Smokey - 1,000 + miles!

 As I was leaving home, I decided to try Gaston Road - again in the hope the paving would be done.  It wasn't - but they were letting traffic through on one lane.  I ended up behind a truck & gave him plenty of room, it wasn't long before he was pulling off & I continued on. 

One my way~

It didn't take long to reach Silver City.  Mari Jo was at her shop, we talked for a few minutes before I turned to the trail.

The corn emerges!

It's amazing to me, how fast the corn breaks the surface of the soil & turns the dirt brown fields to pale green!

The Walnuts~

To me, the show stoppers are always the Walnuts!  As the leaves open, they become nature's green lace against the clear blue skies.  The limestone of the trail is dry, very dry. The surface had been graded going toward Silver City from Malvern, but sadly it stopped short of the deep ruts we've had to avoid all spring.  All it takes is one uncaring person to damage the surface when it's wet.

The timber ~

The rivers are the life line of the countryside, as is the trail.  The protected "Wildlife" area runs the length of the trail.  The birds are abundant here - today I was buzzed again by the Cardinals, Oriole's & tiny finches. ( I've repaired my bright orange feeder at home & filled it with grape jelly.  It took a day for them to find it - but now I'm refilling it daily!)

Blooms under the Malvern Arch~

When I reached the Arch, I checked my Garmin to find I'm finally riding the speed I'd accomplished by September last year.  Every year, I wonder if I'll be able to at least maintain or improve!  I like having a goal to work toward.

Rows of corn~

The patterns of the planted rows, give depth to the roll of the land.  Even if Iowa's landscape has been manipulated to maximize farmable acerage, it still retains it's beauty.

When I downloaded my stats - I added the numbers up to find I've ridden Smokey 1,077.50 miles since purchasing the bike in November 2021. I started riding a bike as my major sport in April of 2020 & have ridden 2,211.69 miles to date!  I hope to enjoy many more~

Full on Lush!

 It was a warm day, but a beautiful one!  Hardly any wind & not too humid - surprising with all the moisture we've received.  Thursday afternoon, my friend Laura had invited me over to dig more Hosta's from her backyard.  I'd brought home three tubs full & you still couldn't tell I'd taken any.  Once home, I spent the afternoon getting them planted. 

The Walnuts are leaving out!

It had been a somewhat difficult week & by today, I was ready to get Smokey out for a ride.  I spoke to Mari Jo before leaving, but she had customers, so I hit the trail.  Looking at the creeks I crossed, it was obvious we'd had rain!  They were full of both water & silt.

Beaver dam hardly holding back the flow~

This time of year, I just ride along emersed in the greens...  Green & the blue of the sky, the predominant colors of Iowa from spring through summer.

Smokey by the Imogene 14-mile sign~

I reached the little Depot in Malvern.  A volunteer was weed spraying along the side of the building where the first picnic table is, so I went around back.  I'd just sat down & gotten out my water when she appeared around the corner.  Not wanting to inhale those fumes, I returned to the trail & decided to stop at the park.

Our new break spot~

Even with a few people pulling in to camp for the weekend, on the far side of the pond, it was nice & quiet.  The picnic tables are under cover & shady.  I think this will be our new rest spot with such a nice view.  

On the way back north~

I always enjoy the concrete mile north of Malvern.  It's so quiet after the sound of the limestone.  The Cardinal's were joined by the Oriole's today - both brilliant colors very flashy against the intense greens.  I think they wait until the last minute - before making their dash across in front of me!  :-)

Almost back to Silver City~

The last couple miles are on a slight uphill grade & always seem like the longest.  One of these days, if we get another cooler one, I'll tackle the Minneola to Silver City section.  Up what I think of as a decent hill.  Mary Jo, powers along, hardly noticing, but she's ridden a bike as long as I'd ridden horses :-)

When I entered the shop for my usual bottle of ice cold water, Mari Jo mentioned getting ready to send out a search party!  :-) I'd been on the phone with both Butch & Roxi which took longer than usual. Keeping truckers in-line keeps me busy!  :-)  I'm hopeful now, Butch will be coming home for a short break soon!