First Bike Ride 2015

Along the Erie Canal in Greece, NY.

Its hard to believe it is the third week of June and Amy and I just went on our first bike ride of the season.  We must have been having a very busy spring or other obligations have gotten in the way.  I refuse to believe it has been because we are too lazy to get the bikes out and just go.   The weather Saturday morning was picture perfect and we decided to take one of our usual routes along the Erie Canal from Henpeck Park to GeneseeValley Park and back.  This trail is mostly paved with only a short segment being crushed rock.  Given the recent rain we've been having, we thought this would be a better choice than the Lehigh Valley Trail that is not paved at all.

Daisies in Genesee Valley Park.

When we arrived at Henpeck Park it was evident we were not the only ones that thought the morning was perfect for getting out and doing some outdoor exercise.  The parking lot was full and if we had arrived 30 seconds later we would not have found a parking spot as ours was the last one available and three other vehicles pulled in as we unloaded the bikes.  Upon reaching Genesee Valley Park we had travelled just over 8 miles and we wanted to at least cover 20 for our round trip so we opted to take the River Trail that goes through the University of Rochester and up to Ford Street where we spent an evening taking photos several weeks ago.  

This extra leg of the trip added just enough distance to put us comfortably over our 20 mile round trip goal.

Interfaith chapel of the U of R.

During the ride out we stopped a few times for pictures and I noted a few other places to stop on the return trip that looked like they might lend themselves to interesting shots.    My favorite shot that was both photographically pleasing and depicted the days event the best involved these lovely purple wild flowers with the bike trail off in the background. 

An old abandoned railway track.

The only improvement to this shot would be to have Amy or some random biker coming up the trail.   The return trip spots that I had noted on the ride out were the multiple signs warning of underground pipelines and the old abandoned railroad tracks that were just off the trail. 

Pipeline warnings.  Do they really need 4 of them?

In and around the University of Rochester also offered some nice photo opportunities.  A small overlook near the entrance to campus offered a nice down river view of the interfaith chapel and the new student housing across the river. 

View of Rochester from campus.

I was also surprised by how close the campus really is to downtown Rochester as depicted by a river side view of the city skyline.  I wanted to get a shot of the bleachers for the athletic field with the dome of the library, the University's marque landmark, in the frame as well. 

University of Rochester Yellowjackets

I don't particularly like the foreground fence that is in the shot but for documentary purposes the shot will do.  

If you ever get the chance to travel the River Trail from Genesee Valley Park to downtown Rochester via the U of R you should do it.  It is a beautiful trail and just over 2 miles one way.