Step onto the road...

"You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."  Gandalf (JRR Tolkein)

With much of the fall foliage gone due to Hurricane Sandy, I took advantage of today's bank holiday and went on a hike.

 The first stop was Twin Ponds park right here in Centerport. Just a small walk around one of the ponds, but enough to whet the appetite for more. The sun came and went behind big fluffy clouds and cast the most delightful hues through what was left of the autumn foliage.

 The ground is quite saturated in spots, the moss was the most jewel-like green tones I've ever seen.

From there it was a quick drive out to Sunken Meadow State Park. Apparently I wasn't alone in wanting to spend today outdoors, the park was packed with families!

 One of the advantages to Sunken Meadow is there are walkways through wooded areas, walkways through beach scrub and bird sanctuaries and of course, the beach front itself.

I was so taken by this rock growing next to the gnarled tree trunk. It made me think of Treebeard from the Lord of the Rings and his gravely voice saying "with rock and stone..."

This tree stopped me in my tracks, I took multiple photos from various angles. The twisted trunk shows the full force of the winds from Hurricane Sandy. I had to apply an antique enhancement to get the true feeling I had while standing in front of it.

 The grassy meadows seem to stretch on forever. It's easy to feel like a great photographer when you have water and skies like these.

 The beach had already been cleaned well after the storm with only the usual pebbles and shells to be found. I only saw two of these, an angel wing for my friend Lorene.

Driving out the park at the end was a reminder of what is really going on in our world. A sea of tents, trucks, mobile kitchens and tankers. Linesmen from all over the USA and Canada plus the National Guard are sleeping here and many other similar locations. My heartfelt thanks to them.