Doubly Blessed

Hubbard Park had a lot of visitors, even on a chilly Sunday morning.

Visit #1184, Sunday 17 March 19, 8:00-10:00AM, 3.8 miles, 25lbs. of litter.
Temps in the high 30's, partly sunny.

I took a bike ride through Hubbard Park on Saturday, entering from the Berlin end and riding past Merimere Reservoir.

As I approached the gate, I was surprised to see the bollard at the pedestrian gate was missing.

This post is necessary because it denies road access to motorcycles, dirt bikes, etc. but allows people through, and I have personally seen motorcycles TRY to wiggle their handlebars through the barrier. Now it's gone, as will the wiggling if it's not replaced.

Here's what it should look like:

I find it hard to believe someone actually cut the post at the base. I looked on both sides of the fences but didn't find the post. Perhaps it was sold for scrap?

 Anyway, it needs to be replaced.

Here's what the pedestrian access at the other gate looks like.

So I returned to the park on Sunday to take the photos above. I then walked up the road and cleaned up the roadsides. As I was doing so, a group of early morning walkers passed by and one said to me, "You will be blessed!" I wondered whether she was psychic.

I moved along, around the retention ponds, past the Soap Box Derby track, and picked up the trail west, parallel to I-691.

I wonder whether we could identify the deceased by their dental records?

 At the West Main Street end I turned around and hiked other trails back to the park.

It was while cleaning up the parking area in the northwest corner of Mirror Lake that I came upon my Find of the Week.

I could always use a decent shop rag, and this towel would work quite well.

But when I turned it over, I changed my mind.

I was even more surprised to find another half dozen condoms in that parking lot. It seems we have a serial onanist in Hubbard Park, and I'll bet you didn't know there was such a thing! Who says you can't learn anything from this blog?!

I returned to the parking lot and dropped of my first bag of litter.

But I only spent 1 1/4 hours so far and felt I had another 45 minutes in me.

When I drove to Hubbard Park this morning, I noticed a lot of trash along the brook on Hubbard Park Drive. I spent my remaining time cleaning up both both banks of the brook.

While I was doing my thing, a woman walked by and said to me, "You're going straight to heaven!" I thought for sure it was a curse and my pacemaker was going shut down immediately, when it occurred to me she really meant it as a compliment. I responded, "I'd really like to have some fun HERE first!"

I took it as a good omen that I was given TWO heavenly compliments in one day, so I went out and bought a Mega-Millions ticket tonight. If I win, you'll be sure to hear about it here.

My two hour window closed before I finished cleaning the banks, so I'll return next week and finish the job.