You know what’s great after a really long and bitterly cold winter? This. Spring! I was never big on spring growing up in Texas because, aside from the awesome emergence of bluebonnets and other wildflowers painting the sides of every road and highway, it was very cold in the morning but sweaty hot by mid-afternoon and those great 60 and 70 degree temps just seemed to get skipped right over. At least that’s what I remember. But upstate New York! Now there’s a real spring! Upper 60s, sunny and breezy for days on end and the most vivid blooms in the lilac and magnolia scented air. And Highland Park in Rochester is nothing short of phenomenal in May.
My running buddy, her coonhound, and I often run different parks throughout Rochester a few times a week, but a few weeks ago we hit up Highland Park for one of our runs just after the Lilac Festival closed. Highland is really hilly, so I wouldn’t say we “ran” so much as we tried desperately to run up 4 miles of very steep inclines and keep up with the vivacious pup, who dragged us the whole darn way, but I think these stunning colors, smells, and views alone were worth all the panting and burning thighs.
