Under the Clouds~

 Butch had come home late the afternoon of the fifth & managed to do his 34-hour reset here!  He had two nights & one entire day at home.  He left on Friday, the weekend loomed large without him.  When I woke to cloud cover on Sat. & cool temperatures, a ride sounded perfect.

Tree canopy~

 On the first, I'd been mowing, decided to toss a long section of hose out of my way & managed to swing the brass fitting on the end right into the side of my right knee!  The pain was no fun & the knee has a good bruise & a egg size swelled spot.  

I left from Silver City & was soon engulfed in green. My theory was that pedaling would probably help my knee feel better.  At least it didn't hurt any worse.  On a Saturday, I expected more people on the trail, but was happy when I had it almost to myself.

Wild Carrot, in bloom behind Shadow~

The wild carrot is taking over along the sides of the trail.  It's huge & in bloom.  It does have a fernlike quality to the leaves & the blooms are pretty, but it can be toxic to some people. (This is the same plant I worked to cut out of Farah's pasture years ago.)

Fields turning green~

The days of high cloud cover are my favorite.  A respite from the bright sunshine & glare that comes with it.  The light green of growing corn has changed the look of the fields from winter's brown.

Silver Creek, lots of silt~

I took it easy today & stopped for a while on the trestle.  With the filtered light, the black decking didn't radiate the heat it had my last visit.  The creek though is still carrying a lot of silt, thanks to the recent rains.

Boehner Pond~

At the pond, it's so nice to see the water level somewhat recovered.  Only a few people were camping.  Besides a couple people fishing, all was quiet.  I tried to call Butch, but there was no answer, which is unusual.  I didn't stay too long before starting back.  The clouds were actually getting heavier, but rain wasn't in the forecast.

Mulberry Season!

I did - stop - several times to pick Mulberries!  They were so big & sweet & good!  For every ripe one that made it to my mouth, others would just fall off the branch.  It's easy to spot where the trees are, on the concrete sections especially.  Even on the limestone, you can't miss their locations.

Shadow on the Trestle~

I stopped again on the Trestle & this time when I called Butch, he answered!  He'd been driving through Chicago & hadn't heard the phone ring.  Thankfully, he was on the far side of the traffic & glad to be through the city. 

Gray Dogwood~

The above blooms caught my eye on the ride back.  I asked for help identifying them on the Iowa Native Plant FB page.  I'd like to find starts for this shrub & try them in our woods.  By the time I was close to Silver City, I could smell rain in the air. 

Back at the Explorer, I'd just finished loading Shadow when the rain started.  I drove through a decent drizzle most of the way home.  As I passed the new Runza in town, there wasn't the usual line at the drive through, so I pulled in.  I bought one for me & one for Doris, who was watching Finnigan.  As I pulled in her driveway, I could see Finn at the storm door.  Doris said she thinks he could hear the Explorer as I got nearer & was waiting for me.  Such a good boy!  

It was one of my favorite rides so far this year.  With summer around the corner & the heat/humidity that comes with it, I doubt I'll be enjoying more days like this for a while!