We Wind Again

May is supposed to have flowers brought by April showers. There are still threats of thunderstorms in May. In fact, there are storms, and showers, and frosty mornings, and just about as much weather as a bicyclist would want. I suspect the threat of thunderstorms kept some of our riders from coming out tonight.


Only two intrepid riders fought the west / southwest wind. Our average speed was 11.7 miles per hour and the distance was 14.7 miles. In spite of the wind we had an enjoyable ride with pleasant conversation. The invasive wild honeysuckle was blooming at its best. The air along the trail was thick enough with their perfume that it was almost chewable. Another invasive, cressleaf groundsel (senecio glabellus), was filling fields with its yellow blooms. A lot of people mistake this plant for wild mustard. It has only been in this area since about 1988.

Wind will continue to blow in our lives and on our bicycle rides. I still feel we are winners when we brave the wind and complete our goals. We wind again is an appropriate statement for the completed effort. May many of our winds be from behind.

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.

Spring Green

Our ride this evening was with only two riders. We covered 18.5 miles and the average speed was 12.1 miles per hour. Each of us commented on enjoying the sunshine. I found two pennies and we were treated to seeing the first red-winged blackbird this spring. They are an ever present sight during the summer, but it was nice to see the first one of the season.

The winter wheat is sprouted and turning green. Those blades, less than an inch in length now, almost seem to explode out of the ground. One comment from a rider was, "Is your yard that green?" He was noticing yards in town that are a strong spring green already. I suspect the addition of chemicals helped some of the yards we saw. Every one of them was not as green. Even algae in shallow pools of water seem to be greener than it was just a few days ago.

Peepers

March 16, 2010 was the first ride our group took this year. 18.4 miles and an average speed of 11.5 mph. The temperature was in the low fifties, on the Fahrenheit thermometer, and there was a noticeable wind from the north / northeast. Found a dime to start the year off right with coin pick ups. The sun shining was what made the ride good, but the best part of the ride was hearing "peepers". At least that is what my family has always called them.

The spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is a small chorus frog widespread throughout the eastern USA and Canada. I have always counted it as a good indicator that spring is soon to be upon us. The Crocuses have popped up, Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) are back circling in our sky, and we noticed the buds on Maple trees swelled up and ready to shed their bud scales.

There was a lot of snow, this year, in March. It was great to be back out in the sun and riding with friends. Weather permitting, we will be back next week at 5:30pm for another adventure.

Sooner Would Be Nice

I finished February with a twenty mile ride. It was still cold, with temperature in the low thirties. This year has been a good one in spite of the fact that my fenders were very useful. Slush and wet roads made having the fenders almost a necessity. Rides have ranged from ten to twenty-five miles every weekend during the year.

There are more and more bird sounds while I ride. The smell of skunk was evident this Sunday. Both the sounds and the smell are good indicators that the weather will warm up. I am ready for better weather and sooner would be nice.