Quaker Pond Circuit

It was a cold day, in the 20's.  All of Marilyn's good intentions could not overcome that and the fact that she  was tired.  I took off to make the Quaker Pond circuit about 3.8 miles in Mendon Ponds Park.  It is a fairly flat trail and I was determined to not stop to take any pictures.  However, after I passed on hundreds of Canadian geese landing on the pond and a buck with his does, I could not resist the golden light as the sun peeked out from the clouds towards sunset.


The Garmin results are below.

Gun Range Trail with Richard

While Richard and I did some hiking last Monday, I forgot to bring my Garmin along!  Not today, so you can see below the results of our two hours on the Gun Range Trail.  It was a chilly and gray December day but with no snow either falling or on the ground.  In fact, we have had less than two inches so far this year, a very unusual condition for Rochester.  The terrain is monochromatic this time of year--even without the snow--so that the moss on fallen trees really stands out.

Toward the end of the hike, we came upon a tree with a very unusual growth on a standing tree.  I had never seen one like it.  You can see a few other photos on my Picasa site:  Click here.

You can see the Garmin information below.

View from top of Horizon Hill

It has been two weeks since my last hike.  This a relatively short one hour hike up Horizon Hill.  Beautiful day to be out in the woods; it was warm but cloudy.

Hiking East Esker Trail in Mendon Ponds Park

Last three leaves...hanging on.

It has been several years since I hiked this trail and it was good to be back on it.  It is a 4.7 mile loop with a very interesting up and down due to the glacial formations, basically eskers, kames, and kettles.  This trail follows several long eskers, both on the tops and in the gullies.  It was a cloudy day and a lot of color is now gone.  But the yellows were spectacular and the weather moderate.

Some yellow still on the trees.

This particular trail is used by high school xc ski teams for competitions.  Actually almost all the trails in this wonderful park are used for skiing as well as hiking and horseback riding.  Here is a link to some interesting information about Mendon Ponds Park, one of our county parks:  http://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-mendonponds.php

Last Ride of the Season?

Looking East Down the Canal With Genesee River
Flowing Right to Left

It was a beautiful day that topped out at 70.  I took the opportunity to ride almost thirty miles.  I did it but it took a lot out of me.  I tend to maintain too fast a pace when I ride by myself.  It is always better witha riding partner.

Last Ride with Richard

This is probably my last ride with Richard this season.  He is out of town till after Thanksgiving.  It was a good ride.

Hiking the Quaker Pond Trail in Mendon Ponds Park

I returned from a quick trip to Cleveland Sunday early afternoon.  Marilyn and i decided to do some hiking at Mendon Ponds.  It was a spectacularly beautiful day and the trails were usually busy.