Saturday morning at Mendon Ponds Park…
Initially, I headed over there for a 2-mile run through the Grasslands Trail, which I looked up on both Google Maps and the park’s website map first, then drew the route into my RunKeeper app on my phone – just to be doubly sure that A) the trail actually existed, and B) I would stick to the well-marked path and not find myself lost in a swamp, tall grass, or a forest.
Enter foreshadowing.
Word of warning, the Grasslands Trail only kind of exists. As in, it starts out well labeled (a blue diamond spray painted on the occasional tree) with a clear path through the woods and the grass, and then the path just kind of goes away and so do the trees and you find yourself running through tall grass and eventually coming out on Clover Rd., where you then have to re-enter the park and pick the trail back up at a totally different entrance point and work your way back to your starting spot.
Soooo, better for leisurely nature hikes than running. Got it. But I did get my full run in (despite stopping at least nine times to consult my phone’s GPS to try to figure out where the heck I was) and both a deer and a goose stopped by within a few feet of me to say hello. Neither one seemed very concerned about my presence, just curious. It’s nice to get friendly with the wildlife every now and then!
Then I decided I would check out Devil’s Bathtub pond since it was right by the start of the Grasslands “trail,” and while I’m at it, I might as well kick off my shoes, hang out on the beach by the big pond, soak up some rays in the cool breeze, read my book for a while, and watch a group of little boys catch schools of minnows for bait and fish for rock bass. I mean, why else were Saturdays invented?
At night I met my friend Kristen for Ethiopian food (lintels and lamb) downtown, some good girl talk, and a scenic drive to get frozen yogurt in pretty, picturesque Pittsford as the sun set.
Best spring Saturday yet…lookin’ forward to more like it!
