Bellingham Walks

We finally found out what the beaver-pica-groundhog-marmot looking animals we’ve been seeing are…woodchucks! Isn’t that just so very special?! I can’t ever remember seeing a woodchuck. Sorry, no pictures. They are very quick to disappear into their underground burrows when we come near. “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck…”

The temperature was cool again today and we walked under grey overcast skies. We began walking at 6:45 am looking forward to stopping at Schoharie Crossing, the ruins of a 14 stone arch aqueduct, built in the mid-1800’s to carry the canal over Schoharie Creek. I am in awe of the ingenuity and fortitude of those early canal builders. The canal is sometimes referred to as the first school of engineering in America.

Despite frequent signs indicating the way, we managed to walk 3 miles beyond the ruins before realizing it! We made the decision to go back, adding 6 miles to our day’s walk. It was a good decision.

One of today’s highlights was the abundance of bright orange day lilies along the trails. I referred to them as Tiger Lilies in an earlier post but now I believe they are their cousin, Day Lilies. I hope you can see them in this picture.

Another highlight was walking along the old canal for most of the day. In one place an old lock is well preserved although now filled in with sediment  and towering trees.

Ill finish this post with a short video Aaron took of a group of bikers as they whizzed past. It’s kind of fun to watch. 🚴🏻

We hope to be camping the next couple nights so am unsure about Internet access. We’ll do our best.

~Ann