Joggling with the Devil

Here we have yet another lonely, ghostly abandoned building sitting alongside the Croton Aqueduct Trail, in Yonkers, New York. It is one of my favorite running trails, so it’s difficult for me to keep it a secret.

(I am not responsible for the Satanic graffiti in any of these photos, I was just a visitor.)

This building has been abandoned for so long, the surrounding forest has nearly swallowed it up. I do not know the history of this place or what it was for. While I have blogged about the old Croton Aqueduct trail before, at 26.2 miles, it deserves more than one post due to all the unique sites that punctuate its great length. From the many stately historical mansions overlooking the Hudson river, to spooky abandoned buildings, this trail has a lot to offer. My longest runs ever have been on this trail. Its a great place to have an adventure close to the city.

These ruins are in the northern part of Yonkers, just down the hill from Untermeyer Park(on route 9), which resembles the gardens of a Roman villa(lots of people take wedding photos there). This requires a separate post.

Is anyone else playing the 1978 Van Halen song “Runnin’ with the Devil”, but switching “runnin'” with “joggling” in their mind?

Just so you know, I didn’t make a deal with the Devil so I could joggle. And I didn’t meet any Satanists at this location.

Ruins of house overlooking Long Island Sound at Rye Marshlands

This is all that remains of a house that once stood here many decades ago, in Rye, New York. You can see the Long Island Sound in the background. Even less is known of this place than the ruins of the Parson’s Mansion up the road. There are no ghosts around to tell its story, at least I’ve never met any at this preserve.

These ruins are located in the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye. It’s a not a large nature preserve like the Rockefeller Preserve, but it is a great place to go bird-watching, or joggling, except in the more swampy areas. In the summer the mosquitoes may overwhelm you.

If you very lucky, you may spot a whale by the shore. You will almost certainly see deer if you spend more than a few minutes in this small island of wilderness. Unfortunately, lots of deer means lots of deer ticks that spread Lyme Disease, so take precautions so you don’t get bitten. The area around the heavily forested preserve has a lot of stately mansions, some of which are architectural marvels. The feel of the area is a little reminiscent of Newport, Rhode Island, but the mansions aren’t as grand or historic, and the area isn’t nearly as touristy. It is mostly locals who go hiking in this nature spot. New England is a stone’s throw away, just a few miles north, so this area has a “New England” kind of feel to it.

The sea breeze during the warmer months is simply delicious. They sometimes have guided tours, and it is only 26 miles(41.8 km) north from the big city.

Ruins of Mansion in Rye, New York

Here are some photos I took of the ruins of the Parsons Mansion in Rye, New York, not far from me.

It burned down in 1942, and no one knows what caused it(it wasn’t me!). It is now in the middle of a densely wooded nature preserve. It’s a splendid area for exploring nature, or for running, only 27.5 miles away from downtown Manhattan.

If you use your imagination, you can see the mansion as it once was. Maybe you can even see or hear the family who lived here, and their servants(or maybe you are seeing ghosts!). It’s hard to resist comparing it to the famous mansion in Downton Abbey(Highclere Castle), but this wasn’t as large or as majestic.

There are few things I love as much as exploring ruins and historical sites.

Ghostly ruins of train station

My joggling routes sometimes take me through some interesting areas. Here are the ruins of an abandoned train station I occasionally joggle by. I don’t think they’ve used it for over 70 years, unless you count “ghost” passengers. I admit it is a little scary going by it, especially at night.

This train station is in the Bronx, very close to the Westchester county border, so it is many miles from midtown Manhattan. It is surrounded by the dense woodlands of Pelham Bay Park, the city’s largest park and woodland area. And no, I haven’t seen(or heard) any ghosts at this location. Still, I don’t recommend going to this place.

Photo sources: C.P Wild Juggler