Back on the Trail~

The corn has tasseled!

It has been a busy month.  I worked steadily to get all my yard work done before Jentry & the girls arrived.  With all the much-needed rain we received - the grass grew almost faster than I could keep it mowed.  I had Troy come back twice in one week, to help me keep up with it!

6:08 a.m. Butch warming up Traveler~

It was hard to see Jentry & the girls leave on the afternoon of the 14th...  We hardly had time to walk the woods, when the rain started!  Then, early on the morning on the 15th - Butch too - was back on the road.  The house was suddenly too quiet!

On the trail~

Today, was the day!  I loaded Smokey & drove to Silver City.  I could hardly wait to get going on the trail.  It felt good to be peddling again & watching the rich green of the scenery flow by.  It wasn't long before I started noticing trees down.  The last storm had really done a lot of damage.  The volunteers had been busy for the past few days, with chain saws to get the trail clear.

At the trestle~

As I traveled further south, I was amazed to see so many green leaves all over the trail!  This area must have gotten a lot more wind & rain than we did in Glenwood.  The further toward Malvern, the more the trees had been stripped of their leaves.

The leaves made an interesting pattern on the boards~

I stopped for a short break before continuing on.  It had been two weeks since I'd ridden & I could feel it.  With the temperature in the mid-80's & only moderate humidity, I wanted to take advantage of such a nice day in mid-July.

Broken tree~

The limb ripped from the tree above, gives an idea of how strong the winds must have been.  I hadn't thought our wind at home had been all that bad, until I walked the woods & found the top of one of my favorite trees broken off about 50 ft. above the ground...

7-17-1023 In our woods~

It's firmly hung up in another Walnut & will be difficult to get cut out.  I'm determined to not have any more equipment in the woods.  I'll have to find someone to do it with a ladder.  If it breaks from the trunk & drops, it's in line with my trail signpost. :-(

At the Park - wind~

I rode up to the depot before turning back to the park.  While I was talking to Butch, the wind picked up, blowing from the north.  The ride back, into the wind was a little more difficult than I'd hoped for.  Even with a few stops - I made the ride within a couple minutes of my usual time.

Turkey Tail Feathers~

On my second stop, I spotted a feather almost in the middle of the trail!  As I picked it up, I noticed the second one, just a short distance away.  I didn't realize they were from a wild Turkey until Dessa Montgomery, at Mills County Conservation - identified them for me.  I added them to my growing collection.