The Black Bridge in a Blizzard

Yeah, like I’m going to stay indoors during a blizzard.  I want to get some winter photos.  It’s the shutterbug in me.

So I figured I’d at least get a few winter shots – and depending on the weather, I might zoom up to the Adirondacks or over to the Helderbergs or traipse through the Pine Bush …

I opened the door and looked outside.

Chuck, you ain’t trapising anywhere in this weather.  Not unless you suddenly acquired a sled and eight huskies.

But I can’t let this blizzard go to waste… I want to get some photos today.

And in the end, I did go out and get photos.

And by “get photos,” I resolved that I would only drive to a location in Green Island.  That way, I could stay safely in the Town and Village and avoid the crazies who are probably zooming down I-787 and being completely oblivious to the weather conditions.

Yeah.  Like I’m not being completely oblivious to the weather conditions.

I grabbed my Nikon Df camera and attached the Vivitar 19mm f/3.8 lens to it.  Climbed into my car – six different igloos in front of my apartment, I had to carefully pick the Chevrolet-shaped igloo… and off I went.

There’s one location in Green Island that I enjoy photographing in a pinch.

Yep.  It’s the Black Bridge.

The Black Bridge was originally a railroad trestle that connected Green Island to Cohoes.  Once the D&H abandoned that stretch of train track, the bridge fell into disrepair and danger.  Eventually the bridge was rebuilt as a connector to a pedestrian and bicycle “rail trail,” and it makes for a nice scenic photo location.

Or, in my case, a photo spot in a snowstorm.

The Black Bridge is accessible off Cannon Street, and you can drive up to a barrier and walk a quarter of a mile to the bridge itself.

I drove as far as I could … got out of the car … and took a picture of Dracourage so that I could find it if it turned into an igloo before I came back to it.

Yeah … I should be able to find the car on the way back, don’tcha think?

I walked to the Black Bridge.  Snow drifts up to my ankles.  Wind blowing every which way.

But eventually, I reached the railroad structure.

Shoot quick, Miller … that snow’s blowing into your lens and into your eyes.

And I got this for my troubles.

Great shot, Chuck.  Great shot.  Now get the hell back to the car and crank the heat up because it’s colder than a pawnbroker’s heart out here!!

See … sometimes it’s just good to leave your comfort zone and take a picture here or there.  Keeps the creative juices flowing.

Even in this freezing cold weather.  Creative juices must keep flowing.