New York Traveler.net

A Drive to Hinckley Reservoir

Early last week, we had a dentist appointment north of where we live, and decided to take a little car trip further to the lovely foothills of the Adirondacks. Spring is just coming to the area, and the tree lines are a mixture of still-scraggly limbs and little green buds. The air was fresh and invigorating. I like to think that the Adirondacks are the epitome of Upstate New York life: austere and slightly acidic, but independent and noble. The Adirondacks is no place for soft living!

I really didn’t have any particular place to go. I just drove for the pleasure of driving. I enjoy the view on Route 365, so we followed it, north. We stopped at a parking area along the West Canada Creek. The view of the creek is lovely.

Further down the creek we could see two majestic loons swimming and diving for fish. Every once in a while, one of the loons would stretch open its wings and expose its enormous wingspan. They were too far away for my zoom-less camera, unfortunately.

North of us, we could see the peaks of the Adirondacks. How they beckoned us to come see them!

We had to resist them. We did putter up north a little bit more, though, to the Hinckley Reservoir. When I visited last year, we were at the brink of a water emergency. The NYS Canal Corp had (oopsie!) drained too much from the reservoir and water levels were dangerously low. Hinckley Reservoir provides the Mohawk Valley with its drinking water, as well as helps to generate hydroelectric power. It’s also a popular place for fishing and boating, and of course provides water for the Canal System, which is important to the State’s tourism industry. Mismanagement is causing numerous troubles. The governor has established a panel of advisors to study the issues at hand. If you’re interested in reading more about the hydroelectric capabiltities of the West Canada Creek, or want to see some photos of the breathtaking Trenton Falls, read this post of our trip here.

As we drove up north on Route 365, this entered our view.

How’s seeing that from your car window! We were awed. Up the hill we drove, and parked at the top of the dam. Hinckley Reservoir sits above.

There’s a lovely area to rest and take in the glorious view.

The view is exquisite here. The clouds were very low, and the harsh wind was scouring our skin so badly we thought we’d need moisturizing acne treatment or something! The kids collected a few beautiful stones while I snapped photos. We could take the vicious wind no further, and drove back down to see the other side of the reservoir.

I came to the Greek Revival house I’d spotted in my photo from the overlook. It is so quintessentially New York that I crafted it in sepia tone. Whaddaya think?

The architecture is beautiful, I think. We drove around, wondering if we could get lost. We couldn’t get lost for too long, however; it was almost dinner time and I had to be home to cook it! So we joked about Daniel Boone, who’d once said, “I’ve never been lost; I was just confused for two or three days.”