Local high schools that have pools usually offer an early morning community lap swimming option. However, BH-BL only offers this during the school year, and although Ballston Spa High School offers it year-round, it runs from 6-7 am (EARLY!), and only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Granted, if it's the only option available, I'll suck it up and do it, but I work late nights and need my beauty sleep too.
So naturally my next choice is to explore the local lakes. Not only is it free, but the times are flexible (basically swim when you want as long as it's daylight). I would love to be able to do a local triathlon club group swim, but they are usually in the evenings and that's when I work. So I used today as an opportunity to both get my bike training in and investigate potential outdoor swimming options.
Now, what I didn't know is that Weather.com is a friggin' liar. I checked the hour-by-hour forecast for today and it said sunshine and 0% chance of precipitation. Apparently that means hurricane-force-winds threatening to blow you off your bike, annoying spittle rain that creates the fear that you will get caught in a downpour, and chilly overcast skies. What would normally have been a nice, enjoyable ride turned into a fight against headwinds and a potential storm.
If you saw a nut-job on a bike today who was holding the handlebars for dear life and swearing at the wind, that was me.
Regardless of the weather conditions, I got about 30 miles of biking in. First I headed to Scotia to check out Collins Lake, which boasts a beach and swimming area inside Collins Park. I knew going into it that the lake would not be open, as previous years it has not opened for swimming until late June. And I also knew that it might not even open at all this year since last year it was closed due to contamination from Hurricane Irene. But I wanted to check it out anyway, which I did. There is a bike rack located at the park entrance, so it would be easy to bike here, lock the bike up, and go for a swim.
On my way to the next swimming destination, I made a stop at the bank and post office (because why not?). Then I headed to Ballston Lake via the bike path, checking out the Outlet Road access pier. The parking area is a little bit sketchy; I would not feel confident leaving my bike there, even with a lock (there isn't even really anything to lock it to...). So I would have to drive. But then what to do with my keys while I swim? Anyway, it didn't seem to matter because when I got to the dock, there was a sign posted that said "No Swimming or Diving from Pier." Plus there was a lot of garbage in the water, and nasty muck. Not very inviting. If anyone knows of a swimming access point to Ballston Lake, please let me know so I can check it out. Other than the yucky dock, it looks like a very nice and tranquil lake.So, all in all it was a good day. I got to explore some potential summer swimming options and get a nice little bike workout in too. I think my next order of business will be to try out the morning swim at Ballston Spa High School and see how busy it is.
