Delicious

A cool evening and lots of spring tasks reduced our number to two. We had a very enjoyable ride into a north wind. It isn't very often that the wind blows from the north, so we got to ride roads we seldom travel. Spring trees still bloomed and the views we shared from glacial deposited hill tops were gorgeous. Topping the beauty of the trees was an aroma so strong it was palatable. The lilacs were at their peak and the odor was delicious. It was almost as if we occasionally rode into an invisible cloud of perfume. The sweet smell was nearly enough to knock one off of the bike.

Our average speed was a lesurely 10.8 miles per hour and the trip only 15.7 miles. I found a nickel and picked it up. The treasure of a few cents was an small reminder to me that opportunities come to us and we can find them. Each bicycle ride is an opportunity, and I was thankful to be blessed liveing in a country where they can be taken advantage of. We also met several people on the Cardinal Trail who one of our riders knew. These were reminders that relationships are important and should be nurtured. I'm already looking forward to the next ride.

Colorful Clouds

The colorful clouds of Tuesday's ride were the blooming redbud trees. They appeared as wisps of purplish-pink floating in the forest. The Cardinal Trail portion of the ride included sections that were Redbud tunnels.

It really was a beautiful ride. There were wild flowers to behold as we rode by, multiple species of blooming trees, and birds. We came upon a green headed mallard duck and were treated to a splashing take off. Clumps of Trillium pointed their triangular blossoms to the sky. Sprinklings of small white blooms dusted the forest floors adjacent to the road. Even Phlox flowers flowed over walls in town. It was an enjoyable ride.

Five riders participated and our distance was 18.5 miles. A first time this year rider joined us and we changed the pace to include everyone. The average speed for this ride was 10.9 miles per hour. I'm always grateful for a safe ride and everyone seemed in good spirits when it was over. A good start to another year.

Drafting

Had an interesting experience on Sunday's ride. The wind was from the southwest and I was riding south. This put the wind mostly on my right side. From the corner of my eye I detected a motion. Glancing over, I saw a bumble bee coming toward me from behind and to my left. The big bee approached to within about two feet, then dropped back and farther to my left. It's next maneuver was to speed up and come back to within the two foot distance. To my amazement, the bumble bee was drafting along beside me. It was my first bee peloton! We continued for a few hundred feet with the same relative positions. I decided to see if the drafting insect's behavior was just my imagination, so I quickly slowed. The bee flew right across the road, in front of me, and continued on its original southwesterly direction.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but it was fun to imagine I was leading the bumble bee breakaway. The opportunity to observe a flight just a few feet away was delightful. When they crawl around on a flower, bees are easy to see. Their flight is usually erratic and zig-zagging. To see one relatively still while it was flying was a treat. Sure would have been great to know where it was going.