Sunday, January 17, 2010

Keney Park in Winter


An appointment near our city's northeastern corner ended earlier than expected, giving me a few extra minutes to enjoy the ride to my next stop. In such a circumstance, there's no better route than one through Keney Park.

I rode through the northern entrance in Windsor and took the paved road past the cricket fields, pausing to inspect a puzzling milk crate full of tropical produce sitting atop some fresh-split wood. The traffic noise faded quickly, and there were few other people around to disturb the silence. Even Tower Ave. was unusually quiet as I made my way between the upper and lower park.
In the southern section of the park, I took the nature/ fitness path. Nobody has bothered to clear the snow from this and many other paths in the park. I guess that's not very good from a park maintenance standpoint, but to be honest, It was kind of nice that way. There was just enough snow for ambiance without making pedaling significantly harder. The lack of seasonal leaves opened up the view to the horse corral. At the southernmost end of the park I pedaled hard and fishtailed the bike on the black ice-covered walkways. Again, this is not very safe or good maintenance on the city's part, but I found it entertaining.


When I lived in New Jersey, my friends and I would avoid the Jersey shore like the plague until after Labor Day. It was then that we were free to fly our kites and enjoy the warm water without traffic or interruptions. Parks in the winter can be like that. Most people don't think to enjoy them this time of year, so you can have the whole place to yourself.

4 comments:

Brendan said...

I saw the xcountry ski tracks in your picture. While I have no idea how to participate in that sport, it seems like it'd fun there.

I wonder if they live nearby or come from elsewhere.

Interstatement said...

I used to XC ski and snowshoe in Elizabeth park years ago when I lived in the West End. I would usually go at night before the snowplows came so I could ski or shoe from my doorstep. I have yet to make it to Pope Park for either activity since I moved to NoFroHo. With the house came the responsibility to shovel snow, so I have been busy and/or tired when the snow is fresh.

Billy Hoyle said...

Brendan you are pretty smart, athletic, and pretty. I think you can figure out how to participate.

chillwill said...

I second mr. hoyles comment. I too find brenden to be very pretty.

and NoFroHo made me spit some beverage onto my screen laughing.