In Which I Ride a Sunset Ride

Morning sky on Monday, May 22. Interesting clouds.

My sister uses an app called “Map my Ride,” so I know on one day recently, she biked for more than 30 miles.

For me, the spring semester finally ended Tuesday, and Wednesday I was on campus to meet a prospective student—so today is the “first” day of summer bike riding for me. Nonetheless, I did manage to get in about 20 miles Wednesday.

I rode to campus in the morning damp, but luckily it was light sprinkles. I was riding post rain. I left campus around 1:15 p.m. for a dentist appointment, and then headed directly home. I did go down the Lindale Trail to get behind Bowman Woods hill, and cycled up it twice on the way home.

I don’t have a computer on Francis, and I don’t have mobile data on my cell phone, so I’m guessing the rides totaled about 10 miles.

They grey, cool, damp day slowly started to change. After supper, my daughter and grandson retired about 7:30 p.m., and I looked outside to note a tiny sliver of sky in the west. So I decided to head out on a sunset ride, with a goal of getting 10 more miles in for 20 miles total on the day.

I picked the trail in Marion as a convenient target, and got Argent out of the garage. The early evening light was pretty as the sun started to peak out of the tiny sliver of bare sky. I turned on my lights and, for the third time Wednesday, climbed that Bowman Woods hill.

As you can see, by the time I got out to Tower Terrace Road, the sun was in full mode, giving us a few minutes of sunshine on that damp, cloudy day. Just because it was an option on the point-and-shoot camera I had with me, I took a panorama view of the intersection.

Headed up 3 Street to Tower Terrace Road in Marion, panorama.

A "normal" view of the same spot. Pretty sunset after cloudy day.

So far this week, the riding has been spring cool rather than summer warm. I wore a jacket Tuesday morning due to the damp, which feels a bit odd late in May. Today, the forecast is for a high of 70, which will feel nice after the days in the 50s we’ve had lately.

But, I’ve been on my bike, and I actually rode over 11 miles in the evening ride. I noted that they have added a new trail at Lowe Park, which I didn’t ride, simply because I don’t ride unfamiliar routes in low light.

I’ll have to check it out soon. Now that summer riding season is here.

Final note: Don’t forget June 3! Bookworms on Bikes ride is coming up soon--that will get me more than 30 miles in one day!

Riding loop around art gallery building at Lowe Park--sky just after sunset framed by the outdoor stage there.