And Now It's October!

 Last week was kind of quiet here but the weekend kicked off with lots of activity. 

Sunrise from the drone. The reflection of clouds in the lake was a bit surreal.

Friday morning I met Geri for a bike ride on the southern portion of the Harlem Valley trail. About 5 miles in, the trail was blocked off for trail repaving. Darn! We decided to take some roads to get past the closed section, but the roads took us straight up a big hill with several more to go. We elected to return on the closed section of trail which was roughed up but at least flat. What was supposed to be a 22 mile ride was just 13 miles. Anyway, we had lunch at the diner and enjoyed the nice weather. 



Geri trying to navigate our way back to the trail.

The rolling hills of the Harlem Valley were pretty.

My sister and brother in law came for a visit Saturday morning. Bruce hadn't seen my house in 10 yrs or so, therefore he got a tour of all the renovations and changes - some still in progress. Then we went to the Mohawk-Hudson trail for a 16 mile ride to the Cohoes Falls and back. It was supposed to be 20 miles, but this time the road was closed for construction. Bruce had never seen the Cohoes Falls and the sign said it is only 2nd to Niagara Falls in the country in terms of tallest? widest? water flow? I've found that every site of interest claims to be the (choose your own superlative here) to wow the visitors. It was a lovely sight!

Along the Mohawk River.

The turtles are on the move. This was a smallish snapping turtle.

Cohoes Falls



The Twin Bridges.

Sunday and our stretch of fine fall weather continued. We had a leisurely breakfast/chat/hot tub in the morning, then set out for the Electric Rail Trail where I finally got a 20 mile ride in! We stopped at the Orchard for a snack and a rest, then headed back. I said goodbye to them at the parking lot as their daughter was going to swing by their home for a visit in the evening. 

The usual horses.
More horse farm views.

I was asked to join Geri and Amyjean on their quest for a 29ster patch of mountain hiking, and Owl's Head Lookout was Monday's objective. The 1500 foot elevation over 5.4 miles round trip was not too strenuous, though my legs are not used to hiking much lately. It was a beautiful trail and a stunning summit. 

The patch chasers!

Autumn colors are appearing in the mountains.


AJ on the edge.

Tuesday led me onto the back roads of New York and Vermont to join the hiking group on a bike ride from Castleton, Vermont to Pawlett, VT. There were 11 of us on this leisurely 19 mile ride. The trail was just OK, nothing to rave about so I doubt I'll come back as the local trails are definitely more scenic. We stopped for a late lunch and then headed home.

The green tunnel was the view for most of this ride.

Some pumpkins displayed in town.

Riding with friends in the fall.

Wednesday was rest day, and my legs were definitely sore. Today, Thursday, I got busy in the garden and moved a huge butterfly bush, two bell flower plants, and  some cone flowers.  I will water them often and hope they survive the transplanting process. 

Wayne was supposed to start on the fence today, but he texted and said he'd be here noon Friday to finish up the backyard project including the fence. He said he'd work all weekend if he has to.


Comments

  1. MargaretOctober 3, 2024 at 7:00 PM

    Fall can give us the best weather! I love the sunrise and the fall colors. You are such a dedicated biker; I'm impressed! I thought John and I would get out more on the bikes, but it's a process and there aren't many trails that are close unless we want to do the same ones over and over. Sigh. Lovely shots of the friends and the scenery.

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