12.3 Mile Ride Through the Corning Preserve & Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Since the weather today was more like late March than early January, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for some riding... headed down to the Corning Preserve and rode over to the Riverfront Park and then out to Watervliet and around Schuyler Flatts park. Not much wildlife out - a few ducks and gulls, and a large flock of geese grazing just before the I90 bridge. The path wasn't too crowded, which is always a plus.
The leftover mud on the path itself has washed away, but there are still plenty of signs of the late summer floods - spots where the grass is covered in mud, and several stretches of path have piles of mud where the path was plowed clear. It will be interesting to see if Albany and Watervliet put some resources into fixing things up once spring gets here.
Riding felt pretty good today, if a little bit chilly... in retrospect maybe I should have done a few more miles. Or maybe it's best that I saved something in my legs for a run tomorrow...
JMH
Showing posts with label flooding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flooding. Show all posts
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
Saturday, September 03, 2011
MOHAWK VALLEY FLOOD DAMAGE
Fort Hunter & the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Saturday, September 3, 2011
After running some errands I decided I wanted to ride somewhere different today, so I hopped on the Thruway and headed west toward Fort Hunter and the Schoharie Crossing Historic Site, planning to park at either the boat launch on the Mohawk River or at one of the parking lots for the Historic Site (which is notable because it showcases remnants of both the original 1820's Clinton's Ditch Erie Canal and the 1840's Enlarged Erie Canal, as well as the current Barge Canal - one of the only three places in the state where all three alignments of the canal can be seen at the same time. (A good site with more information and some nice photos can be found here.) In retrospect, I should have known better than to head to a spot along the river, after my experiences earlier in the week...
The first hint that my plans would have to be modified came when I turned onto route 5S and saw signs warning that the road was closed ahead. No surprise, the bridge across the Schoharie Creek was closed. Turning off into Fort Hunter, I saw indications of lots of flooding, and when I reached the headquarters for the Historic Site it was obvious the area had taken major damage - the road was packed dirt and gravel, and where the parking lot used to be was a sizeable hole in the ground with huge chunks of pavement scattered across the surface.
I couldn't tell if the remains of the aqueduct had taken more damage - the path was completely washed out so I couldn't get any closer, and the angle of the sun made it tough to see. I stopped and took some photos, then drove around for a while looking for somewhere to park - no luck, just lots of folks cleaning up damage and work crews repairing bridges and roads.
Headed over the the Yankee Hill Lock (the remains of Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 28) and found those closed as well. The footbridge across the lock had either been removed or washed away, and from the thick mud in spots it was clear that much of the area was underwater earlier in the week.
So no luck riding the Erie Canalway trail in Montgomery County... maybe later in the fall, after more of the damage has been cleared away or repaired...
JMH
Fort Hunter & the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Saturday, September 3, 2011
After running some errands I decided I wanted to ride somewhere different today, so I hopped on the Thruway and headed west toward Fort Hunter and the Schoharie Crossing Historic Site, planning to park at either the boat launch on the Mohawk River or at one of the parking lots for the Historic Site (which is notable because it showcases remnants of both the original 1820's Clinton's Ditch Erie Canal and the 1840's Enlarged Erie Canal, as well as the current Barge Canal - one of the only three places in the state where all three alignments of the canal can be seen at the same time. (A good site with more information and some nice photos can be found here.) In retrospect, I should have known better than to head to a spot along the river, after my experiences earlier in the week...
The first hint that my plans would have to be modified came when I turned onto route 5S and saw signs warning that the road was closed ahead. No surprise, the bridge across the Schoharie Creek was closed. Turning off into Fort Hunter, I saw indications of lots of flooding, and when I reached the headquarters for the Historic Site it was obvious the area had taken major damage - the road was packed dirt and gravel, and where the parking lot used to be was a sizeable hole in the ground with huge chunks of pavement scattered across the surface.
I couldn't tell if the remains of the aqueduct had taken more damage - the path was completely washed out so I couldn't get any closer, and the angle of the sun made it tough to see. I stopped and took some photos, then drove around for a while looking for somewhere to park - no luck, just lots of folks cleaning up damage and work crews repairing bridges and roads.
Headed over the the Yankee Hill Lock (the remains of Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 28) and found those closed as well. The footbridge across the lock had either been removed or washed away, and from the thick mud in spots it was clear that much of the area was underwater earlier in the week.
So no luck riding the Erie Canalway trail in Montgomery County... maybe later in the fall, after more of the damage has been cleared away or repaired...
JMH
Thursday, September 01, 2011
COYOTES & A NIGHTHAWK
1.9 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Thursday, September 1, 2011
OK, I didn't actually see the coyotes - just heard them howling and yipping off in the distance, couldn't tell if they were in the fields at Five Rivers or in the fields further away across the creeks. And given that it was getting dark and I was pretty much alone on the trails, I didn't think it was a good idea to go looking for a group of excited coyotes...
And I can't be 100% sure the bird I saw was a nighthawk - but it was dusk, and a type of bird I'd never seen before, and the program Tuesday night did indicate they're sometimes in this area this time of year - and what I saw fits the basic description on both http://www.whatbird.com/ and in my National Geographic Field Guide.
Walked along the creekside trails for a bit... good deal of damage back there. One small bridge shifted off its foundations, several trees down (including one large one that pulled up both the split-rail fence and a good chunk of path with it's root ball.)
Unfortunately, as temperatures creep back up, the mosquitoes also are coming back out - they were a real nuisance tonight, especially since I'd left my bug spray in the car.
JMH
1.9 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Thursday, September 1, 2011
OK, I didn't actually see the coyotes - just heard them howling and yipping off in the distance, couldn't tell if they were in the fields at Five Rivers or in the fields further away across the creeks. And given that it was getting dark and I was pretty much alone on the trails, I didn't think it was a good idea to go looking for a group of excited coyotes...
And I can't be 100% sure the bird I saw was a nighthawk - but it was dusk, and a type of bird I'd never seen before, and the program Tuesday night did indicate they're sometimes in this area this time of year - and what I saw fits the basic description on both http://www.whatbird.com/ and in my National Geographic Field Guide.
Walked along the creekside trails for a bit... good deal of damage back there. One small bridge shifted off its foundations, several trees down (including one large one that pulled up both the split-rail fence and a good chunk of path with it's root ball.)
Unfortunately, as temperatures creep back up, the mosquitoes also are coming back out - they were a real nuisance tonight, especially since I'd left my bug spray in the car.
JMH
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
FLOOD WATERS RECEDING...
1.1 Mile Walk at Lock 7 and Niskayuna Lions Park
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Got some news today that left me in something of a funk - I'll write more about that at a future date - which meant I ended up skipping my planned bike ride, did a bit of shopping, and then headed over to the bike path both to see if I could get near it and to check out the state of the Mohawk River and the flood damage. Roads were all re-opened, and the Lions Park lot had a lot of cars in it - probably a result of equal parts curiosity and people being able to use the path again. Headed over to Lock 7 and spent a while walking around. The water levels were much lower than on Monday - not normal for this time of year, but nothing too dramatic. Lots of thick brown mud everywhere that was under water for any amount of time.
The boat launch and the locktender's building all sit at the top of a hill - I'd never really thought about it before, but the hill is actually a dam, and that's what started to leak Monday afternoon. The hillside is now covered with packed stone, and they piled earth across the boat launch to hold back water there. Doesn't look like the water actually overflowed the lock, which probably means there isn't as much damage as at some of the other locks that actually ended up submerged.
A number of water birds were evident - four egrets and a heron in the boat launch basin, as well as a cormorant. Spotted several gulls and a large group of ducks in the river below the lock. A reminder that, no matter what nature does to us - life goes on for the magnificent critters.
From there I headed back to the Lions Park. Took a few photos - looks like the water made it almost to the old train station but not quite. Thought about walking down the path a ways, but in the end decided to head home instead... just didn't have much enthusiasm for a long walk today.
JMH
1.1 Mile Walk at Lock 7 and Niskayuna Lions Park
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Got some news today that left me in something of a funk - I'll write more about that at a future date - which meant I ended up skipping my planned bike ride, did a bit of shopping, and then headed over to the bike path both to see if I could get near it and to check out the state of the Mohawk River and the flood damage. Roads were all re-opened, and the Lions Park lot had a lot of cars in it - probably a result of equal parts curiosity and people being able to use the path again. Headed over to Lock 7 and spent a while walking around. The water levels were much lower than on Monday - not normal for this time of year, but nothing too dramatic. Lots of thick brown mud everywhere that was under water for any amount of time.
The boat launch and the locktender's building all sit at the top of a hill - I'd never really thought about it before, but the hill is actually a dam, and that's what started to leak Monday afternoon. The hillside is now covered with packed stone, and they piled earth across the boat launch to hold back water there. Doesn't look like the water actually overflowed the lock, which probably means there isn't as much damage as at some of the other locks that actually ended up submerged.
A number of water birds were evident - four egrets and a heron in the boat launch basin, as well as a cormorant. Spotted several gulls and a large group of ducks in the river below the lock. A reminder that, no matter what nature does to us - life goes on for the magnificent critters.
From there I headed back to the Lions Park. Took a few photos - looks like the water made it almost to the old train station but not quite. Thought about walking down the path a ways, but in the end decided to head home instead... just didn't have much enthusiasm for a long walk today.
JMH
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
1.4 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Since the streams up at Thacher were running higher than normal, I decided to stop by Five Rivers on the way home to see how things looked there. The parking lot was unusually busy - turns out there was a program about nighthawks going on, apparently it's not uncommon for them to migrate through the area around the end of August.
Took a spin through the gardens, said hi to the frogs, then headed down the hill to the ponds. Along the way I saw signs that the trails along the stream are closed - while the streams aren't that high now, there were clear signs that they flooded earlier in the week. A tree had fallen on the shore of the Heron Pond - a gorgeous old tree with a lot of character. Sigh. Startled the heron, which flew up to a perch overlooking the pond, and spotted a single duck.
Lots of signs of flooding along the marsh side of the Beaver Pond, and the dam the beavers were building along the spillway had been washed away. Spotted one beaver out in the pond. Back at the parking lot, I spent a while watching the bats - I think there were four of them in all, zipping around catching insects. I always enjoy seeing them, both because I think they're really cool and because it shows there are still some that have survived white-nose syndrome - hope they make it through this winter, too.
JMH
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Since the streams up at Thacher were running higher than normal, I decided to stop by Five Rivers on the way home to see how things looked there. The parking lot was unusually busy - turns out there was a program about nighthawks going on, apparently it's not uncommon for them to migrate through the area around the end of August.
Took a spin through the gardens, said hi to the frogs, then headed down the hill to the ponds. Along the way I saw signs that the trails along the stream are closed - while the streams aren't that high now, there were clear signs that they flooded earlier in the week. A tree had fallen on the shore of the Heron Pond - a gorgeous old tree with a lot of character. Sigh. Startled the heron, which flew up to a perch overlooking the pond, and spotted a single duck.
Lots of signs of flooding along the marsh side of the Beaver Pond, and the dam the beavers were building along the spillway had been washed away. Spotted one beaver out in the pond. Back at the parking lot, I spent a while watching the bats - I think there were four of them in all, zipping around catching insects. I always enjoy seeing them, both because I think they're really cool and because it shows there are still some that have survived white-nose syndrome - hope they make it through this winter, too.
JMH
MORE FLOOD DAMAGE
7 Mile Run at Thacher Park
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Set off this afternoon to go for a run at the Hyuck Preserve in Rensselaerville... Ann and I visited there briefly a few years ago, and I've wanted to check out more of the trails ever since. Plus I figured the waterfall should be flowing nicely for some photos. Unfortunately, both the roads I tried were closed due to flood damage, and it was late enough in the afternoon that I couldn't see driving all over the place trying to get there. So that will have to wait for another time...
Ended up at Thacher Park instead, and found more damage there than I expected. Initially it didn't look too bad - lots of leaves and small branches down on the trails, no big deal. The water was roaring over the waterfalls, so I looked forward to getting down on the Indian Ladder trail - but it was closed. As I continued along the escarpment I found out why - Outlet Creek had flooded enough to wash out both the bridge across the creek and the fence at the edge of the escarpment! I've crossed Outlet Creek many times between the bridge and the falls - in the summer the water flow is usually a trickle - but today anyone venturing into the creek would have been immediately swept over the falls. Wow.
Minelot Falls, usually the stronger of the two, was less intense than Outlet - the bridge was still intact - but still flowing impressively. I continued along the escarpment down to the Glen Doone picnic area and then over to Hop Field. Oddly enough the creek at Hop Field was high but not particularly rough - I actually crossed the stream in the water while taking photos of the waterfall there.
Heading over toward the park maintenance area and up the hill to the beaver pond revealed some damage to the trails but nothing too severe... though one section had been bulldozed recently, I suspect it washed out. Another surprise awaited at the beaver pond - now a swamp, because the dam was breached. That told me to expect a lot of damage along Paint Mine road and boy was I right - major sections were gullied and washed out by all the water that flowed down through there. Minelot creek was running full blast, with some gorgeous waterfalls. Down at the bottom, the creek had undercut one corner of the parking lot, and the bridge across the creek looked like it was a near thing - the supports had been partially washed out and it looked like the bridge had dropped a few inches.
All the damage at Thacher and the closed roads toward Rensselaerville have me re-thinking my plans to head south to the Bashakill and Minnewaska tomorrow. I really don't want to get down there only to find that roads are closed or even the park is closed (update: I checked, Minnewaska is currently closed.) So I guess I'll find something to do around here instead. Maybe the water in the Mohawk will be down enough that I can hit the bike path and not only get in a ride but get photos of some of the flood damage.
JMH
7 Mile Run at Thacher Park
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Set off this afternoon to go for a run at the Hyuck Preserve in Rensselaerville... Ann and I visited there briefly a few years ago, and I've wanted to check out more of the trails ever since. Plus I figured the waterfall should be flowing nicely for some photos. Unfortunately, both the roads I tried were closed due to flood damage, and it was late enough in the afternoon that I couldn't see driving all over the place trying to get there. So that will have to wait for another time...
Ended up at Thacher Park instead, and found more damage there than I expected. Initially it didn't look too bad - lots of leaves and small branches down on the trails, no big deal. The water was roaring over the waterfalls, so I looked forward to getting down on the Indian Ladder trail - but it was closed. As I continued along the escarpment I found out why - Outlet Creek had flooded enough to wash out both the bridge across the creek and the fence at the edge of the escarpment! I've crossed Outlet Creek many times between the bridge and the falls - in the summer the water flow is usually a trickle - but today anyone venturing into the creek would have been immediately swept over the falls. Wow.
Minelot Falls, usually the stronger of the two, was less intense than Outlet - the bridge was still intact - but still flowing impressively. I continued along the escarpment down to the Glen Doone picnic area and then over to Hop Field. Oddly enough the creek at Hop Field was high but not particularly rough - I actually crossed the stream in the water while taking photos of the waterfall there.
Heading over toward the park maintenance area and up the hill to the beaver pond revealed some damage to the trails but nothing too severe... though one section had been bulldozed recently, I suspect it washed out. Another surprise awaited at the beaver pond - now a swamp, because the dam was breached. That told me to expect a lot of damage along Paint Mine road and boy was I right - major sections were gullied and washed out by all the water that flowed down through there. Minelot creek was running full blast, with some gorgeous waterfalls. Down at the bottom, the creek had undercut one corner of the parking lot, and the bridge across the creek looked like it was a near thing - the supports had been partially washed out and it looked like the bridge had dropped a few inches.
All the damage at Thacher and the closed roads toward Rensselaerville have me re-thinking my plans to head south to the Bashakill and Minnewaska tomorrow. I really don't want to get down there only to find that roads are closed or even the park is closed (update: I checked, Minnewaska is currently closed.) So I guess I'll find something to do around here instead. Maybe the water in the Mohawk will be down enough that I can hit the bike path and not only get in a ride but get photos of some of the flood damage.
JMH
Monday, August 29, 2011
FLOODING, FLOODING, & MORE FLOODING...
1.7 Miles of Walking to View the Mohawk River Flooding
4 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, August 29, 2011
I went back and forth between running at Thacher Park (where the waterfalls should be running quite strong!) and Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve (which I've avoided most of the summer because the biting insects are brutal.) Since I ran at Thacher less than a month ago, Vischer Ferry won out...
I really should have known better, since I'd been receiving e-mail alerts about flooding along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers all day, and various bridges were closed at different times (including the Twin Bridges on the Northway!) But not really thinking, I blithely headed north to Vischer Ferry...
....except I had to get off the Northway at exit 7 when it turned into a parking lot... only to find route 9 just slightly better. Finally got north of the Mohawk River (50 minutes after I left the house - usually Vischer Ferry takes me half an hour, tops!) only to find all the roads down by the Nature Preserve closed due to flooding. I tried the parking area at the former bridge & ferry crossing - closed. Did manage to get to the overlook at the power plant, and found myself looking at one heck of an angry river blasting over the Vischer Ferry dam. Given that the path from the overlook vanished into the water, I suspect major parts of the Nature Preserve are submerged, and I wouldn't have been able to run there even if I had managed to get near it.
Headed back across the river to check it out from the other side - figured I'd run the bike path from the Lions Park to the old landfill and check things out along the way. Riiight. I managed to get to the parking area where the bike path crosses Forts Ferry Rd and walked down the path to take some pictures. That was the closest I got to the river for a while, because all the other roads were closed down. I finally made my way to Blatnick Park at the top of the old landfill, right around the time the police showed up and put yellow tape across the entrance to the bike path.
From what I could see, the path wasn't flooded, and more than a few folks were ignoring the path being closed - so I geared up and ran the path down to Lock 7. Four trees down across the path along the way, but nothing too difficult to get around safely. The water was high (no surprise) but well back from the path. I didn't bother going further than Lock 7 or even over to the Lock, because there was a lot of activity there and at least a few police officers, and I didn't see much point in getting in trouble for being someplace they didn't want me to be. So I headed back to Blatnick Park, and continued up the path toward Knolls. Didn't go all that far - I really wasn't up for an extended run on pavement today, and it was getting late.
Looped around the pond at Blatnick Park on my way back to the car and was surprised to find a snoozing heron at the back of the pond - even more surprising, he didn't take off when I stopped to get some photos. The ever-present geese were enjoying the lawn nearby, and seemed less perturbed than usual by my presence. Perhaps they've gotten more used to people after a long summer of baseball games and so on.
So a somewhat disappointing afternoon and evening in terms to what little running I ended up doing (I spent more time driving than I did running) and because I couldn't get to most of the usual sites along the Mohawk River to get some photos of the floods - a real contrast to the June 2006 floods, where I rode my bike along most of the path (until I reached a downed tree with no way around or through it) and even drove down to Lock 7 to get photos. But so it goes...
UPDATED: Well, I suspect this explains why the local powers-that-be were so insistent on closing down the roads near the bike path, as well as all the heavy equipment I heard at Lock 7 - apparently the water was starting to wash out one of the banks at Lock 7 and there was concern that the dam would fail - one heck of a scary thought, given how much water was flowing through that area with the dam in place.
JMH
1.7 Miles of Walking to View the Mohawk River Flooding
4 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, August 29, 2011
I went back and forth between running at Thacher Park (where the waterfalls should be running quite strong!) and Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve (which I've avoided most of the summer because the biting insects are brutal.) Since I ran at Thacher less than a month ago, Vischer Ferry won out...
I really should have known better, since I'd been receiving e-mail alerts about flooding along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers all day, and various bridges were closed at different times (including the Twin Bridges on the Northway!) But not really thinking, I blithely headed north to Vischer Ferry...
....except I had to get off the Northway at exit 7 when it turned into a parking lot... only to find route 9 just slightly better. Finally got north of the Mohawk River (50 minutes after I left the house - usually Vischer Ferry takes me half an hour, tops!) only to find all the roads down by the Nature Preserve closed due to flooding. I tried the parking area at the former bridge & ferry crossing - closed. Did manage to get to the overlook at the power plant, and found myself looking at one heck of an angry river blasting over the Vischer Ferry dam. Given that the path from the overlook vanished into the water, I suspect major parts of the Nature Preserve are submerged, and I wouldn't have been able to run there even if I had managed to get near it.
Headed back across the river to check it out from the other side - figured I'd run the bike path from the Lions Park to the old landfill and check things out along the way. Riiight. I managed to get to the parking area where the bike path crosses Forts Ferry Rd and walked down the path to take some pictures. That was the closest I got to the river for a while, because all the other roads were closed down. I finally made my way to Blatnick Park at the top of the old landfill, right around the time the police showed up and put yellow tape across the entrance to the bike path.
From what I could see, the path wasn't flooded, and more than a few folks were ignoring the path being closed - so I geared up and ran the path down to Lock 7. Four trees down across the path along the way, but nothing too difficult to get around safely. The water was high (no surprise) but well back from the path. I didn't bother going further than Lock 7 or even over to the Lock, because there was a lot of activity there and at least a few police officers, and I didn't see much point in getting in trouble for being someplace they didn't want me to be. So I headed back to Blatnick Park, and continued up the path toward Knolls. Didn't go all that far - I really wasn't up for an extended run on pavement today, and it was getting late.
Looped around the pond at Blatnick Park on my way back to the car and was surprised to find a snoozing heron at the back of the pond - even more surprising, he didn't take off when I stopped to get some photos. The ever-present geese were enjoying the lawn nearby, and seemed less perturbed than usual by my presence. Perhaps they've gotten more used to people after a long summer of baseball games and so on.
So a somewhat disappointing afternoon and evening in terms to what little running I ended up doing (I spent more time driving than I did running) and because I couldn't get to most of the usual sites along the Mohawk River to get some photos of the floods - a real contrast to the June 2006 floods, where I rode my bike along most of the path (until I reached a downed tree with no way around or through it) and even drove down to Lock 7 to get photos. But so it goes...
UPDATED: Well, I suspect this explains why the local powers-that-be were so insistent on closing down the roads near the bike path, as well as all the heavy equipment I heard at Lock 7 - apparently the water was starting to wash out one of the banks at Lock 7 and there was concern that the dam would fail - one heck of a scary thought, given how much water was flowing through that area with the dam in place.
JMH
Sunday, May 01, 2011
1 Mile Walk at Onondaga Lake Park & Long Branch Park
Sunday, May 1, 2011
By the time I reached Syracuse the sky had cleared and it was a gorgeous sunny day. Drove by Onondaga Lake Park and saw that the lake was the highest I've ever seen it, flooding much of the park visible from the Thruway. So of course I had to stop and take some pictures...
The flooding has definitely made a real mess, with all the flotsam and jetsam that usuually ends up along the shoreline off in the grass. It will definitely take a lot of work the clean up, once the waters recede. The ducks and geese, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the situation at all.
JMH
Sunday, May 1, 2011
By the time I reached Syracuse the sky had cleared and it was a gorgeous sunny day. Drove by Onondaga Lake Park and saw that the lake was the highest I've ever seen it, flooding much of the park visible from the Thruway. So of course I had to stop and take some pictures...
The flooding has definitely made a real mess, with all the flotsam and jetsam that usuually ends up along the shoreline off in the grass. It will definitely take a lot of work the clean up, once the waters recede. The ducks and geese, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the situation at all.
JMH
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