the Way of the Turtle

23 Mile Ride in Slingerlands and Bethlehem
Monday, October 23, 2006

Another grey, cold, windy day. Not ideal for doing a 23 mile ride after work... but I've got to ride when I get the chance. I clipped my red blinky light to my back pack to help with visibility, and wound my way along a variety of roads to the west of Albany. Another good shakedown ride for the new bike, which handled it well - though it gets a bit squirelly, especially in a crosswind. On the other hand, I used to think the Dawes was squirelly, and now I don't even notice it.

Some highlights of the ride...

A small group of wild turkeys scrambling into the brush alongside the road down near Five Rivers.

Cresting a hill and seeing the sun starting the peek through the clouds, lighting up the Helderberg Escarpment. Gorgeous.

Climbing the hill just past Five Rivers and having the sun come out for a while, casting the whole hillside and valley into golden light. Absolutely magical.

Zipping down parts of New Scotland Ave and Hackett Blvd at close to 20 mph and not even pushing all that hard (tailwinds are wonderful!)

JMH