Another Ride ~

 The weather is cooperating this week!  Such nice days, to spoil us before the heat & humidity roll in.  I decided another ride this week would be more fun than mowing.

Wind blowing the corn~

The corn is done growing, has tasseled & now will wait for the harvest.  I should have taken a short video of the wind blowing across it, almost like waves in the ocean.  

Smokey on the trestle~

With a decent wind blowing from the north, I took advantage of it on my way to Malvern.  I knew the trip back riding into it - wouldn't be nearly as easy.  Smokey moved right along; I minimized the stops to see if I could match my best time so far this year.  

Bicycle Tree~

I missed getting a photo of the very top of the new art installation on my last visit.  At least from an angle where you can see the wings on the bike!  Turning back north, I made my usual stop at the park.  The wind was blowing the water & it was another stellar summer afternoon.

Cattails growing at the ponds edge~

This park is such a restful spot - we're so lucky to have the nice public spaces we do.  The campground at the far side, only had one RV.  I've not seen anyone fishing so far this season either.  Our warmest time of day is usually between 4-5 p.m. & I started back after talking with Butch.  When I called him, he said was expecting my call.  Even with all the distance between us, we're still in tune :-) 

North on the Concrete~

The concrete is just so nice to ride on, I wish the entire trail was hard surface.  There are days when the crunch of the limestone gets old to my ears.  The silent sound of the tires on the concrete, is golden!

Small reflective pond~

Last year, the farm near here put in a small dam & created the pond.  It was so pretty, reflecting the green grasses along the edge. Riding into a decent wind was something I hadn't had to do in a while.  

Just as Smokey rolled up onto the boards of the Trestle, I caught movement off to my left.  A Great Blue Heron was taking flight!  He must have been very close to the trestle & the sound of the bike on the boards had scared him.  I instantly stopped & took out my phone, but too late to get his photo.  He flew off around the bend in the river.  It reminded me of a day years ago.  I was riding Jas across a small bridge in WA & we spooked a Blue Heron up from beneath it.  As he took flight, his long legs almost hit Jas in the ears!  

Silver Creek on a warm summer afternoon~

The river is a draw for wildlife in the area.  (In the past few weeks, a neighborhood in Omaha has had Cougar sightings!)  I was so happy to have my sighting last Oct. near this same area.

I made good time the final few miles back to Silver City.  Silver Spokes was open - I stopped for take-out - before heading home.  I have the Explorer back, repaired from hail damage, so made a quick trip to the car wash.  The sun was just behind the trees of the woods, by the time I put Smokey away.