The Vestal Rail Trail

So....today I tried out the infamous Vestal Rail Trail, located in the Town of Vestal, N.Y.  The children are taking a half-day basketball camp out that way until Thursday so I thought it would be a good opportunity to check out this famed running/walking/dog park/kids play area trail.

I arrived at about 9:30 A.M. and much to my surprise, there were a couple of parking places available!  I parked the car, grabbed the car key,  my IPhone for music, and I was ready to roll, or walk as the case may be.  I turned on Pandora and off I went.  I don't like to walk first and then run.  I like to take right off with an easy jog, because I get too bored with the walking and I'm always afraid that I will not start running if I'm already bored to tears.  The first song is not over and I find myself already looking at the time.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????  It's only been TWO MINUTES!   Oh boy, this is going to be a long 1 and 1/2 miles. 
     Then I start to notice a strange smell.  It is reminiscent of Eu De Toilet .... you know what I'm talking about?  Just a horrible, old, perfume-y, bathroom-spray annoying scent...uggg.  So, I decide to pick up the pace a bit to see if I can pass the offensive culprit.   At this point, I am only seeing walkers and dogs walking their humans so it will be actually possible to pass these folks.  Finally, after what seems like an eternity, I pass a woman with a white bee-hive in a white shirt.  Yes, she was definately the culprit.  What I'm wondering is...WHY???? Why does she feel the need to slather herself in perfume that dates back to prehistoric times?  Her scent lingered for at least five minutes behind her!   That was the LONGEST 5 minutes EVER! 
     At this point, I'm still not seeing any runners and I'm feeling like I missed the sign that said "Walker's and Puppy Poop Scoopers Only".  I'm not going to let it get me down though, the music is great and I just came upon the 3/4 mile marker.  FINALLY!  Just then, the smell of raw sewage fills the airspace.  How lovely for me...I'm wishing the Eu De Toilet Lady was not so far behind me.  I could really use her to drown out this dreadful odor.  I plod on thinking....Where the heck is the mile-marker sign?  I'm never going to make it!  At this point, my pelvic area and hips are screaming.  Running on this hard of a surface with basically no hills or turns is doing quite a number on my body.   I'm thinking...what is the big fuss about this so-called trail anyway?  There's not much to look at and it stinks....literally! 
     I keep going down the trail, even though I really wanted to stop.  I set a couple of mental goals as I was unfamiliar with the length of this trail and was seriously considering turning around.  I made it to the highway overpass which turned out to be the 5K turn-around.  I decided to do the turn-around and walk back to my starting point.  I had a whole day ahead of me and I was afraid of trying to accomplish things while in any more pain than I already was. 
     On my journey back, the only person that passed me was an older gentleman on one of those three-wheeled bikes.   He can really zoom along in that thing!  He was able to weave around people like he was buttering a slice of bread.   Finally, something exciting to watch.  Oh...(sigh)...he's gone now...  
     About halfway back to my starting point, I come upon some folks that I will name "The Stroller Brigade" A.K.A. "Trail Hoarder Moms".  On my way through, I noticed that everyone stayed on one side of the trail, and on the way back, returned on the opposite side.  Well, these ladies clearly have no trail etiquette whatsoever.  Right down the middle of the trail they come, with no regard to the other folks around them.  Clearly, the need for a dotted yellow line is presenting itself here. 
     After two sets of the renegade Moms go through, a series of "Canine Companions" litter the trail.  I took great pleasure in this brigade as I love dogs, and I got to see many breeds, and all shapes and sizes.  The littlest ones were the most entertaining and seemed to have the most control over their well-meaning human owners.  I saw a beautiful Eskimo dog, with the most amazing sea-blue eyes that you ever did see.  He needed a good brushing though :(.  A pleasant surprise sprinkled along the trail were a few friendly waves from "The Walkers".   I even got a half-smile from a "Canine Companion".   For New York, that's not half-bad.  I think that responsible and dedicated pet-ownership softens up even the hardest of souls. Well, even though I waked half of it, I completed a 5K today.  I have to say, I missed my country road that I usually run on.  The slight hills and familiar farm animals are much more enjoyable to me than the large droves of people and foul smells(and yes, that includes dodging the usual logging trucks and smell of horse and cow manure.)  Be that as it may, I am out in Vestal for the rest of the week, so yes, I will be back tomorrow for more fun and excitement.  I wonder what I will encounter then.....