Post Sandy

Hurricane Sandy has moved on to points North and West.  I spent the morning with the chainsaw, first cutting up the tree limbs from in front and then helping a neighbor behind cut up the massive tree that fell across his lawn.

Post Sandy: Tuesday Ride.

I never did try to go bicycling this morning — too much stuff.  I got another great invite from my uncle Charlie, though, and we finally hit the trail together at about 4:30.  We took the aqueduct to Tarrytown although we had to portage the bikes across trees every few hundred feet.  It was nice and relaxing — we chatted the whole time.  A few years ago, we rode every Saturday morning, but life got complicated.  We took a picture at the very end of this lower bit, where the dirt path ends at Broadway in Tarrytown.

We can’t find the trail in the dark!

Naturally, we were so full of ourselves that we headed back and then cut up into the Irvington woods.  As such adventures go, getting in proved relatively easy but getting out was awfully tough.  We’d pushed it a bit late, so the light was failing.  Even worse, all the newly marked trails were covered in debris from the hurricane and we found ourselves carrying the bikes over huge logs, even as we joked that we should be bunny-hopping them all!  We ended up crashing a few times before we finally found a road.  I had lights in my bag, which we put on Charlie’s bike since I was still picking out details pretty well.  It still took us a few detours and some sharp words from a cop before we made it back.

Everything is going to hurt tomorrow.  My arms and shoulder are already complaining about the chainsaw and all the wood we carried.  My legs are suffering from all the times they had to grind or accelerate to get me over stuff I barely saw in the dark.  Luckily… tomorrow is another day.

Hurricane Sandy

I got a great invitation from my uncle Charlie to ride late this morning.  He ended up staying in town because of the hurricane instead of heading North to Syracuse.  Alas, I was already committed to making breakfast for my sweetie.  On the other hand, she happily accepted an invite to work out at the gym for a few hours, so I wasn’t a complete slug.  We got back as the wind and rain began to pick up and then promptly took naps.  There’s something truly luxurious about the nap.  Strangely enough, I woke up to find my mom putting orange juice in the fridge.  We chatted for a few minutes before she left and I began to actually get some work done.

The storm is picking up.  I’m expecting the Saw Mill to be closed tomorrow and I might get a chance to re-create one of my fondest memories.   Back when I lived in Yonkers, a storm came along that dumped water for days.  My house in Yonkers was on a hillock put my neighbors flooded.  The police came in a boat to remove a women on oxygen and I went out for a bike ride.  The highway was closed and I had the time of my life cycling along in ten inches of water.  I met my friend Kirk, who was desperately heaving water from his basement to the street.  I introduced myself and offered to cycle to my parents house for a pump.  I don’t know that we saved much from the basement but we’ve ridden together ever since.

hello out there

I went to the front to the front to check on the weather but — surprise — there was a tree in the way.  The ornamental by the road split down the middle.  One half fell across the front; the other half is tugging at our power lines.  My daughter is on the side texting a picture to her buddies.  I figured I better send this out before we lose power for the rest of the week.  Best wishes to everyone.  Enjoy the ride.

No bike

overcast before the hurricane

We keep figuring it will be a weekend bike ride.  Then Friday night rolls around and we wonder if it’s still warm enough to kayak.  Today ended up being a kayak day.  We launched from the end of Ferry road in Piermont, out at the end of the rocky peninsular.  Leaving was eerie.  The sky was overcast and the current and wind made it nearly impossible to see the pilings under the water.  The birds watched us carefully as we wove our way out to open water.

We spent an hour kayaking inside the marshlands, watching birds of all sizes and colors rustling among the cane.  Fall is clearly here; the trees have changed and several Vs of geese passed overhead while we drifted along.  We were pretty lucky:  the sun broke through as we started back and the current pulled us along with barely any work.  Out in the open water we really had to push but it stayed nice all the way to shore.  It never did rain, but the clouds piled up again over the palisades and the storm will certainly be upon us by tomorrow night.  Here’s a picture of the birds enjoying the wreckage of the old pier.  The sunlight makes everything seem warm.

Enjoying the wreckage