Our summer has been hotter & drier than usual - our temperatures were 1.5 degrees higher than average. Along with the heat, it was drier too, as our drought status concludes its third year. I have missed the rain, that's for sure!
It had been almost a week since my last ride. I've been busy at home. Our outside water spigot broke a week ago. Thankfully we had a brass fitting that allowed us to turn the water off until repairs could be made. While the plumbers were here, we had them add a spicket on the back of the house & an interior main shut-off valve.
After mat making this morning, I came home for a quick lunch before loading Smokey. Once in Silver City, I'm always anxious to get out on the trail.
Soybeans - turning yellow~
The Soybeans too, are feeling the effects of the combination of heat & a lack of moisture. It won't be long until they will be harvested. It is beautiful to see the acres of gold against the blue skies.
Smokey under the arch in Malvern~
I was glad I'd decided to ride into Malvern, when I saw the Clematis on the arch was in full bloom! It's so beautiful & one of the last to flower. I decided to push myself on this ride & made my best time of the year.
Of course, I couldn't do it without Smokey's smooth running! :-) I really do enjoy riding this bike more than any other I've had. It's not as fast as a road bike would be, but it handles the limestone trail with relative ease. As of this ride, Smokey's miles since his purchase in November of 2021 total 1,338. I'm a little odd I know, keeping track of bike miles - but it's something I've done since purchasing my first Garmin 2010.
I remember how excited we were in those days - to have an accurate accounting of the miles we'd ridden our horses. The feature I've always enjoyed most, is the ability to download the information & produce a map overlaid on Google Earth, of our route on the computer!
Silver Creek from the Trestle, upstream~
It was a beautiful, quiet day on the trail. The squirrels are the busiest of all the small critters, collecting the walnuts & burying them everywhere. The trail has become the yearly walnut obstacle course, but this year hasn't been one of heavy production, thankfully.
The "run-a-way" pansies~
Back at Happy Trails, Mari Jo's pansies have about run away with her step! Each year they seem to double in size. There's one growing out in the street!
I'm appreciating every one of these wonderful days, both at home & on the trail. The sun is setting a little earlier each day & before long we'll be into fall!
I arrived at Happy Trails today with Smokey & greeted Mari Jo with the statement; "Smokey is lame!" After my last ride, I'd come back to town & taken the Explorer & bike to the car wash. The self-service was the only empty bay & I about froze. The temperature dropped & the spray from the nozzle filled the air. The car was filthy after our last rain. The consensus in town - was that the rain had cleaned all the dust from the air & deposited it All on our vehicles! (Car washes must make a small fortune in IA). It's handy though - to have Smokey on the rack. An easy way to blast the grime off the bike at the same time.
Once home I found Smokey's rear tire flat. Not good... I've never changed a tire on a bike & decided it would be a good time to learn. I called Mari Jo & asked if she was available in her off-season to do the repair. Thankfully, she was! (It helps to be her riding partner!)
A thorn?
It was a real bear to break the tires seal on the rim! It took both of us to get the tire off. We pumped air into the tube to find the leak. A decent size hole - we could easily hear & feel the air escaping. Mari Jo started going over the inside of the tire. She found the problem. At first, we both thought it was a thorn, but upon closer inspection Mari Jo discovered it was a very hard sliver of wood.
Wood sliver right through the tire~
I couldn't help but be surprised at how hard & sharp it was! The sliver had found the perfect spot in the tire to work its way in to the tube.
Almost 1/2 inch~
Getting the rear wheel back on the bike took some finesse & experience with bikes. Mari Jo has both. Once it was back on, the trick is to get it perfectly in position for the disc brakes to work properly & the wheel to turn without rubbing.
Mari Jo fine tuning~
It was during this process Mari Jo told me to listen! She explained it was easier to hear if anything was off balance rather than see it. I had to laugh - as her words were almost exactly the same as my good friend & mentor Dean used to explain regarding horses & lameness. That it was easier to hear a lameness rather than see it - in the early stages.
The bike rear wheel - turned smoothly! Very smoothly - which is one of the things I like so much about these bikes! They shift smooth, ride smooth & are very quiet.
We've not added tire liners to these bikes - yet. Now I've seen the work involved in fixing a flat, I think I may be investing in the newer type liners we'd had installed on the Trek bikes. Tannus liners advertise even if you do get a flat, you're able to ride the bike back. Something I think I'll invest in again... I'm just thankful Smokey didn't leave me on foot far from the Explorer!
Another nice day in June! All in all, this month has seemed to be a little cooler & less humid than what I think of as normal for the time of year. The storms have rolled through & we've had wind damage - but we've also had some really perfect late spring, early summer days.
Smokey~
I realized today my Cannondale Adventure EQ Smokey - hadn't had his picture taken in front of Happy Trails! I hadn't even met Mari Jo, when I took the first photo of Sunny here on my first ride from Silver City. The concrete patio is such a nice addition to an already cute building.
The Electra Townie 3i above, was the first bike I bought as an adult in WA. It had been more years than I want to count since I'd done much riding. In WA, Butch & I rode the paved surface of the 30-mile long Centennial Trail. Here, on the limestone with longer grades, it took me two more bikes to find one that works the best for me on the Wabash.
Soy Beans~
The crop rotation has changed this field back from corn last year, to soy this planting. Beautiful & green, in 2021 Iowa ranked second in the nation, in production of soybeans. Illinois took first by a narrow margine.
Dappled shade~
Without the shade, I doubt I'd ride the miles I do in the summer months. Even though the air can get "close" on a warm day, the shade still makes a huge difference.
The cotton was flying through the air like snow at the Trestle. I ran into Mari Jo coming back north just a mile shy of the trestle. Our schedules didn't mesh today. By the time I reached Malvern, I'd only seen two other riders. I stopped at the park for my break & talked with Butch for a while before starting back.
Silver Creek~
Silver creek is still running full of silt, from the last rain storm. I was making good time & remembered to turn the Garmin off when I stopped to talk to Mari Jo & when I took photos. Back at home, I downloaded my stats to find I'd reached my long-time goal! My third year of biking & after a lot of dust under the bridge - I'd ridden 16.5 miles at an average moving speed of 10.1 mph. My best ever!
With the upcoming forecast of our usual July beginning of the heat/humidity season, ride days will be few & far between. I'm hopeful I can find at least one day a week where it's decent enough to be able to enjoy the ride!
A truly beautiful spring day! I couldn't resist loading the bike & heading toward the trail. Once in Silver City, I noticed the wind had picked up & as I left, I was riding right into it. I didn't care! It had been a hectic day & I was ready to work off some energy.
The greens are slowly taking over the browns of the winter months. As I crossed over toward the area where I'd found the flowers last season - there they were! Just short of a week since I'd ridden & in that time they had gone from unnoticeable to full bloom! I'd been watching for mine near the creek at home too, but I couldn't find any - yet.
The grass is greening!
Stopping on the bridges with creeks - it's fun to see the changes in the water levels & watch as the edges turn green.
Smokey on the bridge~
Last Saturday I'd taken Smokey into Mari Jo's shop. I'd lost air from the rear tire, almost every time I went to take the bike out. Our plan was to remove & check the tire. The problem became removing it, as it was difficult to get off. Getting it back on correctly was even more difficult. I decided to take it into the Bike Rack, which I did on Sunday. There, they kindly explained the bike has a small latch that needs to be flipped for the back wheel to release. Service checked out the bike, showed me how to drop the tire & put it back in. Valuable for me to know, with Butch gone.
Silver Creek
With the beautiful sunshine, Silver Creek almost had a silver sheen :-) The Cardinal's were out too, racing to cross the trail in front of me several times! They're such bright flashes of color I can't miss them!
I arrived in Malvern in really good time, well under an hour! Something a few weeks ago I didn't think I'd ever do. I rode over to Little Red's Service & talked with Donnie about taking in the Bronco. He agreed & Phil will tow it over for me next week.
On the way back~
I sat for a while at picnic table by the little Depot before heading back. It was a nice break, to have the wind at my back.
A sure sign winter is finally over, is seeing the first of the Sweet William starting to bloom. Soon, there will be more! It's been so dry for so long, that even the wildflowers are starting to wilt. Rain is forecast for later this week & I hope we see it.
Once home, I downloaded my stats to find I'd made this 16.5 trip my fastest ever, average speed 9.7 mph. Shutting off the Garmin when I stopped for photos, my average moving speed was 9.8. It's just over a year & a half from my accident & my leg has muscled up again. It doesn't work quite the same, but it's working. Changing bikes to the Cannondale has also made a huge difference. I've reached my goal & made the ride a bit faster than pre-accident!
A riding goal for going on two years now - has been to ride the Wabash from Silver City to Malvern & back - either to exceed or match my best time pre-accident. July 22, 2020 was my best trip, riding Speedy, my Electra Townie. It's still early in the season & with the weather it's been hard to get any consistant riding.
Southbound~
I honestly didn't even know if I'd be up to making the round-trip yet this season. Otober 6th of 2021 was the last time I rode the full length of this section of the trail. It seemed like forever ago.
Three-miles south of Silver City
My original plan was just to ride to the trestle & turn back. Well... I got to the trestle & decided I'd go on to the Hwy 34 underpass. It was a beautiful day, temperatures in the low 70's. The only drawback, was the gusting wind.
New clear-cut & the Trestle ahead~
At the underpass I knew my goal was only a couple miles farther. The last mile of that is concrete. Smokey is so much easier to ride, more comfortable & faster than the Trek Verve. I decided to buck up & go the distance.
Malvern~
Arriving in Malvern, I took a short break at the depot. The wind wasn't letting up. It had been mostly at my back going south, so I knew I'd be riding into it on the return.
Someone's idea of "art" on the bridge :-(
Fully committed now, I started the ride back. I did better than I expected. I was just a short distance from town when I saw a man walking a golden lab off-leash toward me. As I got closer, the dog came at me barking & circled behind me. Next, he came up my right side & tried to grab my foot off the pedal.
The owner was yelling; "Milo, MILO!!!" at the dog to no avail. By now, the dog had cut in front of me & I had to stop. The owner yelled at me; "Just keep riding!" I was furious! The dog backed off when I stopped & confronted it. I turned to the owner & yelled; "I would have kept riding if your dog was on a LEASH!" I hope I don't run into this person again... My closest encounter with a dog in years & one I don't want to repeat!
I was tired by the time I reached Silver City. My leg was sore, but not as sore! When I downloaded my stats, this ride was 2.7 mph faster than my October 2021 ride & I'm within 1.2 mph of reaching my goal!
After a gray & windy Sunday, Monday dawned beautiful! Just a light breeze & temperatures climbing to the mid-60's. I hadn't been on the trail south of Silver City for almost two-months. Both Mari Jo & I were excited to get in a ride!
Bikes waiting for tires to be aired~
I'd tried to air my tires at home & managed to break Butch's pump :-( That gave me the excuse to buy one of the nice new one's Mari Jo has in stock for the upcoming season. I had a lesson on how to use it correctly, which I needed.
Fields~
This field, this season will be planted in soy beans, since last year it was corn. With just a two crop rotation, it's easy to figure out what's going in. It was a pleasure to be back out in the wide open spaces & quiet of the trail.
Two Beaver dams~
It's been such a dry winter, the Beavers are evidentally planning to retain what water they can. It's the first time we've seen two dams here.
Another creek, another dam~
Crossing the bridge over the second creek, the dam here too had been modified & enlarged. The greens are so slow to emerge this year.
Last year this time, I was still riding Speedy & talking about getting a different bike. Today, cruizing along on Smokey was great! A much easier bike to ride than the Trek Verve I'd bought the end of May. What a mistake that was. I spent most of last year trying to convience myself it would work... Getting the Verve sold & finding the Cannondale was a lucky break.
Silver Creek from the Trestle~
It's a relief to ride a bike that's comfortable - I'm enjoying the trail again. As I told Mari Jo, I am spoiled though, by the hard surface trails of the Lake. I'd forgotten the Limestone is more of a workout, plus dodging the fallen sticks & branches littering the trail.
Looking North from the center of the Trestle~
Since it's early in the season yet, we rode to the trestle, then turned back. I'm not yet in shape yet for longer rides. Hopefully that will come, along with more than one day in a row of good weather! I think everyone has had enough of the wind!
Clear cut
It's not often I see a clear-cut here in Iowa! But today I did. Evidentally the power company had come through & cleared every tree & limb within a couple hundred feet of the high tension power lines running directly above where our bikes were parked. They'd made a mess of the trail surface & we've lost another section of what had been welcome shade, in the summer months.
These nice days we've been seeing once or twice a week, are just teasers... Soon, we keep saying, soon, the weather will warm & we'll have more warmer days to enjoy! The color green would be a wonderful addition too!
Five years & how fast they've gone. December of 2020, we had three snowstorms. Nika was in her element! Even so, there were some beautiful days with plenty of sunshine.
12-31-2020 Nika~
January continued the trend with a blizzard mid-month. Snow was added to piles of snow. Between storms, I took Speedy out & with Butch watching, tried peddling. I could make a full rotation. All the weeks of physical therapy & work at the Y paid off. Nika & I enjoyed our winter woods walks too.
1-11-2021 Taking Speedy out for a trial run~
This February, I had no ambition to visit WA. Having spent most of last fall there recovering, I was happy to be home. I asked about adding color to the walls in the house & Butch took on the project.
2-4-21 The office wall~
To celebrate our birthday's - we made a road trip to Glenwood Springs, CO. Our home in the early 80's. Soaking in the pool & watching the snow fall, had always been one of our favorite things. We hiked at Rifle Falls & enjoyed a long weekend.
2-6-21 Glenwood Hot Springs Pool~
Back home, we hadn't missed another heavy blast of snow!
2-21-21 The Cabin~
Enough already! Shoveling had been an everyday routine for way too long! Late February & into March, the weather moderated & the snow started melting. Mari Jo & I took walks with our dogs out on the Wabash Trace. I rode my bike for the first time with Butch, around Lake Manawa!
3-6-21 Connie & Speedy~
It wasn't easy, but it was sure wonderful to be out on two wheels! By the end of the month, the grass was green again & my little daffodils were blooming!
3-30-21 Color!
By April, all the wildflowers were in bloom & spring had arrived in a big way! In the marsh, I found new wildflowers - Dutchman's Breechs. I was riding up to 17-miles on the Wabash Trace & visiting Butch at Agriland!
4-15-21 Speedy at Agriland
May, I was ready again for a different bike. I really enjoyed riding the Townie, but thought I needed more gears for the long grades of the trail. Most of my shopping was done on-line. The Trek bike in the size I needed, was in Kansas City, KS. I made the drive to pick up a Verve 3 Lowstep,
5-3-2021 Trek Verve Bikes~
Butch ended up buying a new Trek too & soon was outdistancing me on the trails. Memorial Day weekend, we stayed over in Creston, rode our bikes & attended the Memorial Day services at the Greenfield Cemetery.
5-21-21 Creston Quilt Show
Once June arrived, I spent the days I wasn't riding, working outside. Butch worked to finish the ceiling in the cabin. He put up the steel panels, while I sanded & painted the trusses.
7-26-21 Cabin finished~
July, daughter Courtney & grandson Mason came for a visit! We would have kept them for the summer! :-) We did all the fun things we could think of & a few more. Mason loved his tour with Papa & checking out the big tractor. The weather couldn't have been better. Not hot, not humid, as perfect as a July could be. Things were too quiet when the two of them left for home.
7-8-21 Mason in the John Deere~
August, with Butch laid off from Agriland, he had time to install the new windows for the house. The difference they've made is incredible. The installation led to removing the vinyl siding, adding vapor barrier & painting the shutters.
8-19-21 New windows, painted shutters~
The marigolds I'd planted in the usual spot along the south fence, provided us with color all summer. Butch put in a block wall along the west end of the house. He also cut shutters for the Cabin windows. We planted a new row of Emerald Greens along the north split rail fence. (Our second attempt at getting something to grow there.)
8-20-21 Marigolds~
September, Butch was driving a dump truck part time for a local company. He was also back to driving the school bus. We took an extended weekend trip to Mason City. A town resplendent with Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. Butch finished training & received his Class A driver's license. (He also passed the test for hazmat certification.) The bikes went with us, we rode the High Trestle Trail north of Des Moines on our way home.
October was mild & beautiful! We had the big Walnut tree out front trimmed to clean up the damage from the August Derecho. It produced a bumper crop of walnuts! I hired the neighbor kids to help with the continual pickup. It kept me busy for at least an hour a day for weeks! I used the chips from the walnut to cover my trails.
10-11-2021 Walnut
November second, we had our first hard frost. The leaves fell from the trees like rain. It was totally beautiful out on the trail. After a season of over 600 miles on the Verve, I came to the conclusion it was more work to ride, than fun. Butch took me bike shopping again. The Bike Rack put together a Cannondale Adventure in my size & I loved it. It was not only fun to ride, but much easier to get on & off!
11-2-2021 On the Wabash~
After an extensive search & many phone calls, Butch found one in the size & model I needed. The only problem was that the bike was in Seattle! I called Alaska & changed my February flight reservations. Right after Thanksgiving, I left for the Pacific NW.
I don't need an excuse to visit the Grandkids - staying with the Peters is always fun family time! Courtney took me to pick up the new bike in Ballard. We added a shopping detour to University Village. The following day, we drove over the pass to Ellensburg. Cassidy was returning to CWU after Thanksgiving break. I really enjoyed seeing how she'd personalized her dorm room!
11-28-2021 Cassidy & Grammy~
I tagged along with Courtney & Mason for Mason's doctor visit at the hospital. Followed by ice cream! It rained almost every day of my two weeks stay. Courtney & I worked on craft projects & shopped at some of our favorite stores. Lynn & I fit in lunch at the Maltby Cafe. Afterward, we took a tour of the new housing construction around Monroe. We went to see the horses, then ended the day at Lynn & Jack's new home in Sultan.
9-5-2018 Butch with Farah, Iowa ~
After almost a year of positive texts from Farah's owner, she told me Farah was acting up on the way back to the barn & had scared her. She was going to list Farah for sale. I started checking with friends to find her a new home.
Within just days, a sale happened. I wasn't told who to - until after Farah had been picked up. It didn't take long before I found out it was a woman; I'd had a falling out with years ago. She was well aware I would have stopped the sale, had I known. I can only hope those who understand my ongoing commitment to Farah's welfare, will keep me posted as to her future well-being.
12-9-2021 Loess Hills~
Iowa from the air, is always such a welcome sight. As difficult as it is to be so far away from our family, a couple weeks in the hustle & bustle of the Pacific Northwest is enough for me. Seeing the Loess Hills come into view feels so right.
The second half of December was mild enough I was able to get Smokey out for a first ride! I'm hoping for at least a few rideable days this winter.
12-11-2021 Smokey ~
The beginning our sixth year & another New Year! We appreciate more than ever, our home & life here in the Midwest. If we could just convince the kids to move here too! :-)
