Forward Motion ~

 It was going to be a hot & humid day - but it was the day I had.  Butch would be at Agriland & if I was going to ride, a break half-way would be welcome.  The trail was still more damp than I imagined.  We've had no wind, which usually makes quick work of the drying process.

A mile south of Silver City~

There wasn't even a hint of a breeze & the humidity was enveloping.  At Mari Jo's suggestion I bought my first cycling jersey.  Mari Jo noticed & as I was leaving said;  "It even has pockets in the back."  I told her Equestrians aren't into back pockets!  She responded just as I hit the trail;  "Ice pack!"  Well, now, that sounded like a wonderful idea!  :-)

Breezy on the trail~

You can tell in both the above photos how damp the surface was.  Slippery in places too.  There's been questions on our Facebook Verve page regarding the tires that come with the bike.  Mine are an upgrade & so far I've not had an issue.  Of course I don't do many turns.  Crossing heavily graveled roads, so far, I've been fine.

Silver Creek - far from "silver"~

Water levels in the small creeks & Silver Creek, were up from the rains we've received.  As always with rain, there's more silt in the water.

I wasn't out to break any records.  Yesterday, weed whacking along the creek, I'd slipped & fallen backwards.  It bent my bad knee All the way back, until my heel touched my rear...  The pain was incredible & I had no idea if I'd re-broken - who knows what?  I felt something in the back of my knee give, maybe scar tissue?  I didn't think the knee joint was capable of bending so much since the surgery, but with the force of my backwards fall, it did!

With my extensive medical knowledge - not - I've decided if it did it once, there's should be more bend I can get.  Now, I'm pushing on it until it hurts & worked the entire ride to keep the ball of my foot on the pedal.

Nate takes me for a ride :-)

I surprised myself by making it to Agriland in an hour.  As I stopped, I had a huge cramp in top muscle of my right thigh.  Probably from the change I was making & not enough electrolytes.  Butch had all the fans going & my cold coke tasted so good!  I was about ready to leave when he called me over to where the sprayer had just come in.  Nate was willing to give me a ride!  What fun! 

Corn growing fast!

The clouds were welcome, as relief from the strong sun, but held in the humidity.  The only breeze to be found on this day, was what Breezy made.

Elderberry~

The wild Elderberry was in full bloom, so pretty against the green.  Our edible varieties at home have bloomed now too, I'm hopeful I'll be able to collect some before the birds get them.

Looking down~

In case you think there aren't deep ravines in Iowa, think again!  The bridges were built over some difficult terrain.

Wait for me!  :-)

Breezy, obviously, was in a hurry to get back!  I didn't see one rider the entire 17-miles.  The Wabash Trace has recently received another stellar local review.  I've very thankful to have it.  Butch & I joke about moving out toward Greenfield or Creston.  Both towns need School Bus drivers & there's an Agriland almost everywhere. :-)  He did mention too - I'd go batty without a place to ride & that's true!  

As to the new jersey, usually my cotton t-shirts are soaked half way down.   The new jersey was soaked too, but it did breathe enough, I think I was cooler!