Moreau Lake State Park and the Electric Rail Trail

 Saturday's hike with Doris was the Bonita Lake to Western Ridge Overlook trail at Moreau State Park. It says five miles, but my tracker said 6.4 which makes sense since we overshot the connector out and did more milage around the lake. The weather was fine, the trail was dry, and the overlook quite nice for lunch. This was not a challenging hike, but I struggled on the ascents as I always do. I have hiked so little this summer that I've lost my hiking stamina. I'd like to get it back, though I definitely enjoy biking and kayaking more than hiking. The views from hiking cannot be beat though.

A bend in the Hudson River


Lake Bonita

Such a pretty frog

Lunch at the overlook

Sunday and Monday (today) were somber gray days so I elected to give the house a good cleaning to get ready for fall. The windows were filmy, and the pollen dust was everywhere since the windows are wide open all summer. I did a fair amount of Yoga with Adriene, but I was getting itchy for activity outside. At about 3:30 pm, I noticed the clouds were gone and there was a clear blue sky just beckoning me. So I gathered my essentials, put the bike on the car, and drove to the Nassau trailhead for the Electric Rail Trail. I wanted flat and fast to see my pace when I put my legs in high gear. I pedaled for 10 miles without a break and averaged 14.5 mph! When I reached Samascott Orchard I was winded, sweaty, and hungry. I bought a chicken salad and devoured it. 

I watched a hot air balloon group gather and take off into the cornfield, but I didn't stick around to watch the launch. I definitely didn't want to be biking in the dark and it was coming on quickly along with the rain clouds. I got back on the bike for the return 10 miles, and took it a bit more slowly and even stopped for a few pictures. 

A resident of the beautiful horse farms the trail passes through

The ruins of an old mill in Valatie

A random dragonfly

Kinderhook Lake




Comments

  1. MargaretSeptember 13, 2022 at 1:27 PM

    Beautiful sights! I haven't been hiking for years although I love to walk. (and my area is hilly--but not as much as hiking) It's getting darker here earlier now too. Summer is fading fast!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Rainy Weekend

Image
Another rainy Saturday to contend with, so I decided on a Van Morrison playlist while I cleaned out the garage and danced and sang. My gardening supplies and planters and pots that need sorting and recycling  were cluttering up my space. They are now sorted and the garage is cleaned out for at least another week or so. I think the shed in the back yard needs to be a project to get it into a more useful state.  The amount of rain we've had is remarkable. May was one of the wettest months in eighty years and June is starting to look the same. I would rather have too much rain rather than a drought though.  After dropping around 3 inches of rain, the skies cleared up later in the afternoon. I loaded up my bike for an impromptu ride on the Electric Trail with the thought of dinner or ice cream at Samascott's.  The first of many turtles on the bike path. Now I see just how rough the path was and how I had no business riding on it.  The trail was very wet on the way s...
Read more

Summer Solstice

Image
Vroman's Nose overlooking the valley. Summer has begun! To mark the solstice, my hiking group held a picnic at the top of Vroman's Nose, which is a short little hike up a 657 foot hill. It overlooks the Schoharie Valley and has a beautiful rock 'dance floor' that easily accommodates our group of forty. The weather was a perfect 74 degrees with a breeze to keep any bugs away. A pleasant gathering on the dance floor near sunset. I drove Sue Ellen who had her gall bladder removed last week, and we hiked up with a guy who has spinal stenosis. As I listened to them discuss their ailments, I silently gave thanks for my health and thought about how 'mature' our group is becoming.  Once at the top, the party began with burgers and dogs, salads and desserts, and great conversation.  Most of our group made it into this sunset picture. Saturday started with me being woken up by my neighbors chatting down below in the street - it was garage sale day. I didn't join since...
Read more

Random Thoughts In My Little Life

Image
 The orchids I bought in February (!) catch my attention each day and I have to marvel at their longevity. Four months of continuous flowers? What other plant does this? I just may become an orchid collector. A new stem with buds is forming on one of them too! This long horn beetle was inspecting my snow peas. They have blooms, so peas are not far behind! I drove up to the Plateau to meet a friend for a paddle. The wind picked up for awhile so we got a nice upper body work out paddling into the wind. Then we just floated near the dock when the wind died down and the sun was shining.  This wetland was covered in yellow flag (iris) on the way to the Pond. Enjoying the calm water after the gusts. This is not proper paddling form, but it was so relaxing. This angle makes my kayak look tiny! Thursday was a nice dry day - perfect for lawn garden work. I'm diligently putting the plants I keep buying into the ground. I have a dozen sunflowers I grew from seed that need planting, but t...
Read more