Bike Ride to Charlotte

Amy and I took a bike ride on Saturday and decided to try a trail that we had not done before.   We drove to Basil Marella Park in Greece, NY and started riding on the Lake Ontario State Park trail (LOSP).  We headed north with the goal of riding to Charlotte Beach.  When we got to the parkway we were a bit confused as to how to get onto the trail that was on the other side of the divided highway.
After 2 attempts that ended up putting us on the parkway (a place we definitely did not want to be riding) we decided to follow a group of bikers that passed by and looked like they knew where they were going.  This strategy worked and we soon found ourselves back on the trail that we knew would take us into Charlotte.
We stopped as soon as we made it on this trail to take pictures around the little pond that was there and allow the group that we followed to get ahead of us.   This pond was very picturesque and would have lent itself to more compelling photos had it not been so windy and the surface had been smooth. This shot of the shore line under the shade of the trees isn't too bad.
The ride from the pond into Charlotte was quite pleasant and when we arrived at the beach there was a walk for ALS fund raiser going on and the large pavilion was full of people.  We did walk our bikes to the boardwalk and looked out over the lake.  I was taking some pictures of the sailboats out on the water when a large flock of seagulls took off and gave me a nice opportunity for a classic photo.

Low angle shot of the boardwalk

High angle shot of the boardwalk

We returned to our bikes and wanted to get an ice cream at Abbotts but they weren't opened yet so we decided to check out the Genesee Riverway Trail that heads south towards the city along the river.  We rode along the trail for a few miles and at one point the multi-use trail turns into a boardwalk that juts out into the river for a short distance.  This was a very neat experience as we rode our bikes on a wooden pathway over the Genesee River.  At one point this portion of the trail is long and straight and I took several pictures down the boardwalk at different angles.  These two posted here were my two favorites but I cannot decide which is better, the low angle or the high angle.  If you would like to offer your opinion on which one you like better, please leave a comment below and let me know.
As we worked our way back to the village of Charlotte to get our Abbott's ice cream cone we stopped to take a couple of pictures of the bridge that crosses the river here.  Even though the ice cream stand didn't officially open until 12:00, the young lady working inside and preparing to open had already started serving folks so we were able to enjoy our cones on this warm (upper 70's) late September day.

On the ride back I mentioned to Amy that I had seen a potentially nice photo opportunity on the way into Charlotte and wanted to stop on the way back to see.  It was on a bridge over a small stream that cut through the field north of the trail.  I intended to take several shots from a variety of angles to see which one I would like best.  I took the shot at the top of this weeks post and looked around for a better angle and didn't really find one that really seemed any better and this turned out to be a good thing.  Even though I didn't think subsequent angles were any better I still tried to take a couple more shots only to find out that my memory card was full and I couldn't take any more without spending time cleaning out space.  I really didn't want to take the time to do that and thought to myself, "well, the first one will have to do".  

If you are serious about taking pictures when you are traveling about, you should always keep spare memory cards on hand as well as a spare battery for the camera.