15 Mile Ride on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
It's hard to believe that there are only 31 days left to 2007! Where has the time gone...
Today was probably the coldest of the new winter season - temperatures maxing out in the mid-20's, combined with 5-10 mph winds that made it feel about 10 degrees colder. So naturally I decided to go out on my bike!
I headed over to Lock 8 west of Schenectady and started out going west on the bike path to Scrafford Lane in Rotterdam Junction. I fought a fairly stiff headwind until I made it into the shelter of the hills overlooking the old Erie Canal... not fun! The ride back was more enjoyable - the tailwind helped me move along at a decent clip, and my muscles had started working again once I got the blood flowing after 4 days of inactivity.
Back at the Lock I decided I was having enjoying the ride too much to stop, so I kept heading east toward Schenectady. I didn't intend to go all the way to Schenectady County Community College, but in the end that's where I stopped. Spent a little bit trying to get a clear picture of the huge glowing GE sign off in the distance, then headed back to the Lock, in pretty much total darkness.
The ride down to SCCC was sufficiently fun that I forgot about the headwind I'd faced on the way to Rotterdam Junction... but I remembered fairly quickly as I headed into that wind on my way back to the car. That made the final leg a bit tougher, but that's OK... I needed the workout. All in all, it was a good ride, despite the wind and the cold.
Today gave me my first chance to test the Performance Neoprene Booties that I bought this fall for snowshoeing and cold weather riding. They worked great! My feet have never felt so comfortable on a winter ride. I'm looking forward to trying them out snowshoeing!
JMH
