Taking Advantage~

 Two rides in the same week!  It's been a while & may be again.  With the rain & warm weather, it's the time of year when I spend all my time trying to keep up with the mowing etc., at home.  As you can tell from the photo below, the trail volunteers are also putting in hours, trying to keep up with the fast-growing edges of the trail!

At the parking by Happy Trails~

I was just happy to get away from my new mower & on a bike!  (I bent the shaft of my old mower Stripe :-( Stripe had been such a good mower, but hitting an old honeysuckle stump was too much...  Now, I'm trying to get used to my new mower & it's just not the same.)

Shadow on the trail~

Again, the view of the trail has changed so much in such a short time.  It's refreshing to be back to enjoying all the shades of green.  Today I appreciated riding in the shadow of the newly leafed out tree canopy.

A perfect spring day in Iowa~

The fields are seeded & will soon be filled with the first flush of the green & growing crops.  Especially with the rains we've received, just in the nick of time.

On the Trestle~

A breeze blowing from the north helped push me along.  I also took Butch's advice & used the assist when my knees told me I needed it.  I made my best time to date getting to the Trestle.  I was still having an issue with the seat slipping down though.  Buying a dowel rod will be my next move.  It was the warmest day I've ridden yet & I did take an electrolyte.

Shadow at Boehner Pond~

It was incredibly quiet & beautiful at the pond.  The water level has recovered more than I'd expected!  I think Malvern has received even more rain than we have at home.  There was only one family of Canadian Geese on the water with no less than six goslings.

The way back~

The trip back, I was riding right into what had become a stronger wind from the north.  It was almost too easy to set the assist up to tour & continue to travel without the usual stress to my knees & legs.

Back at Happy Trails, I stopped to talk to Mari Jo. As we were standing by the front of the shop, under the deck to the upstairs apartment, we heard a loud crash!  It sounded like the deck was coming down.  Both Mari Jo & I jumped out into the street & looked up.  The deck seemed fine.  

Two men who had just exited from Silver Spokes on the far side of the street, came over to tell us the gentleman who lived upstairs had been on the deck & suddenly dropped to the deck boards.  (From their view on the far side of the street, they could see him lying there.)  911 was called & with the Fire Dept. only three doors down, help arrived swiftly. Within a few minutes, the person was talking, but taken to the hospital for observation.  Prayers for his swift recovery.

I decided to leave, before my access to the main street was cut off by all the vehicles from the Sherriff's Dept. & other responding agencies.  The trip home was uneventful.  Finn had stayed home & did just fine.  I praised him for being such a good boy!