Hello everyone, I hope everyone had a wonderful week this week. I was on vacation Monday-Wednesday, I took a friend up to Lake George, NY. I did all of the driving, even driving for 4 hours straight to get us both home. That was a lot of fun, but never again unless I really need to get home. It was the first time I ever drove a long distance trip by myself, and I'm proud of myself. I feel so much more confident in my driving.
Anyways, the last stop on our trip was a quick excursion to Pottersville, NY to see the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. I've been to the Bridge before 4 or 5 times, but I can never get enough. I'm always there at a different time of the year, and natural erosion has changed the landscape, sometimes only slightly, so it feels new each time. Pictures can never do it justice, because being there just feels so special. I feel like I've stepped into an elven realm teeming with magic. That being said, I'll do my best to capture the magic in these photos.
A video first, of the Noisy Cave. It is quite loud, so be warned. This is out of order, but we'll return to in-order after this. The owners have added colored lights and created a magical atmosphere in this small cave. On the self guided tour, you only get to go in this cave, but it's a place I could stand in all day and write. My phone or paper would get too wet, of course, but I feel peace when I enter this little cave.
Back in order, the first part of the trail (after a stop at the rest rooms of course,) is the gardens. Not much was in bloom, but I was able to capture this calming picture of it.
Here's a cool little mushroom. They were all over the trail, but this one was in a nice place for a picture. I'm no stranger to nature photography, and sometimes I find the seemingly insignificant parts of nature can be the most beautiful. In this case, the waters beat the mushroom, but I wanted to a picture of this one anyways.
My map had become paper mush at this point due to rain, so I don't have a reference for all of the location names. I do know that this river was craved out by the Wisconsin glacier, which is super cool. The water had risen some, since there had been a heave downpour that day. Also at this location, I saw a couple taking pictures of each other and offered to take a picture of both of them. They happily agreed, and I took some pictures for them. I really love being able to take pictures for people who otherwise couldn't have captured the memory. Makes me day when it's done for me, so I pay it forward to others.
Here is another point of that same river. I was aiming to take pictures without any railings so I could use them for fantasy projects, but that doesn't give me any hints as to where the location is, haha. Pretty sure this is where the old saw mill was. There was logging in this area, but the mill was eventually shut down and the building was lost somehow. The only remains of it are some of the stone foundation which can't be seen in this photo.
Another shot from a different vantage point in the mill area.
A picture of the largest cave, which I didn't take a picture of this time around. This view is beautiful, with all the plants surrounding it. I always loved the stripes in the rock, drawing your eye to the center of the photo.
Here's a picture of the cave from a few years ago. You'll have to forgive the dip in quality; this was the best one I found without myself or other people in it. This part is normally at a different part of the trail, but it made more sense to show you this view of the cave while talking about it.
This picture shows the bridge used to walk across the rocks (it's quite steep), and more of the river.
A different view from the same area as the other photos of the river. I really love how the trees frame this picture, leading your eye back to the water and up again.
Here's the a part of the river you cross while walking. There's two separate bridges so traffic flows better. The bridges are steep, so it's always scary to try and take photos of the water, but I did it once again. I always love looking down at the water, even though it makes my stomach churn.
Just another picture that I took more so to mess with my photography skills than to capture something. I have to warm up some before my photography class this fall. The fallen rocks really direct your eye back into the image, although that log obstructs that somewhat.
This photo was taken at the highest view of the trail, leaving you with an overall shot of paths to come. I wish I hadn't captured any people, but that's ok. It's still a stunning view.
Another part of the river taken from the highest vantage point. I'm reviewing these photos and am shocked at the quality; my friend isn't a big hiker, so I didn't want to take very long. These are all quick shots and they all look great. I think we have nature to thank for that. I just adore waterfalls and running water, it gives me a sense of calm I don't feel otherwise. It slows down my mind, which is had to do with ADHD, so I appreciate every chance I get to slow down.
This is called the Giant's Slide. It's harder to see in this image because the lighting doesn't capture it well, but this small formation opens to another part of the caves, hence it being a slide for a giant.
A different view of the large cave rocks taken from a different part of the trail. The natural waves in the rocks is always so beautiful to me.
I believe this is the area where the clam shell is, if not that this is the clam shell. It's a bit off the path of the main cave and is an optional part of the trail, but I was only able to get one picture since my friend was getting tired. I feel like this is a place where mermaids would meet and view passersby, if mermaids were real.
And my last picture, taken from the steps before you get to walk on the rocks. I didn't take any photos from this area, but if I return this year, I'll take more to show you all. I wish there hadn't been other people, since I really like the nature of this place more than the people, but either way it was wonderful to be back in this place.
That's all my pictures of the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. It is a stunning place, with other fun things to do. I love gem panning and popping geodes. I was able to purchase other stones as well, like orange calcite (which looks like orange slices) and azurite-malachite. I always buy some azurite because my beautiful Fox is an azurite, but his mother, Zelina, is actually azurite-malachite, the only one in the family.
Here are some of the geodes I had pepped over the years! I love displaying them, I have quite of collection of stones. I hope everyone enjoyed this mini tour of the Bridge, and I'll see you all soon!
-Rosetta 💖