A SUNNY FALL DAY WITH SNOW ON THE GROUND
A Brief Visit to Thacher Park
2.2 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
HAIRY GORILLA & SQUIRRELY SIX ARE ON OFF
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Just got word that the Albany Running Exchange's premiere trail races, the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon and Squirrely Six Miler, have been cancelled for tomorrow due to weather by the venue, Thacher State Park.
While there will no doubt be wholesale vitriol directed at the park staff by some hardcore runners, the decision is really the most sensible one to make. Right now the Helderbergs are forecast to receive 8-10 inches of extremely wet, heavy snow. Trees will come down. Roads may be treacherous. There may be widespread power outages up on the ridge and in the hilltowns to the west - heck, it's already happening to the south, where the snow started earlier and is predicted to reach similar depths.
And what about the runners themselves? The word on Friday was to expect approximately 700 people on the trails tomorrow morning... many of them first time or at least inexperienced trail runners. I've been running trails for 14 years and have the gear I need to run safely in snow - and I wasn't looking forward to running tomorrow, especially if it is on the 10 inches end of the forecast. The likelihood is that someone (more likely several someones) would end up getting hurt. And this runner says - it just isn't worth that risk.
I've also heard the argument that runners should be able to decide whether or not it's worth the risk for themselves, and to a certain degree I agree. A couple of summers ago somebody berated the director of the Escarpment Trail Run for allowing the race to go on despite the threat of a severe thunderstorm (which did pound the mountaintops during the race and had runners trying to find whatever shelter they could from the lightning strikes) and the RD's response was that all runners in his race accept responsibility for their decision to run. And you know what - I agree with him. Escarpment is an insane event to begin with and has qualifying standards to try to keep out folks who are likely to be insufficiently prepared for the challenge of running 18+miles across some of the worst terrain in the Catskills. Hairy Gorilla is an entirely different beast and attracts an very different group of runners.
I wouldn't be surprised if the ARE finds a way to reschedule the race (though in all likelihood it will end up on a day when I can't be there due to a different running commitment.) Am I sorry it isn't happening tomorrow? Yes (I've run the half marathon 6 years in a row, including just 2.5 months after my '06 bike crash when I hadn't run for most of the time since the accident - I signed up for the 6 miler because I knew I'd miss it if I didn't, even though I'm supposed to be taking it easy in preparation for next weekend's marathon.) And no (run in snow? Been there, done that, I'd rather break out the snowshoes.)
Now to decide where I am going to run tomorrow once Ann heads back to Rochester...
JMH
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Just got word that the Albany Running Exchange's premiere trail races, the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon and Squirrely Six Miler, have been cancelled for tomorrow due to weather by the venue, Thacher State Park.
While there will no doubt be wholesale vitriol directed at the park staff by some hardcore runners, the decision is really the most sensible one to make. Right now the Helderbergs are forecast to receive 8-10 inches of extremely wet, heavy snow. Trees will come down. Roads may be treacherous. There may be widespread power outages up on the ridge and in the hilltowns to the west - heck, it's already happening to the south, where the snow started earlier and is predicted to reach similar depths.
And what about the runners themselves? The word on Friday was to expect approximately 700 people on the trails tomorrow morning... many of them first time or at least inexperienced trail runners. I've been running trails for 14 years and have the gear I need to run safely in snow - and I wasn't looking forward to running tomorrow, especially if it is on the 10 inches end of the forecast. The likelihood is that someone (more likely several someones) would end up getting hurt. And this runner says - it just isn't worth that risk.
I've also heard the argument that runners should be able to decide whether or not it's worth the risk for themselves, and to a certain degree I agree. A couple of summers ago somebody berated the director of the Escarpment Trail Run for allowing the race to go on despite the threat of a severe thunderstorm (which did pound the mountaintops during the race and had runners trying to find whatever shelter they could from the lightning strikes) and the RD's response was that all runners in his race accept responsibility for their decision to run. And you know what - I agree with him. Escarpment is an insane event to begin with and has qualifying standards to try to keep out folks who are likely to be insufficiently prepared for the challenge of running 18+miles across some of the worst terrain in the Catskills. Hairy Gorilla is an entirely different beast and attracts an very different group of runners.
I wouldn't be surprised if the ARE finds a way to reschedule the race (though in all likelihood it will end up on a day when I can't be there due to a different running commitment.) Am I sorry it isn't happening tomorrow? Yes (I've run the half marathon 6 years in a row, including just 2.5 months after my '06 bike crash when I hadn't run for most of the time since the accident - I signed up for the 6 miler because I knew I'd miss it if I didn't, even though I'm supposed to be taking it easy in preparation for next weekend's marathon.) And no (run in snow? Been there, done that, I'd rather break out the snowshoes.)
Now to decide where I am going to run tomorrow once Ann heads back to Rochester...
JMH
MOBBED BY DUCKS IN THE SNOW!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
OK, driving back from Rosendale on a late October afternoon should not look like this:
Unless, of course, you're driving in the midst of a record-breaking October snowstorm. Fortunately, it never got bad enough to make the roads unsafe, so we made it back to Albany without mishap.
Once we got in from the wind and cold and wet, I was pretty sure we wouldn't go back out, so I took us by Buckingham Lake to say hi to the ducks. Where saying hi means getting mobbed by a gang of feathered mooches who couldn't resist the chunks of bagel Ann tossed them, while I took some photos...
... and shot a short video.
In the end I was right - once we got home that was it for our outdoor adventures today. So I'm glad we stopped somewhere first.
JMH
Saturday, October 29, 2011
OK, driving back from Rosendale on a late October afternoon should not look like this:
Unless, of course, you're driving in the midst of a record-breaking October snowstorm. Fortunately, it never got bad enough to make the roads unsafe, so we made it back to Albany without mishap.
Once we got in from the wind and cold and wet, I was pretty sure we wouldn't go back out, so I took us by Buckingham Lake to say hi to the ducks. Where saying hi means getting mobbed by a gang of feathered mooches who couldn't resist the chunks of bagel Ann tossed them, while I took some photos...
... and shot a short video.
In the end I was right - once we got home that was it for our outdoor adventures today. So I'm glad we stopped somewhere first.
JMH
Friday, October 28, 2011
DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE...
0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Friday, October 28, 2011
Not a lot of time before Ann arrived this evening, so I settled for a short walk around Buckingham Lake before running a couple of errands. Dozens of ducks and geese there - I grabbed the bag of birdseed from the car and tossed some to the ducks, who seemed to enjoy it. Tried the same with the geese, but they expected bread - especially this one, who walked right up to me and stared at me as if to say "I'm here, where's my food?" - so they ignored the seed.
The section on the far shore that runs level with the water is still a mess from the repairs the city made after the storm damage in late August/early September. Wish I thought they were going to fix it next spring, but probably not.
When I got back to the parking area, I spent a few moments observing the ducks and geese again - and someone must have given the secret signal, because first groups of ducks began taking flight, and then all the geese took off. I guess the ducks that stayed behind were the ones who are the normal residents.
JMH
0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Friday, October 28, 2011
Not a lot of time before Ann arrived this evening, so I settled for a short walk around Buckingham Lake before running a couple of errands. Dozens of ducks and geese there - I grabbed the bag of birdseed from the car and tossed some to the ducks, who seemed to enjoy it. Tried the same with the geese, but they expected bread - especially this one, who walked right up to me and stared at me as if to say "I'm here, where's my food?" - so they ignored the seed.
The section on the far shore that runs level with the water is still a mess from the repairs the city made after the storm damage in late August/early September. Wish I thought they were going to fix it next spring, but probably not.
When I got back to the parking area, I spent a few moments observing the ducks and geese again - and someone must have given the secret signal, because first groups of ducks began taking flight, and then all the geese took off. I guess the ducks that stayed behind were the ones who are the normal residents.
JMH
ICE & SNOW... & MORE ON THE WAY?
Friday, October 28, 2011
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to find everything covered in a coat of icy snow when I went out to go to work this morning, but I was. Thank heavens I'd dragged my scraper out of the trunk over the weekend (when I needed to scrape ice off my windows Sunday morning) - but it was still a chore getting the car to a point where I could safely drive to school.
It was bright and sunny so I expected the snow to disappear quickly... but this was the view out my classroom window until pretty late in the morning.
Now they're saying we'll be getting more snow tomorrow - possibly a foot or more in some areas (Thacher? That could make running Sunday's race interesting, to say the least... maybe I'll throw my snowshoes in the car...) preceded by rain and a wintry mix. Which has me wondering if I'll be doing the Ulstercorps Service Sprint after all; I enjoyed it a lot last year, but I don't think it's worth risking an accident to run a 4.7 mile race. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what the weather looks like in the morning.
And once this taste of winter is over - can we have fall back for a while?
JMH
Friday, October 28, 2011
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to find everything covered in a coat of icy snow when I went out to go to work this morning, but I was. Thank heavens I'd dragged my scraper out of the trunk over the weekend (when I needed to scrape ice off my windows Sunday morning) - but it was still a chore getting the car to a point where I could safely drive to school.
It was bright and sunny so I expected the snow to disappear quickly... but this was the view out my classroom window until pretty late in the morning.
Now they're saying we'll be getting more snow tomorrow - possibly a foot or more in some areas (Thacher? That could make running Sunday's race interesting, to say the least... maybe I'll throw my snowshoes in the car...) preceded by rain and a wintry mix. Which has me wondering if I'll be doing the Ulstercorps Service Sprint after all; I enjoyed it a lot last year, but I don't think it's worth risking an accident to run a 4.7 mile race. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what the weather looks like in the morning.
And once this taste of winter is over - can we have fall back for a while?
JMH
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Inspirational!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
One of the news stories that popped up on my home page today described a teenager in Ohio who has lost her sight due to Stargardt's Disease. Initially it looked like she would have to give up running cross country, but over the summer she entered a program to work with a specially trained guide dog, with the eventual goal of allowing her to run again. After surmounting the additional hurdle of getting permission from the Ohio High School Athletic Association to compete with the assistance of a guide dog, she is once again running on cross country meets. More details can be found here.
When I forwarded the story to several of my colleagues, one responded with the story of a local student who was blind and ran cross country with the help of a human guide, wrestled, hiked up major mountains, and water skied.
Sometimes I find myself wanting to gripe and moan about sore knees, or aching legs, or any of a multitude of minor annoyances that pop up when I run (or afterwards.) Folks like this remind me that I've got it mighty darn good, and I should just shut up, suck it up, and stop feeling sorry for myself.
JMH
Thursday, October 27, 2011
One of the news stories that popped up on my home page today described a teenager in Ohio who has lost her sight due to Stargardt's Disease. Initially it looked like she would have to give up running cross country, but over the summer she entered a program to work with a specially trained guide dog, with the eventual goal of allowing her to run again. After surmounting the additional hurdle of getting permission from the Ohio High School Athletic Association to compete with the assistance of a guide dog, she is once again running on cross country meets. More details can be found here.
When I forwarded the story to several of my colleagues, one responded with the story of a local student who was blind and ran cross country with the help of a human guide, wrestled, hiked up major mountains, and water skied.
Sometimes I find myself wanting to gripe and moan about sore knees, or aching legs, or any of a multitude of minor annoyances that pop up when I run (or afterwards.) Folks like this remind me that I've got it mighty darn good, and I should just shut up, suck it up, and stop feeling sorry for myself.
JMH
FIRST SNOW
Thursday, October 27, 2011
When I left work today there was snow mixed in with the drizzle... surprisingly, a while later some was even starting to accumulate on the lawns across the street and the cars parked out front.
My first thought was to go for a run... except I've been pretty wiped out from too much work and not enough sleep. Then I thought I'd go for a walk... but I just couldn't summon up much enthusiasm to go out on a cold, grey evening into a mix of rain and snow. Maybe if it had been just snow, but the rain was a real deal-breaker.
So in the end I settled for a few looks out the window, where at least I can be dry and somewhat warmer...
As much as I enjoyed this first glimpse of snow, I hope we still have plenty of sunny, comfortably chilly autumn days left before winter really arrives.
JMH
Thursday, October 27, 2011
When I left work today there was snow mixed in with the drizzle... surprisingly, a while later some was even starting to accumulate on the lawns across the street and the cars parked out front.
My first thought was to go for a run... except I've been pretty wiped out from too much work and not enough sleep. Then I thought I'd go for a walk... but I just couldn't summon up much enthusiasm to go out on a cold, grey evening into a mix of rain and snow. Maybe if it had been just snow, but the rain was a real deal-breaker.
So in the end I settled for a few looks out the window, where at least I can be dry and somewhat warmer...
As much as I enjoyed this first glimpse of snow, I hope we still have plenty of sunny, comfortably chilly autumn days left before winter really arrives.
JMH
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
6.5 Mile Run on the Appalachian Trail, South Egremont to Sheffield
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Ended up leaving the house a couple of hours later than I'd planned, in part because this week has left me fairly tired and in part because the "partly sunny" day we were supposed to have turned out to be grey, grey, grey. Since I hadn't run at all during the week I decided to abandon my plans to go for a walk at Quabbin Park in central MA and settle for just getting in some easy running on the AT in South Egremont.
This has been a somewhat muted autumn in terms of colors - between the uneven weather and the occasionally heavy wind and rain we haven't really had a peak, just different points where different trees have been showing color. While it would have been nicer with steady sunshine (and to be fair, there were a few times when the sun briefly put in an appearance while I was running) there was still enough color along the trail that make it clear that autumn is here... all the leaves covering the trail helped, too.
I have to say that while I enjoyed the flooded trail back in September for the challenge it posed, it was really nice to run on mostly dry trails today - certainly much easier going! There were quite a few cars parked both at the Jug End Road trailhead that I started at and in the parking lot in South Egremont, but I only saw two hikers while I was there, and both of them looked like thruhikers - backpacks, sleeping bags, etc.
Along the way I heard and saw lots of birds, including a downy woodpecker and a really close view of a pileated woodpecker (sadly, he flew away before I could take a picture.) Plenty of smaller birds too, including a few chickadees which had me wishing I'd brought along some of the sunflower seeds from my car.
I had thought to run all the way to Route 7 and back, but the grey chilly day kicked my motivation in the backside and I ended up running to the top of the field just past the Shays' Rebellion monument and then headed back to the car. I had hoped to maybe do a short walk somewhere before heading east on the MA Pike, but once again the grey chilly day and the late hour sapped my motivation and I decided to get to my motel instead.
Despite all of that - mission accomplished! In the last month I've managed to run at all the places (Beartown, Mount Washington, Jug End, and the South Egremont AT) that I used to run so often back when I lived and worked in the Hillsdale/Great Barrington area. And getting to all of those places has been even more special because I did it in the fall - the time of year when I first started trail running back in 1997 and probably my favorite time of year to be out running trails (OK, a slight favorite - I love being outdoors in all seasons, for different reasons.)
On to eastern MA and southern NH and the Ghost Train trail race tomorrow morning... and hopefully sunnier weather and some stops at parks on the way home.
JMH
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Ended up leaving the house a couple of hours later than I'd planned, in part because this week has left me fairly tired and in part because the "partly sunny" day we were supposed to have turned out to be grey, grey, grey. Since I hadn't run at all during the week I decided to abandon my plans to go for a walk at Quabbin Park in central MA and settle for just getting in some easy running on the AT in South Egremont.
This has been a somewhat muted autumn in terms of colors - between the uneven weather and the occasionally heavy wind and rain we haven't really had a peak, just different points where different trees have been showing color. While it would have been nicer with steady sunshine (and to be fair, there were a few times when the sun briefly put in an appearance while I was running) there was still enough color along the trail that make it clear that autumn is here... all the leaves covering the trail helped, too.
I have to say that while I enjoyed the flooded trail back in September for the challenge it posed, it was really nice to run on mostly dry trails today - certainly much easier going! There were quite a few cars parked both at the Jug End Road trailhead that I started at and in the parking lot in South Egremont, but I only saw two hikers while I was there, and both of them looked like thruhikers - backpacks, sleeping bags, etc.
Along the way I heard and saw lots of birds, including a downy woodpecker and a really close view of a pileated woodpecker (sadly, he flew away before I could take a picture.) Plenty of smaller birds too, including a few chickadees which had me wishing I'd brought along some of the sunflower seeds from my car.
I had thought to run all the way to Route 7 and back, but the grey chilly day kicked my motivation in the backside and I ended up running to the top of the field just past the Shays' Rebellion monument and then headed back to the car. I had hoped to maybe do a short walk somewhere before heading east on the MA Pike, but once again the grey chilly day and the late hour sapped my motivation and I decided to get to my motel instead.
Despite all of that - mission accomplished! In the last month I've managed to run at all the places (Beartown, Mount Washington, Jug End, and the South Egremont AT) that I used to run so often back when I lived and worked in the Hillsdale/Great Barrington area. And getting to all of those places has been even more special because I did it in the fall - the time of year when I first started trail running back in 1997 and probably my favorite time of year to be out running trails (OK, a slight favorite - I love being outdoors in all seasons, for different reasons.)
On to eastern MA and southern NH and the Ghost Train trail race tomorrow morning... and hopefully sunnier weather and some stops at parks on the way home.
JMH
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Saturday, October 08, 2011
21.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Summer made ducked back through the door today... though the speed with which the air chills down near sunset shows that fall is only taking a break, it's not gone.
I was a bit tired from getting up early to have some work done on the car (exhaust system from the catalytic converter back, $$$ unfortunately - thank heavens the catalytic converter wasn't also rusting out.) But it was too nice a day to stay indoors, and as the hours of daylight continue to decrease opportunities to ride in the sunshine will be few and far between. Besides, there is something strangely ironic about riding the approximate distance I'll be running tomorrow...
Niskayuna Lions Park is open again, with a shiny new parking lot - and since it was a warm sunny day, the lot and the path were pretty busy. Rode east almost to the Colonie town line, then on the way back popped into Colonie Mohawk River Park and rode down to the boat launch, where I spent a few minutes looking at geese, gulls, and a heron - as well as swatting the &%^*$$!! mosquitoes. You'd think the cold nights we've had would've wiped them out!
On the way back continued past the park and over to the base of the old landfill. Stopped at Lock 7 along the way - looks like they had more threats of flooding there, with several new dirt and stone dikes set up to keep the dam from overflowing.
Lots of birds out and about, though honestly I heard more than I saw... another advantage to not using headphones when I go outdoors... and chubby squirrels everywhere frantically stockpiling fat and food for the upcoming winter...
JMH
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Summer made ducked back through the door today... though the speed with which the air chills down near sunset shows that fall is only taking a break, it's not gone.
I was a bit tired from getting up early to have some work done on the car (exhaust system from the catalytic converter back, $$$ unfortunately - thank heavens the catalytic converter wasn't also rusting out.) But it was too nice a day to stay indoors, and as the hours of daylight continue to decrease opportunities to ride in the sunshine will be few and far between. Besides, there is something strangely ironic about riding the approximate distance I'll be running tomorrow...
Niskayuna Lions Park is open again, with a shiny new parking lot - and since it was a warm sunny day, the lot and the path were pretty busy. Rode east almost to the Colonie town line, then on the way back popped into Colonie Mohawk River Park and rode down to the boat launch, where I spent a few minutes looking at geese, gulls, and a heron - as well as swatting the &%^*$$!! mosquitoes. You'd think the cold nights we've had would've wiped them out!
On the way back continued past the park and over to the base of the old landfill. Stopped at Lock 7 along the way - looks like they had more threats of flooding there, with several new dirt and stone dikes set up to keep the dam from overflowing.
Lots of birds out and about, though honestly I heard more than I saw... another advantage to not using headphones when I go outdoors... and chubby squirrels everywhere frantically stockpiling fat and food for the upcoming winter...
JMH
Friday, October 07, 2011
8.3 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Friday, October 7, 2011
Haven't been to the Pine Bush very much this year, in part because I know that it's one of the main places I'll be running once late fall and winter are here and it's dark pretty much by the time I get out of work. But I did want to get out for a run tonight, and I didn't want to drive very far - so off I went to the Washington Ave Extension trailhead to spend some time in what's probably the largest section of the preserve.
Preserve staff has clearly done the fall brush-hogging of the trails - all the main trails were pretty clear, and there were abundant tire gouges and demolished small trees and bushes along the edges of the trails. I ran most of the main trails, and made it about halfway through before I had to break out my headlamp. I considered doing another mile or two toward the end but decided that in light of my bruised foot (which is still bruised but at least my ankle's no longer swollen) and an upcoming long run on either Sunday or Monday, taking it a little easier tonight was probably a good plan. But it did feel good to be out on the trails on a chilly fall evening.
JMH
Friday, October 7, 2011
Haven't been to the Pine Bush very much this year, in part because I know that it's one of the main places I'll be running once late fall and winter are here and it's dark pretty much by the time I get out of work. But I did want to get out for a run tonight, and I didn't want to drive very far - so off I went to the Washington Ave Extension trailhead to spend some time in what's probably the largest section of the preserve.
Preserve staff has clearly done the fall brush-hogging of the trails - all the main trails were pretty clear, and there were abundant tire gouges and demolished small trees and bushes along the edges of the trails. I ran most of the main trails, and made it about halfway through before I had to break out my headlamp. I considered doing another mile or two toward the end but decided that in light of my bruised foot (which is still bruised but at least my ankle's no longer swollen) and an upcoming long run on either Sunday or Monday, taking it a little easier tonight was probably a good plan. But it did feel good to be out on the trails on a chilly fall evening.
JMH
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Huh?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
This morning while I was showering I noticed a large bruise along the inside of my left foot... closer inspection showed that my ankle was also a bit swollen just above it (which explains why it was feeling a little bit tight.) When the heck did I do that? It looks fairly fresh (and I would hope I'd have noticed it if it was there over the last couple of days), I haven't run since Sunday, and my walk yesterday was remarkably uneventful. Can't recall rolling it or smacking it into anything yesterday... truly bizarre.
Still, between that and being pretty tired from getting way too little sleep last night, I decided to skip the run I'd planned for tonight. I'll try tomorrow night instead...
JMH
Thursday, October 6, 2011
This morning while I was showering I noticed a large bruise along the inside of my left foot... closer inspection showed that my ankle was also a bit swollen just above it (which explains why it was feeling a little bit tight.) When the heck did I do that? It looks fairly fresh (and I would hope I'd have noticed it if it was there over the last couple of days), I haven't run since Sunday, and my walk yesterday was remarkably uneventful. Can't recall rolling it or smacking it into anything yesterday... truly bizarre.
Still, between that and being pretty tired from getting way too little sleep last night, I decided to skip the run I'd planned for tonight. I'll try tomorrow night instead...
JMH
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
1 Mile Walk at Ann Lee Pond
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
By the time I was done teaching my weekly karate lesson it was getting pretty late - only half an hour or so before sundown (curse the ever-decreasing hours of daylight!) I probably should have brought my gear with me and gone for a run, but I settled for a very short walk instead, at Ann Lee Pond. Walked out to the crazy bridge, which has several trees down over the western end (fortunately the branches had been cut back enough to allow access) and it looks like the local hooligans have decided to knock out railings on the eastern end, since the town has replaced the ones that were smashed up on the western side. I just don't understand the idiotic need to wreck stuff just for the sake of destruction.
No wildlife in sight, though I did hear a couple of loud splashes that I suspect were muskrats jumping in the pond.
I did find it a bit interesting that people in both parking lots left fairly quickly after I showed up... don't think I want to know what they were up to...
JMH
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
By the time I was done teaching my weekly karate lesson it was getting pretty late - only half an hour or so before sundown (curse the ever-decreasing hours of daylight!) I probably should have brought my gear with me and gone for a run, but I settled for a very short walk instead, at Ann Lee Pond. Walked out to the crazy bridge, which has several trees down over the western end (fortunately the branches had been cut back enough to allow access) and it looks like the local hooligans have decided to knock out railings on the eastern end, since the town has replaced the ones that were smashed up on the western side. I just don't understand the idiotic need to wreck stuff just for the sake of destruction.
No wildlife in sight, though I did hear a couple of loud splashes that I suspect were muskrats jumping in the pond.
I did find it a bit interesting that people in both parking lots left fairly quickly after I showed up... don't think I want to know what they were up to...
JMH
Monday, October 03, 2011
1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Monday, October 3, 2011
By the time I got out of work it was getting too late to head out for a bike ride - I haven't been able to find the handlebar mount for my better light, so I'd rather not do an extended ride in the dark yet. Instead I drove over the Buckingham Pond to do a couple of loops around the park.
There was quite the mob of ducks by the parking lot... guess that's really not surprising, given how many ducklings I saw there this past summer. Spent a bit taking some pictures and then headed off around the pond. The section that runs right along the water clearly took some damage during the storms, and the city seems to have done a fairly slapdash job fixing it, so it's now a wide, ugly stretch of path. Other than that the park seems to have come through unscathed - not too surprising, considering that I never lost power during the storms. They must have a really effective drain system in place, because even with all the rain we've had over the last couple of weeks the water level was normal.
As I was finishing my first loop I stopped to take pictures of the ducks again and was surprised when a group of them started waddling off toward the parking lot... then another group followed... and another... I finally noticed Icould hear whistling, and saw someone crossing the road into the parking lot with a bag in one hand and a big group of duckie moochers heading toward him. Apparently he feeds them often enough that they recognize his whistle and go looking for a handout.
A couple of runners passed me as I was walking, including one fellow who was pushing a baby jogger - seemed a bit inconsiderate to be using one of those on the relatively narrow footpath, but maybe that's just me. I've thought about running laps there but in the end the lack of distance does me in, since I'd have to run around the pond eight times just to get six miles, and I suspect I'd quickly be bored out of my skull... don't know how track runners do it.
JMH
Monday, October 3, 2011
By the time I got out of work it was getting too late to head out for a bike ride - I haven't been able to find the handlebar mount for my better light, so I'd rather not do an extended ride in the dark yet. Instead I drove over the Buckingham Pond to do a couple of loops around the park.
There was quite the mob of ducks by the parking lot... guess that's really not surprising, given how many ducklings I saw there this past summer. Spent a bit taking some pictures and then headed off around the pond. The section that runs right along the water clearly took some damage during the storms, and the city seems to have done a fairly slapdash job fixing it, so it's now a wide, ugly stretch of path. Other than that the park seems to have come through unscathed - not too surprising, considering that I never lost power during the storms. They must have a really effective drain system in place, because even with all the rain we've had over the last couple of weeks the water level was normal.
As I was finishing my first loop I stopped to take pictures of the ducks again and was surprised when a group of them started waddling off toward the parking lot... then another group followed... and another... I finally noticed Icould hear whistling, and saw someone crossing the road into the parking lot with a bag in one hand and a big group of duckie moochers heading toward him. Apparently he feeds them often enough that they recognize his whistle and go looking for a handout.
A couple of runners passed me as I was walking, including one fellow who was pushing a baby jogger - seemed a bit inconsiderate to be using one of those on the relatively narrow footpath, but maybe that's just me. I've thought about running laps there but in the end the lack of distance does me in, since I'd have to run around the pond eight times just to get six miles, and I suspect I'd quickly be bored out of my skull... don't know how track runners do it.
JMH
The Pursuit of Happiness
A Short Presentation by Gordon Livingston M.D.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Last year we started an alumnae lecture series at the school; today we had the first talk in the 2011-12 series, with Dr. Gordon Livingston '56. While I liked a lot of what he had to say, I found his talk a bit disjointed - possibly an effect of the relatively short time he had to speak. But one thing he said stood out for me - the three things everyone needs to be happy:
(1) something to do that you find enjoyable and fulfilling
(2) someone to love and be loved by in return
(3) something to look forward to
And I am one heck of a fortunate guy to have all three in ample supply.
JMH
A Short Presentation by Gordon Livingston M.D.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Last year we started an alumnae lecture series at the school; today we had the first talk in the 2011-12 series, with Dr. Gordon Livingston '56. While I liked a lot of what he had to say, I found his talk a bit disjointed - possibly an effect of the relatively short time he had to speak. But one thing he said stood out for me - the three things everyone needs to be happy:
(1) something to do that you find enjoyable and fulfilling
(2) someone to love and be loved by in return
(3) something to look forward to
And I am one heck of a fortunate guy to have all three in ample supply.
JMH
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Saturday, October 01, 2011
3 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Fortunately I was feeling well enough today for a walk at Five Rivers, and even more fortunately the rain held off until I was done, since it was chilly enough without it. It's hard to believe that just a few days ago I was constantly drenched in sweat in some rather unusual late September heat and humidity... today feels more like late fall!
Wandering around Five Rivers is always worthwhile, and today was no exception. When I swung by the bird feeders behind the nature center, I was pleasantly surprised to see a turkey on the ground - presumably the one which has been there frequently for the past year, and this summer was escorting a trio of chicks. I wondered where the latter were, until I looked up and saw two more turkeys perched about five feet off the ground on the two platform feeders. One was snoozing, and the other looked ready to take a nap as well - at a guess, those are the two remaining youngsters.
As I made my way through the paved paths near the nature center, I had my second surprise - another walker pointed out a small hawk perched in one of the spruce trees, saying it was either a sharp-shinned or a coopers hawk. Quite the beauty - I took a couple of pictures and then continued on so I wouldn't scare it off.
Wandered down to the Heron and Beaver ponds, where apparently a lot of work has taken place in the last month. One of the observation platforms in the Beaver pond has been moved, after being washed out of position several times in the last year. The path to the bridge has been rebuilt, as has the entrance to the boardwalk. But the biggest change is an attempt to re-route the stream that runs into the pond from the west - one branch of that stream has been washing out the end of the boardwalk and the path to the bridge, possibly due to the beavers diverting it to flood the marsh.
As I walked around the pond, I spotted several ducks, a lone canada goose, and a kingfisher. No beavers in sight, but it was still pretty early. From there I headed back to the Vlomankill trail, where even more work had been done, in this case to reinforce the bank which was washing out. Walked up the hill and across the fields, startling a couple of deer along the way. Also spotted another kingfisher and a green heron in the Sunfish pond.
On my way back to the car I swung around the bird feeders again - turkeys were still there, but I guess they'd had enough of a rest, because the two perching hopped down to the ground and all three headed off foraging. Followed them for a bit, then headed back to the car to change into dry shoes and run a couple of errands. No doubt spending the day in bed yesterday and this morning did a lot of good toward my kicking whatever bug's gotten a toehold in my system - but walking at Five Rivers today did me a lot of good too.
JMH
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Fortunately I was feeling well enough today for a walk at Five Rivers, and even more fortunately the rain held off until I was done, since it was chilly enough without it. It's hard to believe that just a few days ago I was constantly drenched in sweat in some rather unusual late September heat and humidity... today feels more like late fall!
Wandering around Five Rivers is always worthwhile, and today was no exception. When I swung by the bird feeders behind the nature center, I was pleasantly surprised to see a turkey on the ground - presumably the one which has been there frequently for the past year, and this summer was escorting a trio of chicks. I wondered where the latter were, until I looked up and saw two more turkeys perched about five feet off the ground on the two platform feeders. One was snoozing, and the other looked ready to take a nap as well - at a guess, those are the two remaining youngsters.
As I made my way through the paved paths near the nature center, I had my second surprise - another walker pointed out a small hawk perched in one of the spruce trees, saying it was either a sharp-shinned or a coopers hawk. Quite the beauty - I took a couple of pictures and then continued on so I wouldn't scare it off.
Wandered down to the Heron and Beaver ponds, where apparently a lot of work has taken place in the last month. One of the observation platforms in the Beaver pond has been moved, after being washed out of position several times in the last year. The path to the bridge has been rebuilt, as has the entrance to the boardwalk. But the biggest change is an attempt to re-route the stream that runs into the pond from the west - one branch of that stream has been washing out the end of the boardwalk and the path to the bridge, possibly due to the beavers diverting it to flood the marsh.
As I walked around the pond, I spotted several ducks, a lone canada goose, and a kingfisher. No beavers in sight, but it was still pretty early. From there I headed back to the Vlomankill trail, where even more work had been done, in this case to reinforce the bank which was washing out. Walked up the hill and across the fields, startling a couple of deer along the way. Also spotted another kingfisher and a green heron in the Sunfish pond.
On my way back to the car I swung around the bird feeders again - turkeys were still there, but I guess they'd had enough of a rest, because the two perching hopped down to the ground and all three headed off foraging. Followed them for a bit, then headed back to the car to change into dry shoes and run a couple of errands. No doubt spending the day in bed yesterday and this morning did a lot of good toward my kicking whatever bug's gotten a toehold in my system - but walking at Five Rivers today did me a lot of good too.
JMH
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
