I have a 'music device'. Ok, it's actually just an old iPhone whose ringing days have rung for the last time. But it's still capable (barely) of playing songs. You can transfer the songs from records or CDs if you're technologically savvy or by buying them from Apple or Amazon if you've got a fat credit card. My tech savvy and my credit worth could both stand a transfusion. Nevertheless, I have been able to cobble together a playlist of sorts on the old iPhone. Everything from Buddy Holly and Peggy Lee to Wet Leg and Sabrina Carpenter. But more than any other artist, there is Bob Dylan. I've got a bunch of songs spanning his long career and reflecting my ongoing fascination with his music.
When I'm in my truck I put the iPhone on 'Shuffle' and it plays songs in random order. Call it 'Surprise me' mode. Serendipity suggests that someday soon it will play my favorite song while I'm driving on my favorite road. The song would be Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and the road, of course, would be Washington County 61. The song comes from the 1965 album of the same name and it probably refers to the federal road that runs from northern Minnesota to New Orleans, sometimes called the 'Blues Highway'. I say 'probably' because Dylan is nothing else if not inscrutable.
Co 61 is easier to pin down. It starts in Battenville and winds east through the Towns of Jackson and Salem before terminating at Rt. 313 just shy of Vermont. It crosses the Battenkill River three times in its wandering course amongst the Taconic hills of southern Washington County and every mile of it is a scenic delight. Don't expect to see God and Abraham having a little tiff nor Mack the Finger selling "...a thousand telephones that don't ring" (like mine!). But if you see them putting "bleachers out in the sun" be concerned because it means our "rovin' gambler" is still "tryin' to create the next world war". Still, even without any of these Dylanesque scenarios, our local Highway 61 is a fun drive. Hope you enjoy this little travelogue I've put together.
Co 61 begins at a T intersection with Rt. 29 in 'downtown' Battenville. This is Susan B. Anthony country and New York State has been working for several years restoring the famous suffragette's family home here. Who knows? they may actually finish it in our lifetime. Another public project that many hope never happens is the replacement of the one lane bridge over the Battenkill River. They say it has charm and historical interest. Highway engineers feel otherwise and want to replace it with a generic concrete structure. In the meantime, watch for oncoming traffic and be courteous. It's part of the '61' experience.
If you walk to the middle of the bridge and look upstream you'll see derelick buildings on the left bank. These are part of the former BioTech paper mill which was shut down many years ago for pollution violations. The contentious proceeding drew media attention and Marvin Ferris, the mill's feisty owner, supposedly threatened to throw a TV cameraman off the bridge at this very spot. How's that for historical interest? The mill site could host several homes and offer public access to a lovely stretch of the river. Instead, it has been an empty eyesore for many years now.
Just beyond the bridge you cross abandoned railroad tracks that represent another unrealized opportunity. They could be a beautiful rail trail connecting Greenwich and Salem, contributing to the areas quality of life and economy. Instead they grow weeds.
A little further on you'll see a stately white house on a knoll above the road. This place has enough history to fill a book. In fact it does play a big role in Solange Batsell Herter's memoir No More Tiaras. From '60's restaurant to art gallery to country retreat of the rich and famous, the house has seen it all (including Jackie Kennedy).
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Further up the hill Skellie Road joins 61 on the left. At one time there was a Dutch Reformed church here although nothing remains now. District School #3 has been turned into an attractive private residence and across the road is the Weir-Collins house where there used to be a blacksmith shop. Also located here is the Battenville Cemetery with its weathered stones.
As you drive Co 61 keep in mind that Amish families live in the area and you will be sharing the road with their horse drawn buggies. Think of them as an interesting part of the local scenery and another reason to slow down an enjoy.
The road climbs gradually to a sharp right past an impressive row of locust trees that front an attractive homestead before turning left and getting serious about going uphill. This is the Mount Colfax ridge which tops out at almost 1400'. Like the Taconics in general, it trends northeast and consists of dark mudstone with some slate and phyllite. It has a firetower that was formerly open but is now fenced off. A trail from the Lake Lauderdale Park to a tower you could climb would be a nice attraction but don't hold your breath.
Co61 passes O'Donnell Hill Farm which looks like it came straight out of a Grandma Moses painting. Then there is a sharp dog leg to the right and more ascent. If you went straight onto Shields Road at the dog leg you'd be rewarded with views of the High Taconic ridgeline, a thrilling roller coasted descent and a panorama of Hedges Lake.
Sticking with 61 will take you over the ridge and down to a junction with Rt. 22. This is the center of a low key summer resort area built around the Jackson Ponds. They are kettle lakes formed when outwash gravels settled around detached blocks of ice during the melting of the last glacier. The road marks a divide between the Hoosic River system via the Owl Kill to the south and the Battenkill via Flaxmill Brook to the north. To the left of the intersection Dead Pond sits right on the divide with no visible inlet or outlet. It is stocked and a favorite with roadside fishermen. To the right is the site of the notorious Oasis bar whose bands and beer made it a local 'hotspot'. It always reminded me of Greasy Lake, the destination in Bruce Springsteen's song 'Spirit in the Night'. Gone but not forgotten.
Backing up a bit you'll see Nesbitt Road on the right. This leads into Hedges Lake which is surrounded by private camps with no public access. I can just barely remember Nesbitt's pavilion in here with its dancing and roller skating. Another 'gone and almost forgotten' place.
Back out at the Rt22/Co61 intersection there's a log building (formerly a restaurant) and cabins across the road with Schoolhouse Pond behind them. If you went south on 22 there's The Burger Den and then Lake Lauderdale with its public park, beach and picnic area. Of historical interest, this area hosted the beginnings of the Washington County Fair many years ago.
After crossing Rt 22 our road zig zags a bit before climbing uphill past a large RV resort that's probably the most densely populated place on the whole route during summer. Further up the hill Shunpike Road comes in from the right. Across 61 was the Camp Meeting Woods where in years gone by people came in the thousands for outdoor church service. Continuing east you'll see the sign for Christopher Pierce Fine Art before dropping down to another crossing of the Battenkill.
Now you've entered the hamlet of Shushan, a hidden gem in the hills. Yushak's Market is the anchor of 'downtown' known for its excellent deli and large selection of housemade sausage. The railroad tracks are still active here and just beyond them look for a Veterans Memorial on an interesting boulder that appears to be conglomerate.
A side lane leads back to the Georgi with its beautiful house and grounds. This is a favorite place for a quiet stroll and swim. It's a gift from a remarkable family to the local area. Also worth visiting is the Covered Bridge Museum usually open on weekends during the warmer months. Frightening to think that at one time there was a proposal to build a dam on the Battenkill and flood this area.
From Shushan the road climbs steeply up to mixed farmland/woods where there's a sugar shack on the left, views of Snake Ridge on the right and a barely noticeable crossing of Steele Brook. At a four way intersection a right will bring you over the crest of a hill and down to the quaint hamlet of Eagleville with its covered bridge. Continuing straight on 61 look for an outcrop on the left showing in its contorted beds the forces that bent and broke the rock of the Taconics.
There's a sharp bend and a final Battenkill crossing at Buffum's bridge. On the corner is a charming camp that was once Roy Brown's Tacklebox, a landmark for fly fishermen. Beyond the bridge is the Buffum farmstead on the left and then it's just one short hill up to the intersection with Rt 313 and the end of Co 61. While we didn't come across anyone selling "forty red white and blue shoe strings" I trust there was more than enough of interest to make the drive memorable.
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