Recently in Recreation Category

This Week's Warm Temperatures Generate First Sap Flows of Season


The 2010 Maple Sugaring Season began last week in the Upper Hudson region, with warmer temperatures generating sap flow in area maple trees.  The season is off to a very strong start.
 
"This is what we wait for all year.  The sap was running hard last week, kicking off a new maple season," said David Campbell, a Salem producer and president of the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association. 
 
Sugarmakers are reporting excellent quality syrup.  Ideal sugar making temperatures are forecast for the next several days.
 
Meanwhile, sugarmakers are preparing for the fifteenth annual Maple Open House Weekend, expanded this year to two weekends, March 20-21 and March 27-28.
 
A ceremonial first tree tapping with State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker will be held at Dry Brook Sugarhouse in Salem at 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 19.
 
This year, there are more sugarhouses than ever participating in the self-guided tour. 
 
For a complete listing of sugarhouses and a guide map, click on www.upperhudsonmaple.com.
 
Prime sap flow temperatures are 40 degrees or more during the day and below freezing at night.  Maple season generally runs through early April. 
 
The Upper Hudson region is among the biggest syrup producing regions in the country.
 
 

150 athletes, 300 spectators expected at Belgian-style, fan-based
bicycle race and expo on Sunday



SARATOGA SPRINGS - Beginning at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25,
cyclocross racers from across New York State and New England will
converge on the Columbia Pavilion in Spa State Park for the
first-annual Saratoga Spa 'Cross.

I took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and road my bike to downtown Saratoga Springs to make my sales calls for the upcoming Harvest edition of the new eco-Local Living magazine, when I saw the signs at the City Center for the Adirondack Living Expo.  Being a big fan and supporter of all thing Adirondack, I had to stop in and check out what was going on.  The event is now in it's eighteenth season, and the promoters are taking advantage of the excitement that is downtown Saratoga in August to showcase the best of Adirondack craftsmen, green building technology and outdoor adventure.

Looking for something fun to do with the kids? Need a day to enjoy the outdoors?
The eighth annual "Adirondack Spintacular", a 5K, six or twelve-mile cycle/run/walk event is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. The event is co-sponsored by Positudes, Inc. and the Center for Donation and Transplant. The purpose of this event is to raise Hemophilia and Organ Donation awareness and raise money for the Lawrence Madeiros Memorial Scholarship fund.  The scholarship is awarded annually to high school seniors living with a chronic disorder and continuing their education at an accredited college or university. Five-one thousand dollar scholarships were awarded this summer, and the recipients will be honored at this years' event. Over $30,000.00 in scholarships have been awarded since 2003.

With daily rain showers, planning outdoor activities this summer has been sketchy.  So when a day comes along like last Saturday, with sunshine and no rain in the forecast for at least 24 hours, it's an opportunity to get Up and Out like no other!  There's one place in particular, that draws us and many others out on a bright summer day.

I'm talking, of course, about Hadley Mountain, in the northern corner of Saratoga County.  A mere forty five minute drive from Saratoga Springs, Hadley Mountain is a nearby adventure that will release all those pent-up endorphins and give you that warm fuzzy feeling you've been missing.

A bicycle safety instructor is teaching Capital Region cyclists how to "drive" their bikes.

"Every time I'm out on the road I see people making dangerous choices," said Tamara Flanders, a cycling instructor who is certified by the League of American Cyclists. "Some mis-educated people behind the wheel don't respect the right of cyclists to be on the road. On the other hand, some mis-educated bike riders don't follow proper road etiquette and make car drivers nervous or upset."

Doug and Aimee Azaert's Sustainable Living at The Glen:

Wild Waters Outdoor Center and The Glen Lodge & Market

by Persis Granger

Doug Azaert grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and settled in the Adirondacks in 1982, teaching kayaking with some buddies. After a year or so, they realized that guiding rafters was more lucrative than teaching people how to paddle.

Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network is sponsoring the "First Annual" Saratoga Bike To Work Day Challenge. Companies with offices/workplaces in Saratoga County are encouraged to form Bike To Work Teams for Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 15^th 2009.

March Maple Madness in the Town of Thurman

By Persis Granger

It all begins on one of those special days in late winter, when snowmelt hammers on the porch roof, the sun seems higher in the sky, the air has an unmistakable smell of spring, and crows caw over the meadow. In Thurman, folks wait all winter for days like that. On days like that, the maple sap is running.

The tiny Warren County town of Thurman boasts a proliferation of maple producers - probably more per square mile than anywhere else around. Most are second- or third-generation sugar makers, carrying on a proud family tradition of maple production, using a combination of learned-at-the knee know-how and an ongoing quest for technology to streamline their operations and make them energy- and labor-efficient. Many recall a grandparent carrying buckets with a yoke to a kettle over an open fire. Some will share memories of two or three generations of their family working together to gather, boil and bottle.