August on the Trail~

In the month of August, we've enjoyed almost daily changes in the weather.  With off & on-again rain, then heat & humidity, it had been two-weeks since I'd been on the trail.  Today was mid-80's with some relief from the humidity.  The weather forecast for the weekend & next week - is for record breaking heat - possibly in the triple digits.

Following the Pilot car~

Mari Jo had warned me of the paving project on 278th.  Turning north off Gaston, I was first following the Pilot car.  I was also driving the Bronco.  The Explorer has been in the shop for repair from the bad hailstorm in July.  After the Bronco had been sitting for several years, I had the hood painted a few months ago.  Of course - now the Bronco's hood has damage too, just not nearly as bad.  There's a difference in a vehicle made from Steele & one from Aluminum. 

On the trail~

It felt great to enter the green shade of the trail!  Everything is so lush, it's like a mid-west rainforest.  If we had such a place!  The humidity is higher though, with mature corn fields on either side of the trail.  Especially on days when there's not much breeze.   Today was one of those.

Bicycle Tree~

I stopped by Little Red's Automotive to schedule maintenance on the Bronco.  On my way I couldn't miss the Bicycle Tree & new covered picnic area.  The tree was originally in a small park next the grocery store in Malvern.  When the grocery burned down, the tree was damaged.  Now, the artist has repaired the structure & it seems to have found a new home.

Face on the tree~

Colorful, very inventive & somewhat surreal.  Smokey & I weren't quite sure how we felt about it.  I'm sure there are more bikes than I would believe to recycle each year.  At least these make a statement!  I'm sure the covered picnic table will get a lot of use too.

The treetop~

We retreated back to the park.  Having made better time than I'd expected I was ready for my break.  It was a picture-perfect day for the middle of August.  Such a blue sky & the evenly spaced white fluffy clouds drifting by. 

A summer day in Iowa~

I talked to Butch for a few minutes.  Yesterday he was in Oregon & the temperature was 105.  Today, he was passing Red Bluff; CA & the temperature was 109.  

As I turned back north, the little breeze I'd enjoyed on the way out, was gone.  The late afternoon sun felt & looked strong out in the open.

Hairy Sunflower - Helianthus hirsutus

The sunflowers along the trail are in full bloom & add such a bright spot of yellow to the green backdrop!

Wild Grape~ 

Wild Grape is again taking over any area of the trail where it gets an opportunity!  Trees are fair game & many are covered with the vines.  It's beautiful & provides a carpet of leaves that cover all the broken limbs on the ground.

Back in Silver City, I went into Happy Trails to catch up with Mari Jo.  The two-day Rooster Tail ride this last weekend drew many riders from the Omaha area.  Restaurants & shops were busy!  Since it rained on Sunday, I was surprised the trail didn't show more damage.  I understand many of the riders opted for car rides home.  I was happy to have the trail to myself!  

Wildflower Time~

 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.

Dutchman's Breeches!

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.

Sweet William~

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!