Dutchess County Rail Trail

This is something Dutchess County has done right.

We have the Walkway, which is to be part of this, but the newly opened Hopewell Junction part of the trail is really great. First, there is ample parking at Gold's Gym (thank you for providing this) as well as quick access. Once on the trail, there is a 12 to 15 foot wide paved bike path and a dirt walking path that is easy to navigate. You roll along some of the higher sections of the trail, past streams, lakes (I never saw Lake Walton before and I have lived here all my 53 years). You can go for about 8 miles from Page Lumber in LaGrange off Route 55 to Route 82 in Hopewell Junction. Hear and see the airplanes as they come in or take off from the County Airport.

The view down the trail. Tree lined and some really nice rock cuts from early last Century. Like the Walkway, the grade is gentle, so riding along is really easy. Pass on the left after you announce your intentions.

There are crossings over 376, and a grade crossing at Didell Rd., that test your hill climbing speeds and downhills.

Spout Creek

Swans and young

Much beauty along the way. Swans and their young at Lake Walton. The Whortekill Creek, Sprout Creek.

 You end at Hopewell Depot. We did 14 or so miles on our bikes. Families, kids learning to ride, people walking, dogs, friends, exercise.

Lake Walton

Big thanks to the people who were behind this. Easy access to getting outdoors and exercising. Yes, it took me 53 years to get interested in this, but spending two hours with my wife on bikes is one of the best things. No cell phone, no laptop, no TV. Feeling much better.

When the County gets the CSX piece, it will be truly groundbreaking. Hopewell Junction to New Paltz, and maybe connections to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. Find your way across the County quietly, simply, and beautifully.

It is kind of like Field of Dreams. They built it. Now they will come. Get out and enjoy.

Check back often for random thoughts on Photography, Digital Asset Management, or other things that catch my eye. Thanks.

To SSD or not to SSD, that is the question

As I started to do more in Photography, I also started to work on my computers. I was frustrated with the pre-packaged set up of most windows computers. There was so much bloat in terms of programs, and not enough power or space in the cases on with the boards to add in what I needed. So I made my own, and have never looked back. Micro Center has a great T Shirt with a hand and a screwdriver where it says "I void warranties." I will try new things, and have added blu ray burners, memory, hard drives, port multipliers, and the list goes on.

SSD's are interesting. Basically flash memory like a CF card, and a concern on how many times you write and erase on the same card. It is too expensive to replace a C drive completely for me for the size I want. I have separated out my programs from my data files for the most part (all photos are on a separate hard drive, backed up in two places). One person keeps all of the Lightroom catalogs in the SSD (John Beardsworth suggests this for speed). I would like to speed up my boot time, and have thought about putting Windows 7 Pro and Lightroom3 and Photoshop CS5 on the SSD, and the rest of the programs on the old C drive. May test this out with a Vertez 2 from OCZ, 120 gb at a cost of about $200.00.

Anyone trying this or have any thoughts? I would love to hear from you. E-mail me at Bill@Boglephoto.com

New website under construction, with more images and easier navigation (I hope), so check back at www.Boglephoto.com. Thanks.

Bill Bogle, Jr.