Walking in the City - Inwood Hill Park, NY

A planned walk in Inwood Hill Park on Saturday with Shorewalkers turned out to be more of a treat than expected following last Thursday's snowfall which blanketed the park. While the snowy conditions made walking harder work than normal, the additional exercise was more than compensated for by the wintry views.

Looking across the Hudson River towards the Palisades.

Part of the trails on the  Palisades - only visible due to the bare trees and snow

St Michael's Villa sits grandly on the cliffs - regional center and home for Sisters of St Joseph of Peace.

Looking south we had a good view of the Cloisters which is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of New York. In other seasons the lower part of the building is hidden by tree foliage. The Cloisters was built in the early 20th century using stones from numerous French abbeys. The stones were shipped to New York and reconstructed

The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park

Most of the trails were snow covered for the first time this winter so the relatively mild day proved perfect not only for walkers but for cross-country skiers and families with toboggans.

And yes, this really is a part of New York City. And while areas on the edge of the park have been developed to include playgrounds and sporting facilities, much of it has been preserved in its original state. Evidence of Native American life has been found and the park is believed to be the place where Dutchman Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan from the Lenape Indians in 1626 for trinkets worth about 60 guilders!

A stone marker memorializes the event:

Apparently, the park is one of the best places in the city to spot a bald eagle. We were not so lucky, but a cardinal graced us with his presence.

For less observant bird-watchers there was a park sign to help them spot some of nature's creatures!

All in all, a wonderful way to compensate for being stuck indoors during the snowstorm.

Mel Parish writes contemporary fiction with a twist of mystery and suspense.

Her latest novel Trust No One  is currently entered into the Kindle Scout competition which lets readers check out the first few chapters of an unpublished novel and decide whether it is worthy of nomination for an Amazon publishing contract. If a book is selected all those who nominated the book get a free copy when it’s published!

You can check out the campaign page at https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3F2P5G8A4YVW3.

Please take a look  and, if you like what you see, nominate Trust No One before 10 March 2017