WARM BUT REALLY WINDY...
16.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
HILLS & MUD IN ABUNDANCE
7.8 Mile Run at the Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
Monday, March 21, 2016
According to my blog notes, it's been 7 1/2 years since I last visited the Plotter Kill Preserve... an awfully long time considering that it's only a half hour or so away. So today I decided to change that, even though I knew it would be a challenging "run"... and during the course of the 3 hours I was there I was reminded of why I don't run there very often - it's really freakin' difficult! The hills at the beginning, middle, and end are tough, though there are some very runnable sections along the north and south rims of the gorge. Well, they're runnable when they aren't ankle-deep in mud and water, which a lot of the trails were today. I ended up with two speeds - slow crawl, and even slower hike.
I was surprised to see half a dozen cars in the lot when I got there - in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday - but really didn't see anyone else until the last two miles, when it seemed like there were a lot of people hiking in. Good time for me to be leaving, I'd say...
I did get to see some nice small waterfalls and got a glimpse of the upper falls, which is much easier to do when there are no leaves on the trees. And when I wasn't plodding up hills or slogging through mud it was a nice day in the woods.
If my knees hold up I may even decide to go back later this year, just to see if I gotten any fitter than I was today... or maybe it will be another 7-8 years before I tackle the butt-kicking trails at Plotter Kill again...
JMH
7.8 Mile Run at the Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
Monday, March 21, 2016
According to my blog notes, it's been 7 1/2 years since I last visited the Plotter Kill Preserve... an awfully long time considering that it's only a half hour or so away. So today I decided to change that, even though I knew it would be a challenging "run"... and during the course of the 3 hours I was there I was reminded of why I don't run there very often - it's really freakin' difficult! The hills at the beginning, middle, and end are tough, though there are some very runnable sections along the north and south rims of the gorge. Well, they're runnable when they aren't ankle-deep in mud and water, which a lot of the trails were today. I ended up with two speeds - slow crawl, and even slower hike.
I was surprised to see half a dozen cars in the lot when I got there - in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday - but really didn't see anyone else until the last two miles, when it seemed like there were a lot of people hiking in. Good time for me to be leaving, I'd say...
I did get to see some nice small waterfalls and got a glimpse of the upper falls, which is much easier to do when there are no leaves on the trees. And when I wasn't plodding up hills or slogging through mud it was a nice day in the woods.
If my knees hold up I may even decide to go back later this year, just to see if I gotten any fitter than I was today... or maybe it will be another 7-8 years before I tackle the butt-kicking trails at Plotter Kill again...
JMH
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
TEST RIDE...
13.3 Mile Ride on the Zim Smith Trail
7.2 Mile Ride on the Ballston Bike Hike Trail
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Last fall one of the grip shifters on my Kent bike cracked... I ordered replacements for both, figuring I'd install them over the winter when I wasn't riding the bike. Except, of course, the weather was warm enough this winter that I used the bike all winter...
So yesterday I stripped off the bar tape and spent a while trying to figure out how to get the shifters off - until finally while searching online I stumbled across the vital piece of information: the drop bar on this bike is two pieces, held together by a bolt in the middle. After that things went fairly smoothly - I installed the new shifters, gel pads, and bar tape, cleaned and lubed the chain, and adjusted the gear shifting. All that was left was to take it out for a spin and see how it all came out...
The Zim Smith trail was surprisingly busy for a a Tuesday afternoon - lots of people walking, with and without dogs, and a fair number of folks riding. I stuck to the paved sections and overall felt pretty good. The only glitch was some rough shifting in the lowest gears, including throwing the chain off the lowest gear on the worst climb. Not too shabby...
After that I headed over to the Ballston Bike & Hike Trail to wrap things up... fairly easy riding to round out the afternoon.
There were two spots along the trails where the wood frogs were going full blast with their spring calls, just like the ones Ann and I heard at Green Lakes on Sunday... the first was too overgrown for me to see them, but the second was right alongside the path, so I actually got to see a few of the frogs splashing around.
JMH
13.3 Mile Ride on the Zim Smith Trail
7.2 Mile Ride on the Ballston Bike Hike Trail
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Last fall one of the grip shifters on my Kent bike cracked... I ordered replacements for both, figuring I'd install them over the winter when I wasn't riding the bike. Except, of course, the weather was warm enough this winter that I used the bike all winter...
So yesterday I stripped off the bar tape and spent a while trying to figure out how to get the shifters off - until finally while searching online I stumbled across the vital piece of information: the drop bar on this bike is two pieces, held together by a bolt in the middle. After that things went fairly smoothly - I installed the new shifters, gel pads, and bar tape, cleaned and lubed the chain, and adjusted the gear shifting. All that was left was to take it out for a spin and see how it all came out...
The Zim Smith trail was surprisingly busy for a a Tuesday afternoon - lots of people walking, with and without dogs, and a fair number of folks riding. I stuck to the paved sections and overall felt pretty good. The only glitch was some rough shifting in the lowest gears, including throwing the chain off the lowest gear on the worst climb. Not too shabby...
After that I headed over to the Ballston Bike & Hike Trail to wrap things up... fairly easy riding to round out the afternoon.
There were two spots along the trails where the wood frogs were going full blast with their spring calls, just like the ones Ann and I heard at Green Lakes on Sunday... the first was too overgrown for me to see them, but the second was right alongside the path, so I actually got to see a few of the frogs splashing around.
JMH
0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
After getting something of a runaround from Midas when I tried to re-schedule an appointment to change my tires over to the all-seasons I use 9 months of the year, I decided to try Mavis this morning - I had a good experience with them down in Kingston last October when I needed a flat repaired, so it seemed worth checking them out here in Albany. So far so good - they took my car in right away, didn't try to sell me a bunch of extra stuff, and had me out in around an hour.
On the way home I decided to stop at Buckingham Pond for a walk... lots more ducks there, as well as two groups of geese. And pretty quiet, for the most part. It was nice to be there in the morning rather than my usual evening visits.
JMH
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
After getting something of a runaround from Midas when I tried to re-schedule an appointment to change my tires over to the all-seasons I use 9 months of the year, I decided to try Mavis this morning - I had a good experience with them down in Kingston last October when I needed a flat repaired, so it seemed worth checking them out here in Albany. So far so good - they took my car in right away, didn't try to sell me a bunch of extra stuff, and had me out in around an hour.
On the way home I decided to stop at Buckingham Pond for a walk... lots more ducks there, as well as two groups of geese. And pretty quiet, for the most part. It was nice to be there in the morning rather than my usual evening visits.
JMH
Monday, March 14, 2016
A CHILLY, GREY DAY...
5.6 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Monday, March 14, 2016
I don't go to Schodack Island State Park very often... with a few exceptions (like the time I saw dozens of herons in the tidal flats) it tends to be a pretty unexceptional place. But the trails there are fairly level and fairly soft, and I haven't been there since last August - so that's where I headed today to try some running, after almost a week of my knees griping up a storm.
The rain had stopped by the time I left the house, but I got hit with a squall on the way to the park... which fortunately let up just as I got ready to run, and it stayed dry the whole time I was there. One plus to the lousy weather - there was no one else there when I got there, and only two other cars there when I finished.
The state has built two campgrounds complete with comfort stations off in the woods between the administrative building and the day use/boat launch parking. It looks pretty impressive - hopefully they'll do good business.
JMH
5.6 Mile Run at Schodack Island State Park
Monday, March 14, 2016
I don't go to Schodack Island State Park very often... with a few exceptions (like the time I saw dozens of herons in the tidal flats) it tends to be a pretty unexceptional place. But the trails there are fairly level and fairly soft, and I haven't been there since last August - so that's where I headed today to try some running, after almost a week of my knees griping up a storm.
The rain had stopped by the time I left the house, but I got hit with a squall on the way to the park... which fortunately let up just as I got ready to run, and it stayed dry the whole time I was there. One plus to the lousy weather - there was no one else there when I got there, and only two other cars there when I finished.
The state has built two campgrounds complete with comfort stations off in the woods between the administrative building and the day use/boat launch parking. It looks pretty impressive - hopefully they'll do good business.
JMH
Sunday, March 13, 2016
12.1 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park
Sunday, March 13, 2016
The bike path through the Corning Preserve is probably one of my least favorite off-road places to ride near Albany - it runs parallel to I787, so there's a lot of traffic noise, and once you cross the Watervliet town line, the pavement has a lot of bumpy, uneven stretches - it really needs to be repaved like the Albany portion was a few years ago. But it does have the advantage of being only 10-15 minutes away, and on a good day I can ride the whole thing, including doing a loop or two around Schuyler Flatts, in about an hour.
Thanks to the switch to Daylight Savings Time (hurray!) I had plenty of time to get in a short ride after getting home from central NY. My legs were definitely feeling the effects of all the hills yesterday, but I kept up a pretty good pace for the entire ride.
Thirty miles in two days... not bad for early March...
JMH
Sunday, March 13, 2016
The bike path through the Corning Preserve is probably one of my least favorite off-road places to ride near Albany - it runs parallel to I787, so there's a lot of traffic noise, and once you cross the Watervliet town line, the pavement has a lot of bumpy, uneven stretches - it really needs to be repaved like the Albany portion was a few years ago. But it does have the advantage of being only 10-15 minutes away, and on a good day I can ride the whole thing, including doing a loop or two around Schuyler Flatts, in about an hour.
Thanks to the switch to Daylight Savings Time (hurray!) I had plenty of time to get in a short ride after getting home from central NY. My legs were definitely feeling the effects of all the hills yesterday, but I kept up a pretty good pace for the entire ride.
Thirty miles in two days... not bad for early March...
JMH
Saturday, March 12, 2016
UP & DOWN THE NISKAYUNA HILLS
17.9 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Temperatures were supposed to reach the low 60's today but were only in the mid-40's when I got to the bike path... fortunately I had a both a long-sleeved shirt and a jersey on underneath my jacket, but my hands were pretty chilly for the first half of my ride.
I was feeling pretty good when I got to the base of the old landfill, so I decided to head up the hill past Knolls and GE. My legs are definitely out of climbing condition - but I made it up all the hills without having to get off and push, which felt pretty good.
Unfortunately, there was a mild headwind all the way back, and in the end my legs got tired enough that I decided to turn around at the Onderdonk Ave crossing - only to find that I was somehow fighting a headwind on the way back, too. At least it had warmed up enough that riding was very comfortable...
JMH
17.9 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Temperatures were supposed to reach the low 60's today but were only in the mid-40's when I got to the bike path... fortunately I had a both a long-sleeved shirt and a jersey on underneath my jacket, but my hands were pretty chilly for the first half of my ride.
I was feeling pretty good when I got to the base of the old landfill, so I decided to head up the hill past Knolls and GE. My legs are definitely out of climbing condition - but I made it up all the hills without having to get off and push, which felt pretty good.
Unfortunately, there was a mild headwind all the way back, and in the end my legs got tired enough that I decided to turn around at the Onderdonk Ave crossing - only to find that I was somehow fighting a headwind on the way back, too. At least it had warmed up enough that riding was very comfortable...
JMH
Friday, March 11, 2016
3.3 Mile Walk at the Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve
Friday, March 11, 2016
I had originally hoped to ride tonight, but it was very windy and I really didn't feel like spending at least half my ride fighting against the wind. Since I got out of work before the worst of the traffic would start up, I headed north to the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve to do some walking and check out the migrating waterfowl.
The parking area was packed when I got there; despite that, I only ran into a few people out on the trails. The town has been doing a lot of tree cutting along the towpath, which strikes me as a shame - what can I say, I like trees. Not that many waterfowl yet - mostly geese and mallards, with a few teals. Given how warm it's been it's hard to remember sometimes that it's only early March and migration season hasn't quite kicked in yet.
JMH
Friday, March 11, 2016
I had originally hoped to ride tonight, but it was very windy and I really didn't feel like spending at least half my ride fighting against the wind. Since I got out of work before the worst of the traffic would start up, I headed north to the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve to do some walking and check out the migrating waterfowl.
The parking area was packed when I got there; despite that, I only ran into a few people out on the trails. The town has been doing a lot of tree cutting along the towpath, which strikes me as a shame - what can I say, I like trees. Not that many waterfowl yet - mostly geese and mallards, with a few teals. Given how warm it's been it's hard to remember sometimes that it's only early March and migration season hasn't quite kicked in yet.
JMH
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
A VERY COMFORTABLE NEW HELMET
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
For as long as I can remember, I've used Bell cycling helmets, and they've served me well. They fit better than the other types I've tried, they've held up well to banging around the back seat of my car, and on the couple of occasions when I've had a bad crash, they've kept my noggin' intact. Which is why I picked up a couple of future replacements of my current helmet, the Bell Slant, when Nashbar recently had them on sale - I'd rather deal with storing them until I need them than searching for an entirely new helmet when it turns out Bell's no longer making that model any more. The same sale featured a very reasonably priced helmet by Ascent, the Vojan, which had good reviews, and for some reason I added one to the order. And I'm very glad I did, because it turns out that at least initially, it's probably the most comfortable helmet I've ever worn.
I wore it for a ride for the first time today, and my opinion hasn't changed. It's possible that as I use it more I may find some points of irritation, or maybe it will turn out to be much hotter than the Bells once summer gets here, or who knows what else - only time will tell. But at the moment I think I may have found a better helmet, which is pretty neat.
JMH
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
For as long as I can remember, I've used Bell cycling helmets, and they've served me well. They fit better than the other types I've tried, they've held up well to banging around the back seat of my car, and on the couple of occasions when I've had a bad crash, they've kept my noggin' intact. Which is why I picked up a couple of future replacements of my current helmet, the Bell Slant, when Nashbar recently had them on sale - I'd rather deal with storing them until I need them than searching for an entirely new helmet when it turns out Bell's no longer making that model any more. The same sale featured a very reasonably priced helmet by Ascent, the Vojan, which had good reviews, and for some reason I added one to the order. And I'm very glad I did, because it turns out that at least initially, it's probably the most comfortable helmet I've ever worn.
I wore it for a ride for the first time today, and my opinion hasn't changed. It's possible that as I use it more I may find some points of irritation, or maybe it will turn out to be much hotter than the Bells once summer gets here, or who knows what else - only time will tell. But at the moment I think I may have found a better helmet, which is pretty neat.
JMH
SUMMER ARRIVES EARLY?
15.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
80 degrees when I left work today - crazy. Fortunately I had planned ahead and brought my bike and bike clothes to work, so I was able to beat the traffic and got over to Lock 8 a little after 4 PM... plenty of time to do the entire path before dark. Apparently everyone else thought the same thing - the parking lots at Lock 8 and just down the road were packed, and there were people all over the place on the path.
Three more days until daylight savings time begins - I'm really looking forward to having that extra hour of daylight in the evening!
JMH
15.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
80 degrees when I left work today - crazy. Fortunately I had planned ahead and brought my bike and bike clothes to work, so I was able to beat the traffic and got over to Lock 8 a little after 4 PM... plenty of time to do the entire path before dark. Apparently everyone else thought the same thing - the parking lots at Lock 8 and just down the road were packed, and there were people all over the place on the path.
Looks like March... you'd never know it was 80 degrees!
There's even some ice left on the surface of the old Erie Canal.
Turtles large and small enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.
Three more days until daylight savings time begins - I'm really looking forward to having that extra hour of daylight in the evening!
JMH
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
AND THAT'S A WRAP, FOLKS...
Snowshoe Season Silently Slips Away
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
No surprise, seeing as we have no snow and no prospect for any in the near future (heck, it's supposed to hit close to 70 degrees tomorrow...) so the final race of the series at Prospect Mountain XC ski center has been cancelled. While I would have gone over there had the event been held as a trail race, I can't say I mind all that much... since I'll most likely be heading out to Syracuse on Saturday, now I can go for a run or a ride somewhere in central NY.
I seem to remember my first season (back in 2005-06) was almost as bad as this one, with many of the races being cancelled or held as trail events... but even then we had one or two storms that dropped some decent snow. According the a meteorologist on the radio last week, the official total for Albany this winter is around 10 inches of snow, with no single storm dropping more than 2-3 inches.
Anyway, time to pull the snowshoes out of the trunk of my car and pack them away again until next December... when hopefully we can look forward to a winter with a little more snow than we had this time around.
JMH
Snowshoe Season Silently Slips Away
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
No surprise, seeing as we have no snow and no prospect for any in the near future (heck, it's supposed to hit close to 70 degrees tomorrow...) so the final race of the series at Prospect Mountain XC ski center has been cancelled. While I would have gone over there had the event been held as a trail race, I can't say I mind all that much... since I'll most likely be heading out to Syracuse on Saturday, now I can go for a run or a ride somewhere in central NY.
I seem to remember my first season (back in 2005-06) was almost as bad as this one, with many of the races being cancelled or held as trail events... but even then we had one or two storms that dropped some decent snow. According the a meteorologist on the radio last week, the official total for Albany this winter is around 10 inches of snow, with no single storm dropping more than 2-3 inches.
Anyway, time to pull the snowshoes out of the trunk of my car and pack them away again until next December... when hopefully we can look forward to a winter with a little more snow than we had this time around.
JMH
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Friday, March 04, 2016
SUNNY BUT CHILLY...
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, March 4, 2016
When I left work the sunshine made it seem deceptively warmer, but I ended up wishing I'd brought a warmer jacket as I walked around the pond. Some open water, some light ice... no surprise, given the cold of the past couple of days. A quartet of geese and a pair of ducks were hanging out in one patch of open water, and a few people were walking dogs, but overall it was pretty quiet.
Bring on the warmer weather!
JMH
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Friday, March 4, 2016
When I left work the sunshine made it seem deceptively warmer, but I ended up wishing I'd brought a warmer jacket as I walked around the pond. Some open water, some light ice... no surprise, given the cold of the past couple of days. A quartet of geese and a pair of ducks were hanging out in one patch of open water, and a few people were walking dogs, but overall it was pretty quiet.
Bring on the warmer weather!
JMH
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