the Way of the Turtle

18.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path & through Colonie Mohawk River Park
Friday, March 12, 2010

With rain in the forecast for the next few days I decided today was a good day for riding rather than running... I'd much rather run in the rain than ride in it, and I really need to put some time in on the bike before the Flower City Challenge at the end of April; it's bad enough that I'll probably be jumping in the kayak without any time to train beforehand. So this afternoon I took the bike over to the bike path for some relatively easy riding with a few short hills thrown in. Started out heading east from the Nisky Lions Park over to Colonie Mohawk River Park; other than one short stretch the path was clear of snow and ice. The park was pretty much deserted, even though there were several cars parked at the locked gate... maybe folks were walking their dogs on the trails. Spent a little while enjoying the river and just listening, then headed back to the car to add an extra layer (it was getting chilly) and head west to Lock 7. I expected to have to turn around there, since the ice usually lingers for a while on the shaded path between Lock 7 and the base of the old landfill, and I was right.

Today was a day when a lot of things didn't go smoothly - I had a flat when I went to take the bike to the car, then I left my seat bag open and had to stop to pick up my tire levers that fell out, and I forgot to put fresh batteries in the camera, so I had to be somewhat judicious in my picture-taking. But in the end all of those were pretty minor challenges, and the pluses of the ride definitely outweighed them.

The biggest plus - critters galore! Canada geese and muskrats at the Nisky boat launch. Red winged blackbirds and robins all along the route. A large group of common mergansers out on the river near the trailhead just east of the Nisky Lions Park, and a few gulls over at Colonie Park. Heading west there were geese and ducks along the way, and - very cool - a trio of hooded mergansers in the beaver pond just west of the Ferry Road bridge. When I got back to the Nisky Lions Park there was a beaver swimming in the river as well... all in all, quite the day for wildlife. As much as I love winter, I'm definitely enjoying the approach of spring and the birds and animals that are returning with it.

JMH