Winter's First Ride~

 I'd been weather watching, looking for a warmer day & less wind.  Today, we made it up to 50.  No wind, but cloudy - which made it seem colder.  I was excited to get Smokey out on what's my usual section of the Wabash.  

In front of Mari Jo's shop~

At Silver City, I had to get the obligatory photo of Smokey in front of Happy Trails!  

Butch made some changes to Smokey.  The rear rack that came with the bike, was almost impossible to attach my bag to.  We decided to switch it out for the Sunlite Gold Tec Disc.  We didn't realize the rear fender attached only to the rack, not to the hub.  Also, the attachment for a rear reflector wasn't the same as the rear light.  Those changes required some ingenuity on Butch's part!  Wire to attach the fender to the rack & electrical tape to keep the rear light in place.  Tomorrow, my husband has promised me he'll come up with a much nicer looking solution. :-)  I like the Sunlite rack so much better.

Derecho's mess!

This storm was the first December Derecho in Iowa's history.  It left us without power for three days & many more for much longer.  The trees along the trail took a terrible beating.  The volunteers have done a great job of getting all the big limbs cut & off the trail.

Smokey with the new rack~

Even most of the bridges were covered with sticks & twigs.  If I stopped, I tossed them over.  The great thing was, I didn't have to stop!  The gears are so nice & this bike so much easier for me to ride, it's a breeze to keep peddling down the trail!

Tree torn down~

There were lots of dead branches broken off, but seeing healthy trees down, is just that much less shade in the summer.

Almost to the Trestle~

It was like riding a slalom course!  I found out how handy the Cannondale is at avoiding ground clutter!  

On the Trestle over Silver Creek~

The temperature kept dropping.  I made it to the underpass of Hwy 34.

Turn around at 6+ miles~

I turned back but felt good enough I could have gone on the last couple miles to Malvern.  I was feeling a cold chill in the air, the sky looked like winter.

On the way back~

About three miles out of town I saw people walking the trail ahead.  Two friends who belong to the Mills Country Trail Board.  It was fun to exchange holiday greetings!  I was making great time!  When I downloaded my Garmin, my traveling speed was 7.5!  The fastest I've gone since before my injury!

In less than a mile, another rider was coming toward me - Mari Jo!  She'd been busy baking but finished in time to ride out & find me.  As we stopped, she said; "You were traveling!"  We rode back to town together & I kept up & didn't have to stop & take a break from peddling!  Mari Jo noticed how much easier this bike is for me.  I finished 12.5 miles & felt the best I have in forever.

Back at the shop, she wanted me to see her latest acquisition!  A gift from our mutual Veterinarian.  He'd had it in his greenhouse forever!

A tree grew into the bike!

Photos don't do it justice!

Growth around the spokes~

Mari Jo plans to display it outside the shop.  It will be quite the conversation piece!

I'm very happy the Cannondale is the answer to my riding woes...  It felt great to take on the trail without all the extra effort I had to expend on the Verve.  I felt lucky to get out, since next week, winter is supposed to let us know it's really here!