WOODCHUCKLES REDUX & A TROUBLESOME BIKE
11 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Yesterday I left the bike I usually ride out in Rochester, both because it was raining steadily and I'm hoping my knee will have recovered enough for me to do the Tri the Oatka paddle triathlon in a week and a half - so during that time I need to put in a few miles on the bike I typically ride during races. I knew I needed to replace the tires first, so this morning I tackled that job. What I had forgotten was that I also needed to replace a broken spoke on the front wheel - and unfortunately I didn't notice that until after I had the tire replaced. Sigh...

Heading out on the bike path I felt a steady bump from the back wheel that probably meant the wire bead wasn't seated properly on the rim in one spot... I've had that issue once or twice before with that wheel, most memorably during the Mohawk Towpath Duathlon back in 2007. I figured it would be OK for a few miles so I decided to endure it until I got back to the car (how's that for foreshadowing?)

Stopped at Lock 7 to look for the six woodchuckles I saw a while ago... no sign of them near the burrows. But, as I was getting ready to leave, I spotted them - all the way across the lawn, in a brushy area near the road. Either woodchucks are incredible burrowers, the little squirts have gotten very brave, or Ma and Pa woodchuck have booted them out, because they were a good 100 yds from the burrows next to the Lock. Then again, if it came down to a 100 m dash between me and the woodchuckles, I'd put my money on them. Spent a few minutes taking photos of them, before my being there scared them into the brush, then headed on down the bike path.

Except now the "bump, bump, bump" was much worse, and when I stopped I discovered that the tube had popped the tire off the rim and was getting steadily worse. So I deflated the tube, did my best to re-seat the tire, and then pumped it back up as best I could with my hand pump. That took enough wind out of my sails that I considered stopping when I got back to the car. I haven't been on the Dawes since the end of April, and the frame geometry and gearing is just different enough that it can be take some getting used to - in other words my legs were grumbling.

On the way back I stopped at the Niska Isle bridge to take some pictures and was treated to another goose parade (flotilla?) as several families made their way single file to the far shore. An incredible number are hanging out in that area - looked like 8 adults and 30+ youngsters of various ages.

I managed to convince myself that it was worth riding down to the old railroad bridge ove Shaker's Creek, and I'm glad I did - I'd have felt pretty wimpy later on if I'd stopped after 6-7 miles. And tomorrow I get to work on the back tire again... it looks like the rubber over the bead may have torn away, so I may need to throw that one out and put a different one on...

JMH

16 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, June 23, 2013

Didn't ride as far as I'd planned today, legs just weren't up to it. Rode up the hill at the old landfill - tough going, especially with my left leg doing must of the work, but made it to the top OK and then took the road back to the bike path for a change of pace.

Saw two turtles laying eggs alongside the path east - a snapper and a slider - and a parade of geese and goslings out on the river near the old rail bridge.

Knee was less stiff today, I have hopes that maybe the pop is just a sprain rather than a bad tear. Time will tell...

JMH

HEY, LITTLE TURTLE...
14.9 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, June 22, 2013

Took the bike over to the path west of Schenectady today for some easy riding to get a feel for how my knee would react. In a nutshell, it was slower going than most rides lately (10 mph instead of 12 mph) and it's good I didn't have any major hills to climb. Knee was pretty stiff to start but loosened up by about halfway through the ride.

Heading back to the car from SCCC I spotted a tiny baby snapping turtle on the bike path.

Based on the direction he was facing, it looked like he was heading for the highway, so I gave him a ride to a more turtle-friendly location - a section of the old Erie Canal on the western side of Rotterdam Junction. He was pretty quite for the half-mile or so on the bike, but by the time we got to the canal he was pretty active in trying to get out of the box I'd placed him in. Then he quieted down again when I placed him at the water's edge, but as soon as I turned my back - swoosh, he was gone.

JMH

SUMMER SOLSTICE
1.1 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Friday, June 21, 2013

While it was tempting to spend the longest day of the year at home like a lump, feeling sorry for myself about my knee... I did manage to finally get my backside out the door for a walk around Buckingham Lake right before sundown.

I had hoped to do 2 loops (only a mile and a half, for heavens sake) but I underestimated the extra time and effort it takes with a marginally functional knee. So I settled for one loop and a little bit, in attempt to at least get 30 min on my feet.

Along the way I finally spotted a mother mallard and her brood of mallard munchkins... either 6 or 7 of the fuzzballs. I'm a bit surprised that there only seems to be one female with ducklings, given all the ducks that hung out here last year... though I suppose it's possible there's others still nesting.

Unfortunately, today marks the start of decreasing hours of daylight... at least there's a while yet before it really becomes noticeable. I like being able to go outdoors at 8-9 PM at night and still have something resembling daylight...
JMH

12.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Another good ride tonight... legs felt decent and I "hammered" along at a good pace (for me.) Feels like I'm finally getting somewhere with my riding.

Along the way I paused to watch a heron in the small pool near the Niska Isle bridge, and on the way back stopped for a few minutes to watch a small female snapping turtle digging a hole to bury her eggs. That looked like pretty hard work - especially when it's likely a skunk will dig up the eggs and eat them.

It would have been nice to stay out for another 6-8 miles... but work was calling. On the plus side, once I get this last batch of grading done, that will be pretty much it for this school year.

JMH

HILLS
18.4 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Before I screwed up my knee I had planned to run the Olana Star Loop trail race this evening, for the 7th year in a row... it's one of my favorites of the spring running season (though I will admit I preferred it more when most of the trails were a bit more rugged and washed out) despite the fact that it's almost non-stop hills. The weather was good enough to take a bike out, so I decided I should ride some hills instead, and headed west on the bike path toward the Niskayuna hills near Knolls and GE.

Fewer people on the path than on Saturday, which was nice. At first I thought I'd ride to GE, but then I figured what the heck, might was well continue to the top of the killer hill above the power lines and river... and then I figured what the heck, what's one more hill and went all the way to Aqueduct Road. At that point the sky was clouding up a bit so I decided to head back in case it rained.

The trip out had two tough climbs - the old landfill and the hill up to GE - plus a lot of low-grade climbing between Blatnick Park and the path west of GE. The ride back was easier - two tough climbs (the killer hill climbing away from the river and powerlines, and the climb back up to GE) but then is relatively easy. When I got back to the Lions Park I decided to keep heading east... almost made it to the view of the river, but decided I'd had enough and turned back early. Except apparently I hadn't had enough, because I went a bit further chasing the sunset, which was lighting the sky on fire... unfortunately, by the time I got back to spot with any sort of view, it was mostly over.

It continues to amaze me how quickly everything greened up - seems like just a couple of weeks ago everything was brown and grey, and now there's green everywhere. Lots of birds around too... I spotted a wood thrush, a yellow-shafted flicker, a bluebird, and one which was either a cerulean warbler or a black-throated blue warbler... he disappeared too quickly for me to make a positive ID. Plus of course a gazillion robins, catbirds, and blackbirds. Even saw a hawk getting harassed by a group of blackbirds.

JMH

A FOX IN THE DARK...
0.8 Mile Walk on the Erie Canalway Trail (Greece)
Friday, March 22, 2013

After sitting in airports and on planes for the past 16 1/2 hours I really wanted to get outside for a bit, even if it was in the dark, so Ann and I headed to Henpeck Park in Greece to go for a walk along the Erie Canal. We walked over to the Greece Canal Park landing and then headed back, because the wind was a bit vicious. Along the way we heard quite a few geese (and could just barely make them out down on the far side of the canal, which is drained for the winter) and more exciting, spotted a fox which came out of the bushes along the path, made its way down to the water, and ultimately swam the canal and disappeared up the other side. A pretty cool "welcome back"...

JMH

An Unexpected Sight
Saturday, January 19, 2013

Just before I crossed the border into Vermont this morning I saw a large dark bird fly up from a field next to the road - figured it was a turkey vulture at first (which makes no sense - I never see them around here in the winter, I suspect they migrate south) but then it banked and gave me a clear view of its bright white tail - definitely a bald eagle.

Unfortunately it was far enough away that I would have needed my good camera to get a decent shot, and I left that home today... but here's a photo from Conesus Inlet last March which is similar to what I was able to see before I was too far down the road.

 

JMH

1.1 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake

Friday, January 4, 2013

There was still a bit of daylight left when I got back, so I stopped at Buckingham Lake before coming home. There was a solid path packed down all the way around the pond. No ducks - they'll be gone until the ice starts to go in March or so - but I did see some crows and a few squirrels. Mostly though it was just nice to be outside for a little while enjoying a bit of nature, even if it's surrounded by Albany.

JMH

LOTS OF WILDLIFE ON A SUNNY WINTER MORNING
1.1 Mile Walk at Tinker Nature Park
Friday, January 4, 2013

Gorgeous morning (despite the wind, which was gusting well above 30 mph at times) so Ann and I went to Tinker Park for a short walk before I hit the Thruway for the drive back to Albany. As I expected, the snow was stomped down enough that we didn't need snowshoes. We spotted a number of deer hunkered down in the woods - the cold and snow over the past week and a bit must have made life more difficult for them! - and numerous birds, including both pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers, the usual chickadees, juncos, and cardinals, and - surprise- several bluebirds!

There was also a lot of activity in the fields near the park, with a regualr stream of geese descending from the sky to join flocks of crows already on the ground. My guess is that the wind had blown enough snow off  the fields that it was fairly easy for them to find food. A little later a small group landed in the snowy field between the road and the woods, pretty much the same place we saw geese the other night on the way to Mendon.

All too quickly, though, it was time to get back in the car and head east...

JMH

0.9 Mile Snowshoe at Mendon Ponds Park

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Headed over to Mendon Ponds near dusk to feed the birds... found the park very crowded. At one end there was a high school ski race going on - cars all along the roadside. And in most other areas more than a few folks out taking advantage of the snow to ski, despite the rapidly decreasing daylight.

We saw lots of deer on the move too, especially in the woods along the trail where we typically feed the birds.

Unfortunately - we must have gotten there too late and most of the birds had retired for the evening. Not one in sight the entire time we were there. Which wasn't for very long... it gets cold pretty quickly once the sun sets.

JMH

WHERE'S THE WATER?
2.8 Mile Walk at Trustom Pond NWR
Saturday, December 8, 2012

Ended up passing on leaving early for Rome Point - the weather forecasts all called for rain, which meant I wouldn't want to bring along my good camera... and if I'm going to see the seals, I want that extra zoom.

By the time I got going, I only had enough daylight left to stop at one park, so I decided Trustom Pond was my best bet - all three times I've been there it's always been a treat. I was a little bit concerned by the on-and-off showers on the drive down, but once I crossed into Rhode Island the sun started peeking through the clouds. When I got to Trustom Pond the one other person there was leaving - a whole National Wildlife Refuge all to myself, how cool is that?

After watching the birds at the feeders for a little bit, I started out by heading to Otter Point. Spent a few minutes watching a few ducks and a pair of muskrats in the small farm pond along the way. Not as many birds in the trees along the path as during the summer, but that's to be expected in December.

What I wasn't expecting was the condition of the huge coastal pond.

The shallows to the west of Otter Point were mostly open to the air - a big mud flat with a few trickles of water running through it. The other parts of the pond had very, very low water levels. The last time I was here in the fall, the pond was alive with ducks, gulls, swans, coots, cormorants, and scaups... waterfowl everywhere. Today I saw a few small groups of mallards.

From there I headed back through the woods over to Osprey Point, where of course things were just as bad. I did spot a few more birds far out in the pond - a group of cormorants and a blue heron, and across the pond a few geese and a flock of gulls. Given the comparable sizes, I suspect they were Black-backed Gulls.

By then the sun was starting to go down, so I headed back through the woods and along the field to the parking lot. Spotted a couple of rabbits along the path just before I got back to the visitors center.

As I drove to Newport to crash for the night, I couldn't help wondering what had happened. As far as I knew, the pond wasn't tidal, and even if it was - I was there near high tide. I could hear the ocean breakers crashing on the far side of the barrier beach. A little research after dinner gave me the explanation...

Hurricane Sandy.

Apparently one of the effects of the storm was a breach on the barrier beach, as shown in this set of photos from the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Saltwater poured into the freshwater pond, then much of the water poured back out when the storm surge receded. Along the way many of the freshwater fish in the pond died from the newly brackish water. While it's certainly possible that the lack of waterfowl is because it's almost a month later than the last time I was here in the late fall (perhaps they've migrated further south by now) it seems likely that the changes to the pond have also had a major impact, from loss of food and habitat to the higher salinity of the water.

I guess only time will tell if this wonderful and somewhat unique habitat (it was the only coastal freshwater pond in RI with an undeveloped shoreline) will bounce back - tough to imagine, given that there are no significant streams that drain into the pond - or if it will become a new ecosystem quite different from what it was pre-Sandy. All I know for sure is that I'm very grateful I got to visit it several times before this happened.

JMH

LIGHTLY RAINING...
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Friday, December 7, 2012

By the time I got home from work my walking options were very limited, at least if I wanted to be done before it got too dark. Plus the original plan was to head down to southeastern CT tonight, before heading to RI early tomorrow morning for a potential sighting of the Rome Point seals. And I haven't been to Buckingham Lake in a while...

After all the people who hang out there in the summer, it always amuses me to show up on an afternoon like today (chilly, dim, and rainy) and see almost nobody. Sometimes it definitely makes for a more pleasant walk!

There was a very light layer of ice on the water - you could hear it chiming as the rain hit it - and a decent-sized group of ducks either standing precariously on the ice or paddling in places where they'd broken through. They were a lot jumpier than usual, possibly because the ice makes it hard for them to get away without flying.

I circled the pond in each direction, enjoying the emptiness of the path, the lights shining in the dim evening, and the sound of the very light rain. I was almost tempted to do a third loop - it felt good to be outdoors after being in the classroom all day - but decided to head home instead, so I wouldn't get on the road too awfully late.

Except that over the course of dinner and wrapping things up so I could go, I found myself dozing off in a variety of locations... checked the weather forecast for Rome Point (rain all morning)... and ultimately decided to eat the loss of my Choice Rewards points (it was too late to cancel tonight's room) in favor of getting a bit more sleep. Don't know yet if I'll leave super-early and try to see the seals, or at a slightly more reasonable time and try to get to southern RI after the rain has let up... morning will tell...

JMH

OOMS AFTER DARK...
1.3 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Saturday, December 1, 2012

Meant to go for a short run this week and see how the foot responded... didn't happen. Meant to go for a walk las night... didn't happen. Busy week, work-wise, plus it doesn't help that two nights I came home and ended up falling asleep for a while in the evening - not sleeping soundly at night is definitely taking a toll. Then last night I had what is becoming an annoyingly common experience - took the car in for a half hour procedure (swap on the winter tires) and walked out almost 2 1/2 hours later (4 wheel allignment, with the machine apparently acting cranky.)

Today, on the other hand, seemed pretty safe. Spend a big chunk of the morning doing laundry, then pack a couple bags and head for CT, with stops for walking along the way. Except sorting the dang laundry took longer than I anticipated (probably because I don't usually sort it, but today there was just too much and it needed to be sorted for me to get it all back home.) And then the computer started acting up in a new way (the card reader has vanished from the system. Worked fine last night when I transferred an album to the card in my player for the car, but today - nothing.) And a dozen other little things popped up, culminating in a request from the guys upstairs to check their water heater and my discovering that it had died much like my own did a little over a year ago, which meant conversations with the landlord, etc, etc.

Enough griping. I almost gave up on going for a walk today, but then decided that I could stop at Ooms on the way south, and that's what I did. Walked up to the gazebo and back. Would have been nice if the night sky had been clear, since it's just past the full moon, but instead it was cloudy - which led to a bit of an unfortunate surprise. I always remember cloudy nights being pitch black out in the fields - can't see your hand in front of your face. But in the areas around Ooms there's an incredible amount of light pollution, and not just over by Albany/Rensselaer like you'd expect. Even without the moon I had no trouble seeing the path (of course, the half inch of snow helped.) Geese were noisy out on the pond, and every once in a while I could see their dark shapes against the silvery reflection of the sky on the water.

Walking at Ooms tonight definitely improved my mood... with luck it will still be light enough for me to stop there on the way home tomorrow as well, and maybe actually see where I'm walking a little more clearly.

JMH

"LOOK! AN EAGLE!"
11.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, November 17, 2012

Couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for a ride today... didn't help that I was slightly under-dressed so my upper body was a little chilly the whole time, and I generally find the hats/neck gaiters/earbands I wear somewhat uncomfortable under my bike helmet (the straps are a little short, so even a thin hat underneath is a tight fit.) For a while I wondered if I might have been better off going for a walk instead.

But then I saw an eagle perched in one of the trees below the Lock 7 dam - that was cool, for a while I saw eagles almost every time I went to the bike path, but the last two years they've been mostly absent. And on the way back I spotted a female bufflehead near the Niska Isle bridge. That convinced me to tough it out a little longer - but only a little.

This colder weather's going to take some getting used to... at least until we get snow and ice and riding becomes too risky.

JMH

0.7 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Ducked out of work briefly this afternoon, just enough time to go over to Buckingham Lake and walk around it once. One nice thing about the chilly weather - no crowds! Just a couple of people near the parking lot and a mom & kids at the playground.

The minus, of course, is a lot less wildlife - the usual mob of ducks hoping for a handout, plus a kingfisher I spotted from a distance.

Regardless - it was a real pleasure to spend half an hour or so outside, in daylight, after a long day at work (even if I had to go back to work afterwards.)

JMH

MORNING CRITTERS
2.5 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Monday, November 12, 2012

After yesterday's aborted trip to Five Rivers, I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and a day off from work to make a rare early morning visit, reasoning that (1) there wouldn't be too many people around, and (2) the critters would probably be more active than they are mid-day. And happily I was right on both accounts - enough so that it made up for having to get up early on a day off.

I heard lots of woodpeckers today and spotted a few too - a couple of small downy's, and also a couple of pilated woodpeckers, including one which I had a fairly good view of for a while. Lots of small birds as well, especially chickadees (they seemed to be everywhere.) I even shot some slightly blurry video of a what I think was a wren singing very loudly.

The Beaver Pond hosted a heron which I startled initially but then seemed pretty cool about my hanging back on the trees taking pictures. The water was the highest I've seen it in some time, I would imagine in part due to the rain we've had recently but also because I think the beavers have raised the height of their dam along the edge of the spillway. The Heron Pond was also looking good, and the very itchy duck mob was hanging out on the fallen tree - some snoozing, most itching. I used to think they were so itchy because of feathers growing on but after months now - I wonder if they have mites or some other sort of parasite?

Wandered over to the smaller ponds past the old orchard and spent a while watching and photographing a red-tailed hawk that perched in several trees along the access road. Not much else going on in those ponds at the moment.

It was tough to tear myself away but I did want to get out on my bike and maybe walk at one or two other places today... and perhaps it was just as well, since more people were starting to arrive, complete with noisy children...

JMH

17.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Sunday, November 11, 2012

I had thought I would go for a walk at Five Rivers first, but when I got there the parking lot was packed and overflowing... and the thought of having to put up with that many people just did not appeal. So I headed over to the Lions Park in Niskayuna (which was also packed - guess folks appreciate a warm Sunday afternoon in November) and got on the bike an hour earlier than I planned.

Rode all the way to partway up GE's hill - then stopped to take pictures of a flock of geese grazing on the lawn, decided I'd had enough of hills, and headed back. Stopped just past the Niska Isle bridge on the way back to watch a heron hunting and some ducks dabbling. Just before the small parking area east of the Lions Park, I spotted a small raptor in the trees near the river. Stopped to take a picture and of course it flew off, followed a short while later by a red-tailed hawk that shrieked at me before heading for a different perch. Watching jumpy birds while wearing flourescent yellow just isn't a good plan.

Went all the way to the top of the hill past the water treatment plant - there was a deer crossing the grass as I pulled up, and on the way back I spotted a bat fluttering around and later on what I think might have been an owl - the brief glimpse I had as it flew across the path suggested a very rounded head. I considered doing a few more miles but decided to call it an evening - I'll have plenty of chances to ride in the dark over the coming weeks.

Foot ached on and off, but nothing too bad. My left knee hollered at me a couple of times - not sure what that was about, unless it's trying to warn me that favoring my right foot is stressing out my left side.

JMH

1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Monday, October 22, 2012

Had to be back at work this evening, plus my legs are still pretty tired from yesterday... so I settled for a short walk, two loops around Buckingham Pond. Not many people around, which was a nice change from all the folks who are often there on summer evenings. I should try to get back soon when there's some sunshine - I suspect some of the trees will look great, but I don't know how much longer they'll be holding onto those leaves...

As I started my 2nd loop, the flocks of local crows began their flight to wherever they were roosting for the night... I know they can be pests, but seeing hundreds of crows streaming across the sky always gives me a thrill. While I was watching them I also spotted not one but two bats fluttering around, very good to see!

  

 

JMH

A GORGEOUS EARLY FALL EVENING...
15 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, October 1, 2012

This was one of those evenings that initially looked like it would be a bust - mostly grey and cloudy - but as the sun went down some of the clouds cleared away and left things a bit nicer. It also didn't get as chilly as I expected, so I was pretty comfortable the whole time - despite my gloves initially being wet from yesterday's race and having to wear a heavier jacket than usual (because my usual one was still packed in with the rest of my transition gear from yesterday.)

Stopped at Lock 7 and was surprised at all the gulls there, especially at the end of the concrete pier alongside the entrance to the lock. There was even a black-backed gull in with all the ring billeds... those guys always seem huge compared to the ubiquitous ring bills. Heard ducks and geese out on the river as I rode to the base of the old landfill. On the way back it was getting dark so I finally put my headlight on, more to keep myself visible to the oncoming riders than to help me see. Along the way I heard a bid trilling out on the river, a very eerie sound - I wish I had an easy way to scan bird calls and ID it.

I ended up riding over to just past the old railroad bridge and spent a few minutes admiring the view out on the river before heading back. Some time recently much of that section of path has been re-paved, so where it was previously a constant bumpy ride over frost heaves, now it's pretty smooth. Unfortunately the new pavement is about 2 inches above the shoulder, which will make pulling off onto the grass trickier.

Once I got back to the Lions Park, I decided I wanted to keep riding a bit longer, so I did an out and back to the Lock 7 road crossing. On the way back I stopped to look at a small toad that was on the path and then took a break by the Niska Isle bridge to take some photos of the moon coming out from behind the clouds, and was also treated to glimpses of the beavers cruising around down in the water. It's good to see that they're still around - I'd been worried that between the construction and low water levels they might have moved on. There was also some sort of bird calling off in the wetlands, couldn't tell what though. I really wish I could have spent more time out there - what a gorgeous night it had turned into, and all the wildlife definitely made me happy.

Unfortunately, the trip back to the parking lot also included something which made me very unhappy - I spotted a 2nd toad, and when I stopped to check him out it turned out he'd been partially run over by a bike, probably one of the other guys who came through in the dark, though there's a possibility it was me on my first time through that spot. Poor little guy was still alive but couldn't really move at all - at the very least his back legs were crushed. That made me really sad, especially since there was nothing I could do to help him.

Back at the Lions Park, the moon was really shining through the clouds and reflecting off the river - a really beautiful scene after the sadness of the crushed toad. While I was taking pictures a plane came in low for a landing at the airport, so I got some nice shots of the lights passing underneath the moon. Also heard several muskrats splashing around down in the river. All in all, I have to say I'm really glad I overcame my post-work inertia and got out for a ride, even though a lot of it was in the dark (admittedly, I thoroughly enjoy being out in the dark... especially on an evening like tonight.) Too bad I had to head back to the city when it was all over...

JMH