First Ride of December ~

 

Mari Jo - on the trail~

The weatherman had promised us a record-breaking day & today was it!  We needed 61 degrees & I'm sure we made it.  The wind was much stronger out of the south than was originally forecast, but it brought the warmth with it.

Water in the creeks~

Mari Jo met me at the shop, both of us looking forward to time on the bikes.  Coming up to the first bridge crossing, it was a surprise to see water in the creeks again.  At home, we managed .48 of rain on November 20th.  The light dusting of snow on the 25th, didn't even register on our rain gauge.  The rest of the month was dry.

A softening surface~

The picture above doesn't look like the surface of the trail was too bad, but with the tires sinking it - it didn't take us long to feel the additional effort it was taking. We wouldn't have been riding at all if it had been any softer.

At the Trestle~

Already committed, we decided to amend our goal & were happy to just make it to the Trestle!   I was sorry I'd worn my thermal pants & we both removed layers!  Then - there was the wind!  We were riding right into those strong blasts from the south, gusting up to 20 mph.

Silver Creek~

 The afternoon was so incredibly beautiful & warm!  We enjoyed the sunshine & talked for a while before turning back.  Now, the wind was to our backs - we were happy to have it!  Even so, my legs felt like they'd had a workout. 

Mari Jo brought me a loaf of her banana bread & a jar of apple butter to go with it!  I could hardly get home fast enough to try both!

Banana Bread & Apple Butter!

I'd left Finnigan in his crate & he was barking when I left.  Last night, was our worst...  He barked for over an hour.  It wasn't a "oh Woest me" bark!  It was a "I'm Mad" bark!  I didn't respond at all.  I had to remind myself he is a grown dog, not a puppy. He finally gave it up & I hope things go better tonight.  We both expect him to be crate trained & this little guy would like to train me!  When I got home, he was just fine & very happy when we left for our walk.  He's learning the routine & becoming more confident - which I love to see.