A Ride at Lake Manawa~

 Butch arrived at home late yesterday afternoon.  With the weather so nice, we decided on a ride at Lake Manawa.  It had been a couple months since we'd been there.  Doris was happy to have Finn visit her, so it would be Butch's first time on his bike without pulling Finnigan in his little trailer.

Butch adjusting his handlebars~

It was also his first time riding the bike with the new stem extender.  We're both much more comfortable riding in a more upright position.  We were surprised that on such a nice weekend, the park wasn't busier.  We only passed one other bike rider on our 11-mile loop.

View to the east~

The Wabash Trail head parking off Harry Langdon Blvd. was almost totally full of cars.  I suspect the north end of the trail was a busy place.  We continued on & parked inside the park boundary, the only car there.

Bridge over Indian Creek~

There was a pretty stiff wind blowing out of the south, but with the added boost of the e-bikes, we didn't have to work nearly as hard!  The repairs to remove all the transition bumps between the paved sections of trail along the west side of the park were a huge improvement.

South side of the park~

The trail along the south side, always my favorite, is so smooth with the new paving.  One of our favorite sections.  It doesn't look or feel like fall yet.  The trees are still green, just a few varieties are starting to show a hint of gold.  The Cottonwoods are always the first to start dropping a few leaves.  We have had a couple nights down in the 40's.

Lake Manawa~

After completing the loop, we passed where the Explorer was parked & continued south to the trail that ends at the lakeshore & Shelter #7.  A large group of people were enjoying a picnic at the covered tables.  We sat out on one of the benches to admire the lake, before heading back to the Explorer.  

Our weather is supposed to return to the heat this coming week.  We've been very dry too, but I never complain about lower humidity.  The weather forecasters tell us we need to be patient, that fall isn't far off.  It's getting closer on the calendar; so, they must be right!