Market Street Bridge and Kirby Park, 10/29/2005

My afternoon didn't quite go as planned. None of my friends that I had contacted were able to come out with me so I wound up at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre by myself, which I suppose was better for all concerned. I was more mobile on my own, and no one was inconvenienced by the fact that I started off the visit by walking a half-mile in the wrong direction. After I finally worked out that I was nowhere near the river that I wanted to photograph, I turned around and walked back along the path past the point where I had gotten on, past the place where my car was parked, and then (a great distance later) past the shortcut to where my car was parked. Finally I was at a place where I could view the river: the Market Street Bridge.

The Market Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre is a magnificent piece of architecture, with great arches surmounted by majestic eagles. It is one of the two main connections between Wilkes-Barre and the cities on the other side of the Susquehanna River. Nowadays it figures in most people's minds as a part of the "cruising circuit" for local teenagers, a site of frequent illegal drag races, and as a place of shelter for the homeless people who live under it.
This is a view of the Susquehanna facing west, or downriver. Nanticoke (and the location of this morning's photo) is about six miles downriver.
Here is a view across Market Street to the east, upriver along the Susquehanna River. In the distance you can see the architecturally simpler span of the Pierce Street Bridge and the dome of the beautiful Luzerne County Courthouse (currently undergoing renovations) on the left.
After making my way back across the river to Kirby Park I took the shortcut back to my car which took me past some trees and a pond that I had previously only seen from a distance. Here is a Maple tree in crimson glory. While its color is extremely vibrant, it has also shed many of its leaves.
Here is a closeup of some of the leaves under the Maple tree. In the shadows under the tree the colors are less vibrant, but still beautiful.
Finally, I decided I could not leave without getting some pictures of the ducks that hang out in the park, to the delight of some visitors and the dismay of others.

One thing I noticed on the way home: many, many trees are not yet showing the slightest hint of color. So there still may be some time to see and photograph the Autumn leaves in Northeast PA.