On July 4, I went on a bicycle ride. The Home Owner Association had approved the replacement of the rear decks of the housing units on my street. Demolition work had started earlier in mid-June, and they had only just started preparing to construct new stairs and decks. I was not able to access the gas grill in the backyard. There were no Independence Day hot dogs and burgers.
I rode from home to the trailhead of the Delaware & Raritan Canal Park Trail at Rocky Hill. I rode south on the Delaware & Raritan Canal Park Trail to the Telegraph House at the Kingston Lock, then crossed to the other side of the canal to continue riding.
For the ride, I took my X-T3 camera along with the Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR, Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, MCEX-16, and Fujinon XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lenses. The X-T3, Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR, Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR, and MCEX-16 all fit inside my Peak Design 6L Everyday Sling bag. The Fujinon XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR fit snugly next to the Peak Design 6L Everyday Sling bag in the basket of my Lectric XPremium Electric Bike, secured with Bungee Cords.
I planned to ride as far as I could, south from the Telegraph House in Kingston onto the Kingston Branch Loop Trail and ride down as far as possible. I had never ridden on that side of the Delaware & Raritan Canal before. When I looked at Google Maps, I was certain that I could ride all the way down to the Millstone Aqueduct and footbridge.
On a section of the Kingston Branch Loop Trail, I stopped to photograph some of the native plants and wildflowers. The Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) caught my eye. The flowers do look like a brush. I think the flowers of the Wild Potato Vine (Ipomoea pandurata) are beautiful. I wondered if it produces edible potatoes.
A short distance from where I photographed the Buttonbush, I saw twenty Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) blocking the trail. I have to admit I am a bit afraid of geese. I was attacked by a goose in the yard of an AirBnB Bhavna and I stayed at on a trip to Cape May. I gave the geese a wide berth, riding on the far inside of the trail near the tree line.
However, when I arrived at Virgen de Guadalupe, the trail ended. I was disappointed. But I made the best of it.
I watched pedestrians and bicyclists going by on the Delaware & Raritan Canal Park Trail on the other side of the canal. I heard Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) and Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) making a ruckus in the trees, appearing to fight over something, but had no luck photographing them.
There is a narrow trail that runs east through the trees and connects to Mapleton Road. I rode to the end and parked the e-bike, hoping to photograph some of the catbirds that I could hear in the trees. I had no luck. But I did photograph a juvenile Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). They seem to be abundant this time of year.
Despite the disruptions and unexpected trail ending, it was a fulfilling day. I enjoyed the serenity of the trail.
