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Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway

~ …a bridge to our communities

Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway

Category Archives: Mohawk Towpath

Meetings

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by Eric Hamilton in Byway Administration, Mohawk Towpath

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You are invited to the meeting of the Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway at 7 PM on Tuesday, August 16 at the historic Grooms Tavern.  It’s located at the intersection of Sugar Hill and Grooms Road.  The parking lot is located behind the Tavern with a driveway a bit further west on Grooms Road.

Generally, the organization meets on the second Tuesday of every other month, but our August meeting had to be postponed because of other conflicts.

Items on the agenda include

  • Planning update on the 14th Annual Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon
  • Updates for the Friends Action Plan
  • Discussion and critique of the new Byway website
  • Publishing a kids (or seniors) coloring book
  • A proposal for a gate tenders shed at lock 19 by Shenendehowa Rotary
  • Planning for our Annual Meeting

We will have reports on Byway projects like

  • Towpath Connector Trail
  • The Self guided birding trail

Our next meeting will not be until October 11 so come to this meeting to express your views on how the Byway is run.

Apple Blossom Time Trial

09 Monday May 2016

Posted by Eric Hamilton in Event, Mohawk Towpath, Recreation, Uncategorized

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Tags

Cycling Mohawk Towpath Byway

Pre-race lineup

The lineup for the pre-race meeting. Nice show of color!

We had a good turn out for the Apple Blossom Time Trial the day before Mother’s Day, 5 female and 10 male.  The event was a part of the Apple Blossom Festival a day long celebration of spring on the Byway.  The Festival is held at the Riverview Orchards.  In addition to events and activities normally available at the Orchard, Shenendehowa Rotary provided picnic fare at reasonable prices and a number of free fun activities for youth and families. The Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway cohosted.

The cycling time trial was the activity that wrapped up the day’s events with a 4 pm start.  The course was and out and back on Riverview Road going east from the orchard to a turn around just west of the Clifton Park – Halfmoon Town line.  All on public roads the first 3+ miles are rolling hills followed by almost 3 miles of flat through the hamlet of Vischer Ferry and along the northern border of the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve.

Results:

Position Bib Number Last Name First Name Gender/Age Time

1

17

Hackett John M 30-39 

26:22.6

2

7

Huiest Robert M 30-39 

30:49.4

3

2

Cooke Ron M 70-79

31:27.0

4

5

Walling Mark M 20-29 

31:59.8

5

8

Rosenberg Edward M 50-59

32:49.6

6

3

Forgett Daniel M 30-39 

33:21.2

7

4

Brennan Joseph M 50-59 

33:49.8

8

12

Koziol Jill F 40-49 

34:57.2

9

18

Bologna Catherine F 40-49 

35:52.9

10

9

Ciolko Oksana F 60-69 

37:02.4

11

13

Koziol Nate M 40-49 

40:25.2

12

10

Ellis Robert M 50-59 

41:57.4

13

21

Stilson Alicia F 30-39 

45:31.9

14

19

Stilson Jason M 30-39

46:38.0

15

20

Larned Shana F 30-39 

1:03:58

Obviously those who participated missed the Mastodon 15 k race in Cohoes.  The race director of the Apple Blossom Time Trial has done the 15 k previously and loved the course.  I goes through every park in the City including several stretches of the route of the 1842 Enlarged Erie Canal, the Mohawk Hudson Bikeway, and Cohoes High School Campus.  But the run is not for the faint of heart or those out of shape for a 9.3 mile run.

New Kiosks

08 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by Eric Hamilton in Mohawk Towpath, Telling the Byway Stories

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New interpretive kiosks have been installed along the Mohawk Towpath Byway to help tell the story and highlight the significance of the individual sites.  One will be located at the Old Military Crossing of the Mohawk River between the Towns of Colonie and Waterford.  This crossing was used during the Revolutionary War during parts of the year when water was too high to cross at Waterford.  Today this is the site of the Crescent Dam on the Cohoes Crescent Road.

The other new kiosk is located at the Lock 7 Overlook at the foot of Sugarhill Road in the Town of Clifton Park.  This is the location of one of the most challenging locations for construction of the original Erie Canal prior to its opening in 1825.  Before the advent of steam powered excavation equipment the work on the shale bedrock was done by hand labor. Canallers later identified this site as the “young engineer’s cut” and was the deepest cut along the entire Erie Canal with stretched 363 miles across New York State. This is the site boasts an excellent panoramic view overlooking the Mohawk River. This is also the western gateway to the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve.

Unveiling and ribbon cutting at the Lock 7 Dam Overlook with Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett, Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, Eric Hamilton, Chamber CEO Peter Gardenias, Larry Sydek, and John Scherer. - photo provided by Phil Barrett.

Unveiling and ribbon cutting at the Lock 7 Dam Overlook with Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett, Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, Eric Hamilton, Chamber CEO Peter Bardunias, Larry Sydek, and John Scherer. – photo provided by Phil Barrett.

“These interpretive kiosks were originally envisioned during early planning and preparation of the Mohawk Towpath Byway’s Corridor Management Plan almost 15 years ago,” admitted Eric Hamilton, Executive Director of the Byway.  “The kiosks are funded by a Federal Highway Administration Byway Grant through the New York State Department of Transportation Byway Program.

“Uncovering these bits of history along the Erie Canal has been a rewarding process,” adds John Scherer, Town of Clifton Park Historian. “The Mohawk Towpath Byway has many stories from natural history, Native Peoples, and generations of local residents.  These kiosks provide a glimpse of some of these stories.”

Colonie Town Historian Kevin Franklin observes that a lot of America’s history happened right here in our own back yards.  “Providing these kiosks helps to summarize these stories and tease visitors and local residents to learn more of their community’s heritage,” adds Franklin.  The kiosks are on public property and accessible year round.  The kiosks also include a QR code that provides access via smart phone to an audio recording by local people explaining the significance of each of the sites.

Spring Brings Fishing

24 Sunday May 2015

Posted by Eric Hamilton in Mohawk Towpath, Recreation, Uncategorized

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Spring brings fishing to the Byway.  I don’t have the patience to be a fisher, but many find relaxation, a challenge, a way to commune with nature, and some find a link to the past where life was a struggle for subsistence.

Here are some of the places I have seen people: male, female, young and old fishing. Some of the big trophy results include Bass, Muskies, and Catfish, but there are plenty of small ones to make it a thrill for youth and first timers.

Fishing at Vischer Ferry.  Photo by Myla Kramer.

Fishing at Vischer Ferry. Photo by Myla Kramer.

Please remember to respect your natural environment:  if you carry it in, carry it out.  Leave nothing but footprints in the sand.

Gallery

Beautiful day to “Bike the Byway”!

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Eric Hamilton in Mohawk Towpath

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Tags

cycling Towpath Byway Mohawk

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Eric Hamilton led a group of cyclists through various stops along the Byway Bike Trail. Looks like great fun. The …

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Officers:

Paul Olund, President
John Loz, Vice President
Maryanne Mackey, Treasurer
Eric Hamilton, Secretary

Board Members

Mary MacDonald
Jeffrey Slater
Lawrence D. Syzdek

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