the Way of the Turtle

15.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, September 7, 2009

Knee was still giving me a few twinges when I got up this morning, so I decided to play it safe and skipped the Greylock Road Race... sigh. One of these days I'll run it.

Despite it being the last day of my summer break (last Thursday's meetings were just a brief interruption of my life of leisure, I really get back to the grind tomorrow) I found it tough to get motivated to get outside, since it was grey and dreary much of the day. But then it lightened up a bit in the evening, so I headed over to the bike path west of SCCC to do a bit of easy riding.

Not many folks out on the path, which was nice. A bit of a chilly night - a reminder of what's to come, as was how early it got dark. I've got to start packing a light when I bike in the evening. I love running and riding in the fall... but the earlier sunsets are a bummer.

I got to see much of the usual wildlife along the section of the old Erie Canal... first a kingfisher, which perched on a nearby powerline for much longer than usual and let me get some of the best photos I've ever taken of one. Then both a blue heron and a green heron down in the beaver pond off the north side of the path (which had been drained... don't know if the water burst the dam or if humans were involved in that.) Caught a brief glimpse of a muskrat and two wood ducks... no beavers or, surprisingly, ducks or geese today.

JMH