins, have many unique features, including unusual chemistry, shoreline reefs, and meromixis.

Green Lake - August 9, 2017

Green Lake - September 26, 2017

Round Lake - August 9, 2017

Round Lake - September 26, 2017

What is a Meromictic Lake?

Green and Round Lake are two of only a few lakes worldwide that do not experience “turnover,” or mixing of the upper and lower water masses. Several factors contribute to this complex and unusual condition known as meromixis. Differences in density and salinity between the upper and lower water masses; the lakes depths and surface areas; and their locations in deep basins with tree-rimmed shorelines that protect the water from strong winds are all conditions thought to help prevent turnover.

Green Lake - August 9, 2017

All the Colors of the Rainbow: Why the Lakes are Green

Green & Round Lakes - Often described as aquamarine or turquoise, their water is actually very clear. As you move along the lake trail, observe the water in different locations. You’ll enjoy all the color variations of blue and green.

As a light ray penetrates water, it separates into the spectrum of all colors of the rainbow. Each spectral color corresponds to a specific wavelength of light. The red wavelengths scatter little and are absorbed near the surface. The green and blue wavelengths pass through the clear water to a greater depth where they are reflected back to your eye.

Green Lake - August 9, 2017

Green Lake - August 9, 2017

Deadman’s Point: An Ancient But Living Reef

Although known as “Deadman’s Point”, this freshwater reef is both alive and growing! For thousands of years, microscopic organisms called cyanobacteria have lived in the reef’s surface, using sunlight and nutrients dissolved in the lake water to build the reefs. The nutrients are deposited on the reef, creating a type of limestone called marl that hardens to form the reef structure.

This unique and beautiful ecosystem is very fragile. Some organisms that live on the reef have existed on earth for millions of years. However, stepping on the reef can destroy them, and without these organisms the reef will no longer grow. Without the reef’s protective canopy, the plants and animals living underneath will also die.

The reefs along the shores of Green Lake provide homes for many organisms. The green and brown patches on reefs are microbial mats made by ancient organisms. Below the reefs, rare sponges and mosses grow from ledges and caves. The mosses provide hiding places and protection for fish and other animals.

Deadman's Point - August 9, 2017

Freshwater Reef - August 9, 2017

Deadman's Point - September 26, 2017

Colorful and Busy Bacteria

Although bacteria are too tiny to be observed, here at Green Lakes the results of their activity may be seen and appreciated.

Approximately 55 to 75 feet below the lake surface is a three-foot thick layer of rosy-brown water created by the presence of photosynthetic purple and green sulfur bacteria.

At least three groups of bacteria that convert sunlight into food live in the lakes. At the surface, small cyanobacteria (cyano = blue) and diatoms (a type of algae) provide the main food source for zooplankton, which in turn provide food for other aquatic animals higher on the food chain.

Near the lakeshore, cyanobacteria combine with and precipitate calcium carbonate, forming interesting reefs around the lakeshore. The reefs provide a substrate for aquatic plants and shelter for fish.

Freshwater Reef - August 9, 2017

Freshwater Reef - September 26, 2017

Freshwater Reef - September 26, 2017

Round Lake: A National Natural Landmark

In 1973, Round Lake and 100 acres of the surrounding forest became our nation’s 182nd National Natural Landmark. This designation by the U.S. Department of the Interior is “reserved for resources that are sensitive and unique and which represent the natural heritage of our country.”

The lake which covers 34 acres and is 170 feet deep is of national ecological and geological significance due to its glacial origin, meromictic (non-mixing) character, and its adjacent old-growth forest. This forest, which has abundant bird life and some of the oldest trees in the country, may be seen southwest of the lake. Enjoy the spirit of this magnificent forest and lake setting as you explore this special environment.

Round Lake - August 9, 2017

Round Lake - August 9, 2017

Looking into Round Lake - September 26, 2017

Green Lakes State Park is an amazing place to visit. There is a vehicle fee during certain times of the year (I believe from Memorial Day to Labor Day it is $8), but the park also has boat rentals, a swimming beach, a changing area for the beach, concessions, as well as public restrooms and drinking fountains.

I easily see myself visiting Green Lakes State Park again. There is still so much more to discover!
I would love to go back and see the old-growth forest. A sign near Round Lake reads, “Some of the Eastern Hemlocks located in the old-growth forest southwest of Round Lake are more than 90 feet tall and over 400 years old.”
I would also go back just to investigate the Indian Ovens, which somehow I missed on the park map repeatedly, until just recently.

All information shared was gathered from signs within Green Lakes State Park.
Fayetteville, Town of Manlius, NY

All photos were taken by me (Alicen).
My good friend Tambre & her daughter Micheala shared the park with me in August for the first time.

Tambre and I went again at the end of September hoping for some autumn foliage.

Reykjavík, Iceland

Oration MMXVII - A music festival giving me the perfect opportunity to see Iceland!

If I had a single photo from the festival that was good, I'd share. The fact is, I am not good at taking photos of bands live. Normally, I try my best to enjoy the moment and the music.

Instead, I want to share some moments that were entirely Reykjavik because it is an adorable city with magical views all around. I found the architecture, statues, and sculptures very intriguing. 

I felt like Iceland had a heartbeat of its own. As if the entire island was alive. When it rained, there was a shimmer. Like glitter falling from the sky leaving rainbows everywhere! Colors vibrating, completely in tune with the surrounding nature.

There were ten of us visiting Iceland, but for three days we were all enjoying Reykjavik!

Sólfarið (Sun Voyager)

A popular destination for tourist along the Sculpture & Shore Walk.

The view from where we were staying during Oration MMXVII.
Mount Esja across Kollafjörður.

Icelandic Phallological Museum of Penises

Classic me at the Icelandic Phallological Museum.

It's comical.

Me and Nathan in front of Leifur Eiríksson, in front of Hallgrímskirkja.

Hallgrímskirkja

The organ pipes of Hallgrímskirkja.

Ingólfur Arnarson

A sign at the base of this statue read, "This statue by sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) shows the settler Ingólfur Arnarson. According to the Book of Settlements he and his crew were the first permanent settlers in Iceland and named the place Reykjavík (Smoke Cove) on account of billowing steam rising from the area's hot springs. Here, the settler is standing by his high-seat pillar, decorated with a dragon's head. On the other side of the pillar is the god Odin with his two ravens Hugin and Munin. You can also see the mythological tree Yggdrasil, as well as the Worm of Midgard and Odin's eight legged horse, Sleipnir. 

“When Ingólfur saw Iceland, he threw his high-seat posts overboard for good luck. He declared that he would establish himself at the place where the beam came to land.”

From the Book of Settlements."

I sadly don't have a photo showing the other side of the pillar...

The Culture House - Museum

Þjóðleikhúsið (National Theatre of Iceland)

Danska sendiráðið (Embassy of Denmark)

Tónlistarmaðurinn (The Musician)

Erling Blöndal Bengtsson

Stjórnarráðið (Prime Minister's Office)

Vatnsberinn (The Water Carrier) 

Kolaportið (Flea Market)
I didn't take photos of the flea market itself. In fact, I had a panic attack and had to escape. I never do too well in market situations. I feel rushed, overwhelmed by choices, and crowded or trapped. I did make a pass through all of the aisles and talked Nathan into going for a quick walk while the rest of our crew shopped.

Alþingi (Parliament House)

The Black Cone, Monument to Civil Disobedience

Dómkirkjan í Reykjavík (Reykjavík Catherdal)

Skúli Magnússon

Ráðhús Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík City Hall)

Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

Fríkirkjan í Reykjavík (Free Church in Reykjavík )

The last day of the music festival was three of our crews birthday, including Nathan. We walked to the Old Harbour where the meat eaters went their separate way to eat whale, while the veggies in the group went to a brew house.

Nathan and I having a sampling of beers at Bryggjan Brugghús.

Bryggjan Brugghús

Oration MMXVII/Reykjavik - February 16-18, 2017
Photos were taken by Nathan and me, possibly Becky, Heather, Mel, or any other lovely in our group.

Olana

Frederic Church and Olana

"Olana was the home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900). Church’s great talent was recognized early in his life. By age 20, he had his own studio and was a well-known artist. He traveled extensively in North and South America, recording the wild natural beauty of the New World. In the late 1850s and 1860s, Church was the most famous American artist in the United States and Europe. His paintings of North and South American landscapes were viewed by thousands of people all over the world. Today Church is considered one of the most important artists of the Americas.

As a student of Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, Church stayed in Catskill with Cole at the artist’s home, Cedar Grove. Church studied and painted in the Catskill area from 1844-1849. He first visited the site that would later become Olana while sketching and studying with Cole.

One of Church’s greatest contributions to 19th-century art is Olana. Church and his wife, Isabel Carnes Church (1836-1899), began creating Olana in 1860 with the acquisition of the farm and culminating with the construction of the main house in 1870. Designed with thoughtfulness and vision, Olana includes a Persian-style house, an artist’s studio, romantically landscaped grounds, and dramatic vistas of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. Olana embodies the idea and plans of such great 19th-century architects as Hunt, Vaux, Downing, and Olmstead. Their ideas, and the artistry and showmanship of Frederic Church, became Olana, a site that captures all that was best of the 19th-century aesthetic of The Picturesque, The Beautiful, and The Sublime."

I get caught up in the history of many things, including art.
I can't remember the first time I heard about Olana, but I know it was through watching art documentaries. Since then, I've been curious about Frederic Church's mansion or "house" and the surrounding grounds.

I knew the mansion stood on top of a hill that overlooked the Hudson River with spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains. Also because of my previous research, I knew there were plenty of old carriage roads to hike.

Recently, after watching yet another documentary about American landscape artists and the Hudson River School I decided I would go seek out this Olana State Historic Site.

Overview of Olana

"In the mid-19th century, Frederic Church (1826-1900) emerged as the leading painter of the American landscape. Church’s skill at artistic composition clearly influenced the development of this landscape and the spectacular views that make up the Olana experience. Between 1860 and 1900, Church created a “living landscape” that is one of the finest surviving, American, planned landscapes in the Picturesque Style.

The Olana landscape encompasses many elements – the lakes, the park, the house and its immediate grounds, the farm, the extensive road system, and the site’s majestic views of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River. As you walk around the buildings or follow the old carriage roads, you will see how Church used the natural beauty of the site and the views beyond to create dramatic works of art in nature around every corner and every bend in the road."

View of the Catskills from the house.

The day I decided to go check out Olana I was in desperate need of inspiration. I imagined if Thomas Cole and Frederic Church could be swept away by the landscape in this area, that I too might gain something positive from just observing.

An hour's drive south from Saratoga Springs and I was in Hudson, NY.

It was a Monday.
You can make a reservation to tour the house at Olana (Mondays excluded).
Honestly, I was interested in exploring the grounds around the mansion the most. To check out the vistas and walk the old carriage roads.
I parked near the Visitor Center, starting my exploration of Olana by walking around the house.
Even on a day when no tours were happening, I felt there were too many people.

The House

Avoiding people, I found my way down to an outdoor art exhibit created by Venezuelan artist Jesús Rafael Soto (1923-2005).

Penetrable, 1990

Cicadas made noise the entire time I was at Olana, but while inside the sculpture I saw one up close for the first time in my life. Hindsight, I should have at least tried to take a picture of the cicada. I was a little freaked out by it hanging so close to me so I took my obligatory selfie and got out of there fast!

Walking off my frustration of existence in the summer heat was exhausting, but exactly what I needed as I took in the surrounding beauty. I will note that the parking for Olana is at the top of the hill, eventually if you wander the trails, you will have to walk back up to the parking lot.

Looking at the house from the Penetrable sculpture.

I didn't have a good way of knowing where I was on the grounds and I got turned around a couple of times. I had taken a picture of the Olana State Historic Site map at the beginning of my adventure, and I knew the Hudson River was west, but I still had trouble figuring out where I was in relation to where I wanted to go. At the crossroads of my confusion is where Frederic Church once had an art studio.

Studio and Viewshed

 This is the landscape viewed from where Frederic Church's studio once stood.

Eventually, I walked Ridge Road. It was a fairly short hike with dramatic glimpses of the house and amazing views of the Catskills and the Hudson.

Catskill Mountains, Hudson River, Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

I am under the impression that this is a view of Mt. Merino. I could be wrong.

Ridge Road

"In 1878, Frederic Church purchased 50 acres for hay fields and grazing. About six years later, he converted some of that open acreage to ornamental use with the creation of the Ridge Road. Wrapping around the northern edge of the property and along the escarpment below the house, the Ridge Road provided panoramic views of Mt. Merino, the Hudson River, and the Catskills to the north and west. Fence lines were kept below the viewer’s line of sight so that the grazing cows appeared unrestricted in the landscape. Today, second-growth forest has been removed, making it possible to see fields and views as Frederic Church and his guests saw them in the 19th century.

Onset of severe arthritis in the 1870s greatly reduced Church’s ability to paint, so he found artistic enjoyment in creating the landscape that would come to be known as Olana. In 1884, he noted his pleasure in building the Ridge Road: “I can make more and better landscapes in this way than by tampering with canvas and paint in the studio.” Many visitors to Olana still rejoice in the magnificent views from Church’s well-planned roads. This is particularly true along Ridge Road."

When I saw I was near the parking lot and I wasn't done walking just yet, I decided to travel down North Road. I went down the old carriage road, gradually zigzagging along and thought at one point, I have to hike back up this trail. Feeling a little tired, mostly from the heat, I turned around and went back to my car.

Reassessing where I was, where I had been, and what else there was to see, I decided to drive back to the beginning of the park road loop and check out the Cosy Cottage.

The Farm
In reality, I should have started my exploration of Olana at the farm complex since it is the first thing you come upon at the Historic Site. I was so pumped about seeing the mansion that I had little else on my mind at the beginning.

Former farmland.

I assume this sign was about the former farmland, but did not walk out to it.

There were plenty of places I did not venture due to tall grasses and the idea of ticks. In fact, one of the first things I saw on the Lake Road trail was a huge sign posted, warning about ticks. I avoided exploring around the lake, and looking back at the landscape brochure, Lake Road is the only path to take if you want to ascend Crown Hill.

Olana's Lake.

View from the farm parking lot.

Barnyard

"In the 1860s and 1870s, Church transformed a poor, one-family farm into a 19th-century gentleman’s farm. He did not plan to make a living from the farm, but expected it to run efficiently. He and Isabel took great pride in the farm operation. Special gifts of produce and preserves flowed from their country home, known as “the farm” until the late 1870s, when the name Olana was applied to all 250 acres. Farm life remained central to the Church’s lifestyle and to the property’s sense of place into the 20th century.

The farm buildings provided shelter for the farm animals, which included cows, horses, a pair of oxen, donkeys, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, geese, and a few beef cattle. The Olana orchards produced plums, apples, pears, apricots, cherries, and peaches. Berry beds and arbors produced raspberries, strawberries, and grapes. Hay, rye, and corn were planted in select fields.

The harvest produced a cash crop to support the farm as well as fruits and vegetables for the family’s table. Church used a salaried farm manager to run the farm with full- and part-time help. Thomas Cole’s son Theodore is known to have served in this capacity for over 10 years. Farming was abandoned here in the late 1940s; many of the farm building were removed in the early 1950s."

I assume the sign in the distance was about the former orchard.

Icehouse

"In July 1869, after the Church family returned to Olana from 18 months abroad, Frederic Church’s involvement in the farm’s activities increased. He completed several building projects, including the construction of a rectangular, wood-frame icehouse on this site. Located near the lake and the road to facilitate loading and unloading, the new structure would have held ice harvested from the Hudson River, Olana’s lake, or purchased from neighboring farms or commercial ice houses.

In the years before electricity and refrigerators were common, farms often included lakes or ponds specifically for the production of ice. Icehouses, and the ice that they stored, kept food, beverages, and farm products cold before they were consumed or delivered to market. Ice harvesting provided employment for farmers and farm workers during the slow winter months, income from the sale of excess ice to support the farms, and a social outlet for the workers as they moved from farm to farm."

Right next to the parking area, by Olana's lake, are the remains of an old icehouse.

Cosy Cottage

First family home on the property, built in 1860.

Although I ended my first visit to Olana at the old farmhouse, there is plenty more for me to explore at Olana. I think it would be a fun place to snowshoe, if weather permits.

I would also like to make a stop at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site across the Hudson River in Catskill, NY.

I have always thought, and continue to think if I were to tour the inside of the mansion that I would want my friend Michelle to be with me, knowing she would appreciate it as much as I would.

All photo were taken by me (Alicen), and all information provided was gathered from signs posted at Olana State Historic Site.
August 14, 2017 - Hudson, New York
Ridge Road (.6 miles), North Road (.8 miles), Lake Road (.4 miles)