6.8 Mile Run Along the Streets of Albany
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Ended up running a bit further than I'd planned tonight... I was aiming for a short easy run to stretch my legs and break in a new pair of Adidas Supernova's for Sunday race at Mendon. Haven't run around Albany for a while... other than the convenience, it doesn't have much to recommend it, though at least tonight I ran around Buckingham Lake which I can pretend is a bit of wilderness in the midst of all this annoying civilization.
The new shoes definitely felt better than the old ones... I probably used them past the point I where I should have, but so it goes. These should work fine for Sunday's 15k.
Now we just have to see if I have it in me to do a long run tomorrow night...
JMH
Sunday, March 29, 2009
7.5 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Legs were definitely feeling the effects of yesterday's race... tired, tight, and sore. So I headed over to the Pine Bush for a slow easy run on a softer surface. It was tough going at first but started to feel decent after a couple of miles... and then the last few were tough going, possibly because I was enjoying being out in the woods and ran a little farther than I'd initially planned.
In the last year or so a lot of the trees in the Great Dune section of the Pine Bush have been marked with paint... an enormous number in one section with blue paint, and today I saw a number of trees marked with orange paint. Hopefully this isn't an indication that they'll be cutting all those trees down as part of the ongoing "habitat restoration" (many of them seem to be pines) but then again, if the trees aren't being marked for cutting, what's going on? All I know for sure is it detracts from the view and is definite case for concern.
JMH
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Legs were definitely feeling the effects of yesterday's race... tired, tight, and sore. So I headed over to the Pine Bush for a slow easy run on a softer surface. It was tough going at first but started to feel decent after a couple of miles... and then the last few were tough going, possibly because I was enjoying being out in the woods and ran a little farther than I'd initially planned.
In the last year or so a lot of the trees in the Great Dune section of the Pine Bush have been marked with paint... an enormous number in one section with blue paint, and today I saw a number of trees marked with orange paint. Hopefully this isn't an indication that they'll be cutting all those trees down as part of the ongoing "habitat restoration" (many of them seem to be pines) but then again, if the trees aren't being marked for cutting, what's going on? All I know for sure is it detracts from the view and is definite case for concern.
JMH
Saturday, March 28, 2009
LONG DISTANCE 2009 - Race #1
Run the Reservoir 15k
Saturday, March 28, 2009
2009 Run the Reservoir 15k results
the short version - a nice 15k on a fairly scenic course around the Upper Scituate Reservoir in RI. The course wasn't too tough and I had a good run, finishing in 1:37:52 or slightly over 10 1/2 minute miles - a pretty good pace for me, especially this early in the season. I don't know that I have much interest in going back again - the course is nice but not phenonomenal and run mostly on roads, and it's a bit of a drive just to run a nice 15k.
the long version - when my alarm went off at 4:30 AM I really started wondering if I should have gotten a motel room closer to the race... but at least this way is less expensive. Packed my gear, for both chilly and warm weather and for any hiking or running I might end up doing afterwards, and remembered to print out directions from Diamond Hill Park (which I planned to visit after the race) back to Albany. Unfortunately, I left the directions in the printer in my rush to get everything in the car and get on the road to RI!
The drive was uneventful, other than rain drops during the last few miles... I really didn't want to run this one in the rain. Arrived at the church serving as race HQ to find all the parking full and ended up at alternate parking between a quarter and a half mile away, with a shuttle bus to take me back to check in. So I changed into all my race gear, hopped the bus back to the start, and stood in line for a bit waiting to get my number and, it turned out, my T-shirt.... which meant a trip back to the car. Oh, well. So I jogged to the car, dropped off the shirt, and again took the bus back to the start to wait for the fun to begin...
I know the RD had a bunch of stuff to say but I couldn't hear him over all the blabbering people at the back of the crowd were doing. But it was very clear when the folks up front got ready... and then it was time to run!
We started out down the main road in front of the church and then turned... right past my car. If I'd known that I could have dropped the T-shirt off during the race! Ran up a side road for a ways, then entered one of the attractions of this race - a stretch along a closed road through the normally off limits Providence Water Supply Board land bordering the reservoir. That part was fairly nice... trees all around and relative peace and quiet. I made pretty good time for the first two miles - just under 10 minute miles, meaning I went out too fast, so I slowed it down a bit through the woods. Rolling terrain, but nothing too terribly difficult. All too quickly we came out at the far end of the road, and then had another fun stretch - a half mile long causeway separating the upper and lower reservoirs. I would have liked to stop and look around, but I began to think I'd slowed down a little too much through the woods, so I wanted to keep pushing along at a decent pace.
After leaving the causeway, we hit the "tough" part of the course - a climb up a hill almost a mile long. Can't say it was easy... but it wasn't particularly hard either. At least from the conversations around me it sounded like I had a lot of downhill to look forward to during the 2nd half of the course...
After the long hill we had a couple of miles to run back into town... the road had a decent amount of traffic, but with the PWSB lands all around it was still fairly nice... occasionally there were openings in the trees and I could see out across the reservoir. At one spot there were a couple of folks with scopes checking out birds... I found myself really wishing I had time to stop, but between wanting to make the best time possible and being a little concerned that if I stopped I wouldn't get going again, I didn't think it was a good idea.
Over the last couple of miles I picked up the pace a bit and even passed a couple of runners. The course took us through town and along a quiet side street, then back to the main road to the finish... the uphill finish! That was no fun at all... but I kept pushing as hard as I could and staggered across the finish in 1:37:52. After that I wandered into the church to try to get some food... and was told I'd won one of the raffle prizes, a $50 gift certificate (as it turns out, to a local restaurant... looks like I need to go back that way sometime later in the year.) After a long wait in line I finally got some very delicious soup and a piece of bagel, then hobbled down the road to the car to eat, change clothes, and figure out my next move to start the rest of the day.
All in all, this was a nice event, and it raised money for a good cause - the Trinity Church Food Closet, which provides food for rural RI families that can't afford all that they need. The course was fairly pleasant, though nothing fantastic... I would consider running it again, but I don't know that I'd make a special trip just to do the race again.
Next up: the Spring Forward Distance Run 15k, put on by the fantastic folks at Yellowjacket Racing. A tougher course than today's 15k, but it should still be a good time.
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run 9.3 mi, 1 hr 38 min
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 54.6 mi, 13 hr 05 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, RI, VT
Run the Reservoir 15k
Saturday, March 28, 2009
2009 Run the Reservoir 15k results
the short version - a nice 15k on a fairly scenic course around the Upper Scituate Reservoir in RI. The course wasn't too tough and I had a good run, finishing in 1:37:52 or slightly over 10 1/2 minute miles - a pretty good pace for me, especially this early in the season. I don't know that I have much interest in going back again - the course is nice but not phenonomenal and run mostly on roads, and it's a bit of a drive just to run a nice 15k.
the long version - when my alarm went off at 4:30 AM I really started wondering if I should have gotten a motel room closer to the race... but at least this way is less expensive. Packed my gear, for both chilly and warm weather and for any hiking or running I might end up doing afterwards, and remembered to print out directions from Diamond Hill Park (which I planned to visit after the race) back to Albany. Unfortunately, I left the directions in the printer in my rush to get everything in the car and get on the road to RI!
The drive was uneventful, other than rain drops during the last few miles... I really didn't want to run this one in the rain. Arrived at the church serving as race HQ to find all the parking full and ended up at alternate parking between a quarter and a half mile away, with a shuttle bus to take me back to check in. So I changed into all my race gear, hopped the bus back to the start, and stood in line for a bit waiting to get my number and, it turned out, my T-shirt.... which meant a trip back to the car. Oh, well. So I jogged to the car, dropped off the shirt, and again took the bus back to the start to wait for the fun to begin...
I know the RD had a bunch of stuff to say but I couldn't hear him over all the blabbering people at the back of the crowd were doing. But it was very clear when the folks up front got ready... and then it was time to run!
We started out down the main road in front of the church and then turned... right past my car. If I'd known that I could have dropped the T-shirt off during the race! Ran up a side road for a ways, then entered one of the attractions of this race - a stretch along a closed road through the normally off limits Providence Water Supply Board land bordering the reservoir. That part was fairly nice... trees all around and relative peace and quiet. I made pretty good time for the first two miles - just under 10 minute miles, meaning I went out too fast, so I slowed it down a bit through the woods. Rolling terrain, but nothing too terribly difficult. All too quickly we came out at the far end of the road, and then had another fun stretch - a half mile long causeway separating the upper and lower reservoirs. I would have liked to stop and look around, but I began to think I'd slowed down a little too much through the woods, so I wanted to keep pushing along at a decent pace.
After leaving the causeway, we hit the "tough" part of the course - a climb up a hill almost a mile long. Can't say it was easy... but it wasn't particularly hard either. At least from the conversations around me it sounded like I had a lot of downhill to look forward to during the 2nd half of the course...
After the long hill we had a couple of miles to run back into town... the road had a decent amount of traffic, but with the PWSB lands all around it was still fairly nice... occasionally there were openings in the trees and I could see out across the reservoir. At one spot there were a couple of folks with scopes checking out birds... I found myself really wishing I had time to stop, but between wanting to make the best time possible and being a little concerned that if I stopped I wouldn't get going again, I didn't think it was a good idea.
Over the last couple of miles I picked up the pace a bit and even passed a couple of runners. The course took us through town and along a quiet side street, then back to the main road to the finish... the uphill finish! That was no fun at all... but I kept pushing as hard as I could and staggered across the finish in 1:37:52. After that I wandered into the church to try to get some food... and was told I'd won one of the raffle prizes, a $50 gift certificate (as it turns out, to a local restaurant... looks like I need to go back that way sometime later in the year.) After a long wait in line I finally got some very delicious soup and a piece of bagel, then hobbled down the road to the car to eat, change clothes, and figure out my next move to start the rest of the day.
All in all, this was a nice event, and it raised money for a good cause - the Trinity Church Food Closet, which provides food for rural RI families that can't afford all that they need. The course was fairly pleasant, though nothing fantastic... I would consider running it again, but I don't know that I'd make a special trip just to do the race again.
Next up: the Spring Forward Distance Run 15k, put on by the fantastic folks at Yellowjacket Racing. A tougher course than today's 15k, but it should still be a good time.
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run 9.3 mi, 1 hr 38 min
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 54.6 mi, 13 hr 05 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, RI, VT
Friday, March 27, 2009
LOOK! AN EAGLE!
25.3 Mile Bike Ride Along the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path, Cohoes Falls, and Colonie Mohawk River Park
Friday, March 27, 2009
Admittedly, going for my longest ride so far this year may not have been the smartest move in the book, but today was just too nice a day to stop early and head home. And the extra miles definitely paid off, since I saw a bald eagle and even managed to get some halfway decent photos of a truly magnificent bird.
I started the ride out heading east from the Niskayuna Lions Park on the bike path. No surprise, lots of people out and about on a gorgeous warm sunny spring afternoon. I rode all the way over to Cohoes and then headed down to the river to check out Cohoes Falls. There wasn't as much water going over the falls as I was hoping for, but they were still much more impressive than they will be in a month or two when most of the water is diverted. Sadly, the new overlook doesn't re-open until May 1, so I wasn't able to check out the view from above the falls today.
Heading back west, I rode down into the Colonie Mohawk River Park. Stopped at the covered bridge to watch a snapping turtle and a little further down the road to see if I can spot any of the multitude of frogs that were making an incredible racket in one of the vernal pools. From there I headed down to the edge of the river... nothing terribly interesting to see there today, other than a fairly large fish that was jumping out in the water. On my way out of the park I stopped to try and photograph two woodpeckers (no luck) and then it was back to the bike path.
On the way back to the park I spotted more turtles (both a snapper and a painted turtle) and a lone bufflehead in the river near the old train station. I briefly debated whether or not to keep riding - very briefly - and then headed west, figuring I'd at least ride to Lock 7 and back and maybe all the way to the base of the old landfill. As it turned out, there wasn't much going on wildlife-wise at Lock 7, so I decided to finish the ride out by turning around at the landfill and heading back... somewhere around 25 miles for the day.
As I was riding along I kept glancing toward the river to see if I could spot any critters... and was shocked to see a bald eagle perched on a log out in the water! I stopped, got my camera out, and tried to find the clearest shot through the brush... and he flew up into a tree at the edge of the river. So of course I pulled off the path and tried to make my way down to the water's edge, probably sounding like a herd of buffalo crashing through the brush. A couple of times I glimpsed his silhouette in the tree, but when I finally got as far as I could I didn't see him any more, so I shrugged and headed back to the path to finish my ride, bummed about a photo opportunity missed but pleased that I'd seen an eagle.
On my way back from the landfill I again caught a glimpse of him up in the tree near the water - he hadn't flown off after all. This time I tried to get closer from the opposite side... not quite as much racket, but enough apparently, because as I got down near the water he flew off down the river... aargh. So again I made my way back to the bike... and decided just for the heck of it to head back down toward the landfill and see if I could spot him. Success! He was in a tree overlooking the bike path and didn't seem too disturbed by my stopping and shooting a bunch of photos. Conditions weren't ideal - the light was a bit dim and from most angles there were branches in the way - but that was OK, because I was still taking pictures of a bald eagle along the Mohawk River!
I pointed him out to two other riders who stopped to look at the hawk I was photographing... they were quietly enthused. Since I'd taken a couple of dozen shots, I decided it was time to leave him in peace and continued on my way back to the park, where I spent a few minutes taking pictures of mergansers before loading my gear into the car and heading home.
Something I don't totally understand... today was a gorgeous day and I had a blast being outside on my bike, even before seeing the eagle. And as I've already noted, there were lots of other folks out riding, walking, and running... and many of them looked miserable. I have to wonder how much of the beauty around them they missed because they were so wrapped up in their heads and their troubles... seems a shame, really, because I know I had a great time.
JMH
25.3 Mile Bike Ride Along the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path, Cohoes Falls, and Colonie Mohawk River Park
Friday, March 27, 2009
Admittedly, going for my longest ride so far this year may not have been the smartest move in the book, but today was just too nice a day to stop early and head home. And the extra miles definitely paid off, since I saw a bald eagle and even managed to get some halfway decent photos of a truly magnificent bird.
I started the ride out heading east from the Niskayuna Lions Park on the bike path. No surprise, lots of people out and about on a gorgeous warm sunny spring afternoon. I rode all the way over to Cohoes and then headed down to the river to check out Cohoes Falls. There wasn't as much water going over the falls as I was hoping for, but they were still much more impressive than they will be in a month or two when most of the water is diverted. Sadly, the new overlook doesn't re-open until May 1, so I wasn't able to check out the view from above the falls today.
Heading back west, I rode down into the Colonie Mohawk River Park. Stopped at the covered bridge to watch a snapping turtle and a little further down the road to see if I can spot any of the multitude of frogs that were making an incredible racket in one of the vernal pools. From there I headed down to the edge of the river... nothing terribly interesting to see there today, other than a fairly large fish that was jumping out in the water. On my way out of the park I stopped to try and photograph two woodpeckers (no luck) and then it was back to the bike path.
On the way back to the park I spotted more turtles (both a snapper and a painted turtle) and a lone bufflehead in the river near the old train station. I briefly debated whether or not to keep riding - very briefly - and then headed west, figuring I'd at least ride to Lock 7 and back and maybe all the way to the base of the old landfill. As it turned out, there wasn't much going on wildlife-wise at Lock 7, so I decided to finish the ride out by turning around at the landfill and heading back... somewhere around 25 miles for the day.
As I was riding along I kept glancing toward the river to see if I could spot any critters... and was shocked to see a bald eagle perched on a log out in the water! I stopped, got my camera out, and tried to find the clearest shot through the brush... and he flew up into a tree at the edge of the river. So of course I pulled off the path and tried to make my way down to the water's edge, probably sounding like a herd of buffalo crashing through the brush. A couple of times I glimpsed his silhouette in the tree, but when I finally got as far as I could I didn't see him any more, so I shrugged and headed back to the path to finish my ride, bummed about a photo opportunity missed but pleased that I'd seen an eagle.
On my way back from the landfill I again caught a glimpse of him up in the tree near the water - he hadn't flown off after all. This time I tried to get closer from the opposite side... not quite as much racket, but enough apparently, because as I got down near the water he flew off down the river... aargh. So again I made my way back to the bike... and decided just for the heck of it to head back down toward the landfill and see if I could spot him. Success! He was in a tree overlooking the bike path and didn't seem too disturbed by my stopping and shooting a bunch of photos. Conditions weren't ideal - the light was a bit dim and from most angles there were branches in the way - but that was OK, because I was still taking pictures of a bald eagle along the Mohawk River!
I pointed him out to two other riders who stopped to look at the hawk I was photographing... they were quietly enthused. Since I'd taken a couple of dozen shots, I decided it was time to leave him in peace and continued on my way back to the park, where I spent a few minutes taking pictures of mergansers before loading my gear into the car and heading home.
Something I don't totally understand... today was a gorgeous day and I had a blast being outside on my bike, even before seeing the eagle. And as I've already noted, there were lots of other folks out riding, walking, and running... and many of them looked miserable. I have to wonder how much of the beauty around them they missed because they were so wrapped up in their heads and their troubles... seems a shame, really, because I know I had a great time.
JMH
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2 Mile Walk Along the Canajoharie Gorge
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I first read about some of the interesting features on Canajoharie Gorge on a website featuring segments of a book-in-progress called Mohawk: Discovering the Valley of the Crystals by M. Paul Keesler, a writer and outdoorsman who spent nearly 50 years of his life promoting the treasures of New York's wild places. The site is currently out of service, and I learned today that Keesler died back in 2005 after a battle with cancer. Fortunately, his last book has recently been published by his family and distributed by North Country Books (and of course I immediately ordered a copy!) In his writings Keesler talked about exploring portions of the gorge, including the Boiling Pot, a huge pothole in the lower gorge, and Canajoharie Falls, further upstream. Ann and I visited the falls back in July 2006, but the film with my photos was subsequently ruined... and we never managed to find the route to the pothole (because I foolishly left the directions at home.) A year and a half ago I used Russell Dunn's Mohawk Region Waterfall Guide to find the lower gorge, but my visit was shortened a bit by the fact that it started pouring just as I arrived. Since today turned out to be fairly pleasant (a bit cloudy, but that's no big deal) and I was looking to take it easy, I decided to stop by on my way back to Albany.
Not as much water in the gorge as I expected, but still enough to create some very nice waterfalls and fill the Boiling Pot to the brim. One nice things about visiting in the middle of the day in March - no people! I walked all the way up to the old dam (you're not supposed to go past the dam, because the side of the gorge are unstable and falling rocks are more than a bit dangerous... while I was by the dam, a fist-sized rock came crashing down the side of the gorge a ways downstream, and while I was walking the nature trail above the upper gorge I heard several loud crashes where rocks fell down in.) All in all, it's a pretty cool spot.
From there I headed to the parking lot for the upper gorge, a couple of miles away, and walked the nature trail along the edge of the gorge under evergreens and through stands of white birch and hardwoods. Not much of a view down into the gorge, but when there was it was spectacular, with steep wooded hillsides and lots of small waterfalls and riffles. I was surprised to see quite a bit of snow on the hillsides opposite where I was. Near a tall white water tower (at least, I assume that's what it is) the path goes steeply down to a large viewing platform with a fantastic view of the main waterfall, which is 45 feet high but seems much smaller because of how high the sides of the gorge are. On the hike back to the car, I was surprised to see a butterfly... don't know how he's been surviving the cold nights.
From there I made one last trip to Prospect Hill Cemetary, in hopes of seeing Cemetary Falls on the west side of the gorge... unfortunately, someone had parked an SUV at the entrance to the access road, and I didn't have time to walk down in, so that will have to wait for another visit.
Legs felt decent walking, so I think I'll skip riding today and make this a true rest day. But tomorrow I run!
JMH
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I first read about some of the interesting features on Canajoharie Gorge on a website featuring segments of a book-in-progress called Mohawk: Discovering the Valley of the Crystals by M. Paul Keesler, a writer and outdoorsman who spent nearly 50 years of his life promoting the treasures of New York's wild places. The site is currently out of service, and I learned today that Keesler died back in 2005 after a battle with cancer. Fortunately, his last book has recently been published by his family and distributed by North Country Books (and of course I immediately ordered a copy!) In his writings Keesler talked about exploring portions of the gorge, including the Boiling Pot, a huge pothole in the lower gorge, and Canajoharie Falls, further upstream. Ann and I visited the falls back in July 2006, but the film with my photos was subsequently ruined... and we never managed to find the route to the pothole (because I foolishly left the directions at home.) A year and a half ago I used Russell Dunn's Mohawk Region Waterfall Guide to find the lower gorge, but my visit was shortened a bit by the fact that it started pouring just as I arrived. Since today turned out to be fairly pleasant (a bit cloudy, but that's no big deal) and I was looking to take it easy, I decided to stop by on my way back to Albany.
Not as much water in the gorge as I expected, but still enough to create some very nice waterfalls and fill the Boiling Pot to the brim. One nice things about visiting in the middle of the day in March - no people! I walked all the way up to the old dam (you're not supposed to go past the dam, because the side of the gorge are unstable and falling rocks are more than a bit dangerous... while I was by the dam, a fist-sized rock came crashing down the side of the gorge a ways downstream, and while I was walking the nature trail above the upper gorge I heard several loud crashes where rocks fell down in.) All in all, it's a pretty cool spot.
From there I headed to the parking lot for the upper gorge, a couple of miles away, and walked the nature trail along the edge of the gorge under evergreens and through stands of white birch and hardwoods. Not much of a view down into the gorge, but when there was it was spectacular, with steep wooded hillsides and lots of small waterfalls and riffles. I was surprised to see quite a bit of snow on the hillsides opposite where I was. Near a tall white water tower (at least, I assume that's what it is) the path goes steeply down to a large viewing platform with a fantastic view of the main waterfall, which is 45 feet high but seems much smaller because of how high the sides of the gorge are. On the hike back to the car, I was surprised to see a butterfly... don't know how he's been surviving the cold nights.
From there I made one last trip to Prospect Hill Cemetary, in hopes of seeing Cemetary Falls on the west side of the gorge... unfortunately, someone had parked an SUV at the entrance to the access road, and I didn't have time to walk down in, so that will have to wait for another visit.
Legs felt decent walking, so I think I'll skip riding today and make this a true rest day. But tomorrow I run!
JMH
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
2.5 Mile Walk Along the Erie Canal
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The sun was close to setting by the time we got out for a walk this evening... so during the hour or so we were out there the temperature went from cold to really freakin' cold. We walked west from Henpeck Park in Greece, giving our regards to the many pairs of ducks paddling around in what little water is currently left in the canal. Ann was a bit bummed that there weren't any deer or turkeys out in the field alongside the canal path, though we did have two hawks fly by relatively close to us.
JMH
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The sun was close to setting by the time we got out for a walk this evening... so during the hour or so we were out there the temperature went from cold to really freakin' cold. We walked west from Henpeck Park in Greece, giving our regards to the many pairs of ducks paddling around in what little water is currently left in the canal. Ann was a bit bummed that there weren't any deer or turkeys out in the field alongside the canal path, though we did have two hawks fly by relatively close to us.
JMH
5 Mile Run on the Genesee Valley Greenway
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The breeze today made an otherwise bright sunny day a bit on the cold side, but I had more problems with my legs being tired and sore... I almost stopped after about a mile but toughed it out for five instead. Tomorrow will definitely be a day off from running; maybe I can get back to Albany early enough that I can get out on my bike for a short easy ride before tutoring (or even afterwards, now that the sun doesn't go down until after 7 PM.) We'll see how Thursday goes, but right now I'm thinking Saturday's 15k race will end up being my "long" run for the week.
On the plus side, I saw another red-bellied woodpecker and two bluebirds while I was out on the trail... along with robins, robins, and more robins.
JMH
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The breeze today made an otherwise bright sunny day a bit on the cold side, but I had more problems with my legs being tired and sore... I almost stopped after about a mile but toughed it out for five instead. Tomorrow will definitely be a day off from running; maybe I can get back to Albany early enough that I can get out on my bike for a short easy ride before tutoring (or even afterwards, now that the sun doesn't go down until after 7 PM.) We'll see how Thursday goes, but right now I'm thinking Saturday's 15k race will end up being my "long" run for the week.
On the plus side, I saw another red-bellied woodpecker and two bluebirds while I was out on the trail... along with robins, robins, and more robins.
JMH
Monday, March 23, 2009
FEATHERED FRIENDS
A Good Day for Woodpeckers
Monday, March 23, 2009
Lots of activity at the feeders today, especially on the woodpecker front. A male and female downy woodpecker were frequent visitors to the suet feeders... nice to see them again! Then early this afternoon a male red-bellied woodpecker stopped by for a snack, and after while I was making dinner Ann spotted a male yellow-shafted flicker.
A white-breasted nuthatch also put in an appearance... I haven't seen nuthatches for most of the winter (though Ann says they've been by, just when I'm in Albany) so it was good to see one today.
JMH
A Good Day for Woodpeckers
Monday, March 23, 2009
Lots of activity at the feeders today, especially on the woodpecker front. A male and female downy woodpecker were frequent visitors to the suet feeders... nice to see them again! Then early this afternoon a male red-bellied woodpecker stopped by for a snack, and after while I was making dinner Ann spotted a male yellow-shafted flicker.
A white-breasted nuthatch also put in an appearance... I haven't seen nuthatches for most of the winter (though Ann says they've been by, just when I'm in Albany) so it was good to see one today.
JMH
6.3 Mile Run Along the Erie Canalway Trail & in Greece Canal Park
Monday, March 23, 2009
My legs were definitely feeling the effects of Saturday's race during my run today... the climb to the top of Catamount definitely took a toll on my quads and calves, which are still sore, and the pounding non-stop descent just generally beat the heck out of my legs. I was originally planning to do a long run tomorrow, but now I'm thinking I'll do another short one and save the longer distance for Wednesday.
After running from Henpeck Park in Greece east to Long Pond Road and then back, I headed west along the towpath trail to Greece Canal Park. The path along the canal wasn't terribly interesting, and the canal is still drained for the winter, so not much to see there. But last March Ann and I saw a dozen or so woodpeckers in the woods in the park, so I headed there to see if they'd give a repeat performance. No such luck... mainly I saw lots and lots of robins.
At the end of the road I reached a trailhead and decided to go back to the canal via the woods. Other than some flooded sections, that was a lot of fun. I don't know if it was the softer surface, the more varied terrain, or just the mental break of being under the trees, but running along the trail definitely felt a lot better than running along the canal path and the road.
JMH
Monday, March 23, 2009
My legs were definitely feeling the effects of Saturday's race during my run today... the climb to the top of Catamount definitely took a toll on my quads and calves, which are still sore, and the pounding non-stop descent just generally beat the heck out of my legs. I was originally planning to do a long run tomorrow, but now I'm thinking I'll do another short one and save the longer distance for Wednesday.
After running from Henpeck Park in Greece east to Long Pond Road and then back, I headed west along the towpath trail to Greece Canal Park. The path along the canal wasn't terribly interesting, and the canal is still drained for the winter, so not much to see there. But last March Ann and I saw a dozen or so woodpeckers in the woods in the park, so I headed there to see if they'd give a repeat performance. No such luck... mainly I saw lots and lots of robins.
At the end of the road I reached a trailhead and decided to go back to the canal via the woods. Other than some flooded sections, that was a lot of fun. I don't know if it was the softer surface, the more varied terrain, or just the mental break of being under the trees, but running along the trail definitely felt a lot better than running along the canal path and the road.
JMH
Sunday, March 22, 2009
A Short Walk at Onondaga Lake Park
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Definitely draggin' today... guess yesterday's run and snowshoe race took more out of me than I thought. It also feels like my cold may be flaring back up, probably because I stood around after the race yesterday for too long without warm enough clothes. Oh, well.
I found myself getting drowsy during the drive west this afternoon, so I stopped at Onondaga Lake Park for a short walk to wake myself up. It turned out to be a very short walk, because it was freakin' cold! And some dummy left his hat and gloves in the car. But as I walked along the shore of the lake I watched the ducks, geese, and gulls... and had a squirrel following me around, clearly hoping to mooch some food off of me. Whenever I stopped walking he'd come right up to me and look up with what I can only interpret as a hopeful expression, and at one point he came right up to my shoe - I was almost worried he was going to climb up my leg!
The cold air did have the desired effect of waking me up, even if it did cut my walk short... but since I was running very late for getting out to Ann's anyway, that was probably a good thing as well.
JMH
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Definitely draggin' today... guess yesterday's run and snowshoe race took more out of me than I thought. It also feels like my cold may be flaring back up, probably because I stood around after the race yesterday for too long without warm enough clothes. Oh, well.
I found myself getting drowsy during the drive west this afternoon, so I stopped at Onondaga Lake Park for a short walk to wake myself up. It turned out to be a very short walk, because it was freakin' cold! And some dummy left his hat and gloves in the car. But as I walked along the shore of the lake I watched the ducks, geese, and gulls... and had a squirrel following me around, clearly hoping to mooch some food off of me. Whenever I stopped walking he'd come right up to me and look up with what I can only interpret as a hopeful expression, and at one point he came right up to my shoe - I was almost worried he was going to climb up my leg!
The cold air did have the desired effect of waking me up, even if it did cut my walk short... but since I was running very late for getting out to Ann's anyway, that was probably a good thing as well.
JMH
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Quick Stop at the South Egremont Mill Pond
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I initially headed toward Great Barrington to grab some food and fill up my gas tank in MA (currently about 20 cents less per gallon than NY) but as I drove past the Mill Pond in South Egremont I saw dozens of geese and a swan there, so I decided to stop and see if I could get some decent pictures (a lot of the shore is pretty overgrown.)
Apparently I arrived toward the end of the geese' gathering, since while I was there groups took off and headed away over the hills... by the time I left, there were only two dozen or so geese left on the pond. Maybe, like me, they suddenly realized it was well past dinner time... in the end I decided to save myself half an hour of extra driving and just headed straight home.
JMH
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I initially headed toward Great Barrington to grab some food and fill up my gas tank in MA (currently about 20 cents less per gallon than NY) but as I drove past the Mill Pond in South Egremont I saw dozens of geese and a swan there, so I decided to stop and see if I could get some decent pictures (a lot of the shore is pretty overgrown.)
Apparently I arrived toward the end of the geese' gathering, since while I was there groups took off and headed away over the hills... by the time I left, there were only two dozen or so geese left on the pond. Maybe, like me, they suddenly realized it was well past dinner time... in the end I decided to save myself half an hour of extra driving and just headed straight home.
JMH
Season of the SnōShū 2009 - Race #15
Catamount Sunset 2.75 Mile Snowshoe Race
Saturday, March 21, 2009
2009 Catamount Sunset results
Got to Catamount with about 25 minutes to spare and headed to where registration was supposed to be... except they were closed down. Okay... spent a few minutes trying to hunt down some info on what to do, then chatted with Farmer Ed who said not to worry, if all else failed I could pay afterwards. So I headed back to the car to gear up. Given the nice weather I decided to go light on the clothing - long-sleeved short and shorts. No tights, no jacket. Headed back inside and now we had word about where to register, so I took care of that and then stood around near the starting line chatting with folks, watching the Catamount crew move snow around near the finish, and waiting for things to begin.
A few minutes before the start we got a brief description of the course (up the Sidewinder Trail and then down along the Ridge Run and I think the Promenades, following the orange cones) and a chance to ask questions, then - off we went, for the final race of the 2009 season.
The first bit was deceptive - a short downhill stretch to the base of the Sidewinder trail. It also made me wonder of going without tights was a good idea, because the snow that flew up against my legs was cold and stung like the dickens. But then we hit Sidewinder and that was no longer a problem, because the next 29 minutes/1.2 miles consisted of a non-stop uphill plod. I guess I hadn't really thought that much about the implications of doing a race at a ski resort before then, but really - the trails there are designed to let people ski down them, good and fast. Walking up them - not the smartest idea in the book, unless you enjoy long slow slogs up seemingly never-ending steep hills.
The snow also made the going tricky - it was more ice crystals than anything else and pretty mushy, so at times it seemed like I was in danger of sliding back to the bottom unless I really dug my cleats in... additional strain on my legs, which spent much of the climb asking me "At what point did this even remotely seem like a good idea to you?"
Well, the top finally arrived, and where I was hoping for a bot of relatively level terrain before the descent - well, no such luck. The trail headed down and kept heading down all the rest of the way to the finish. Again, shouldn't have been a surprise - it's a ski area, people pay to ski downhill!
I hammered when I could (not a lot of fun after 29 minutes of climbing) and reined it in when things got too steep or too slippery, since I really didn't want to blow out a knee. In some ways this was less scary than Curly's - the trail was a lot wider and the switchbacks a lot gentler- and in other ways it was more - no deep snow at the sides to plow into to both drop speed and regain some traction. I figured someone would pass me on the downhill but nobody did. 13 minutes or so later the end was in sight, the ground leveled off (finally!) and I pushed as hard as I could to cross the finish in 43:49... not a bad time at all for me on this type of terrain.
After that it was time to hang out a bit chatting with my friends and talking about possible trail races and trail runs... the core group really seemed reluctant to call it a day and head off into the sunset. It's hard to believe another Season of the SnōShū is over... I've said it before, but it seems like just a couple of weeks ago we were sliding around the icy parking lot at Woodford. (Of course, in reality it was almost 3 months ago!) I'll write up some final thoughts about the season on another day... now it's time to really start looking forward to warmer weather and the running season!
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 54.6 mi, 13 hr 05 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, VT
Catamount Sunset 2.75 Mile Snowshoe Race
Saturday, March 21, 2009
2009 Catamount Sunset results
Got to Catamount with about 25 minutes to spare and headed to where registration was supposed to be... except they were closed down. Okay... spent a few minutes trying to hunt down some info on what to do, then chatted with Farmer Ed who said not to worry, if all else failed I could pay afterwards. So I headed back to the car to gear up. Given the nice weather I decided to go light on the clothing - long-sleeved short and shorts. No tights, no jacket. Headed back inside and now we had word about where to register, so I took care of that and then stood around near the starting line chatting with folks, watching the Catamount crew move snow around near the finish, and waiting for things to begin.
A few minutes before the start we got a brief description of the course (up the Sidewinder Trail and then down along the Ridge Run and I think the Promenades, following the orange cones) and a chance to ask questions, then - off we went, for the final race of the 2009 season.
The first bit was deceptive - a short downhill stretch to the base of the Sidewinder trail. It also made me wonder of going without tights was a good idea, because the snow that flew up against my legs was cold and stung like the dickens. But then we hit Sidewinder and that was no longer a problem, because the next 29 minutes/1.2 miles consisted of a non-stop uphill plod. I guess I hadn't really thought that much about the implications of doing a race at a ski resort before then, but really - the trails there are designed to let people ski down them, good and fast. Walking up them - not the smartest idea in the book, unless you enjoy long slow slogs up seemingly never-ending steep hills.
The snow also made the going tricky - it was more ice crystals than anything else and pretty mushy, so at times it seemed like I was in danger of sliding back to the bottom unless I really dug my cleats in... additional strain on my legs, which spent much of the climb asking me "At what point did this even remotely seem like a good idea to you?"
Well, the top finally arrived, and where I was hoping for a bot of relatively level terrain before the descent - well, no such luck. The trail headed down and kept heading down all the rest of the way to the finish. Again, shouldn't have been a surprise - it's a ski area, people pay to ski downhill!
I hammered when I could (not a lot of fun after 29 minutes of climbing) and reined it in when things got too steep or too slippery, since I really didn't want to blow out a knee. In some ways this was less scary than Curly's - the trail was a lot wider and the switchbacks a lot gentler- and in other ways it was more - no deep snow at the sides to plow into to both drop speed and regain some traction. I figured someone would pass me on the downhill but nobody did. 13 minutes or so later the end was in sight, the ground leveled off (finally!) and I pushed as hard as I could to cross the finish in 43:49... not a bad time at all for me on this type of terrain.
After that it was time to hang out a bit chatting with my friends and talking about possible trail races and trail runs... the core group really seemed reluctant to call it a day and head off into the sunset. It's hard to believe another Season of the SnōShū is over... I've said it before, but it seems like just a couple of weeks ago we were sliding around the icy parking lot at Woodford. (Of course, in reality it was almost 3 months ago!) I'll write up some final thoughts about the season on another day... now it's time to really start looking forward to warmer weather and the running season!
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 54.6 mi, 13 hr 05 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, VT
BLAST FROM THE PAST
5.5 Mile Run Along the Appalachian Trail
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Back in 1997 when I started trail running the first stretch of trail I tried was a section of the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts crossing the Housatonic River valley between South Egremont and Sheffield. It had a lot to recommend it, being well-marked and relatively flat, and the first time I ran there I fell in love with trail running. I ran there many times until I moved to Albany late in 1999, but haven't found a chance to go there since then. Today's short snowshoe race late in the day provided a great opportunity to go there and get in a short easy run down memory lane before heading to Catamount Ski Area a few miles away for the race.
I got off to a late start, so I wasn't able to run quite as much of the trail as I wanted... just from the Sheffield Road trailhead out to Jug End Road and back. It was a gorgeous day and that section of trail has a little bit of everything - wetlands with boardwalks, bridges, and puncheons, pine and hemlock forests, hardwood forests, and open fields. I was surprised at how well I remembered the trail, especially since it's been nearly 10 years since I last ran there... each step brought back memories of many runs and had me wishing I could run there regularly again.
All too quickly I was back at the trailhead... I really would have liked to run a bit more, but I was running late for getting to Catamount, so I changed shirts and shoes and hopped in the car to head across the border into NY for the last snowshoe race of the season. But I definitely hope to be back later this year.
JMH
5.5 Mile Run Along the Appalachian Trail
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Back in 1997 when I started trail running the first stretch of trail I tried was a section of the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts crossing the Housatonic River valley between South Egremont and Sheffield. It had a lot to recommend it, being well-marked and relatively flat, and the first time I ran there I fell in love with trail running. I ran there many times until I moved to Albany late in 1999, but haven't found a chance to go there since then. Today's short snowshoe race late in the day provided a great opportunity to go there and get in a short easy run down memory lane before heading to Catamount Ski Area a few miles away for the race.
I got off to a late start, so I wasn't able to run quite as much of the trail as I wanted... just from the Sheffield Road trailhead out to Jug End Road and back. It was a gorgeous day and that section of trail has a little bit of everything - wetlands with boardwalks, bridges, and puncheons, pine and hemlock forests, hardwood forests, and open fields. I was surprised at how well I remembered the trail, especially since it's been nearly 10 years since I last ran there... each step brought back memories of many runs and had me wishing I could run there regularly again.
All too quickly I was back at the trailhead... I really would have liked to run a bit more, but I was running late for getting to Catamount, so I changed shirts and shoes and hopped in the car to head across the border into NY for the last snowshoe race of the season. But I definitely hope to be back later this year.
JMH
Friday, March 20, 2009
AND THE 1ST DAY OF SPRING BRINGS... BRR!! COLD!!!
12.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, March 20, 2009
I thought I was overdressed when I stepped out the front door this afternoon - thermal top and tights - so I changed into lighter gear before heading over to the bike path for a short, easy ride. Fortunately I also had some colder weather gear in my bag, because it turned out to be darn chilly along the river, and it only got worse over the course of my ride, so much so that I eventually cut it a few miles short. It's ironic that the vernal equinox, the official "first day of spring", turned out to be the coldest day so far this week...
Other than being cold, the ride was unremarkable... exactly what I was looking for after the last few days. But in addition to the usual geese and mallards I had a number of surprises among the waterfowl out on the Mohawk... exactly how many surprises I didn't really know until I got home and checked out the photos I took. I saw over a dozen mergansers, near both the Niskayuna Lions Park and Lock 8. I also saw what I initially thought were more long-tailed ducks (like Ann and I saw Sunday evening) but they turned out to be bufflehead, which I've only seen once before. Out near the base of the old Nisky landfill I spotted what I first thought were mallards, then ring-necked ducks... turns out they were type of duck I've never seen before called greater scaups. As I was heading east from the park I spotted what I thought were either more mergansers - turns out they were ring-necked ducks. A definite wealth of waterfowl!
On my way back to the park, I heard an incredible racket that told me I was coming up on an evening flocking of birds like Ann and I saw out at Braddock Bay, and right at the edge of the farmer's fields the trees were filled with birds all chattering away. People were stopping to watch them and I naturally stopped to take some pictures. While we were there they flew to a couple of other trees. I've never been able to figure out what kind of birds they are, though this group seemed to have a few red-winged blackbirds and other birds mixed in with them. Whatever they are, they make a heck of a lot of noise (several hundred birds all talking at the same time will do that) and they're awfully impressive to watch.
Not as much to see on the ride east over to the Colonie water treatment plant... ordinarily I would have ridden to the top of the hill down to Island View Road, but it was getting too darn cold, so I turned around at the old sewage plant. When I finally got back to the park, I went down to the boat launch to get a few more shots of the mergansers, and found two muskrats in the stream that runs alongside the bank... spent a while watching them and got some excellent pictures. What can I say, despite its quirks I love the my new camera.
Today marks the first week of my spring break... one more week (plus a weekend) to go. Best of all, I've been outdoors for a significant amount of time every day of my break... and six of the last seven days I either ran or rode. Definitely a good way to spent my vacation!
JMH
12.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Friday, March 20, 2009
I thought I was overdressed when I stepped out the front door this afternoon - thermal top and tights - so I changed into lighter gear before heading over to the bike path for a short, easy ride. Fortunately I also had some colder weather gear in my bag, because it turned out to be darn chilly along the river, and it only got worse over the course of my ride, so much so that I eventually cut it a few miles short. It's ironic that the vernal equinox, the official "first day of spring", turned out to be the coldest day so far this week...
Other than being cold, the ride was unremarkable... exactly what I was looking for after the last few days. But in addition to the usual geese and mallards I had a number of surprises among the waterfowl out on the Mohawk... exactly how many surprises I didn't really know until I got home and checked out the photos I took. I saw over a dozen mergansers, near both the Niskayuna Lions Park and Lock 8. I also saw what I initially thought were more long-tailed ducks (like Ann and I saw Sunday evening) but they turned out to be bufflehead, which I've only seen once before. Out near the base of the old Nisky landfill I spotted what I first thought were mallards, then ring-necked ducks... turns out they were type of duck I've never seen before called greater scaups. As I was heading east from the park I spotted what I thought were either more mergansers - turns out they were ring-necked ducks. A definite wealth of waterfowl!
On my way back to the park, I heard an incredible racket that told me I was coming up on an evening flocking of birds like Ann and I saw out at Braddock Bay, and right at the edge of the farmer's fields the trees were filled with birds all chattering away. People were stopping to watch them and I naturally stopped to take some pictures. While we were there they flew to a couple of other trees. I've never been able to figure out what kind of birds they are, though this group seemed to have a few red-winged blackbirds and other birds mixed in with them. Whatever they are, they make a heck of a lot of noise (several hundred birds all talking at the same time will do that) and they're awfully impressive to watch.
Not as much to see on the ride east over to the Colonie water treatment plant... ordinarily I would have ridden to the top of the hill down to Island View Road, but it was getting too darn cold, so I turned around at the old sewage plant. When I finally got back to the park, I went down to the boat launch to get a few more shots of the mergansers, and found two muskrats in the stream that runs alongside the bank... spent a while watching them and got some excellent pictures. What can I say, despite its quirks I love the my new camera.
Today marks the first week of my spring break... one more week (plus a weekend) to go. Best of all, I've been outdoors for a significant amount of time every day of my break... and six of the last seven days I either ran or rode. Definitely a good way to spent my vacation!
JMH
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The State of the Birds 2009 Report
(And the News Isn't Good...)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
State of the Birds web site
(And the News Isn't Good...)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
State of the Birds web site
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
FEATHERED FRIENDS
A Bad Morning for Starlings
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A little bit over a year ago I put a bird feeder in the tree outside Ann's front window so that we could watch the birds that came to feed throughout the winter. I'd put one in the back yard years ago, but sitting on the unheated back porch in the winter isn't an option, and because of its distance from the house she rarely filled it in any case. Last winter we saw a great variety of birds - chickadees, finches, blue jays, juncos, nuthatches, cardinals, mourning doves, and woodpeckers. This winter hasn't been quite as interesting - fewer chickadees (for some reason those little guys always amuse me), finches, and juncos, with a rather large flock of sparrows spending the most time chowing down on the seed we'd bought.
This visit I started seeing starlings in her yard again - another bird that often amuses me, as they strut around looking for food. Today I noticed a group foraging under a tree at the end of Ann's driveway, so I reached for my camera to snap some pictures... and was very surprised when a grey bird about the size of a large pigeon appeared in the midst of the starlings, who promptly blasted away as quick as they could. The newcomer didn't stick around for long, but he did pause long enough for me to see that he was some kind of small raptor, probably a sharp-shinned hawk or cooper's hawk (what can I say, I love http://www.whatbird.com/ !) that was looking to make a meal of a starling. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera ready, nor did I think to check under the tree for starling feathers, so I don't know if the hawk reduced the starling population by one or not. I do know the starlings didn't come back the rest of the time I was there this morning!
JMH
A Bad Morning for Starlings
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A little bit over a year ago I put a bird feeder in the tree outside Ann's front window so that we could watch the birds that came to feed throughout the winter. I'd put one in the back yard years ago, but sitting on the unheated back porch in the winter isn't an option, and because of its distance from the house she rarely filled it in any case. Last winter we saw a great variety of birds - chickadees, finches, blue jays, juncos, nuthatches, cardinals, mourning doves, and woodpeckers. This winter hasn't been quite as interesting - fewer chickadees (for some reason those little guys always amuse me), finches, and juncos, with a rather large flock of sparrows spending the most time chowing down on the seed we'd bought.
This visit I started seeing starlings in her yard again - another bird that often amuses me, as they strut around looking for food. Today I noticed a group foraging under a tree at the end of Ann's driveway, so I reached for my camera to snap some pictures... and was very surprised when a grey bird about the size of a large pigeon appeared in the midst of the starlings, who promptly blasted away as quick as they could. The newcomer didn't stick around for long, but he did pause long enough for me to see that he was some kind of small raptor, probably a sharp-shinned hawk or cooper's hawk (what can I say, I love http://www.whatbird.com/ !) that was looking to make a meal of a starling. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera ready, nor did I think to check under the tree for starling feathers, so I don't know if the hawk reduced the starling population by one or not. I do know the starlings didn't come back the rest of the time I was there this morning!
JMH
Monday, March 16, 2009
LOOKING FOR OWLS & HAWKS
1.5 Mile Walk at Braddock Bay Raptor Research Center & Braddock Bay Park
Monday, March 16, 2009
Braddock Bay Raptor Research Center site
West of Rochester along the Lake Ontario shoreline, Braddock Bay is a natural stopover point for migrating hawks, eagles, owls, and vultures, as they head north to their breeding grounds in the spring. Raptors use thermal air currents to conserve energy and glide as they fly, and since thermals are unreliable over the lake, they tend to fly along the shoreline rather than directly across the water. In a typical year over 100,000 raptors will pass through the area.
The Braddock Bay Raptor Research Center maintains a nature preserve for protecting and studying raptors as they migrate, including a hawk banding blind where visitors can actually watch hawks being captured, banded, and released. Ann and I headed up there this evening in hopes of seeing some hawks and owls. We heard owls hooting when we first entered the woods, but didn't actually see any as we followed the trail through the evergreen groves. We then headed through the woods toward the lakeshore, but unfortunately the path got too wet and we ended up turning back. Sadly, no hawks or owls were in sight on the trip back either.
On our way home we stopped at nearby Braddock Bay Park to see what we could see. No hawks or owls, but we did see lots of red-winged blackbirds in the wetlands along the shore, a few mallards, and a huge flock of birds that gathered in several trees as the sun was getting low in the sky. Quite the racket they made! It was especially interesting to watch them fly from one tree to another... first a few birds would take off, then the bulk of the flock with follow, almost moving like a single organism... pretty cool.
So no hawks or owls this evening... but at least we got to see a nice sunset as we were leaving.
As a side note, the BBRRC runs a number of informative programs for those interested in raptors... for more info, check out their upcoming events page.
JMH
1.5 Mile Walk at Braddock Bay Raptor Research Center & Braddock Bay Park
Monday, March 16, 2009
Braddock Bay Raptor Research Center site
West of Rochester along the Lake Ontario shoreline, Braddock Bay is a natural stopover point for migrating hawks, eagles, owls, and vultures, as they head north to their breeding grounds in the spring. Raptors use thermal air currents to conserve energy and glide as they fly, and since thermals are unreliable over the lake, they tend to fly along the shoreline rather than directly across the water. In a typical year over 100,000 raptors will pass through the area.
The Braddock Bay Raptor Research Center maintains a nature preserve for protecting and studying raptors as they migrate, including a hawk banding blind where visitors can actually watch hawks being captured, banded, and released. Ann and I headed up there this evening in hopes of seeing some hawks and owls. We heard owls hooting when we first entered the woods, but didn't actually see any as we followed the trail through the evergreen groves. We then headed through the woods toward the lakeshore, but unfortunately the path got too wet and we ended up turning back. Sadly, no hawks or owls were in sight on the trip back either.
On our way home we stopped at nearby Braddock Bay Park to see what we could see. No hawks or owls, but we did see lots of red-winged blackbirds in the wetlands along the shore, a few mallards, and a huge flock of birds that gathered in several trees as the sun was getting low in the sky. Quite the racket they made! It was especially interesting to watch them fly from one tree to another... first a few birds would take off, then the bulk of the flock with follow, almost moving like a single organism... pretty cool.
So no hawks or owls this evening... but at least we got to see a nice sunset as we were leaving.
As a side note, the BBRRC runs a number of informative programs for those interested in raptors... for more info, check out their upcoming events page.
JMH
4 Mile Run in Genesee Valley Park
Monday, March 16, 2009
Yesterday I wasn't sure I'd be going for a run today, but lots of sleep and a bit of cold medicine seemed to have my cold on its way out (or at least moving down into my chest) so I tried a short easy run at Genesee Valley Park this afternoon before picking Ann up after work. While my lack of speed was frustrating (I remember running the same loop years ago in about 40 minutes... I used to run it twice during Ann's softball games in the park) it was a good day for a run, and I'm hopeful I'll be able to do a longer (8-10 miles) one tomorrow on my way back to Albany.
JMH
Monday, March 16, 2009
Yesterday I wasn't sure I'd be going for a run today, but lots of sleep and a bit of cold medicine seemed to have my cold on its way out (or at least moving down into my chest) so I tried a short easy run at Genesee Valley Park this afternoon before picking Ann up after work. While my lack of speed was frustrating (I remember running the same loop years ago in about 40 minutes... I used to run it twice during Ann's softball games in the park) it was a good day for a run, and I'm hopeful I'll be able to do a longer (8-10 miles) one tomorrow on my way back to Albany.
JMH
Sunday, March 15, 2009
3.2 Mile Walk Along the Genesee Riverway at Turning Point Park & Ontario Beach Park
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Not the best start to the day - woke up with a cold (sneezing, sniffles, tired... bleah) which made the drive out to Rochester seem much longer than usual. But when I got there it was another gorgeous warm, sunny afternoon, so Ann and I decided to go over the Turning Point Park and Ontario Beach Park for a bit of walking.
Turning Point was packed with people - there were only a couple of parking spots left when we arrived, and there were walkers, runners, riders, and fishing people there pretty much the entire time. Guess everyone enjoys a nice March afternoon! We walked almost to the other side of the boardwalk. Not as much wildlife when we were there in February... we spotted a few mallards, gulls, red-winged backbirds, and two swans (one of whom looked like she had nesting in mind.) The mergansers flew by once, but we didn't see any swimming. The wind blowing along the river also cooled things down quite a bit, so I was glad I'd brought a heavier jacket that I could change into at Ontario Beach.
No surprise, lots of people at Ontario Beach Park too. We walked out on the long concrete jetty and checked out the numerous gulls and mallards. Further out along the jetty there was a flock of birds in the water that we first thought were gulls, but then they started diving underwater and the zoom on my camera showed that they were some kind of duck. Spent a while watching them and listening to their call, which led us to refer to them as "barking ducks" for the rest of the time we were there. (Checking my field guide and www.whatbird.com revealed that they are actually called Long-tailed ducks, mostly due to the long pinfeathers that extend out behind the males.)
Walked out to the light at the end of the jetty, and I spent a while figuring out how to use the timer on my camera so we could get a picture together. On the way back to shore we passed a fellow with a bag of bread who incited a feeding frenzy with the gulls, and I contributed with some potato chips I brought to throw to the birds. Got some neat photos of the gulls swooping around, though the lack of a viewfinder makes it really tough to get a zoomed photo of a flying bird... maybe I'll get better at that in time. (Or I'll just keep using my old camera for shots like that.) Watched the ducks for a little while longer (it's a trip watching them dive under and pop back up a little while later) and then headed back to the car for the drive home and some dinner.
JMH
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Not the best start to the day - woke up with a cold (sneezing, sniffles, tired... bleah) which made the drive out to Rochester seem much longer than usual. But when I got there it was another gorgeous warm, sunny afternoon, so Ann and I decided to go over the Turning Point Park and Ontario Beach Park for a bit of walking.
Turning Point was packed with people - there were only a couple of parking spots left when we arrived, and there were walkers, runners, riders, and fishing people there pretty much the entire time. Guess everyone enjoys a nice March afternoon! We walked almost to the other side of the boardwalk. Not as much wildlife when we were there in February... we spotted a few mallards, gulls, red-winged backbirds, and two swans (one of whom looked like she had nesting in mind.) The mergansers flew by once, but we didn't see any swimming. The wind blowing along the river also cooled things down quite a bit, so I was glad I'd brought a heavier jacket that I could change into at Ontario Beach.
No surprise, lots of people at Ontario Beach Park too. We walked out on the long concrete jetty and checked out the numerous gulls and mallards. Further out along the jetty there was a flock of birds in the water that we first thought were gulls, but then they started diving underwater and the zoom on my camera showed that they were some kind of duck. Spent a while watching them and listening to their call, which led us to refer to them as "barking ducks" for the rest of the time we were there. (Checking my field guide and www.whatbird.com revealed that they are actually called Long-tailed ducks, mostly due to the long pinfeathers that extend out behind the males.)
Walked out to the light at the end of the jetty, and I spent a while figuring out how to use the timer on my camera so we could get a picture together. On the way back to shore we passed a fellow with a bag of bread who incited a feeding frenzy with the gulls, and I contributed with some potato chips I brought to throw to the birds. Got some neat photos of the gulls swooping around, though the lack of a viewfinder makes it really tough to get a zoomed photo of a flying bird... maybe I'll get better at that in time. (Or I'll just keep using my old camera for shots like that.) Watched the ducks for a little while longer (it's a trip watching them dive under and pop back up a little while later) and then headed back to the car for the drive home and some dinner.
JMH
Hawks, Hawks, & More Hawks
Sunday, March 15, 2009
One of the signs that spring is on its way is the return of the hawks to our neck of the woods. While they can be found year-round in the northeast, their numbers definitely seem to drop in the winter (I'm assuming they head to warmer areas where food is more readily available) so that their population seems to explode as they migrate back in the spring. Yesterday I saw at least half a dozen during my drive to and from Northfield; today as I was driving to Rochester, I saw easily double that along the Thruway, including this fellow who was perched in a tree near the Schuyler rest stop parking lot, a few miles east of exit 31.
Unfortunately, after a minute or so of my taking pictures he decided he'd had enough and flew off across a nearby field. But at least I managed to get a few photos before he took off, unlike all the hawks I passed while driving - even I'm not crazy enough to pull over to the shoulder on the Thruway just to snap pictures!
JMH
Sunday, March 15, 2009
One of the signs that spring is on its way is the return of the hawks to our neck of the woods. While they can be found year-round in the northeast, their numbers definitely seem to drop in the winter (I'm assuming they head to warmer areas where food is more readily available) so that their population seems to explode as they migrate back in the spring. Yesterday I saw at least half a dozen during my drive to and from Northfield; today as I was driving to Rochester, I saw easily double that along the Thruway, including this fellow who was perched in a tree near the Schuyler rest stop parking lot, a few miles east of exit 31.
Unfortunately, after a minute or so of my taking pictures he decided he'd had enough and flew off across a nearby field. But at least I managed to get a few photos before he took off, unlike all the hawks I passed while driving - even I'm not crazy enough to pull over to the shoulder on the Thruway just to snap pictures!
JMH
Saturday, March 14, 2009
4.6 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A short run, but then I did run a 4 mile snowshoe race up and down Northfield Mountain this morning...
Since I wanted to get in a few more realtively easy miles, I headed over to Rensselaer Lake Park and ran the trails around the lake and into the Pine Bush. Today was another gorgeous sunny day, warm enough to run in shorts and a shirt. I'm definitely looking forward to these days outnumbering the cold ones...
There were a decent number of limbs down in the park, but the Pine Bush trails were mostly clear. It felt good to be out on the trails again... that section of the Pine Bush always brings back memories of the 2005 Dodge the Deer 5k, the first race I did when I got back to running regularly again.
Left the cameras at home because I wanted to concentrate on running, so of course right after I got out of the car I saw a pair of nuthatches looking for food. Over by the lake I spent a little while watching the antics of a group of mallards... they're good in the water, but pretty comical hustling across the ice... guess I should have brought a camera after all.
JMH
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A short run, but then I did run a 4 mile snowshoe race up and down Northfield Mountain this morning...
Since I wanted to get in a few more realtively easy miles, I headed over to Rensselaer Lake Park and ran the trails around the lake and into the Pine Bush. Today was another gorgeous sunny day, warm enough to run in shorts and a shirt. I'm definitely looking forward to these days outnumbering the cold ones...
There were a decent number of limbs down in the park, but the Pine Bush trails were mostly clear. It felt good to be out on the trails again... that section of the Pine Bush always brings back memories of the 2005 Dodge the Deer 5k, the first race I did when I got back to running regularly again.
Left the cameras at home because I wanted to concentrate on running, so of course right after I got out of the car I saw a pair of nuthatches looking for food. Over by the lake I spent a little while watching the antics of a group of mallards... they're good in the water, but pretty comical hustling across the ice... guess I should have brought a camera after all.
JMH
Season of the SnōShū 2009 - Race #14
MA State Championships 4.1 Mile Snowshoe Race
Saturday, March 14, 2009
2009 MA State Championships results
I considered skipping this week's race at Northfield Mountain... it's a longish drive there, and I'd run there once already this season, plus this weekend is the start of my two-week spring break and I want to get out to Rochester to spend some time with Ann. But in the end the chance to do another snowshoe race won out, and the pre-dawn hours this morning found me racing to Northfield, MA, in time to register and change into my running gear.
Crowd was a little smaller than many of the races this winter, but lots of familiar faces. Chatted with a couple of folks before hand, then Dave D. gave us a few instructions about the course (mainly that some of the downhill stretches were icy) and off we went.
Today's run was different from the race a little over a month ago in that we ran almost exclusively on the groomed ski trails, which are wide enough that in most spots you could easily drive a truck down them, and while we did a lot of climbing we didn't go all the way to the reservoir at the top of the mountain. As with many of the WMAC races, we started with a long climb, followed by a nice gentle downhill... unfortunately, that just meant we had even more climbing to do before reaching the highest point on the course.
One effect of the small race field - not too many of us at the back of the pack. There was one fellow who I saw ahead of me on most of the climbs, and three runners not too far behind me, but for much of the 4 miles I was effectively alone on the trails. After hitting the top of the last climb, it was a pretty consistent downhill the rest of the way, some of it fairly steep. As Dave warned there were some very icy spots, but I had my ice cleats on and took my time, so no problems there (the gal who came in a minute after me apparently took a tumble and ended up with a good scrape on her knee.) There were a couple of bare spots, but none too large.
Running downhill was tough for me, between my knees and the fact that the snow was packed hard enough that it didn't provide much cushioning, but the 2nd half of the run postively flew by (especially after the long hike to the top!) and before I knew it I was rounding the last curve and being greeted by Rich Busa, who was providing moral support today instead of running. Finished in 55:12, not a bad time with all the initial climbing. And then all that was left was to change clothes, briefly shoot the breeze with some of my friends, and hit the road back to Albany...
So in the end, despite the driving, I'm glad I came out for the race today. It was a gorgeous day for a run, and I got to see some parts of Northfield that I hadn't before, which has me even more determined to head over that way sometime this summer.
On a totally unrelated note, as I was getting ready to leave Farmer Ed mentioned the Northern Nipmuck course, which I'm planning to run in about a month... he was wondering if I'd GPS'd it yet, because he used to do a fun run along that trail and remembered it being 18 miles rather than the 16 miles the race is listed at. So now I'm both curious and a bit intimidated... that course was a tough run both times I did it previously, so it would be reassuring if it was actually longer than I thought - but the idea of running 16 miles over rugged hiking trails a month from now is daunting enough!
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 51.8 mi, 12 hr 21 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, VT
MA State Championships 4.1 Mile Snowshoe Race
Saturday, March 14, 2009
2009 MA State Championships results
I considered skipping this week's race at Northfield Mountain... it's a longish drive there, and I'd run there once already this season, plus this weekend is the start of my two-week spring break and I want to get out to Rochester to spend some time with Ann. But in the end the chance to do another snowshoe race won out, and the pre-dawn hours this morning found me racing to Northfield, MA, in time to register and change into my running gear.
Crowd was a little smaller than many of the races this winter, but lots of familiar faces. Chatted with a couple of folks before hand, then Dave D. gave us a few instructions about the course (mainly that some of the downhill stretches were icy) and off we went.
Today's run was different from the race a little over a month ago in that we ran almost exclusively on the groomed ski trails, which are wide enough that in most spots you could easily drive a truck down them, and while we did a lot of climbing we didn't go all the way to the reservoir at the top of the mountain. As with many of the WMAC races, we started with a long climb, followed by a nice gentle downhill... unfortunately, that just meant we had even more climbing to do before reaching the highest point on the course.
One effect of the small race field - not too many of us at the back of the pack. There was one fellow who I saw ahead of me on most of the climbs, and three runners not too far behind me, but for much of the 4 miles I was effectively alone on the trails. After hitting the top of the last climb, it was a pretty consistent downhill the rest of the way, some of it fairly steep. As Dave warned there were some very icy spots, but I had my ice cleats on and took my time, so no problems there (the gal who came in a minute after me apparently took a tumble and ended up with a good scrape on her knee.) There were a couple of bare spots, but none too large.
Running downhill was tough for me, between my knees and the fact that the snow was packed hard enough that it didn't provide much cushioning, but the 2nd half of the run postively flew by (especially after the long hike to the top!) and before I knew it I was rounding the last curve and being greeted by Rich Busa, who was providing moral support today instead of running. Finished in 55:12, not a bad time with all the initial climbing. And then all that was left was to change clothes, briefly shoot the breeze with some of my friends, and hit the road back to Albany...
So in the end, despite the driving, I'm glad I came out for the race today. It was a gorgeous day for a run, and I got to see some parts of Northfield that I hadn't before, which has me even more determined to head over that way sometime this summer.
On a totally unrelated note, as I was getting ready to leave Farmer Ed mentioned the Northern Nipmuck course, which I'm planning to run in about a month... he was wondering if I'd GPS'd it yet, because he used to do a fun run along that trail and remembered it being 18 miles rather than the 16 miles the race is listed at. So now I'm both curious and a bit intimidated... that course was a tough run both times I did it previously, so it would be reassuring if it was actually longer than I thought - but the idea of running 16 miles over rugged hiking trails a month from now is daunting enough!
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 51.8 mi, 12 hr 21 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, VT
Friday, March 13, 2009
2.8 Mile Walk at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
Friday, March 13, 2009
With my first snowshoe race in two weeks tomorrow morning (and up and down Northfield Mountain, no less) I decided to take it easy tonight... but it was too nice to stay indoors, so I headed over to Five Rivers to wander around a bit and see what critters were around.
As is often the case, a lot of the trails and fields were wet and muddy, with a few spots still under a thick layer of ice. But I still had a nice wander, first around the Beaver Pond, then along the Vlomankill, and finally through the fields back to the parking lot.
Along the way I saw a variety of birds, and heard an unbelievable number of red-winged blackbirds. There were geese and ducks down in the ponds, and apparently someone has been feeding the geese; when I went out on the floating observation platform, they swam right over and hung around hoping for a handout. But the biggest surprise was the two muskrats I spotted swimming along the sunny edge of Beaver Pond. And best of all, with my new camera I was able to get some pretty nice shots of them all...
JMH
Friday, March 13, 2009
With my first snowshoe race in two weeks tomorrow morning (and up and down Northfield Mountain, no less) I decided to take it easy tonight... but it was too nice to stay indoors, so I headed over to Five Rivers to wander around a bit and see what critters were around.
As is often the case, a lot of the trails and fields were wet and muddy, with a few spots still under a thick layer of ice. But I still had a nice wander, first around the Beaver Pond, then along the Vlomankill, and finally through the fields back to the parking lot.
Along the way I saw a variety of birds, and heard an unbelievable number of red-winged blackbirds. There were geese and ducks down in the ponds, and apparently someone has been feeding the geese; when I went out on the floating observation platform, they swam right over and hung around hoping for a handout. But the biggest surprise was the two muskrats I spotted swimming along the sunny edge of Beaver Pond. And best of all, with my new camera I was able to get some pretty nice shots of them all...
JMH
Thursday, March 12, 2009
9.4 Mile Ride at the Corning Preserve
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A cold evening for a ride, but I suppose it could have been worse. I headed down to the Corning Preserve again because (1) it's close, (2) I know the path is essentially clear, and (3) there was a good chance I'd see some wildlife and get a chance to test the capabilities of my new camera.
The ride was easy and uneventful, other than my stops to check out birds and deer. Initially I thought tonight might be a bust - too early for deer, and there were no birds in sight on the river besides the usual ring-billed gulls - but in the end I saw deer, gulls, hawks, red-winged blackbirds, robins, a titmouse, a kingfisher, and both a common and a pair of hooded mergansers. In the end I may have spent almost as much time trying out the camera as I did riding!
I love the better zoom on the camera... I was able to get some great shots that I never would have pulled off with my older one. But I do miss the viewfinder... it can be tough to find what I'm trying to shoot when the zoom is up around 20x or 30x.
All in all, a good trip along the Hudson (if a bit short.) I definitely looking forward to using this camera a lot more!
JMH
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A cold evening for a ride, but I suppose it could have been worse. I headed down to the Corning Preserve again because (1) it's close, (2) I know the path is essentially clear, and (3) there was a good chance I'd see some wildlife and get a chance to test the capabilities of my new camera.
The ride was easy and uneventful, other than my stops to check out birds and deer. Initially I thought tonight might be a bust - too early for deer, and there were no birds in sight on the river besides the usual ring-billed gulls - but in the end I saw deer, gulls, hawks, red-winged blackbirds, robins, a titmouse, a kingfisher, and both a common and a pair of hooded mergansers. In the end I may have spent almost as much time trying out the camera as I did riding!
I love the better zoom on the camera... I was able to get some great shots that I never would have pulled off with my older one. But I do miss the viewfinder... it can be tough to find what I'm trying to shoot when the zoom is up around 20x or 30x.
All in all, a good trip along the Hudson (if a bit short.) I definitely looking forward to using this camera a lot more!
JMH
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
6.2 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It's more than a bit ironic that here we are the first week into Daylight Savings Time (hurray!) and both my runs have ended up happening after dark...
Tonight I hit the trails over in the Karner Barrens sections of the Pine Bush. I used the run to start breaking in a new pair of Adidas Supernova Trail shoes... right now the plan is to use my Vasque Blurs for rugged trails (they have great traction!) and the Adidas' on easier trails, like the ones in the Pine Bush. The shoes felt fine right out of the box, though there was enough ice in spots that I found myself wishing I'd worn my screw shoes instead...
Toward the end of the run the moon was rising... much of the time it was behind the clouds, but once or twice I had a great view of a gorgeous yellow moon shining brightly over the Pine Bush...
Legs are definitely feeling the effects of 20k in two nights, so I think tomorrow I'll put in a few miles on one of my bikes instead.
JMH
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It's more than a bit ironic that here we are the first week into Daylight Savings Time (hurray!) and both my runs have ended up happening after dark...
Tonight I hit the trails over in the Karner Barrens sections of the Pine Bush. I used the run to start breaking in a new pair of Adidas Supernova Trail shoes... right now the plan is to use my Vasque Blurs for rugged trails (they have great traction!) and the Adidas' on easier trails, like the ones in the Pine Bush. The shoes felt fine right out of the box, though there was enough ice in spots that I found myself wishing I'd worn my screw shoes instead...
Toward the end of the run the moon was rising... much of the time it was behind the clouds, but once or twice I had a great view of a gorgeous yellow moon shining brightly over the Pine Bush...
Legs are definitely feeling the effects of 20k in two nights, so I think tomorrow I'll put in a few miles on one of my bikes instead.
JMH
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
6.2 Mile Run Along the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Finally made it out to the bike path at around 8:30... unfortunately after it had started to drizzle, so I ended up with a wet 10k in the dark... needless to say I'm glad I packed a rain jacket!
Started out dragging a bit but once I got warmed up things felt pretty good, even with the chill and the rain. I considered taking another night off when I walked out of the karate school and saw that the weather had changed - but I'm definitely glad I didn't.
Tomorrow it's time to hit some trails over in the Pine Bush...
JMH
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Finally made it out to the bike path at around 8:30... unfortunately after it had started to drizzle, so I ended up with a wet 10k in the dark... needless to say I'm glad I packed a rain jacket!
Started out dragging a bit but once I got warmed up things felt pretty good, even with the chill and the rain. I considered taking another night off when I walked out of the karate school and saw that the weather had changed - but I'm definitely glad I didn't.
Tomorrow it's time to hit some trails over in the Pine Bush...
JMH
Sunday, March 08, 2009
3 Mile Walk Along the Irondequoit Lakeside Trail
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Ann and I headed up to Durand Eastman Park figuring if the trails were too muddy we could always walk along the paved Irondequoit Lakeside Trail. As usual, we started out with a quick trip down to the beach, which had tons of built up ice and snow between the sand and the open water. Ann speculated about how stable that was and of course decided to walk out on it... unfortunately she get the answer to her question when she broke through and ended up in very cold water up to mid-calf on one leg. Brrr...
After she changed into dry socks and shoes, she decided she didn't want to risk wet trails so we walked down the paved path almost to the end of the new section... that brought back memories of running there back in November for the RT Turkey 5 miler, though today was a little nicer in that it wasn't as windy. Along the way we saw two hawks off in the distance and heard a few red-winged blackbirds off in the wetlands... a nice precursor to the coming warmer weather.
My camera continued to act up today; I suspect it's the LCD screen that's problematic, since the pictures are coming out fine. No big surprise, between 40000 pictures and the beating I've put that camera through. I'm going to order a better model with a stronger optical zoom (woo hoo!) and keep using this one for primarily riskier conditions - wet, cold, etc.
JMH
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Ann and I headed up to Durand Eastman Park figuring if the trails were too muddy we could always walk along the paved Irondequoit Lakeside Trail. As usual, we started out with a quick trip down to the beach, which had tons of built up ice and snow between the sand and the open water. Ann speculated about how stable that was and of course decided to walk out on it... unfortunately she get the answer to her question when she broke through and ended up in very cold water up to mid-calf on one leg. Brrr...
After she changed into dry socks and shoes, she decided she didn't want to risk wet trails so we walked down the paved path almost to the end of the new section... that brought back memories of running there back in November for the RT Turkey 5 miler, though today was a little nicer in that it wasn't as windy. Along the way we saw two hawks off in the distance and heard a few red-winged blackbirds off in the wetlands... a nice precursor to the coming warmer weather.
My camera continued to act up today; I suspect it's the LCD screen that's problematic, since the pictures are coming out fine. No big surprise, between 40000 pictures and the beating I've put that camera through. I'm going to order a better model with a stronger optical zoom (woo hoo!) and keep using this one for primarily riskier conditions - wet, cold, etc.
JMH
Saturday, March 07, 2009
8.7 Mile Run Along the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & River Rd
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A great day for a run... even had some bits of sunshine for part of the time! And best of all - no tights! I have to admit, I'm looking forward to getting outdoors in warmer weather...
Planned on an easy run, about 6-7 miles, along the bike path in Niskayuna... ran the Gerbil Wheel section over to Lock 7, and then along the path from Lock 7 to the base of the old landfill (which was all iced over, but runnable.) Headed up the hill planning to turn around at the top and retrace my steps back to the car, and ended up instead heading out to River Road and running along the roads back to the point where the bike path crosses Lock 7 Road. That ended up being both longer than I had originally intended and contrary to what I remembered from the one or two times I biked that route, the road from Blatnick Park to just before the intersection was mostly uphill!
Along the way I saw more than a few birds, including a pair of hawks... pretty cool. Lots of evidence of the beavers in the wetlands along the bike path... maybe I'll get lucky and actually see them this year.
JMH
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A great day for a run... even had some bits of sunshine for part of the time! And best of all - no tights! I have to admit, I'm looking forward to getting outdoors in warmer weather...
Planned on an easy run, about 6-7 miles, along the bike path in Niskayuna... ran the Gerbil Wheel section over to Lock 7, and then along the path from Lock 7 to the base of the old landfill (which was all iced over, but runnable.) Headed up the hill planning to turn around at the top and retrace my steps back to the car, and ended up instead heading out to River Road and running along the roads back to the point where the bike path crosses Lock 7 Road. That ended up being both longer than I had originally intended and contrary to what I remembered from the one or two times I biked that route, the road from Blatnick Park to just before the intersection was mostly uphill!
Along the way I saw more than a few birds, including a pair of hawks... pretty cool. Lots of evidence of the beavers in the wetlands along the bike path... maybe I'll get lucky and actually see them this year.
JMH
Friday, March 06, 2009
12 Mile Ride at the Corning Preserve and Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park
Friday, March 6, 2009
Walked out of work tonight to warm air and sunshine... I had hoped to take my bike over to the bike path along the Mohawk River and ride for a bit, but the travel time was just too much, because I wanted to be back at the school in time for tonight's performance of the spring musical. So instead I headed down to the Corning Preserve and rode along the Hudson.
One of the things I like about the warmer weather - more birds around. Last week when I rode down there, I saw crows, gulls, and mallards. Today I saw robins and red-winged blackbirds, a couple of kinds of gulls, canada geese, and best of all - mergansers. It was getting dark when I finally made it back to the parking lot, but I could still see a huge flock of gulls and an even bigger flock of crows out on the ice... wow.
Only two deer tonight, and they took off pretty quickly when I stopped. But it was still a great day for a ride... I've enjoyed winter immensely, but I'm ready for some warmer weather.
Only minus to tonight's ride is my camera started acting up... pictures came out OK but the screen did some funky things at times when I was using it. Of course, I'm approaching 40,000 (or is it 50,000?) pictures, and it has definitely taken a beating from all I've put it through. Guess I'll see what it does over the weekend, but I may have to decide in the not-too-distant future if I want to pick up the latest model of the same camera (for about $80 less than I paid for this one) or upgrade to a slightly larger one with a better optical zoom (a very attractive option) but no viewfinder (that could be inconvenient.)
JMH
Friday, March 6, 2009
Walked out of work tonight to warm air and sunshine... I had hoped to take my bike over to the bike path along the Mohawk River and ride for a bit, but the travel time was just too much, because I wanted to be back at the school in time for tonight's performance of the spring musical. So instead I headed down to the Corning Preserve and rode along the Hudson.
One of the things I like about the warmer weather - more birds around. Last week when I rode down there, I saw crows, gulls, and mallards. Today I saw robins and red-winged blackbirds, a couple of kinds of gulls, canada geese, and best of all - mergansers. It was getting dark when I finally made it back to the parking lot, but I could still see a huge flock of gulls and an even bigger flock of crows out on the ice... wow.
Only two deer tonight, and they took off pretty quickly when I stopped. But it was still a great day for a ride... I've enjoyed winter immensely, but I'm ready for some warmer weather.
Only minus to tonight's ride is my camera started acting up... pictures came out OK but the screen did some funky things at times when I was using it. Of course, I'm approaching 40,000 (or is it 50,000?) pictures, and it has definitely taken a beating from all I've put it through. Guess I'll see what it does over the weekend, but I may have to decide in the not-too-distant future if I want to pick up the latest model of the same camera (for about $80 less than I paid for this one) or upgrade to a slightly larger one with a better optical zoom (a very attractive option) but no viewfinder (that could be inconvenient.)
JMH
Thursday, March 05, 2009
COYOTES HOWL
3.3 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I almost didn't go for a run tonight, but in the end I convinced myself to get in a few miles on my way to classes at the karate school. I planned to hit the trails near the Pine Bush Discovery Center, but in the end headed over to the Blueberry Hill sections instead. Caught some glimpses of a really pretty sunset... I really wish I'd brought my camera along!
I haven't been there since doing a night snowshoe run back in December... it was helpful to see all the "habitat restoration" work they've done there in the daylight. Enormous sections have been stripped down to bare soil... as always, I understand the reasoning (to restore a unique environment) but I sure do miss the trees.
As I was heading back to the trailhead I heard coyotes howling off in the woods somewhere... first one and then several. I hoped I'd catch a glimpse of them, but no such luck.
In the end I hiked to the top of two of the tallest hills around (the only real advantage of so many trees and bushes being removed - no need to bushwhack!) The view was a small consolation for the loss of so many trees... but it was definitely worth the hike to the top of each hill.
JMH
3.3 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I almost didn't go for a run tonight, but in the end I convinced myself to get in a few miles on my way to classes at the karate school. I planned to hit the trails near the Pine Bush Discovery Center, but in the end headed over to the Blueberry Hill sections instead. Caught some glimpses of a really pretty sunset... I really wish I'd brought my camera along!
I haven't been there since doing a night snowshoe run back in December... it was helpful to see all the "habitat restoration" work they've done there in the daylight. Enormous sections have been stripped down to bare soil... as always, I understand the reasoning (to restore a unique environment) but I sure do miss the trees.
As I was heading back to the trailhead I heard coyotes howling off in the woods somewhere... first one and then several. I hoped I'd catch a glimpse of them, but no such luck.
In the end I hiked to the top of two of the tallest hills around (the only real advantage of so many trees and bushes being removed - no need to bushwhack!) The view was a small consolation for the loss of so many trees... but it was definitely worth the hike to the top of each hill.
JMH
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Sunday, March 01, 2009
TRAVELLIN' TURTLE, Part 7 -
The Long(ish) Road Home...
Sunday, March 1, 2009
One of the pluses to today's race being held at Pineland Farms - I was able to use the locker room at the YMCA to change into street clothes for the drive back to Albany. Unlike the trip out, the drive back was almost entirely on highways... easy driving, but not terribly interesting...
A storm was making its way up the east coast, so I hoped to get back inland before it hit ME, NH, or eastern MA... no such luck, I had snow showers for much of the drive through Maine and New Hampshire, though I drove out of the storm as I headed across MA. Nothing much was sticking to the roads, though that didn't stop half a dozen cars from going off the road or ending up in fender-benders.
Historically, bandits and brigands used to lurk along secluded sections of the trails and roads between cities and towns and waylay travellers, giving rise to the term "highway robbery." I think I came across a new definition of the term today... almost $15 for two turkey sandwiches and an ice cream cone at the first rest stop I came to in Maine. Sigh...
Once I finally got home, I had to deal with the other reason I was hoping to beat the storm... my bike was covered with road salt and needed an heavy-duty cleaning. So I manhandled it into the shower, gave it a good dousing, and then wiped it down before rinsing it a second time. Not the most convenient method of cleaning it, but it beat taking it to a self-service car wash and paying to hose it down.
JMH
The Long(ish) Road Home...
Sunday, March 1, 2009
One of the pluses to today's race being held at Pineland Farms - I was able to use the locker room at the YMCA to change into street clothes for the drive back to Albany. Unlike the trip out, the drive back was almost entirely on highways... easy driving, but not terribly interesting...
A storm was making its way up the east coast, so I hoped to get back inland before it hit ME, NH, or eastern MA... no such luck, I had snow showers for much of the drive through Maine and New Hampshire, though I drove out of the storm as I headed across MA. Nothing much was sticking to the roads, though that didn't stop half a dozen cars from going off the road or ending up in fender-benders.
Historically, bandits and brigands used to lurk along secluded sections of the trails and roads between cities and towns and waylay travellers, giving rise to the term "highway robbery." I think I came across a new definition of the term today... almost $15 for two turkey sandwiches and an ice cream cone at the first rest stop I came to in Maine. Sigh...
Once I finally got home, I had to deal with the other reason I was hoping to beat the storm... my bike was covered with road salt and needed an heavy-duty cleaning. So I manhandled it into the shower, gave it a good dousing, and then wiped it down before rinsing it a second time. Not the most convenient method of cleaning it, but it beat taking it to a self-service car wash and paying to hose it down.
JMH
TRAVELLIN' TURTLE, Part 6 -
Season of the SnōShū 2009 - Race #13
Pineland Farms Winter Triathlon
4 km snowshoe/ 10 km bike / 6 km XC ski
Sunday, March 1, 2009
2009 Pineland Farms Winter Tri results
The drive from Freeport to Pineland Farms started out on a nerve-wracking note when the directions I downloaded didn't seem to be taking me to the road I needed to be on... in the end I found my way to the road I needed and had a pretty uneventful drive. Ended up really happy I'd picked up my race packet the day before, because that meant I could go right to the race site and get one of the rapidly disappearing parking spots.
Made several trips to get my gear over to my spot in the transition area, then spent half an hour or so wandering back and forth, trying to stay warm (it was grey, cold, and breezy... not nearly as nice as yesterday's weather!) The snow was fairly deep but had a hard icy crust on top - for the most part I was able to walk around on it without breaking through. Gave a few tips about racking bikes and so on to some multisport newbies (scary thought, that I'm becoming a grizzled veteran of the race scene...) and then finally the RD called us all together for the pre-race briefing. Looking around and listening to the chatter, it was clear I was one of the most experienced snowshoe runners there.
And finally - it was time to run! The 4k snowshoe leg took us out on a groomed intermediate XC ski trail... overall some of the easiest snowshoe running I've done this season, and if not for the fact that I had two more legs to do, I probably would have really pushed it and come in with a phenomenal (for me) time. As it was, I pushed but tried to make sure I'd having something left in my legs for the rest of the race. After crossing the field that the transition area was in, we headed down a long hill on the main Pineland Farms campus; I passed a couple of runners on the downhill, mainly because my Dion snowshoes are well designed for running downhill. Of course, the problem with a downhill early on in a loop course is all the climbing that's sure to come later, and this was no exception... headed back up with a mix of walking and running, gradually making my way back through the edge of the campus and then across the field back to transition in 29 min 33 sec.
Transition was slow going, between changing from snowshoes to riding shoes and making sure I had warm enough clothes for the ride ahead. I think it was a good 5 minutes before I finally made it out to the road and got on my bike to start riding... definitely something to work on if I do this race again. The bike leg started out easy, with a nice downhill, but then got considerably tougher - lots of climbing, with the last two miles almost entirely uphill and heading into the wind. Aargh. I'm sure it didn't help that I haven't put in more than 30 miles since November and I haven't done any real climbing in an even longer time. So the ride went slower than I'd hoped - about 38 min before I was back on the dirt road to transition.
Another slow transition, as I changed into my ski gear and walked my skis out of the transition area where I could clip in and head on out... very slowly. The trail initially reminded me of skiing over at canoe meadows a few weeks ago - it was tough staying on track because the groomed surface was frozen over. But once I turned into the woods I hopped into the traditional nordic tracks alongside the trail and crawled along as the skate skiers (and even a few nordic skiers) blasted by me.
The ski leg had two parts - a novice trail with a loop off onto an intermediate trail about halfway along the way. It became clear very quickly that I'm a pretty poor skier even for a novice... downhills and curves are my downfall, quite literally in the case of curving downhills! I fell four or five times in the first mile, including a couple of spots where I ditched because I was going down a hill and got going too fast. I ended up glad I'd worn a pair of windpants over my tights - they gave a little extra cushioning whenever I hit the ground.
I briefly considered DNFing when I came to the turnoff for the intermediate loop - but then I decided I'd come too far to quit, but that I also wasn't risking my neck any more than I already had. So whenever I hit a downhill that I thought was beyond my abilities (ie. pretty much all downhills) I unclipped and walked to the bottom. I did force myself to stay on the skis for all the climbs, even though I crept up some of the hills at a snail's pace. But eventually I found my way back to the novice trail, and a last slow mile or so through the woods and back to the field. A short jaunt across the field and I was crossing the finish line, after about 62 minutes of skiing (I later found out that the fast folks did the skiing loop in 16-17 minutes... I really suck on skis.) My total time for the race - 2 hrs 19 minutes. Better than I expected (I thought it would take me 2 1/2 hours) but with a lot of room for improvement if I ever do this one again.
They had everything pretty much broken down by the time I came in - only my gear and bike and one other racer's gear was still there. As I was walking from the finish to my car I tripped on a rut and ended up in the mud... bleah. Brushed myself off, then made several trips back and forth to get my gear to the car. Packed everything away and then headed over to the YMCA to change clothes in the locker room - a definite plus when faced with a 5 hour drive home.
All in all, I had a pretty good time at this one... I enjoyed the snowshoe running and riding, though I could probably do better if I actually prepared for it. The skiing was a bit demoralizing, since I showed how much my skills in that area suck - if I do this one again, some lessons may be in order. And I would definitely consider doing it again... other than the long haul to get there and back, a little multisport was a nice change of pace from a primarily snowshoeing winter.
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 47.7 mi, 11 hr 26 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, VT
Season of the SnōShū 2009 - Race #13
Pineland Farms Winter Triathlon
4 km snowshoe/ 10 km bike / 6 km XC ski
Sunday, March 1, 2009
2009 Pineland Farms Winter Tri results
The drive from Freeport to Pineland Farms started out on a nerve-wracking note when the directions I downloaded didn't seem to be taking me to the road I needed to be on... in the end I found my way to the road I needed and had a pretty uneventful drive. Ended up really happy I'd picked up my race packet the day before, because that meant I could go right to the race site and get one of the rapidly disappearing parking spots.
Made several trips to get my gear over to my spot in the transition area, then spent half an hour or so wandering back and forth, trying to stay warm (it was grey, cold, and breezy... not nearly as nice as yesterday's weather!) The snow was fairly deep but had a hard icy crust on top - for the most part I was able to walk around on it without breaking through. Gave a few tips about racking bikes and so on to some multisport newbies (scary thought, that I'm becoming a grizzled veteran of the race scene...) and then finally the RD called us all together for the pre-race briefing. Looking around and listening to the chatter, it was clear I was one of the most experienced snowshoe runners there.
And finally - it was time to run! The 4k snowshoe leg took us out on a groomed intermediate XC ski trail... overall some of the easiest snowshoe running I've done this season, and if not for the fact that I had two more legs to do, I probably would have really pushed it and come in with a phenomenal (for me) time. As it was, I pushed but tried to make sure I'd having something left in my legs for the rest of the race. After crossing the field that the transition area was in, we headed down a long hill on the main Pineland Farms campus; I passed a couple of runners on the downhill, mainly because my Dion snowshoes are well designed for running downhill. Of course, the problem with a downhill early on in a loop course is all the climbing that's sure to come later, and this was no exception... headed back up with a mix of walking and running, gradually making my way back through the edge of the campus and then across the field back to transition in 29 min 33 sec.
Transition was slow going, between changing from snowshoes to riding shoes and making sure I had warm enough clothes for the ride ahead. I think it was a good 5 minutes before I finally made it out to the road and got on my bike to start riding... definitely something to work on if I do this race again. The bike leg started out easy, with a nice downhill, but then got considerably tougher - lots of climbing, with the last two miles almost entirely uphill and heading into the wind. Aargh. I'm sure it didn't help that I haven't put in more than 30 miles since November and I haven't done any real climbing in an even longer time. So the ride went slower than I'd hoped - about 38 min before I was back on the dirt road to transition.
Another slow transition, as I changed into my ski gear and walked my skis out of the transition area where I could clip in and head on out... very slowly. The trail initially reminded me of skiing over at canoe meadows a few weeks ago - it was tough staying on track because the groomed surface was frozen over. But once I turned into the woods I hopped into the traditional nordic tracks alongside the trail and crawled along as the skate skiers (and even a few nordic skiers) blasted by me.
The ski leg had two parts - a novice trail with a loop off onto an intermediate trail about halfway along the way. It became clear very quickly that I'm a pretty poor skier even for a novice... downhills and curves are my downfall, quite literally in the case of curving downhills! I fell four or five times in the first mile, including a couple of spots where I ditched because I was going down a hill and got going too fast. I ended up glad I'd worn a pair of windpants over my tights - they gave a little extra cushioning whenever I hit the ground.
I briefly considered DNFing when I came to the turnoff for the intermediate loop - but then I decided I'd come too far to quit, but that I also wasn't risking my neck any more than I already had. So whenever I hit a downhill that I thought was beyond my abilities (ie. pretty much all downhills) I unclipped and walked to the bottom. I did force myself to stay on the skis for all the climbs, even though I crept up some of the hills at a snail's pace. But eventually I found my way back to the novice trail, and a last slow mile or so through the woods and back to the field. A short jaunt across the field and I was crossing the finish line, after about 62 minutes of skiing (I later found out that the fast folks did the skiing loop in 16-17 minutes... I really suck on skis.) My total time for the race - 2 hrs 19 minutes. Better than I expected (I thought it would take me 2 1/2 hours) but with a lot of room for improvement if I ever do this one again.
They had everything pretty much broken down by the time I came in - only my gear and bike and one other racer's gear was still there. As I was walking from the finish to my car I tripped on a rut and ended up in the mud... bleah. Brushed myself off, then made several trips back and forth to get my gear to the car. Packed everything away and then headed over to the YMCA to change clothes in the locker room - a definite plus when faced with a 5 hour drive home.
All in all, I had a pretty good time at this one... I enjoyed the snowshoe running and riding, though I could probably do better if I actually prepared for it. The skiing was a bit demoralizing, since I showed how much my skills in that area suck - if I do this one again, some lessons may be in order. And I would definitely consider doing it again... other than the long haul to get there and back, a little multisport was a nice change of pace from a primarily snowshoeing winter.
JMH
2009 Event Totals
Run
Bike 6.2 mi, 39 min
Snowshoe 47.7 mi, 11 hr 26 min
XC Ski 3.3 mi, 1 hr 2 min
states visited: MA, ME, NY, VT
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