To the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and back. Part 2: Heading for home along the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail. For anyone who doesn’t know what the Old Croton Aqueduct is, it was built between 1837 and 1842 and was New York City’s first water supply system. It replaced the inadequate wells, springs, and ponds used until then. Drawn from the Croton River in Westchester County, the abundant clean water helped fuel a population boom and remained in service until 1958.

Although most of the 41 mile long aqueduct lies underground, some structures are still visible in the Bronx and Manhattan. This trail highlights the remains of the aqueduct and provides a sense of the complex engineering and difficult labor that was required to build it. Above: One of the 21 ventilators along the aqueduct.

A gnarly tree.

A closer view of the same tree

The Archville Bridge Monument. While the bridge itself is not particularly memorable (which probably explains why I’ve never taken a picture of it despite passing over it many times) it does have a somewhat interesting history.

Tree Stumps.

Tree silhouette.

Some kind of structure. I believe it’s called a woodland den. A recent article by Ellyn Kail is worth a read: The Unexpected Architectural Beauty of Woodland Dens

Broken fence.

A puddle

Blossoms.

Taken with a Canon EOS 5DII and Canon EF20-105mm f3.5-4.5 II USM