Jogging the city of gardens, I was jazzed to start my inner harbor waterfront run at the Empress and end at the Parliament Buildings. Beginning at daybreak is the best way to enjoy quiet peace but the boulevard route, Dallas Road, that I chose would seem to be light on traffic at other times. It shadows breakwater, parks, and shoreline. [ GPX ]
Category Archives: jogging
John Heinz NWR
I’ve run the perimeter road on the east side of Philadelphia International next to the Delaware. But on the airports west side, only a mile away, is an expansive conservation area. The 200 acre John Heinz National Refuge is gated and operated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It is PAs largest remaining natural freshwater tidal wetlands. The place is popular with bird watchers equipped with binoculars and long lense cameras. There are quite a few miles of trails contained within. I sampled only a portion as I jogged the Impoundment pausing once or twice to admire the beauty. Although some are wooded foot trails I chose the wider utility road route which were open to the view. [ GPX ]
One lap of Ft Worth Alliance Airport
 | Once clear of Westport Pkwy the perimeter road has sparse traffic and wide lanes. The western side is quiet country livestock pasture land — reference the Texas Long Horn(s). American has a large maintenance / engineering base on the airport property, north end. [ GPX ] |  |
North Kingston
| The Quonset Point Trail, asphalt paved and multi-use, may also be known as Davisville Bike Path. The area was largely an old Navy Base and Camp Endicott, home of the Quonset Hut (but maybe you guessed that!) The later half of this trail is actually old Navy road, re-purposed. There is an unspoiled Narragansett Bay mud beach and clear tall grass field if you care to step off of the adjacent trail and see bird wildlife in the Rhode Island view. |  |
Atlanta
 | A jog while out of town is good recreation and gives a glimpse into the surroundings. During two days in Cobb County, Georgia I saw some of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. A 3 mile loop, Cochran Shoals is extremely wide and is popular with those who are out walking. The area is wooded wetlands with peeks of the river between trees and lookout vista points. On a different tack, the Bob Callan / Rottenwood Creek Trail is concrete and paved surface 2 lane bike trail with foot bridges that cross the creek several times. |  |
Teterboro
| It’s a gateway for New York City. It’s where the business jets go. La Guardia airport you may know about, but happens to be saturated with commercial flights. Teterboro caters exclusively to small airplanes. Located on the other side of the Hudson, New Jersey is not as glamorous as Manhattan but this area is traffic safe enough for getting out and good for a lap. Beginning from Hasbrouck Heights the route runs through light industrial zoning and older office parks. On the far side is Moonachie and a quiet clean residential area in Little Ferry. South Hackensack is last on loop. The runways intersect making for a small perimeter. This can be completed in less than an hour. [ GPX ] |  |
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Chicago Midway
| Having sat on my hands all day due to flight schedule reductions in anticipation of Irene, I was open to suggestion. Leaving the airport in the shuttle and seeing a jogger with the driver remarking that it was a popular route and pronouncing it safe, was all I needed. Turned out to be a fine lap. The navigation is easy with left turns (orbiting against opposing traffic) on sidewalk. At 4 miles the perimeter is compact, as far as airports go, and a nearly square footprint. Unfortunately there is nothing to see. The property boundary fence is a 20 foot wall. However, this barrier could be a plus in the winter months as the wind does tend to blow here. There are narrow stretches of packed mulch in unused garden beds between fence and concrete to save the knees. |  |
earth mover
 | Something besides the broken glass brought this twin 8V-71 Detroit Diesel engined beast down. I nearly missed this one on a Charlottesville jog pass by. Identified as a WABCO 252FT elevated scraper, these mammoth machines today are rather obscure (no pun intended). WABCO, short for Westinghouse Air Brake Company whch ran a heavy equipment division at one time, but the design has roots with R.G. LeTourneau. The value in this relic may be as a donor keeping others operational. I wonder if some bank lending asset ledger records serial GR-47106-CPA17-L and its whereabouts– or is it be reclaimed by the same earth that it toiled to transform. [ GPX ] |
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Charlottetown
The Boardwalk is disjointed because of intervening waterfront homes and historic properties. Still, these structures are easy on the eyes. Actual sections of wood planking lend a bit of cush to the stride as they spring and bounce. The view from Victoria Park is quite good and the Cornwall farmland across the river is inviting. The place has political history as a summit between Britain and the other Maritime Colonies met here and agreed to form a union to share resources and protect against a feared Yankee land grab during the US Civil War. FUD. [ GPX ]
Nantucket
 | The island probably needs the tourist trade but I’m sure that the wealthy home owners don’t. Public beach access is invisible. 82 miles of sand — less than 5 of it shared. Looking at a google map what appears to be a grid-work of roads toward beach are actually driveways to pricey private real estate. Some named streets are overgrown paths used by residents. Spotting a local on a bike with a beach towel bungeed to the back fender proved an excellent scout and I gave chase in running shoes. [ GPX ] |
