Start by crossing Binnewater Road on the crosswalk. This is looking back at the parking lot from the other side.
A short connector trail veers right to ...
... the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. Go right on the rail trail and it is not very long before...
... coming up on ...
The Rosendale Trestle
This is true! I completely forgot until I touched the railing with my hand while taking pictures and got zapped.
Roundout Creek
Roundout Creek looking east towards the Rosendale business district. That would consist of Main Street.
She got stuck against the railing.
That is Joppenbergh Mountain on the right behind Shawnee. There are
trails to the top with views but they would be too steep and challenging
for her so we did not hike there.
Shawnee's wheelchair tracks in the morning dew. You can see how she drags her hind paws by the marks she left.
Looking down to the right a connector path leads from the Rosendale Trestle to streets into "downtown" Rosendale, I believe about a half mile trip each way.
Somebody did not scoop their dog's poop and look who drove right through it. Gross. I was hoping it would all be gone by the end of the hike. It was not.
Looking back at the Rosendale Trestle; the trail to the left is the connector trail into town where there are lots of cute little restaurants, a vegetarian one in particular that I was considering going to afterwards.
Only one road to cross for this hike, Mountain Road. Looks like a crosswalk is in the works.
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail
Shortly before the 14.5 mile marker, the trail head for the green-blazed Lime Kiln Trail in Giant's Ledges Pocket Park, which is part of Mohonk Preserve.
The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail below to the left of the Lime Kiln Trail.
The dark green is pretty hard to see, especially with sunglasses on, but the trail is clear and well-defined.
I had not yet noticed that something was missing.
Here is where I noticed it - where is her other bootie? I would have to search on the way back.
Boulders at the top of the trail.
On the left, a yellow-blazed trail to views. A trail continues to the right and a local woman told me it goes on for miles all the way into the main part of Mohonk Preserve.
Coming up on the views.
Those two silo-looking things are where we would be next. I believe they are part of the historic kiln ruins in the Snyder Mine Drive Parcel.
Heading back on yellow.
Then retracing on green.
And look here, booties are together again.
Coming back out on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail where we turned right.
The second path to the left right by that log leads to ...
... a path that runs parallel to the rail trail. Where there were pretty many people on the rail trail even on a week day, we had this trail all to ourselves.
Here we are at the top of those round silo-looking things.
Across the way...
... the overlook where we had just been.
Northern Flicker
Evidence of mining everywhere.
But the trails are quite pretty. Nothing is marked in here.
At this fork we went right to avoid an uphill stretch but I picked the lesser used trail.
There were many blow downs but all minor ones that Shawnee had no trouble getting over or around.
The trail starts to fizzle out ...
... but it widens again and ...
... merges back with what I think is where that other side of the fork ends up, just before a clearing with a picnic table.
I saw something to the right and zoomed in. Bike rentals and ...
... an outdoor cafe right on the rail trail.
Heading back on the rail trail.
Another side trail over to where we were, this one leading directly to those silo things.
We continued on the rail trail.
Time for her power nap.
And continuing on past the Lime Kiln Trail.
Coming up on the Mountain Road crossing....
... and the Rosendale Trestle. I had wanted to take that connector trail into town and have lunch at the Rosendale Cafe but it was an unseasonably warm day at 85 degrees and Shawnee was getting way to hot so we continued on.
There would have been too much full exposure for Shawnee heading into town.
As we passed by these caves right off the rail trail, I felt a continuous blast of cold air coming out of them so we went over to cool off.
Air conditioning caves at the 15.5 mile marker.
To the left, the connector trail back to the parking lot. According to a local woman, there are more nice trails off of the rail trail straight ahead but it will have to wait for another day.
Fortunately I had a plastic bag in the car to cover that wheel that had gone through dog poop.
Maybe it was too hot to walk to the Rosendale Cafe but we sure could drive there!
I went in to ask if I could order something to go since I did not want to leave Shawnee in the car and they invited us to sit in the garden dining area. And there was the nice young man and his dog that we had met on the trail earlier who invited us to join him.
