After a failed attempt at trying to put together a beginner’s trail ride at Blue Mountain Reservation, I decided to take a ride on the Bronx River Trailway. When I was younger my dad would take us out on the trail starting from the Kensico Dam in Valhalla where I grew up. I probably haven’t ridden on the trail in about 20 years. Other than few extra connecting paths it seems not much has changed in all that time. I made it all the way down to Scarsdale but couldn’t figure out how to get to the next section of the trail. I looked around for a bit but eventually gave up and decided to head back.
On the way down I noticed a large turtle slowly slogging through the wet puddles of grass along the trail. I decided to stop and get him on tape (SD card) since I had never seen one so big before.
I also recorded a little video of the turtle walking.
A female runner stopped to watch as well and we talked a little bit. She said she was from Germany and didn’t think they have wild turtles there. We both agreed that his spiky tail was pretty cool. I realized later that I should’ve asked her for her email address since she seemed to want a picture of the turtle. Maybe in her search for turtle pictures she’ll come across my blog…
Today’s ride was also a test of my new CamelBak Hydration Pack which is very cool – literally! For those of you who don’t know (I didn’t) a CamelBak is a little back pack that has a pouch for water inside and a tube with a mouthpiece coming out of it. This allows you to easily drink water while you’re riding without having to reach down and pull a water bottle out (which can also be your backup/additional water supply). It also has pockets that you can put a bunch of stuff in like a mini-pump, multi-tool, snacks, etc. I filled it up with water last night and left the removable pouch in the fridge to keep it cool. After my 1.5 hour ride today the water was still nice and cold. Definitely a great purchase!
I’m glad I didn’t wear myself out today because somebody ended up organizing a beginners ride at Mianus River Park in Connecticut tomorrow. One of the guys from my Dungeons & Dragons campaign might be joining us so it should hopefully be a nice ride. I am also hoping the upcoming holiday weekend provides a number of biking opportunities.
In other semi-related news, this past week was the last days of my friend Seth‘s time at Time. We joke around a lot but I can honestly say he has helped me become a better developer and person during our time working together. He is in the process of scoping out mountain bikes on eBay and if he ends up getting one I may have to make a trip up to Massachusetts one weekend to do some riding with him.
Comments on: "More Biking" (1)
Years ago I was on my way back from the vet, my evil little black cat in a cardboard cat-carry-box when I hit a traffic jam. As I slowed to a stop, I saw the cause of the hold up: a big o’l snapping turtle had wandered into the middle of the road and–seemingly freaked out–wasn’t moving. Maybe because he was surrounded by people and cars.
I pulled to the side, got out and tried to help. He was a decent sized sucker–maybe 2′+ in diameter–and when I grabbed either side of his shell to pick him up I discovered A) how long their CLAWED legs can extend and B) how far back they can reach with their snapping heads. Fun stuff. Dodging injury, I moved to plan B.
Back to my truck, my kitty unceremoniously dumped from her travel box (I’d hear about that later) and–after much corralling–finally got half the turtle into the box. As it flailed, snapped and fought to be free, I hightailed it off the road and towards the water’s edge, one remarkably angry turtle half hanging out of the box and very much wanting a thumb for lunch. It was like one of those ridiculous physical challenges from a reality show.
As the box began falling apart I made it to the grass, dumped my bitey cargo by water’s edge and quickly retreated out of range. The Turtle sat there for a second, gave me the stink-eye and then made his way through the mud while probably trying to figure out what the f*ck just happened.
I then drove home with a pissed off unboxed cat.