We had almost an inch of rain last night! Last May had gone down in the record books as the dryest in the 150-year history of record keeping. We'd received only .17 inches & continued into summer bone dry. This May, I appreciate every drop of rain we get! So far this month, we've had over four inches! My Hosta's & flowers seem to be growing every day!
I checked with Mari Jo & was surprised when she said the trail was fine. I'd gone to mat making in the morning, then dropped Finn off with Doris on my way home. They day turned out much nicer than had been forecast & warming up to 80 degrees. The humidity was a little higher too, but nothing like last year. I loaded Shadow & left for Silver City. I was about three miles out of town when I realized I'd forgotten my phone. So much for an early start!
Both along the trail & at home I enjoy seeing the blooms of Anise Root. It's such a pretty plant, tall & delicate looking. Native American's & early settlers used anise roots for their sweet & aromatic taste. A tea was made from them for a variety of medicinal uses.
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| Shadow on the Trail~ |
As you can tell from these two photos, the signage has really taken a beating in the last four years... I thought it was pretty nifty that someone had made what had originally been very nice signs for a few spots along the trail.
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| 4-1-2020 - Sunny in the same spot~ |
Since my first ride above, Shadow is my fifth bike. This is also my fifth season of riding the trail. I'm still getting used to my e-bike. Butch recommended using alcohol to clean the grease off my seat post, then tightening the clamp. I did that after my last ride. The seat post stayed in position until just before I reached the trestle today, when my knees told me it had slipped down again.
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| Shadow on the trestle~ |
I also felt like I was working harder at peddling too. My last ride I didn't think there was much difference in the new tires rolling resistance. This ride though, even with the assist set to
eco, it didn't seem like quite enough. My tenth ride & I'm still adjusting things. I'm finding the saddle that came with the bike is very comfortable.
The bright colorful taller blooms of the Prairie Phlox always get my attention! I love the pink/purple color! One of these days I'll find seeds & try starting them along the creek.
I continued on into Malvern today, rode past the bicycle tree & looped through town before turning back for my usual stop at the pond. It was a quiet day, with only the sounds of the birds singing.
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| Shadow at the bicycle tree~ |
I have the seat post so tight now, it's almost impossible to open the clamp. I used my riding gloves, lifted the seat back to the height I like & tightened it down again. I made good time on the trip back to Silver City.
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| The way back~ |
I returned to town a little after 5 p.m. As Butch & I had our evening conversation, I mentioned that I felt I'd had to work a little harder on today's ride. He reminded me that the new tires are not as smooth as the one's that had been on the bike originally. I'd rather have to peddle more, than get more flats! He suggested putting the assist to better use & I'm going to take his advice. He also suggested I buy a dowel rod. He will use it as a spacer in the seat post tube to keep the seat up in place. I have no idea why this bike has the issue, but look forward to it being fixed!
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