2.1 Mile Snowshoe at Five Rivers EEC
Friday, February 27, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
SO MUCH FOR TODAY'S RUN...
1.3 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
My run today was nixed by two things... first, it turned out to be significantly colder on the windy bike path than it was walking between my car and the house after work, and I hadn't packed enough warm gear. Even so, I was willing to tough out at least 4-5 miles... except my knee, which I tweaked at work yesterday, started twinging right from the start, so I called it quits less than a tenth of a mile down the path.
Once I dragged myself out the door for a short walk, it was after sunset, so I spent a while watching the crows stream across the sky, heading for wherever they are roosting tonight. While watching them fly across the half moon, I noticed a tiny reddish object just below the moon - turns out it was the orange giant star Aldebaran.
JMH
1.3 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
My run today was nixed by two things... first, it turned out to be significantly colder on the windy bike path than it was walking between my car and the house after work, and I hadn't packed enough warm gear. Even so, I was willing to tough out at least 4-5 miles... except my knee, which I tweaked at work yesterday, started twinging right from the start, so I called it quits less than a tenth of a mile down the path.
Once I dragged myself out the door for a short walk, it was after sunset, so I spent a while watching the crows stream across the sky, heading for wherever they are roosting tonight. While watching them fly across the half moon, I noticed a tiny reddish object just below the moon - turns out it was the orange giant star Aldebaran.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
A GREAT AFTERNOON FOR A RIDE
9.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, February 22, 2015
We've had a few other "warm" days this month, but they've always been during the week when I was at work or on a weekend when I was out of town, so when the forecast for this afternoon called for low 30's and sunny, I was pretty enthused... especially since we're supposed to drop back into frigid temperatures for the rest of the week. In other words, this would probably be my only chance to get out on my bike this month and maintain my "ride every month" streak...
I started out at the Mohawk Riverside Landing Park, figuring I could take the road from there to the Lions Park and then walk my bike through the snow on the way back (and thus avoid crossing the road.) I was met with incredulity from a number of walkers, who apparently had trouble wrapping their minds around the thought of someone riding in February - or maybe it was the 3-4 inches of snow covering the path, since the town hadn't plowed it after Saturday's storm. Got to admit it was a workout, especially after this morning's snowshoe race, but it was rideable until I hit a spot just before the old railroad bridge where the wind had drifted snow onto the path over a foot deep. I did a short stint on the road to bypass that on the way back, then pushed on through the snow back to the parking lot... where I put the bike back on the car and drove to the Lions Park. The thought of slogging 4/10ths of a mile through drifted snow while pushing the bike just did not appeal to me...
Fortunately, Niskayuna had plowed their section of the path, so that was pretty easy going, though also very crowded. I rode over the Lock 7, took a break to try and get some shots of the frozen-over Lock 7 dam, and then headed back to the car. Not a long ride by any stretch of the imagination... but long enough for a February afternoon, even one as pleasant as today's, after a weekend of two tough snowshoe races.
JMH
9.5 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, February 22, 2015
We've had a few other "warm" days this month, but they've always been during the week when I was at work or on a weekend when I was out of town, so when the forecast for this afternoon called for low 30's and sunny, I was pretty enthused... especially since we're supposed to drop back into frigid temperatures for the rest of the week. In other words, this would probably be my only chance to get out on my bike this month and maintain my "ride every month" streak...
I started out at the Mohawk Riverside Landing Park, figuring I could take the road from there to the Lions Park and then walk my bike through the snow on the way back (and thus avoid crossing the road.) I was met with incredulity from a number of walkers, who apparently had trouble wrapping their minds around the thought of someone riding in February - or maybe it was the 3-4 inches of snow covering the path, since the town hadn't plowed it after Saturday's storm. Got to admit it was a workout, especially after this morning's snowshoe race, but it was rideable until I hit a spot just before the old railroad bridge where the wind had drifted snow onto the path over a foot deep. I did a short stint on the road to bypass that on the way back, then pushed on through the snow back to the parking lot... where I put the bike back on the car and drove to the Lions Park. The thought of slogging 4/10ths of a mile through drifted snow while pushing the bike just did not appeal to me...
Fortunately, Niskayuna had plowed their section of the path, so that was pretty easy going, though also very crowded. I rode over the Lock 7, took a break to try and get some shots of the frozen-over Lock 7 dam, and then headed back to the car. Not a long ride by any stretch of the imagination... but long enough for a February afternoon, even one as pleasant as today's, after a weekend of two tough snowshoe races.
JMH
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
PLEASANT SURPRISES ON A VERY COLD EVENING
Friday, February 20, 2015
Between a very tiring week and some brutally cold weather, it was awfully tempting to to skip going outside... but I finally dragged myself out the door, to be greeted by a gorgeous view of a thin cresecent moon, Venus, and Mars just visible over the houses across the street.
On my way to the grocery store I passed tonight's roost for the local crows.... hundreds and hundreds of crows in the trees getting settled in for the night. I suspect it's not as fascinating if they're roosting over your yard... but I never get bored seeing all those birds perched overhead, rustling their feathers and talking to each other.
JMH
Friday, February 20, 2015
Between a very tiring week and some brutally cold weather, it was awfully tempting to to skip going outside... but I finally dragged myself out the door, to be greeted by a gorgeous view of a thin cresecent moon, Venus, and Mars just visible over the houses across the street.
On my way to the grocery store I passed tonight's roost for the local crows.... hundreds and hundreds of crows in the trees getting settled in for the night. I suspect it's not as fascinating if they're roosting over your yard... but I never get bored seeing all those birds perched overhead, rustling their feathers and talking to each other.
JMH
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
NO MORE RT TURKEY RUN... SIGH...
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
While the race is much older (apparently it was started 35 years ago) I first ran the RT Turkey Run in 2006, and it quickly became a post-Thanksgiving favorite with its unusual combination of both roads and trails. Since then I've run it seven times, and seen it move from the roads and trails of Mendon Ponds Park to the paved Irondequoit Lakeside Trail, then back to Mendon Ponds, where for the last two years it has been run totally on trails (and in 2013 through about 8 inches of snow.)
Apparently the low turnout (typically at most 60-80 runners) has been ongoing issue for the organizers, and in an attempt to increase participation the race has been moved to early April and renamed the Cardiac Hill Run. Still 5 miles, still all trails, but at a very different time of the year. Unfortunately, I have other plans for that weekend...
One of the tough things about keeping at this running stuff for a while is seeing races that I enjoy end their run. While the RT Turkey Run is continuing in a slightly altered form... I'm going to miss running through Mendon on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
JMH
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
While the race is much older (apparently it was started 35 years ago) I first ran the RT Turkey Run in 2006, and it quickly became a post-Thanksgiving favorite with its unusual combination of both roads and trails. Since then I've run it seven times, and seen it move from the roads and trails of Mendon Ponds Park to the paved Irondequoit Lakeside Trail, then back to Mendon Ponds, where for the last two years it has been run totally on trails (and in 2013 through about 8 inches of snow.)
Apparently the low turnout (typically at most 60-80 runners) has been ongoing issue for the organizers, and in an attempt to increase participation the race has been moved to early April and renamed the Cardiac Hill Run. Still 5 miles, still all trails, but at a very different time of the year. Unfortunately, I have other plans for that weekend...
One of the tough things about keeping at this running stuff for a while is seeing races that I enjoy end their run. While the RT Turkey Run is continuing in a slightly altered form... I'm going to miss running through Mendon on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
JMH
Monday, February 16, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
OBSERVATIONS ON A CHILLY AFTERNOON
2.8 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Thursday, February 12, 2015
2.8 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Thursday, February 12, 2015
- It's incredible how quickly the weather has gone from pleasant and mild to windy and cold.
- I used to see a wooded area with a small playground along South Allen St when I drove through... sometime last fall the trees were all cut down and the area excavated for some kind of construction. A real shame... we need more trees and playgrounds, not more development.
- Hundreds of crows in the sky and trees along South Allen... probably figuring out where they're going to roost for the night.
- The city does a pathetic job of enforcing the ordinance that sidewalks need to be cleared of snow and ice within 24 hours of a storm.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Sunday, February 08, 2015
Saturday, February 07, 2015
Monday, February 02, 2015
NOW THIS IS A SNOWSTORM...
Monday, February 2, 2015
About 8-10 inches when I went outside this morning to fill the feeders, and it was still coming down pretty steadily... we picked up another 6-8 inches during the day. Unbroken snow was almost knee deep when I went out for a walk.
(My car, after about 12 hours of snowfall...)
Of course, the bad news is the roads and sidewalks are going to be a mess for a while, because the city really doesn't have anywhere to put the snow when they plow (and my street doesn't typically rate actual snow removal like the main drags do) and most of the people around here are inconsiderate morons when it comes to clearing around their parked cars (shovel it into the street, onto the sidewalk, or into adjacent parking spots) and their sidewalks (shovel it into the street where cars should be parked, including against cars if they happen to be parked there.) I don't really get it - when I clear the front walk, it really isn't much more effort to throw the snow into the small yard in front of the house - but maybe that just means I'm not as lazy as I sometimes think I am.
The birds went crazy at the feeders... I had the usual enormous mob of sparrows, but also a group of about 20 crows, several blue jays and starlings, some mourning doves, and a couple of juncos. Ended up filling the feeders three times today... I guess a foot of snow makes it tough to find what little food is still out there in the middle of winter.
JMH
Monday, February 2, 2015
About 8-10 inches when I went outside this morning to fill the feeders, and it was still coming down pretty steadily... we picked up another 6-8 inches during the day. Unbroken snow was almost knee deep when I went out for a walk.
(My car, after about 12 hours of snowfall...)
Of course, the bad news is the roads and sidewalks are going to be a mess for a while, because the city really doesn't have anywhere to put the snow when they plow (and my street doesn't typically rate actual snow removal like the main drags do) and most of the people around here are inconsiderate morons when it comes to clearing around their parked cars (shovel it into the street, onto the sidewalk, or into adjacent parking spots) and their sidewalks (shovel it into the street where cars should be parked, including against cars if they happen to be parked there.) I don't really get it - when I clear the front walk, it really isn't much more effort to throw the snow into the small yard in front of the house - but maybe that just means I'm not as lazy as I sometimes think I am.
The birds went crazy at the feeders... I had the usual enormous mob of sparrows, but also a group of about 20 crows, several blue jays and starlings, some mourning doves, and a couple of juncos. Ended up filling the feeders three times today... I guess a foot of snow makes it tough to find what little food is still out there in the middle of winter.
JMH
Sunday, February 01, 2015
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