Cycling the Hudson Valley of New York - Troy to Hudson (Day 1)

Parks and Trails of New York (PTNY) sponsors the Cycle the Hudson Valley bicycling tour every year. The route follows the Empire State Trail, which consists mostly of former railroad lines that have been converted into multi-use trails. In towns, the trail sometimes follows local roads. My friend from Valatie suggested we do the ride, and I jumped to the chance. 

I biked for practice in the Olympia area, shipped my bicycle via BikeFlights to a bicycle store in Valatie, and flew to Albany.

We followed the Empire State Trail from the beginning of our tour (August 5, 2025) in Troy to the end along the west side of Manhattan and across the bridge to Brooklyn. The pictures here and the following articles will run from north to south following the ride. Here is Day 1, Troy to Hudson.

(Note, before the ride, my bicycle companions and I explored the charming town of Valatie and environs (click the link). And after the ride, we explored a historic neighborhood in downtown Albany)  

Troy, New York

Ready to roll at Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY

6 High Street, Troy

We camped overnight at the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy and left early. About 250 riders biked down High Street and crossed the Hudson River. There was no time to look around (a common theme when you are covering 50+ miles each day), but I saw some venerable houses on High Street.

Clinton Park

Wow, bright paint. My Valatie friend said this restaurant had moved to a new location. 

Nassau and Nassau Lake

After crossing the Hudson River back to the east side, we rode on the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, a former electric trolley line. This was a hilly section. 

Watch bunnies and a Little Library, Nassau

Carpentry shop

The welcome rest stop!

Kinderhook

We pushed through the historic town of Kinderhook without stopping. The park had games on the ball fields with children enjoying the outdoors.

Village Playground, Kinderhook

Hudson

Hudson is a historic city in Columbia County. It has become quite sophisticated with hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops. My friend told me that following Covid and the transition to remote work, many professionals from New York City have bought homes in historic towns up the Hudson Valley. They can work remotely but easily take the train to the City as needed. Cities like Hudson have seen investment and gentrification.

Not yet restored, 281 Hudson Ave.

Missing a porch? Front Street

Townhouses on Warren Street

Warren Street

Hudson Youth Center

We stayed at a community college near Hudson and took a bus into town to find restaurants. It was a beautiful evening.

Zowie, serious fisherman's soup!!! (I like Hudson....)

This ends a tiring day no. 1 on the trail. But as long as I could eat like this, I was ready for the miles. To be continued....

I took most of these pictures on Kodak Portra 160 film with my Canon Canonet GIII QL17 compact camera. It has an excellent 40mm ƒ/1.7 lens. To power the Canonet's CDS meter, I used a Wein Cell, which produces the same 1.35 volts as the original mercury batteries. I carried the camera in a small bag mounted in front of my handlebars. 

Return to a Rough Coastal City: Aberdeen, Washington

 

We stayed in Aberdeen for a night before heading out to Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge for the spring migration. The NWR is famous for the thousands of shorebirds (sand pipers and similar) who stop to feed and rest before continuing their amazing migration to Canada and Alaska. During summer. they feed and breed in the shorelands in the north and then migrate south in autumn.  

A few photographs around downtown were too good to resist. Poor old Aberdeen - you can tell that it was a rich and prosperous city once. Maybe it is coming back, but it went through a rough period when the timber industry contracted in the 1970s. 

 

US 101 bridge over Chehalis River with Wishkah River in foreground (1/8 ƒ/11, orange filter)

The Wishkah River flows south from the foothills of the Olympics and debauches into the Chehalis near the east end of town. I have photographed the Wishkah before in early 2024 and again later in 2024. 

 

Alley parallel to West Wishkah Street

Decorated dumpster? Alley parallel to West Wishkah Street.

In the business district, many of the main streets had a parallel alley. At the turn of the century, the alley likely served for coal delivery and trash pickup. 

Warehouse on South K Street

South K Street, view towards rail yard and Chehalis River

Vapolife Building, South K Street

Homeless behind Safeway store, South K Street

Hotel Morck, Heron Street

The Hotel Morck, built in 1924, was the centerpiece of downtown Aberdeen. For almost four decades, it was the sophisticated gathering place for Aberdeen's elite and visitors. According to the National Park Service, "The hotel building exemplifies late 19th and early 20th Century Classical Revival architecture, with the extensive use of terra cotta and a formal tri-parte arrangement." The hotel closed in 1961 and was converted into apartments. In the early 1980, the building converted into a low-income apartment complex, after which it degraded severely. Grokipedia has a detained description of the architecture and history. 

Undated post card; source unknown

I took these photographs on April 27, 2026 on Fuji Acros film with my Rolleiflex 3.5E camera with 75mm ƒ/3.5 Xenotar lens. All frames were tripod-mounted. Northeast Photographics in Bath, Maine developed the film and scanned the negatives with a Noritsu system.

Small Towns in South Central Mississippi: D'Lo, Florence, Harrisville, Hopewell, Polkville

 

D'Lo

 

D'Lo is a small town in Central Mississippi a half hour south of Jackson off the Simpson Highway 149. The town is mostly known for the D'Lo Water Park, which is on the Strong River. The family and I tried the water park once, but the river was low and it was not very interesting. The town was prosperous and busy early in the 20th century, when Finkbine Lumber Company operated a large sawmill. Many (most?) of the stores in the former commercial strip date to before the mid-1930s, when the sawmill closed. 

2201 Simpson Hwy (Rte 149), May 5, 2021

(4×5" Tri-X Prof. film, Tachihara camera, 90mm ƒ/6.8 Angulon lens)

2201 Simpson Hwy (Rte 149)

Corner Grocery, E 4th Street

(Panatomic-X film, Fuji GW690II camera, 90mm ƒ/3.5 Fujinon lens) 

Store, corner of S. Poplar and E. 4th Streets

(Panatomic-X film, Fuji GW690II camera, 90mm ƒ/3.5 Fujinon lens)  

Stores, E. 4th Street (Panatomic-X film, Fuji GW690II, 90mm ƒ/3.5 Fujinon lens)

Florence

Most people rush through Florence on US 49 as they travel between Jackson and Hattiesburg. Much of the architecture along the road is modern strip mall or industrial.  I saw one interesting cluster of older stores.

 

3009 Hwy US 49, Florence

3011 Hwy US 49, Florence

Harrisville

 

Harrisville is a small unincorporated community in Simpson County about 25miles south of Jackson. I drove through the community on MS 469 after leaving D'Lo. 

 

Former gas station, Simpson Hwy (Rte 469)

(4×5" Tri-X Prof. film, Tachihara camera, 135mm ƒ/5.6 Caltar S-II lens)

Ready to roll, logging truck, Mulligan Road

 

Hopewell

 

Hopewell is another unincorporated community, this time in Covington County.  

 

Ready to roll, Old River Road 

(Panatomic-X film, Fuji GW690II, 90mm ƒ/3.5 Fujinon lens)

Polkville

 

Polkville is a town in Smith County.  

 

On patrol, MS Hwy 13, June 23, 2021

Townsend Road west of Polkville 

(Kodak Super-XX film, Tachihara camera, 240mm ƒ/9 G-Claron lens, yellow filter)

No shopping here, Polkville

(Kodak Royal Gold 25 film converted to B&W, Leica M2 camera, 50mm ƒ/2 Summicron-DR lens) 

This ends a very quick run through small rural communities in south central Mississippi south of Jackson. I took these pictures in mid-2021, during the pandemic. Traveling by car solo around rural Mississippi was a nice way to get out and about. Fortunately, we were not confined to our homes.  

I used Kodak Panatomic-X film in my Fuji GW690II camera (the "Texas Leica") and Tri-X Professional in my 4×5" Tachihara wood field camera. I really need to use it more often. 

Industrial Cities in Wisconsin: Janesville

 

Janesville is a city in south central Wisconsin, the county seat of Rock County. For much of the 20th century, General Motors operated a factory in Janesville, but many people remember the city as being the home of Parker Pens. Parker's excellent fountain pens were popular through much of the 20th century and sold as a prestige product internationally. Sadly, the Parker factory closed in 2009, and the current corporate owner operates a pen factory in France.

 

Railroad bridges over the Rock River near Anglers Park

(30mm ƒ/10 Kodak lens on Leica M mount)

Janesville was built on both sides of the Rock River. At one time, the river must have been lined with industries and worker housing. Many of the buildings remain, and some or most appear to be occupied. 

 

River side (rear) of apartment facing N. Main Street 

River side of N. Main Street commercial buildings

N. Main Street apartments

Main Street is on the east side of the Rock River. Many turn of the century commercial buildings are clustered between W. Court Street and W. Centerway. Parking lots show where older buildings were demolished. 

Walk uphill on St. Lawrence Avenue, and you find gracious late-1800s homes. Look at the extravagant woodwork. 

 

404 St. Lawrence Avenue

418 St. Lawrence Avenue

\

500 E. Court Street 

69 S. Atwood Avenue

Magnificent homes, but I am glad I am not responsible for their maintenance. 

This ends our short look at Janesville, Wisconsin. There is so much more to explore in that state.

I took these photographs on Fuji Acros film with my 1950 Leica IIIC camera and a 5 cm ƒ/2 Summitar lens. One photo was with a 30mm Kodak lens adapted from a disposable camera. The light was soft and low contrast on this day. 

Looking for Grunge in Olympia, Washington (Oly 28)

Near the Thurston County Food Bank, Thurston Avenue, December 2025

I like to wander around looking for urban (and rural) decay and the detritus of our modern consumer society. Olympia, Washington, is not as rich with subjects as Jackson, Mississippi, or other southern cities, but one can find material here. 

Olympia Downtown

 

Unused tracks and view of Thurston County Food Bank
(Hasselblad 501CM camera, 250mm ƒ/5.6 Sonnar lens)

No camping on Chestnut Street, but some swine left a bag of trash.

Black cat and mold

Parking lot off Columbia Street NW

Parking lot off Columbia Street NW

(Ilford XP2 film, Pentax 28mm ƒ/3.5 shift lens, yellow filter)

4th Avenue near Plum Street

 

West Bay 

 

West Bay Drive passes along unused former industrial land. There is one city park and unused flat terrain that once was occupied by Hardel plywood and Reliable Steel.  

 

Former Reliable Steel shed, 1218 West Bay Drive

(Fuji Acros II film, 35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens)

Free office chair

"Pacific Titan" crane barge moored at Port of Olympia

(Fuji Acros II film, Pentax MX camera, 50mm ƒ/1.4 Pentax-M lens) 

Tumwater

 

Cars painted here?

Former Olympia Brewery 

(Kodak T400CN film, Pentax MG, 35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens, med yellow filter)

 

This is the former Olympia Brewery ("It's the Water"). Year after year, these ugly tan buildings molder away in the Deschutes River valley. They are an eyesore. Who will ever use these buildings again?

 

Skokumchuck

 

When I bike on the Chehalis Western trail, I often stop at the Monarch Sculpture Park for a rest and drink. Immediately north of the park, railroad tracks end in the woods. For months, these petroleum tank cars loomed over the bike trail. 

I took these photographs with Kodak Panatomic-X (120 size), Kodak T400CN, Ilford XP2, and Fuji Acros II films using Leica, Pentax, and Hasselblad cameras.