Training Log Archive: BillD

Drove to Ithaca from whence we will hub and spoke the area for a couple of days. Excellent dinner at the Staler's premier restaurant. Hotel run by the Cornell hotel management school, from which my mother got a certificate from its NYC branch back in the late Sixties but found no hotel would hire a divorced woman for fear such a candidate could only be On The Make (at her age?!). Tomorrow will tour Letchworth SP where I understand there is a national O meet next month.

Moderate length loop in Stratton Brook. Did not record a gps track, guessing at time and distance. Nice cool temp but felt humid. Stopped at one point to trade stares with young deer about 5m away. It then took a s--- and strode slowly away. Eh.

Hiked the northern trail loop at Sessions Woods. In the first ten minutes, five mountain bikers came at me, another when I got to the northernmost piece. The northwestern segment seemed strange to me, perhaps because of robust vegetation, but I was indeed on the intended trail coming back southward. At one point I stood still gazing a knowl about 25m ahead and to the left, wondering if I recognized it from years ago. As I turned my head further left, I noticed a deer about 8m away staring at me. I smiled and it ran away.

There has been significant new growth in clear cut areas, some new cut areas, and, as mentioned above, the veg is really robust. Our map would benefit from some updating attention before we use it again.

We have lots of turkeys around here. One of them chose to roost high in a tree outside our living room window the other night. He hung around until after 8 am the next morning. Photos.

In Town Forest on Blue Trail. Walked up to the water tank on southern piece, jogged back down on the northern piece. Very humid, gnats but no FDFs. Kept it sustainable, no hard breathing.

Amble around Sessions Woods on loop road with excursions to wildlife blinds and firepower and kiosk. Not looking for pace today but simply enjoying being out in a day that began with cooler temp and lower humidity.

Did anyone notice that "orienteer" (sportsman with only a map and compass) was in this morning's New York Times crossword puzzle?

While making dinner tonight, watched a Momma Bear (tagged and collared) with three cubs saunter by.

A walk in Town Forest, yellow and orange trails, up to the observatory. A few zephyrs near the parking lot and on the EW ridge, but not much. Even apparently flat sections of trails show evidence of Friday's deluge.

While we did not notice or suffer a Very Close Lightning Bolt, we were without power for 6 hours overnight. First time in nearly 20 years an outage was long enough to warrant my firing up the generator to keep the fridge cold and the water pressure charged. Learned this morning driving back from shopping that a huge tree at a house 250 m n.e. of us (ironically, owned by an arborist) evidently fell across the road and the power line. Debris and traffic sawhorses still block half a lane. An email report from Eversource suggests we and 8 other houses were affected.

C • Lightning 2