First ride - February~

It had been a month since I'd had my bike out!  January was cold & windy.  I'm not going to think of early, warm days of February as strange anymore.  This is probably the fourth year in a row I've been riding in 50-to-60-degree weather & enjoying the sunshine.  I thought about going out to the trail, but the lake views of Manawa are always a draw.

On the little loop trail~

It took me a while to decide what to wear for a jacket.  I wasn't out long before I was putting my windbreaker over my vest.  Even thought it was mid-50's the breeze as I rode felt cool.

Dirt work~

I have no idea what's going on between the SE corner of the park & the Missouri river, but there's been a lot of dirt moved & mounded along the far side of the trail.

Yellow Pin marks the area~

I think it must be some type of expansion for Mid-American, but that's a guess.  Regardless, it's made a mess for months now.  Crossing Navajo St. on the trail is tricky with all the truck traffic.

Looking North, Parallel with the train tracks

Once I'm past the area, there's a nice section of trail that goes all the way under I-29 & connects up to the Wabash Trace.  I go out a mile or so, before turning back into the park.

The front engine~

The trail goes under the tracks to the far side.  The engine above was rumbling alongside the trail.  There were three more behind this one. There were no loaded cars in sight, I'm sure the schedule of loaded cars coming in & empty cars going out is a tight one.

Canadian Geese

Back riding along the side of E. Lake Manawa drive, the Canadian Geese were taking advantage of the little pond of open water created by the dirt work for the new housing development.  All was quiet there.  I was surprised, since the weather has been cold, but nice.

Indian creek looking south~

The wind was howling today & the 25-mph gusts were no fun.  Without the additional assist of an e-bike my knees wouldn't have held up to the effort.  Even on my e-bike, my knees were sore by the time I was done riding.

Lake Shore~

The lake was beautiful as usual.  There was a lot more standing water, on top of a thin layer of ice, than even my last visit in January.  Besides the sound of the wind, it was a quiet afternoon. I think it was last year I saw the young Eagle in the Cottonwoods.  It looks more open now, since the big ones were cut down last season.

Heading back~

There had to be a five-degree temperature difference between the shaded areas of this trail & the sunshine of the Savana.  Only a few people were out, with dogs.  The owners who have big dogs always seem to choke up on the leash.  The dog thinks I must be something scary if their owners have such a strong hold on them.  I made it past without incident - always a Good Thing!

In April, it will be six years I've been riding a bike.  I shipped Farah back to WA Sept. of 2018, Butch & I got our bikes out in 2019.  We also worked on clearing the lots we'd purchased.  By April of 2020, I was riding consistently.  

My bike needs a longer break line, since we raised the handlebars.  The shop we use is slammed with work.  I called & it looks like it will be two weeks once I take it in, to get it back.  I've been riding my analog bike on the trainer, but it's sure not the same!