Making Time ~

 Another nice day in June!  All in all, this month has seemed to be a little cooler & less humid than what I think of as normal for the time of year.  The storms have rolled through & we've had wind damage - but we've also had some really perfect late spring, early summer days.

Smokey~

I realized today my Cannondale Adventure EQ Smokey - hadn't had his picture taken in front of Happy Trails!  I hadn't even met Mari Jo, when I took the first photo of Sunny here on my first ride from Silver City.  The concrete patio is such a nice addition to an already cute building.

Sunny, 4-1-2020

The Electra Townie 3i above, was the first bike I bought as an adult in WA.  It had been more years than I want to count since I'd done much riding.  In WA, Butch & I rode the paved surface of the 30-mile long Centennial Trail.  Here, on the limestone with longer grades, it took me two more bikes to find one that works the best for me on the Wabash.

Soy Beans~

The crop rotation has changed this field back from corn last year, to soy this planting.  Beautiful & green, in 2021 Iowa ranked second in the nation, in production of soybeans.  Illinois took first by a narrow margine.

Dappled shade~

Without the shade, I doubt I'd ride the miles I do in the summer months.  Even though the air can get "close" on a warm day, the shade still makes a huge difference.

The cotton was flying through the air like snow at the Trestle.  I ran into Mari Jo coming back north just a mile shy of the trestle.  Our schedules didn't mesh today.  By the time I reached Malvern, I'd only seen two other riders.  I stopped at the park for my break & talked with Butch for a while before starting back.

Silver Creek~

Silver creek is still running full of silt, from the last rain storm.  I was making good time & remembered to turn the Garmin off when I stopped to talk to Mari Jo & when I took photos.  Back at home, I downloaded my stats to find I'd reached my long-time goal!  My third year of biking & after a lot of dust under the bridge -  I'd ridden 16.5 miles at an average moving speed of 10.1 mph.  My best ever!  

With the upcoming forecast of our usual July beginning of the heat/humidity season, ride days will be few & far between.  I'm hopeful I can find at least one day a week where it's decent enough to be able to enjoy the ride!