the Way of the Turtle

A DAY OF CONTRASTS
18.6 Mile Ride Along the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, April 12, 2008

The weather forecast called for it to be cold and rainy today, so I was more than a bit surprised when I left the house this morning and it was warm and turning sunny... but I definitely appreciated it after dropping my car off to have my snow tires taken off, since I had a 20 minute walk to the karate school.

After a busy morning and early afternoon, I walked back to the auto shop to pick up my car. What a gorgeous day - mid-60's, sunny... fabulous! While I was walking I decided to get out on my bike instead of running today. I can run tomorrow, when it's supposed to be chilly and rainy.

When I picked up my car I made the unfortunate discovery that this morning when I stopped at a bank to get some cash, I apparently left my ATM/Debit card in the ATM... it was nowhere to be found on my person. Thankfully I'd gotten enough cash that I was able to pay for the work they'd done... on the plus side, that cost $10 less than I'd been expecting, and the car feels much better with the all-seasons on it.

Dealt with the customer service folks at my bank, and locked out my missing Debit card... I have to make a trip to a branch Monday to order a new one, and it will take almost two weeks to get to me. What an absolute pain - but I have no one to blame but myself, so no whining here.

Decided to ride on the bike path west of Schenectady. When I got to the SCCC parking lot, the wind had kicked in something fierce; probably the cold front moving in. So I changed into long-sleeves and pulled on my rain jacket, which makes a decent windbreaker (and is VERY visible.)

The ride out was tough... had a fierce headwind, and had to work fairly hard to maintain any forward motion. But even with the wind it was a gorgeous day, just chillier. Spotted a snapping turtle in a section of the Old Erie Canal just west of the Rotterdam Kiwanis Park, and what were probably a few mergansers on the far side of the Mohawk. Other than that, it was the typical mallards, geese, red-winged blackbirds, and robins.

I rode out through Rotterdam Junction and came back on the short stretch of bike path west of the center of town. Spotted plenty of signs of past beaver activity, but I think they've moved on... for the past few years I haven't seen any freshly chewed trees. I did see two kingfishers on the flooded section of the old canal... nice to see them back. One of these days I'll get a picture of one of them...

The ride back was a lot easier, with the wind at my back... good thing too, because it was getting cold!

So... some good today, and some not-so-good. But I guess that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Tomorrow should be a busy day! Hopefully a short run in the morning, and then 2 weapons seminars with Sensei Fumio Demura in the afternoon!

JMH