Rails to Trails: Mayville North Partly Cloudy and Cool, A Good Day for a Hike

6:30

7:05

Pond Along Rails to Trals

Up early, about 6:15, to streaks of light off to the east, 34 degrees, with the promise of a nice day.  At the moment, the sun has risen, just above a line of clouds over Long Point, making it hard to read on my computer.  A fair wind keeps the flag moving, ducks are off the shoreline but no loons (our neighbors, the Foxes, saw a pair yesterday).  When I went out to get the paper, it was chilly but I look forward to the day, as we hope to go off to the Allegheny National Forest near Salamanca for another hike.

Beaver damage

Yesterday morning, we walked the Rails to Trails in Mayville; we have been on this trail numerous times, the last time we cross country skied on it.  It's trail head is just east of downtown Mayville and it heads north, going north as far as Westfield I think. It was fine for he first mile or so, then got wet and muddy but we were able to swerve off to the left, taking another trail, which allowed us to continue and eventually it wound back to our original trail, just about where the pond begins.  We ended up walking just about three miles, out and back and though it was a cloudy day, we enjoyed the hike, especially when we went off the trail through the woods.  The path seems to have been a railroad track, at least that's our guess. We did see a single deer off in the distance and lots of evidence of beavers, as a number of trees have been chewed up.  Other than that, little evidence of wildlife though the woods floor was beginning to turn green, with lots of small plant beginning to sprout. In a couple of weeks, all the brown will disappear and have turned green.  We also stopped at Topps to pick up a few items for dinner and got home around noon for breakfast.

Beaver Work

Because it was cloudy and we weren't sure what we wanted to do, we ended up doing something we rarely do, going out for a movie and dinner.  We saw the 4:00 showing of The Hunger Games, a movie that everyone teen in America has seen.  Neither Evie nor I was taken with the film.  Evie did not like it's violence and I found it somewhat boring and predictable, wondering what there was about it that has made it so popular.  It was billed as a movie both democrats and republicans would like, but  I am not sure why.  Certainly, there's the feeling of a group (those who live in poverty to support the lifestyle of the elite) that could be the 'underclass' in almost any society.  And the games are definitely the 'bread and circus' for the masses, organized by the elite.  I suppose the totalitarian leadership that keeps order in society might suggest the direction  conservatives  think Obamacare and all it's accoutrement's might lead to. In the end, the plebes triumph, of course, to the dismay of the 'great leader' and we know trouble will ensue (the sequel, no doubt).  I might read the book just to see how different it is from the movie.  After the movie, we went to Applebee's in Lakewood, for the first time in our thirty years at the lake.  We sat at the bar, had a beer and one of their specials, and it felt like we were on a trip because this is the only time we tend to eat at chain restaurants. The waitress even asked us if we were traveling! Our dinner was decent, noting special and I don't think we will be back soon.  Not that it was terrible, just that we like local places more, would like to support them rather than the big chains.  I must say it was a popular place, mostly full on a Sunday night with a prosperous looking crowd.

We hope to head off for a hike this morning, by 9:00, as the drive to the Allegheny Forest will take us at least 35 to 40 minutes.