Tuesday, July 31, 2012

2.3 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Never quite got my act together to get out on the bike today, so this evening I decided to wrap up July with a visit to one of my favorite places - Five Rivers.
















As always, lots of critters to see. A couple of highlights:

a group of cedar waxwings using the old oak that fell into the Heron Pond as a staging area for their swooping flights around the pond. Cedar waxwings are not only very striking birds, but they also always look to me like they're having a good time with their aerial maneuvers.












































a mob of mallards, also in the Heron Pond... I have to wonder if that's the female and her youngsters, though it seems awfully early for the males to have gotten their colors - so it's probably a different group.

















two of the beavers, munching away on the plants that are overgrowing the Beaver Pond

















a downy woodpecker banging away at the wooden side of the visitors' center

bunnies, bunnies, and more bunnies


















Toward the end of my walk the almost-full moon was getting brighter and brighter... I really hope we have clear weather and I have enough energy to do the Moonlight in Vermont race Saturday at midnight...




















JMH















This pretty much sums up my day so far... (no worries, kitty picked up his head momentarily as I was getting ready to snap his photo, so he's just sacked out on the sidewalk...)

Farewell, Romana 1
Tuesday, July 31, 2012












Word came down last week that Mary Tamm, the actress who played the 1st incarnation of Romana on what is now referrred to as "classic" Doctor Who, died on Thursday at age 62 after a long battle with cancer. While she was only on the show for a single season (the 16th) her presence was notable both in that it was the first time the show had run a season-long story arc (the search for the Key to Time) and because she was the first companion who could truly claim to be an intellectual equal to the Doctor, seeing as she was also a Time Lord - which meant she was quite willing to call him on his foolishness and nonsense. In many ways, she was the natural progression that saw the female leads of the show serving less and less as the Doctor's assistant, and more as a companion in his travels and adventures. While she left the role after that season, the character continued on (and does so to this day in a variety of spin-off media) after regenerating into actress Lalla Ward. While the 2nd incarnation of Romana is more popular (probably due to the on-screen chemistry between Ward and lead Tom Baker) Mary Tamm will always have the distinction of having been there first and it was her work that developed Romana into a character that was worth regenerating when she chose to leave. Her single season will always stand out in my mind because it was the first season picked up by the local PBS station and broadcast Monday through Friday - so I was able to enjoy Doctor Who five days a week. Previously the show had only been available on Saturday mornings on a NYC station that we got over cable.














A good deal more info about Mary Tamm and her career can be found in this article on the Doctor Who news page. No surprise. there's an abundance of articles noting her passing on-line, including some kind words and remembrances from Tom Baker, who is surely really feeling his age and mortality with the passings of so many people he shared the Doctor Who spotlight with.

My thoughts go out to Mary Tamm's family and friends at this very difficult time.

JMH

Monday, July 30, 2012

Technology, Technology...
Monday, July 30, 2012

I think I've finally fixed the conflicts on my new PC that were causing BSoD (Blue Screen of Death) crashes... at least, it's been stable for the last two days, and I've reinstalled the software that seemed to be triggering the crashes.

Unfortunately, my old scanner is now useless. There are no Windows 7 drivers for it, and I have no way to connect to it from the Windows XP virtual PC, where I can load drivers and software for it. So I'm going to end up buying another scanner... thank you, Microsoft and Visioneer, for forcing me to retire a perfectly good piece of hardware.

A few years ago I went to the store to replace the battery for my portable phone, and discovered that the battery cost almost as much as a new phone. So I purchased a new phone instead, and it's driven me crazy ever since, because it has no headset jack and the shape of the handset makes it almost impossible to tuck it between your shoulder and ear to free up both hands while talking. This afternoon I tried using it and discovered that one of the buttons is toast. So today I shelled out the money for a new portable - this time from a pricier brand, so hopefully it will work better and last longer than the crap one I bought last time.

JMH
BARELY A RUN...
3.3 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Monday, July 30, 2012










































After running a couple of errands, I stopped off at the Pine Bush Discovery Center for a short 6-7 mile run on the Karner Barrens trails. Unfortunately, I was most of the way around the main loop when my right knee started complaining more than usual, probably because I tweaked it at the end of last week (doing laundry, of all things..) - combined with the clouds of bugs that surrounded my head every time I slowed to a walk or stopped, that was enough to convince me to cut the run short.

















































Before I headed back to the parking lot, I went a short way down the connector between the East and West barrens to see if I could spot and photograph some towhees I heard calling... while I was doing so, a smaller bird flew up and proceeded to scold me for a while. The real surprise was - he was bright blue! Comparing the photos to my books, I'm pretty sure he was an indigo bunting. I've only seen an indigo bunting one other time (last summer, in the Blueberry Hills section of the Pine Bush) though Ann may have spotted one last week when we were out riding.






















A 3.3 mile run is barely a warm-up... still, I suppose a short run is better than none at all.






JMH

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Weekly Activity Summary
7/22/2012 - 7/28/2012

running (1x) - 6.2 mi
riding (2x) - 21.6 mi
walking/hiking (9x) - 21.6 mi
paddling - 0 mi

JMH

Saturday, July 28, 2012

WHY I HATE DRIVING THE NJ HIGHWAYS... AND ONE HECK OF A DOWNPOUR!
Saturday, July 28, 2012

My TomTom XL340 (sadly updated and then discontinued by TomTom... hopefully map updates will continue to be available for a good long time!) is usually spot-on in its travel time predictions, even adjusting them on the fly when I drive a bit faster than it expects for a particular area. So when I left Camp Ockanickon after the races today, I was looking forward to 3 hr 45 min of driving (plus probably an extra 15-20 minutes of stops along the way.) Ordinarily I'd stop at some parks to see the sights, but not today, since (1) I was pretty fried from 3-4 hours of sleep followed by a tough course under hot, humid conditions, (2) driving down directly from Rochester meant my trail guides were all still in Albany, and (3) it was raining on and off. I have to admit, after being away for 9 days, I was also looking forward to being home again, even if it means having to put up with my noisy neighbors (who have two volume settings - LOUD and LOUD!)

Of course, I foolishly forgot to account for the NJ Turnpike/Garden State Parkway effect... I don't know why, but for some reason it is a fairly common occurence for traffic to go from full speed ahead to a dead stop on those two highways, followed by periods of crawling along at 5-10 mph. Last year I remember recalling this as I sat on the road, not moving... and today reminded me again. Fortunately most of the other drivers had their windows up, so it's unlikely many folks heard my occcasional outbursts of "I hate this %*&@#*!! road!" By the time I'd reached northern NJ, the GPS had extended the travel time by 30-40 minutes. Gah.

And then the real storm kicked in... first with some lightning and light rain, and then with a downpour that turned the highway into a river and dropped visibility down to a hundred feet or so. Fortunately everyone saw the writing on the wall and traffic slowed to about half speed. When I stopped for gas at the last service area on the GSP, I bailed on stopping to use the bathroom and grab a drink or snack - even with my rain jacket my shorts would have been drenched in moments. Happily I drove out of the worst of it as I exited onto the NYS Thruway, and the rest of the drive was by-the-numbers... but altogether it was 90 minutes later than the GPS originally predicted before I pulled up in front of the house and yes, was greeted by the sound of my neighbors blasting music on their van stereo while they sat on the porch enjoying the evening.

Regardless of the complaining, it's good to be home again.

JMH
LONG DISTANCE 2012 - Race #19 
Life Is Good Mudman Offroad Duathlon
Saturday, July 28, 2012

2012 Event Totals
Run 166.3 mi, 39 hr 33 min
Bike 119.1 mi, 11 hr 2 min

Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 4.5 mi, 1 hr 23 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA

Friday, July 27, 2012

ONCE AGAIN THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NY & NORTHEASTERN PA... AND THEN THROUGH THE OUTSKIRTS OF PHILADELPHIA
Friday, July 27, 2012
4.5 Mile Walk Through Genesee Valley Park & on the Erie-Lackawanna Pedestrian Bridge
Friday, July 27, 2012

Thursday, July 26, 2012

11.6 Mile Ride on the Lehigh Valley Trail & the Genesee Valley Greenway
Thursday, July 26, 2012

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

LIGHTNING BELOW... WONDERFUL RAIN!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A relatively uneventful set of flights back - both left on time, which was a blessing considering we were scheduled to arrive in Rochester after midnight. Kudos to AirTran... even if our pilot on the first leg introduced himself as Luke Skywalker, accompanied by Han Solo and Chewbacca the wookiee and flying the Millenium Falcon. Fortunately we didn't end up on the Death Star.

The 2nd leg got a bit bumpy as we approached Rochester - storms again! Watching lightning flashes from above has not lost its appeal!

We exited the terminal to light rain and wonderfully cool temperatures. I stood out in the driveway and enjoyed it while Ann opened up the house... not only was it exceptionally pleasant after the last 5 days of 100+ temperatures, but we desperately need the water too.

It's good to be back in our neck of the woods.

JMH
HUMMINGBIRDS!
A Visit to Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area
Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS...
1 Mile Walk at the World Bird Sanctuary
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
ELK, DEER, RACOONS, LIZARDS, & BISON
4 Mile Walk at Lone Elk Park
Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Monday, July 23, 2012

BIG... CONCRETE... TURTLES!
0.5 Mile Walk at the Turtle Playground
Monday, July 23, 2012
CRITTERS, CRITTERS, CRITTERS...
4.2 Mile Walk at the St Louis Zoo
Monday, July 23, 2012
630 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND
Visiting the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial & the Gateway Arch
Monday, July 23, 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Lantern Festival 2012
4 Mile Walk at the Missouri Botanical Gardens
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A Visit to the Missouri Botanical Gardens Butterfly House
Sunday, July 22, 2012
2.6 Mile Walk at Castlewood State Park
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Weekly Activity Summary
7/15/2012 - 7/21/2012

running (2x) - 18.1 mi
riding (2x) - 22.2 mi
walking/hiking (9x) - 14.3 mi
paddling - 0 mi

JMH

Saturday, July 21, 2012

1.6 Mile Walk & A Delicious Meal in Saint Charles, MO
Saturday, July 21, 2012
1.6 Mile Walk at Horseshoe Lake State Park
Saturday, July 21, 2012

Friday, July 20, 2012

LIGHTNING BELOW...
Friday, July 20, 2012
12.6 Mile Ride on the Genesee Valley Greenway
Friday, July 20, 2012

Thursday, July 19, 2012

GRASSHOPPERS & BUTTERFLIES
8.8 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, July 19, 2012

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

TONS OF TOWHEES
1.4 Mile Walk in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I had planned to go for a ride and/or a run today, but the heat and humidity kicked my butt... and I finally managed to drag my sorry backside out the door for a walk in the evening, which was much cooler than it's been over the past few days. I walked a short loop through the Karner Barrens of the Pine Bush, starting at the Discovery Center and up to the top of the tallest dune, then down and around by the road to get back. One thing that stood out along the way was all the towhees calling... I'm used to there being a few, but this was non-stop towhees, towhees, towhees.

JMH

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

2 Mile Walk at Ann Lee Pond
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
QUITE THE COMEBACK!
0.6 Mile Walk at the Manlius Swan Pond
Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Monday, July 16, 2012

DUCKS, DUCKS, & MORE DUCKS...
2.2 Mile Walk Along the Erie Canalway Trail
Monday, July 16, 2012
RIDE... WALK... RIDE
9.6 Mile Ride + 1.6 Mile Walk Along the Genesee Riverway Trail & the Rochester Running Track
Monday, July 16, 2012

Let me get the following off my chest right at the start -

DO NOT BUY THE SCHWINN FRAME PUMP SHOWN BELOW - IT IS A WORTHLESS PIECE OF GARBAGE THAT WILL LEAVE YOU PUSHING YOUR BIKE INSTEAD OF RIDING IT!





One of the more enjoyable parts of my day was smashing one of these suckers into a bunch of pieces with a sledgehammer... of course, now I have to look for a pump that will actually work to keep on the Dawes. Fortunately, my next two du's are both off-road events.

Ann and I decided to ride a loop starting at Ontario Beach Park, down the west side of the Genesee River gorge on the Genesee Riverway Trail, and then back up the east side, mainly along the Rochester Running Track. I had heard that a section of the latter had recently been paved and thought it might be the part parallel to Seneca Park that we had ridden a couple of times before. (It's not, by the way... had I actually done my research beforehand, I would have known that the recently opened El Camino trail runs from the entrance of Seneca Park back toward the city, not out toward the lake. Oh, well. Live and learn.)

The first part of the ride, down the Genesee Riverway Trail to the boardwalk over Turning Point Basin and up into Turning Point Park, always brings back fun memories of the two Harborfest 10k's that I ran, where I was first introduced to the then relatively new boardwalk. Sadly, both Harborfest and the 10k associated with it were discontinued this year - another casualty of the poor economy.

Ann and I took our time covering the boardwalk, watching the many turtles sunning themselves, wood ducks and ducklings swimming, and two wading herons. No swans in sight. From there we climbed the gradual hill past the dock for the cement boats, and paused briefly at the intersection with Lake Ave to decide whether to continue or head back - the heat and humidity were pretty brutal, and the next stretch, along the Lake Ave sidewalk, offers no shade at all.

In the end we decided to keep going and followed the sidewalk to the ramp down to the Pure Waters bridge across the river. As always, there were great views along the river in both directions, but there was also a pretty strong odor from the nearby wastewater plant, not to mention the tough climb back up to the rim of the gorge and Seneca Park.

Unfortunately, when we reached the entrance to the rail bed, we found it unimproved - dirt, grass, and stone. We briefly considered turning back, but that would have meant a lot of riding uphill in the heat and sun... so despite the fact that I was on my very narrow tired, unsuspended Dawes, we decided to push on.

Other than the rockiest sections, it really wasn't too bad... until after about 2 1/2 miles, when my front tube gave up and went flat. Changing the tube was no problem, until I tried using the Schwinn pump I was carrying to inflate it - the moment it gained any pressure, it pushed back out through the pump and went flat again. Eventually I gave up, threw the pump a ways away (which was dumb, because then I had to go retrieve it) and set out pushing the bike the remaining mile and a half to the road. Along the way we saw a pair of young deer (still decked out in spots) and had some nice views of the river - even saw the swans and their three youngsters.

Once we reached the road, Ann found a shady spot to wait with my bike and I rode hers back to the car - it was only a little over a mile, so it didn't take long - then drove back to pick her up. Other than the frustration caused by the junk pump, it was a fairly enjoyable ride, despite the heat and humidity.

JMH

Sunday, July 15, 2012

1.6 Mile Walk Along the Erie Canalway Trail
Sunday, July 15, 2012
1.7 Mile Walk at Nathaniel Cole Park
Sunday, July 15, 2012
LONG DISTANCE 2012 - Race #18 
Quadzilla 15k Trail Race
Sunday, July 15, 2012

2012 Event Totals
Run 160.1 mi, 38 hr 08 min
Bike 109.1 mi, 9 hr 36 min

Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 4.5 mi, 1 hr 23 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, PA
Weekly Activity Summary
7/8/2012 - 7/14/2012

running (2x) - 12.8 mi
riding (3x) - 42.8 mi
walking/hiking (7x) - 10.9 mi
paddling (1x) - 1.5 mi

JMH

Saturday, July 14, 2012

GO SOUTH, OLD TURTLE
Lots of Hills & Mountains
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY...
1.4 Mile Walk at Tinker Historic Site & Nature Park
Saturday, July 14, 2012
LONG DISTANCE 2012 - Race #17 
Tri the Oatka Paddle Triathlon
Saturday, July 14, 2012

2012 Event Totals
Run 150.8 mi, 35 hr 48 min
Bike 109.1 mi, 9 hr 36 min

Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 4.5 mi, 1 hr 23 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY

Thursday, July 12, 2012

14.4 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, July 12, 2012
WATER NEEDED DESPERATELY...
2.1 Mile Walk on the Rotterdam Great Flats Nature Trail
Thursday, July 12, 2012

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

NOT QUITE THE ORIGINAL INDIAN LADDER 15K COURSE...
10.6 Mile Run at Thacher Park
Wednesday, July 11, 2012

I started running trails in the fall of 1997 and ran my first trail race in July, 1998 - the Indian Ladder 15k. I suppose that's one of the reasons Indian Ladder holds a special place in my heart, and even though I can run those trail pretty much anytime I want for free, I still try to get to the race each year. I've run it 10 times in the last 14 years, and even ran it from 1999-2004, when it was practically the only race I ran each year.

The race was originally based out of the Glen Doone picnic area, but by 2000 had outgrown the space available there (particularly in regards to parking) and so was moved to the Haile's Cave area, which resulted in major changes to the course. Where the original course wound its way mostly along the escarpment and through the Paint Mine/Hop Field areas of the park, the current course covers a bit more than half the distance on those trails and then heads off into the old OSI property at the northern end of the park.

When I was cleaning last week I came across a copy of the map of the original course and decided I wanted to have a go at running it again... well, sort of. There are places where trails have been re-routed, and I was pretty sure I wanted to do more than 15k... but I still figured I'd include as much of the old course as possible. Which is exactly what I did this afternoon/evening.

I started out at the Hop Field picnic area and headed across the road to what used to be the finish of the 15k, in the parking lot for Glen Doone. Between two runnings of the original course and a visit Ann and I made here back in the spring of 2001, Glen Doone always makes me nostalgic. And the views from the escarpment north don't hurt... from there I made my way along the escarpment until I finally reached the old wastewater treatment plant above Haile's Cave picnic area.

One thing that became quickly clear is how much the lack of rain has affected the higher ground of the Helderbergs. The trails were bone-dry, the streams were almost the same (a few trickles of water here and there), and plants were wilting and dying all over the place. I hope this dry spell breaks soon... we really need the water.

I detoured onto the Long Path to get back down to the park office... they've re-routed another section to get clear of a boggy area, which will have a small effect on both the Indian Ladder and ARE races (the new section is probably 0.1 or 0.2 miles shorter than the old trail.) Then I headed back over the the Paint Mine area and up... and up... and up... I had forgotten that the old course went through the stream and UP the hill, rather than coming down to splash through the water. Nothing new, I've run these trails many times in recent years... until I made it back to Paint Mine road and crossed straight onto a trail that has clearly seen little use recently (it was very overgrown.) I briefly questioned if I was even on the correct trail until I hit a really steep climb, and then I knew I was on course - I had always wondered where that brief but incredibly tough hill was! After taking photos of a very chubby woodchuck, I circled back down to Paint Mine road on a dirt road that runs along the far side of the beaver pond - another spot I've only been to once or twice since I last ran this course in 1999.

From there it was all trails I run pretty regularly... parallel to Beaver Dam Road, down and around the Hop Field swamps (where a new bridge/boardwalk is being built - very cool!), past the park maintanence area, and then back to the Hop Field picnic area. Just another run on trails I know and love, with the added bonus of revisiting the memories of some of the first races I ran, 13-14 years ago...

JMH

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

15.3 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & Through Colonie Mohawk River Park
Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Monday, July 09, 2012

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL...
Monday, July 9, 2012

My office, after being about 2/3 cleaned up... there's a chair, a table, and a 10 yr old PC somewhere under those piles of stuff...




















A couple of hours of work and - the chair, table, and old PC make an appearance...




















And another hour or two of work - things are looking better and better!
















It's a small victory - but it's kind of nice to be able to sit at the table and work on my new PC instead of sitting on a folding chair in the corner of the bedroom.

I'm beginning to think I may manage to finish this cleaning and reorganizing stuff by the end of the month after all...

JMH
THE YEAR OF THE DNS (DID NOT START)
1.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Monday, July 9, 2012

I was really looking forward to running the 1st race in the New Paltz Summer Series, Undercliff/Overcliff, this evening... unfortunately I didn't get much sleep last night and when I started the drive south, I found myself doing inexplicable things like stopping at green lights (fortunately with no one behind me!) So before I got on the thruway I turned around and came back home. Darn it.



I considered going out for a run but again didn't feel like driving far... or running, to be honest. So instead I headed over to Buckingham Lake for a walk. Lots of people, and a distinct lack of ducks, though at the end one of the mallards with youngsters showed up, and the lone youngster that everyone seemed to enjoy beating up on was looking for food too.





Water levels are the lowest I've ever seen them - but then that's the same everywhere around here. Around here we're close to 4" below normal for the year so far, and that's on top of the lack of snow melt after our horrendously snow-free winter.


JMH

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Cleaning and Organizing Sucks...
Sunday, July 8, 2012

... though I suppose I'll be glad when it's done... but for the last two weeks my place has been even more of a shambles than usual, as I'm trying to use the excuse of setting up the new computer as an opportunity to clean up and reorganize some of my stuff.

The most time consuming part is probably sorting through the piles of stuff I've accumulated since the last time I did a major cleanup (easily 4-5 years or more.) The amount of crap I'm throwing out is incredible - this is the 7 contractor bags that I've filled, plus a pile of other junk, since I was last here to put the garbage out, almost 2 weeks ago, from essentially two rooms (the living room, which I tackled first so that I'd have room to move things around as I slogged through the work room.)


On the plus side, once the work is done, this place should be a bit more liveable, at least until the clutter builds up again. I'd like to think I'll have learned from this and will toss stuff before it accumulates and requires a major upheaval to get rid of it - but who am I kidding?

With luck I'll be able to move the new computer out of the corner of my bedroom and into the work room by Wednesday... which means of course that then it will be time to tackle the bedroom...

JMH
Weekly Activity Summary
7/1/2012 - 7/7/2012

running (1x) - 8.8 mi
riding (1x) - 14.8 mi
walking/hiking (7x) - 10.9 mi
paddling (2x) - 9.0 mi

JMH

Saturday, July 07, 2012

BUNNIES & FIREFLIES
1.9 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Saturday, July 7, 2012

Friday, July 06, 2012

14.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, July 6, 2012

Thursday, July 05, 2012

1 Mile Walk at Schoharie Crossing Historic Site
Thursday, July 5, 2012

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Chilifest 2012 Fireworks
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
8.8 Mile Run at Mendon Ponds Park
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
4 Mile Paddle on Black Creek
Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

1.3 Mile Walk at Turning Point Park & Along the Genesee Riverway Trail
1.0 Mile Walk at Ontario Beach Park
Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Monday, July 02, 2012

2.3 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds
Monday, July 2, 2012
1.4 Mile Walk at Genesee Valley Park
Monday, July 2, 2012

Sunday, July 01, 2012

5 Mile Paddle on Black Creek
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Weekly Activity Summary
6/24/2012 - 6/30/2012

running (3x) - 25.4 mi
riding (1x) - 14.4  mi
walking/hiking (9x) - 18.4 mi
paddling - 0 mi

JMH