SUNSET OVER THE PINE BUSH
1.2 Mile Walk in the Albany Pine Bush
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A RAINY EVENING IN THE WOODS
9.6 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Summer has swooped in with a vengeance... after weeks of unseasonably cool weather we have normal temperatures and high humidity - ugh. It feels all the worse for not being acclimated, which is why I bailed on my plans to go to MA this morning and run in one of the state parks.
Instead, I headed over to the Pine Bush after it had started raining this evening... the rain was fairly light (though it did get pretty heavy a couple of times) and wonderfully cooling and refreshing as I ran. In other words, it was a heck of a lot of fun running through the woods in the rain. I even hit a couple of trails that I rarely travel. And the rain meant I had the area to myself - while there was a car at the trailhead, I didn't see anyone else the entire time I was there.
Looks like they've finally finished with the tree removal work over in the Great Dune area... what a mess. When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time wandering the trails and old doubletracks in the woods behind my parents' house. Apparently I was a trailrunner in the making even then! One time when I came home from college I headed down there and discovered that the landowner had bulldozed a bunch of roads to do some logging... I absolutely hated what had been done to the woods and the trails, and it took several years until the area grew back sufficiently to cover the scars left behind. What I saw tonight reminded me of that... paths ruined by the heavy equipment and areas that used to be shaded woods now open scars with only a few trees left standing. I really miss the woods I spent 6-7 years running and riding through after moving to Albany... I know from the other areas that have undergone "habitat restoration" that regrowth will occur in in a few years it will be consistently green, but it will never be the same as it was.
JMH
9.6 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Summer has swooped in with a vengeance... after weeks of unseasonably cool weather we have normal temperatures and high humidity - ugh. It feels all the worse for not being acclimated, which is why I bailed on my plans to go to MA this morning and run in one of the state parks.
Instead, I headed over to the Pine Bush after it had started raining this evening... the rain was fairly light (though it did get pretty heavy a couple of times) and wonderfully cooling and refreshing as I ran. In other words, it was a heck of a lot of fun running through the woods in the rain. I even hit a couple of trails that I rarely travel. And the rain meant I had the area to myself - while there was a car at the trailhead, I didn't see anyone else the entire time I was there.
Looks like they've finally finished with the tree removal work over in the Great Dune area... what a mess. When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time wandering the trails and old doubletracks in the woods behind my parents' house. Apparently I was a trailrunner in the making even then! One time when I came home from college I headed down there and discovered that the landowner had bulldozed a bunch of roads to do some logging... I absolutely hated what had been done to the woods and the trails, and it took several years until the area grew back sufficiently to cover the scars left behind. What I saw tonight reminded me of that... paths ruined by the heavy equipment and areas that used to be shaded woods now open scars with only a few trees left standing. I really miss the woods I spent 6-7 years running and riding through after moving to Albany... I know from the other areas that have undergone "habitat restoration" that regrowth will occur in in a few years it will be consistently green, but it will never be the same as it was.
JMH
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
16.2 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A fairly uneventful ride tonight on the bike path west of Schenectady... not much wildlife in evidence along the old Erie Canal, and the tracks at Scrafford Lane were blocked by a train so I would have had to risk riding a substantial distance along route 5S to get to the short section of path west of Rotterdam Junction.
I had a pleasant surprise when I rode from the end of the path at SCCC over to Gateway Landing Park... not only were there numerous geese and ducks in the small inlet next to the park, but there was a heron hunting in the shallows and three egrets up in a tree on the far shore. It was getting on the darker side by then, so it was tough to get decent pictures of them, but I did my best.
JMH
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A fairly uneventful ride tonight on the bike path west of Schenectady... not much wildlife in evidence along the old Erie Canal, and the tracks at Scrafford Lane were blocked by a train so I would have had to risk riding a substantial distance along route 5S to get to the short section of path west of Rotterdam Junction.
I had a pleasant surprise when I rode from the end of the path at SCCC over to Gateway Landing Park... not only were there numerous geese and ducks in the small inlet next to the park, but there was a heron hunting in the shallows and three egrets up in a tree on the far shore. It was getting on the darker side by then, so it was tough to get decent pictures of them, but I did my best.
JMH
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hurray! The Jordan Alpine Classic Returns!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Jordan Alpine Classic Run is an 8.5 mile race that starts and finishes at the festival grounds of the Jordan Fall Festival. Between the start and the finish are 8.5 miles of fun -hills, trails, hills, mud, hills, a wicked stream crossing, hills, cornfields, hills, country roads... the race description from the old application contained the following description:
I ran it back in 2005 and had an absolute blast. Missed it in 2006 (the Year of the Crashed Turtle) and then it disappeared from the festival schedule in 2007 and 2008... but this year it's back! Saturday, September 19th is the day to be in Jordan, NY!
Unfortunately... Ann and I are going to a wedding that day. But maybe, just maybe, I'll luck out and it will be late enough in the day for me to do the race before getting ready for the wedding (I know, not likely, but I can always hope!)
Now let's just keep our fingers crossed that the Jordan Alpine Classic is back to stay!
(As a cool aside - one of the photos on the race web-page is one I took during the 2005 race!)
JMH
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Jordan Alpine Classic Run is an 8.5 mile race that starts and finishes at the festival grounds of the Jordan Fall Festival. Between the start and the finish are 8.5 miles of fun -hills, trails, hills, mud, hills, a wicked stream crossing, hills, cornfields, hills, country roads... the race description from the old application contained the following description:
If you want a real challenge in the fall and don't mind getting muddy and wet, run the Alpine Classic at the Jordan Fall Festival.It's an endurance test. After the traditional cannon start, runners climb over steep hills, maneuver through woods and fields, and wade across a stream.They even climb a 12-foot vertical bank using a 1-inch thick rope. Mid-way in the race, the course goes down a very steep path, similar to an expert ski trail. It is recommended by some you don't run this part, but rather just sit down and slide. The race ends at the Jordan Fall Festival grounds near the original Erie Canal towpath.
I ran it back in 2005 and had an absolute blast. Missed it in 2006 (the Year of the Crashed Turtle) and then it disappeared from the festival schedule in 2007 and 2008... but this year it's back! Saturday, September 19th is the day to be in Jordan, NY!
Unfortunately... Ann and I are going to a wedding that day. But maybe, just maybe, I'll luck out and it will be late enough in the day for me to do the race before getting ready for the wedding (I know, not likely, but I can always hope!)
Now let's just keep our fingers crossed that the Jordan Alpine Classic is back to stay!
(As a cool aside - one of the photos on the race web-page is one I took during the 2005 race!)
JMH
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Just How Stupid Do They Think We Are?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
All my travelling along the NYS Thruway means I frequently stop at the rest stops and get something to drink at whatever fast food joint is there... sometimes I even buy something to eat. And recently I've noticed an annoying trend which was emphasized for me today when I ordered a large drink at a Roy Rogers and was handed what is obviously a medium cup... namely, keeping all the prices the same but changing the sizes (so a small becomes the new medium, medium the new large, and large becomes extra large.)
I don't have a huge problem with places raising prices as their costs go up... that's the way the system works. But I find it highly offensive when they play stupid tricks like this to make us think nothing had changed, just assuming we either won't notice or won't care that what we're now getting for the same money and name is actually one size smaller than it used to be.
Kudos to the gal at the cash register who when I questioned the size and shook my head in disgust at her explanation simply handed me an "extra large" cup and refused to charge me the extra money for it (which I would have gladly paid.) And now I just have to remember to order an "extra large" drink when I'm looking for fluids to suck down during my travels.
JMH
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
All my travelling along the NYS Thruway means I frequently stop at the rest stops and get something to drink at whatever fast food joint is there... sometimes I even buy something to eat. And recently I've noticed an annoying trend which was emphasized for me today when I ordered a large drink at a Roy Rogers and was handed what is obviously a medium cup... namely, keeping all the prices the same but changing the sizes (so a small becomes the new medium, medium the new large, and large becomes extra large.)
I don't have a huge problem with places raising prices as their costs go up... that's the way the system works. But I find it highly offensive when they play stupid tricks like this to make us think nothing had changed, just assuming we either won't notice or won't care that what we're now getting for the same money and name is actually one size smaller than it used to be.
Kudos to the gal at the cash register who when I questioned the size and shook my head in disgust at her explanation simply handed me an "extra large" cup and refused to charge me the extra money for it (which I would have gladly paid.) And now I just have to remember to order an "extra large" drink when I'm looking for fluids to suck down during my travels.
JMH
Mmm... Bread...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Some days it's good to be a rest stop sparrow with a chunk of bread...
Watching these guys, I can't help thinking of a group of velociraptors gathered around a fresh kill... I for one have no problem believing the dinosaurs evolved into these little guys and gals...
JMH
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Some days it's good to be a rest stop sparrow with a chunk of bread...
Watching these guys, I can't help thinking of a group of velociraptors gathered around a fresh kill... I for one have no problem believing the dinosaurs evolved into these little guys and gals...
JMH
Monday, July 20, 2009
16.2 Mile Ride on the Genesee Valley Greenway (& a Bit of the Lehigh Valley Trail)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway site
While we were eating dinner I decided to stay until tomorrow morning - just didn't feel like makig a 4 hour drive tonight. So when Ann went off to her Monday night fire dept drill, I took my mountain bike over to the Genesee Valley Greenway to do a bit of riding. Since I was getting a late start (7 PM) and I know what I'm like (always wanting to stay out a little bit longer) I grabbed one of the lights I'd bought Ann for commuting to work when it's dark - that turned out to be a really good decision.
The Genesee Valley Greenway is an old railbed that runs alongside the remains of the Genesee Valley Canal. On the plus side, it's fairly straight and relatively level, which makes for fairly easy riding. On the minus side, that can get a bit boring at times, and the black cinder dust that makes up a good part of the trail surface gets all over everything. There are also ATV riders who use the trail illegally, so in some spots it's a good idea to keep your mind on the trail. I used to ride and run there a lot, but the last few years I haven't visited the trail as often, mainly because Ann and I have found a large variety of other places to visit. So many trails, so little time...
I parked at the Brookdale Preserve lot and road from Brook Road south, stopping occasionally to take pictures. The section of trail between Brook Road and Scottsville Road is the portion I've travelled the most often, so it was good to cross the road and ride some trail I'm not as familiar with. Buzzed through Canawaugus Park in Scottsville; as is typically the case in the summer, there were a bunch of kids hanging out on the old railroad bridge over Oatka Creek. It's a shame they don't have anything better to do with their time.
I had originally planned to turn back after 45 minutes, but I was getting close enough to the old railroad bridge across the Genesee River (also the intersection with the Lehigh Valley Trail) that I decided to keep going. Of course, once I reached the bridge I just had to ride a short ways up the Lehigh Valley Trail before heading back...
I concentrated mainly on riding on the way back, since it was getting dark, though I did stop a couple of times to get photos of the sunset. Just past Canawaugus Park it was getting hard to see the trail, so I turned on the light and used it for the rest of the ride. I don't know that I'd want to ride anything challenging with it, but it was perfect for riding the double-track rail trail. The light let me keep up a pretty good clip - I suspect I'll be feeling that tomorrow, after all the riding I've done in the past couple of days. Passed two people out walking dogs in the last half mile, and was glad for the light since it let me see them far enough ahead of time that I could slow down.
I may have to do some more night riding this summer... that was a lot of fun!
JMH
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway site
While we were eating dinner I decided to stay until tomorrow morning - just didn't feel like makig a 4 hour drive tonight. So when Ann went off to her Monday night fire dept drill, I took my mountain bike over to the Genesee Valley Greenway to do a bit of riding. Since I was getting a late start (7 PM) and I know what I'm like (always wanting to stay out a little bit longer) I grabbed one of the lights I'd bought Ann for commuting to work when it's dark - that turned out to be a really good decision.
The Genesee Valley Greenway is an old railbed that runs alongside the remains of the Genesee Valley Canal. On the plus side, it's fairly straight and relatively level, which makes for fairly easy riding. On the minus side, that can get a bit boring at times, and the black cinder dust that makes up a good part of the trail surface gets all over everything. There are also ATV riders who use the trail illegally, so in some spots it's a good idea to keep your mind on the trail. I used to ride and run there a lot, but the last few years I haven't visited the trail as often, mainly because Ann and I have found a large variety of other places to visit. So many trails, so little time...
I parked at the Brookdale Preserve lot and road from Brook Road south, stopping occasionally to take pictures. The section of trail between Brook Road and Scottsville Road is the portion I've travelled the most often, so it was good to cross the road and ride some trail I'm not as familiar with. Buzzed through Canawaugus Park in Scottsville; as is typically the case in the summer, there were a bunch of kids hanging out on the old railroad bridge over Oatka Creek. It's a shame they don't have anything better to do with their time.
I had originally planned to turn back after 45 minutes, but I was getting close enough to the old railroad bridge across the Genesee River (also the intersection with the Lehigh Valley Trail) that I decided to keep going. Of course, once I reached the bridge I just had to ride a short ways up the Lehigh Valley Trail before heading back...
I concentrated mainly on riding on the way back, since it was getting dark, though I did stop a couple of times to get photos of the sunset. Just past Canawaugus Park it was getting hard to see the trail, so I turned on the light and used it for the rest of the ride. I don't know that I'd want to ride anything challenging with it, but it was perfect for riding the double-track rail trail. The light let me keep up a pretty good clip - I suspect I'll be feeling that tomorrow, after all the riding I've done in the past couple of days. Passed two people out walking dogs in the last half mile, and was glad for the light since it let me see them far enough ahead of time that I could slow down.
I may have to do some more night riding this summer... that was a lot of fun!
JMH
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
