Cycling: Is the Saratoga Battlefield the best Cycling in the (recreationally) Cycling Rich Capital Region?

Miyata 912 at the Saratoga Monument

Saratoga (Battlefield) National (Historical) Park is some of the best cycling in the Capital Region of New York State, which says a lot considering the myriad recreational cycling opportunities in the region that is also at the crossroads of the 700mi Empire State Trail.

Whether or not the Capital Region has great bicycle commuting infrastructure is up for debate, but the recreational cycling infrastructure is phenomenal. With hundreds of miles of protected bike and multiuse recreational paths within the region, as well as hundreds of miles of accessible sparsely traveled gravel roads in the surrounding hill towns, all within a short distance of the state capitol. Adjoining to the east, Vermont, with it's legendary gravel and mountain bike friendly culture. A little further north or west there is the virtually unlimited potential for backcountry MTB and adventure bikepacking in the Adirondacks

Even with the abundant options for cycling, it's possible the 10+ mile rolling historical loop, circling a pivotal battlefield of the American Revolution, is the best pedaling in the region.

Battlefield Loop map and stats with elevation profile (orange line at bottom of image)

Cyclist are free to cycle at any time, but after 430pm the gates are closed to cars each day, and the course remains open to cyclist only until dusk (though I've finished many a final lap in darkness). The best part, this isn't some straight boring flat bike path or tiny 3mi loop. There are a few descents you can tuck and coast over 30mph and easily hit close to 50mph pedaling. The final 2 miles to complete the loop involve a consistent climb on a straight roadway, gaining a chunk of the nearly 700ft total gain. Not the most fun way to finish a lap but makes for a great workout on the final push.

Unless you are in elite fitness and the steep climb and final ascent to complete the loop won't even raise your heart rate, this isn't your typical zone 2 bike path where you maintain constant watts and heart rate. The rolling terrain is best for your tempo/threshold rides where you go out and crush it for an hour or two. Or...it's a great place to just go ride, stop at the historical displays, maybe bring a picnic lunch, enjoy a chill day cycling around the guided loop, instead of driving your car. Totally up to you, but no matter what you choose it's a fantastic ride. 

Miyata 912 on the Battlefield

Hike and Swim at the Kayaderosseras

Thursday Caney had that bored Border Collie look on his face, he isn't feeling better, and he is less and less mobile each day but he still
has plenty of life in him to get out on the trail.



Friday we just spent a few hours on the grass chillin but it was hot humid and unbearable, and Saturday we didn't do much of anything but watch baseball and movies with the weather being much the same, so he was due for a day out if he was up for it.



After last night when he wanted to play with the random 150lb Bull Mastiff, we realized how boring we humans were and needed to get out and be more BC like.



So today we are hiking and swimming at the Kayaderosseras Creek south of Saratoga Springs. He isn't swimming much because I think it hurts him, but he has been wading chest deep in the creek before and after we walked a mile on the trail. His big thing has always been to herd water surface bugs by swimming after them, or looking in the water for frogs or fish, ever since his first backpacking trip. For a second he even showed us a glimpse of 1999 Caney from the Buffalo River at Kyles Landing when he dove for a group of bugs on the water.



For the last 20 minutes he has walked and waded a 200 foot stretch of shoreline and gravel bar over a dozen times. Before the hike he spent another 20 minutes wading in the water.



He just took a break for 10 minutes where he laid on the gravel bar and intently watched the creek flow by
as he scanned the forest for birds and animals.

Sometimes it amazes me how much we are alike. I'm not a gym rat or a neighborhood jogger. I enjoy walking around town at night when it is peaceful to think and relax, but other than that I get most of my exercise on the trail or water, and am most motivated to be active in preparation for those days.

I remember pre surgery in 2000 being in constant
pain most of every day, but for a few days a week when outside in the
mountains my pain was so much more manageable that it was either gone or at least not overwhelming. I think Caney is very much the same.



We forded the creek to the wide gravel bar on the opposite shore,which made for a nice place to layout and watch Caney explore the Kayaderosseras. Unlike the trail walk above the shoreline and through the open fields, the mosquitoes, whom have been as bad this summer as I can ever remember, didn't bother us a bit.

....

After an ice cream, and a stop by the grocery store to get Caney some food (steak and chop meat which he is eating between 1.5 and 2lbs of a day), we rented a movie from Red Box. First time we rented from the "Futurama" style machine, and I forgot how bad upsampled DVD is on a 60in DLP. We usually rent 1080i via the cable box but Red Box is $1 per night, or $3 cheaper. Caney doesn't care about the visuals, he loves the surround sound (as do I), so he was plenty happy with the sounds of Indiana Jones. As usual when the movie was over, he got up and went to bed. Some things never change!



(photos from palm pre...video Panasonic FX01)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre wireless device

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Star Trails and Ski Trails, Night Skiing Under The Stars

For the winter solstice, the first night of winter, I set out to do two things:

1) Ski (duh) on the 2 feet of fresh powder. First time skiing this year, and a rarity to have actual powder and not at least heavy wet snow, if not worse. Plus, I was one of the first tracks, so it hadn't iced up yet!

2) Photography, but there is nothing like messing with wireless flashes multiple tripods/light stands, in 30mph wind gust, and 15F temps. Suffice to say direct flash WAS NOT in the plans. My idea was to have myself back lit with a wireless flash in front of me, with the spill off the snow further illuminating me. The long exposure was supposed to get the star trails.

As you've finally figured out, months or years into reading the Mountain Visions blog and photo captions, things ALWAYS go wrong. It's not that I have bad luck, actually, I find things tend to work out pretty well for me overall. It's just that it's a roller coaster of good and bad, and I'd prefer to have a more boring life!

So what went wrong:

1) In the cold the cheap Ebay triggers don't fire. Not even point blank range unless I warmed them first. In fairness the batteries are 2 years old, and they were in the cold for 30 minutes before I set up. However, blame goes to me for using the Ebay triggers and not the Elinchron Skyports I have sitting charged up on the desk next to me.

Unfortunately, the Ebay triggers (Gadget Infinity) come with a hot shoe mounting bracket, and I could not find my hot shoe bracket for the Skyports! So I could have taken the Sky ports, and used the Gadget Infinity triggers as stands, but hooked the skyports up to the sync socket! (If I lost you, don't worry).

2) The wind. Even if everything worked as planned a camera on a tripod is not going to stay still for 10-30 seconds in the 30mph wind gust. It was bad enough I was waiting for my flash to blow down into the frozen water during a few gust

3) I'm not wuss, but it was cold out in the open at Vischer Ferry Preserve. I was between two levees or something on the Old Mohawk River Canal system, which is right next to the New Mohawk River Canal, but the problem was the open ice funneled the wind. I chose that spot because it gave me a clear run to ski on, and also a clear shot of the sky (although facing the wrong direction, south towards Albany and it's inherent light pollution).

4) The sky wasn't perfectly clear. It was in and out of light cloud cover. So despite 10 attempts the only good star trail shot was just ok once blur and light pollution were factored in.

So what did I learn:

1) Battery operated stuff sucks in the cold. And that the cheaper the electronics the worse the problems. My Canon G3 was just fine in the 30 minutes I was setting up and shooting, the Vivitar 285HV and it's batteries were fine as well. Only the wireless flash triggers had issues.

2) When you have a $200 pair of wireless flash sync transmitters at home, don't take the cheap $40 Ebay triggers that you got prior to the good stuff.

3) Leave camera, and multiple tripods in car when wind is gusting to 30mph, go skiing and come back another night when it's less windy for the photography portion

4) Albany/Saratoga/Niskayuna are not quite the sticks that my brother makes them out to be. Yes we are a lot closer to the best weekend wilderness in the country, but we have a fair amount of light pollution 5 minutes from home...Of course, 1-2 hours north is the best star gazing in all of New York State.

5) Night skiing is the best. Had the place to myself as always, aside from a few snowmobilers who were on another trail. Between the wind and the snow muffling the sounds, it was eerily peaceful. I guess I'm nocturnal because I just prefer the night for most things including paddling, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, driving and photography.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Dogs Can Fly Too

These are a few photos from the USDAA agility trials are Saratoga Springs this weekend.

These animals are simply amazing when you consider they run the course about as fast as a professional football player (US football). they run about 20ft/6m per second which would give them a 6.5 second 40m time. Top flight receivers run about 4 seconds per 40 but don't have tubes, tunnels, rings, stairs, hurdles and other assorted obstacles in their way. And they don't have to cut left and right constantly while maintaining that speed.

(to view full size images click the thumbnails):

technorati tags:dog, Agility, USDAA, Saratoga, NY, Pentax, K10D, Photography, canine

Blogged with Flock