Wildflower Time~

 A truly beautiful spring day!  I couldn't resist loading the bike & heading toward the trail.  Once in Silver City, I noticed the wind had picked up & as I left, I was riding right into it.  I didn't care!  It had been a hectic day & I was ready to work off some energy.

Dutchman's Breeches!

The greens are slowly taking over the browns of the winter months.  As I crossed over toward the area where I'd found the flowers last season - there they were!  Just short of a week since I'd ridden & in that time they had gone from unnoticeable to full bloom!  I'd been watching for mine near the creek at home too, but I couldn't find any - yet.

The grass is greening!

Stopping on the bridges with creeks - it's fun to see the changes in the water levels & watch as the edges turn green.

Smokey on the bridge~

Last Saturday I'd taken Smokey into Mari Jo's shop.  I'd lost air from the rear tire, almost every time I went to take the bike out.  Our plan was to remove & check the tire.  The problem became removing it, as it was difficult to get off.  Getting it back on correctly was even more difficult.  I decided to take it into the Bike Rack, which I did on Sunday.  There, they kindly explained the bike has a small latch that needs to be flipped for the back wheel to release.  Service checked out the bike, showed me how to drop the tire & put it back in.  Valuable for me to know, with Butch gone.

Silver Creek

With the beautiful sunshine, Silver Creek almost had a silver sheen :-)  The Cardinal's were out too, racing to cross the trail in front of me several times!  They're such bright flashes of color I can't miss them!

I arrived in Malvern in really good time, well under an hour!  Something a few weeks ago I didn't think I'd ever do.  I rode over to Little Red's Service & talked with Donnie about taking in the Bronco.  He agreed & Phil will tow it over for me next week.

On the way back~

I sat for a while at picnic table by the little Depot before heading back.  It was a nice break, to have the wind at my back.

Sweet William~

A sure sign winter is finally over, is seeing the first of the Sweet William starting to bloom.  Soon, there will be more!  It's been so dry for so long, that even the wildflowers are starting to wilt.  Rain is forecast for later this week & I hope we see it.

Once home, I downloaded my stats to find I'd made this 16.5 trip my fastest ever, average speed 9.7 mph.  Shutting off the Garmin when I stopped for photos, my average moving speed was 9.8.  It's just over a year & a half from my accident & my leg has muscled up again.  It doesn't work quite the same, but it's working.  Changing bikes to the Cannondale has also made a huge difference.  I've reached my goal & made the ride a bit faster than pre-accident!  

Happy Trails Open for the Season!

 Another break in our tumultuous spring weather!  The winds have been incredible, the storms bring hardly any rain, just more wind...  

Yesterday Butch & Big Red returned to the road, heading back across the state of Iowa to Dubuque.  He dropped off a load at John Deere before heading south, all the way to Texas.  

Smokey!

With lighter wind & a warmer day, I drove to Silver City.  It's great to have the trail open again & I've appreciated returning to my favorite section.  

Beginning of greens~

The buds on the trees are now showing green, as is the grass along the trail's edge.  It seems like spring has taken forever to arrive this year.  The lack of rain hasn't helped.

Rest break - Malvern

Reaching Malvern, I texted our Grandson Ben & sent him the photo above.  We used to ride on the Centennial Trail in WA.  It's still difficult not having the Grand-kids closer.  

Heading back~

I felt better than I'd expected on this ride & made my best time yet.  Today, the Cardinal's were out & flying across the trail in front of me!  They are impossible to miss!

Plum blossoms~

It was also hard to miss the blooms on the plum bushes!  Even with the wind - I did manage a picture of them & the smell is so sweet!  

Smokey at Happy Trails!

Great to see the "Open" flag flying at Happy Trails! It was fun to see Mari Jo outside enjoying the nice day, but we both wished she had ridden with me!  Now our rides will be on Monday's, weather permitting.  If you're in Silver City, make it a point to stop in, say Hi & shop!  Mari Jo stocks some wonderful biking assessories!

Back at the Lake ~

 Two nice days in a row, the rest of the week is iffy.  I decided to ride while the sun was shining & the wind wasn't blowing as hard as usual.  This spring, we've had more wind than we've experienced since our move here.  Even the weatherman is looking for the off switch!

Train sitting under I-29

Since I'd been on the limestone yesterday, I decided to ride on the nice hard surface trails at Lake Manawa again.  I parked at the north Wabash trailhead & rode the longer route over to the park.  I was still a little stiff from yesterday's ride.

Entering the park trails~

It was another beautiful spring day!  I love being out on days like these.  It would be wonderful to get a several in a row, but I'll take what mother nature gives us.  Before long, the grass will be growing & I'll be getting my exercise mowing the lawn & weedwhacking.  I actually look forward to my summer season chores.

My rest spot~

This pile of wood debris is my usual rest spot in the old campground.  I looked for the Coyote, but if he was around, I didn't see him.

The path to the picnic area~

There were just a few people in the park, part of the reason I enjoy the weekdays.  At the picnic area, it was so beautiful I decided to stay & enjoy the view awhile.  

Along the shore~

The blue sky was So blue the water almost looked turquoise.  The birds, light breeze & small waves lapping the shore  were the only sounds.  The trees, with their leaf buds ready to pop open, shimmered in the sun.  Too soon, it was time to head back.  I'm about 2/3rds of the way through the ride at this spot.

I covered the fourteen plus miles in under two hours, about my usual time.  If this park were closer, I'd be out every day!  I can say the same for the Wabash & envy Mari Jo being within walking distance.  

I'm So excited!  My husband will be Home this upcoming weekend!  It seems like forever since I've seen him!  We talk about his daily drives & the country he sees.  I'm keeping a daily log of his drives from where he spends the night to the next spot & notes on how his day went.  I feel closer to him when I hear his stories from the road.  :-)

Gaining Ground ~

 A riding goal for going on two years now - has been to ride the Wabash from Silver City to Malvern & back -  either to exceed or match my best time pre-accident.  July 22, 2020 was my best trip, riding Speedy, my Electra Townie.  It's still early in the season & with the weather it's been hard to get any consistant riding.

Southbound~

I honestly didn't even know if I'd be up to making the round-trip yet this season.  Otober 6th of 2021 was the last time I rode the full length of this section of the trail.  It seemed like forever ago.  

Three-miles south of Silver City

My original plan was just to ride to the trestle & turn back.  Well...  I got to the trestle & decided I'd go on to the Hwy 34 underpass.  It was a beautiful day, temperatures in the low 70's.  The only drawback, was the gusting wind.

New clear-cut & the Trestle ahead~

At the underpass I knew my goal was only a couple miles farther.  The last mile of that is concrete.  Smokey is so much easier to ride, more comfortable & faster than the Trek Verve.  I decided to buck up & go the distance.

Malvern~

Arriving in Malvern, I took a short break at the depot.  The wind wasn't letting up.  It had been mostly at my back going south, so I knew I'd be riding into it on the return.

Someone's idea of "art" on the bridge :-(

Fully committed now, I started the ride back.  I did better than I expected.  I was just a short distance from town when I saw a man walking a golden lab off-leash toward me.  As I got closer, the dog came at me barking & circled behind me.  Next, he came up my right side & tried to grab my foot off the pedal. 

The owner was yelling;  "Milo, MILO!!!" at the dog to no avail.  By now, the dog had cut in front of me & I had to stop.  The owner yelled at me;  "Just keep riding!"  I was furious!  The dog backed off when I stopped & confronted it.  I turned to the owner & yelled;  "I would have kept riding if your dog was on a LEASH!" I hope I don't run into this person again...  My closest encounter with a dog in years & one I don't want to repeat! 

I was tired by the time I reached Silver City.  My leg was sore, but not as sore!  When I downloaded my stats, this ride was 2.7 mph faster than my October 2021 ride & I'm within 1.2 mph of reaching my goal!

On the Wabash ~

 After a gray & windy Sunday, Monday dawned beautiful!  Just a light breeze & temperatures climbing to the mid-60's.  I hadn't been on the trail south of Silver City for almost two-months.  Both Mari Jo & I were excited to get in a ride!

Bikes waiting for tires to be aired~

I'd tried to air my tires at home & managed to break Butch's pump :-(  That gave me the excuse to buy one of the nice new one's Mari Jo has in stock for the upcoming season.  I had a lesson on how to use it correctly, which I needed.

Fields~

This field, this season will be planted in soy beans, since last year it was corn.  With just a two crop rotation, it's easy to figure out what's going in.  It was a pleasure to be back out in the wide open spaces & quiet of the trail.

Two Beaver dams~

It's been such a dry winter, the Beavers are evidentally planning to retain what water they can.  It's the first time we've seen two dams here.

Another creek, another dam~

Crossing the bridge over the second creek, the dam here too had been modified & enlarged.  The greens are so slow to emerge this year.  

Last year this time, I was still riding Speedy & talking about getting a different bike.  Today, cruizing along on Smokey was great!  A much easier bike to ride than the Trek Verve I'd bought the end of May.  What a mistake that was.  I spent most of last year trying to convience myself it would work...  Getting the Verve sold & finding the Cannondale was a lucky break.

Silver Creek from the Trestle~

It's a relief to ride a bike that's comfortable - I'm enjoying the trail again.  As I told Mari Jo, I am spoiled though, by the hard surface trails of the Lake.  I'd forgotten the Limestone is more of a workout, plus dodging the fallen sticks & branches littering the trail.

Looking North from the center of the Trestle~

Since it's early in the season yet, we rode to the trestle, then turned back.  I'm not yet in shape yet for longer rides.  Hopefully that will come, along with more than one day in a row of good weather!  I think everyone has had enough of the wind!

Clear cut

It's not often I see a clear-cut here in Iowa!  But today I did.  Evidentally the power company had come through & cleared every tree & limb within a couple hundred feet of the high tension power lines running directly above where our bikes were parked.  They'd made a mess of the trail surface & we've lost another section of what had been welcome shade, in the summer months.

These nice days we've been seeing once or twice a week, are just teasers...  Soon, we keep saying, soon, the weather will warm & we'll have more warmer days to enjoy!  The color green would be a wonderful addition too!

Back on my Bike~

 Yesterday was windless, I worked outside.  Today, forecast as the nicer of the weekend, the wind had returned.  It had been over two-weeks since I'd been riding.  Cold weather, a slushy snow & plenty of wind had disuaded me.  Very sad after having three days in a week nice enough to ride - in March!

On Sunday the 20th, I was cutting down a big dead snag hung up in another tree.  As I made the final cut, with my Saws All  it kicked back as it fell.  Hitting my left leg on the shin bone, it scraped all the way from just below the knee to my ankle.  A few days later, when the swelling hadn't gone down, I ended up on antibiotics.  Today was the first time it felt good enough to ride.

Under I-29

I decided to leave from Tastee Treat.  Once I got out on the trail, I started to regret my decision.  The wind was whipping across the open & making headway against it was a chore.  It's just about two-miles to the park trails.

Road by the gold course, a bike path~

At least the wind was blowing more from the north, instead of every direction, so I had a break from it now & then.  At the end of the road above - is the the old RV park.  It's gated & closed off for vehicles, but there's room to ride around the gate.  I circle the area & usually stop for a short break.

Coyote!

I was riding up the side, when I saw this Coyote cross the road not 100-ft in front of me!  He stopped to watch me, so I stopped to try & get a photo.  He was very handsome & healthy looking!  Watching him move, was like watching Kitt again.  All the brush piles make excellent habitat for a den.  I'll be sad to see all this bulldozed away for whatever will be built here.

Found it!  0.0

I was so lucky!  The wind was at my back going up the long stretch along Indian Creek.  At the bridge - I found the marker I'd been looking for!  The beginning point of the Lake Manawa trails.  

At the lake~

I took the turn to ride down to the lake.  It's such a pretty spot & even on a Saturday, no one was around.

Skyscrapers of Omaha~

I sat to enjoy the sunshine for a while before heading back.  

Under the train tracks~

This time, the wind had switched direction & again I was riding into it.  At least there's a few downhill sections where I could get up some speed.  The ball fields were full of players & cars lined the E. South Omaha Bridge road on the way to the trailhead parking.

My 13.5-mile route~

We've gotten just enough small rain amounts that the Wabash is still soft in places.  With the recent wind, I'm hopeful to ride there this coming week.  It felt so good to be out again.  The smooth surface trails of the park have spoiled me!