In Which a Butterfly Fails at a Heist

I thought I saw a monarch, but now I think it's a viceroy. Stripe on back wing and smaller size.

Hot times in Iowa! Today, Monday, June 29, I was too tied up for biking, which I regret because the sun was shining, but I was out with a grandchild at several parks in the late morning—and my regret is a bit muted, because—yuck!

Hot, almost 90, and sticky, oppressively humid—I saw that my hardy sister did a tour of Marion today, and more power to her, but I was indoors today.

I hope to get more miles in this week, but we are finishing some home projects. Monday was a biking fail and Tuesday looks iffy. Maybe I will be lucky and get a few evening miles in.

Sunday was also hot and humid, but not quite as bad as today. And I did get miles in. Around noon, I rode my hybrid bike to a nearby school. My 4-year-old grandson had been desperate to get a toy he had left at our house, and rode a small bike (his mom walked with him) to retrieve it, and after that his mom and I accompanied him to a nearby school playground.

Grandson on his bike rides to playground.

The plan was for me to then leave on a longer bike ride, but then I heard from the bike shop that I could pick up my road bike that afternoon.

So anyway, I went to the school with the boy, played for a few minutes, and then left for a quick ride of the Boyson-Lindale trails in Marion.

And that’s where the heist was attempted.

Last week, while riding with the grandson, we had spied what we thought was a monarch butterfly on clovers on a sunny hillside on that trail. I didn’t have my good camera and didn’t capture images of it. On this hot Sunday afternoon, I turned from the Boyson Trial to head up the hill on the Lindale Trail, and I idly wondered if I might spot said butterfly again.

Above and below--I shot images of a bee while hunting an elusive butterfly in the clover.

I neared the top of the hill and was getting past the clover patch, and I was sure luck was passing me by. Suddenly, something small and orange flitted out of the underbrush and buzzed my bike.

Well, I have seen a few monarchs this summer, but not many, and I had the good camera with me on this ride, so I stopped. The butterfly darted off, of course. I decided to walk over to the clover and just watch for a while, in case it returned.

It was hiding in the grass. I almost stepped on it, it rose up, and then it flitted to a flower to have its image made.

Butterfly (above and below) on clover.

And then the little scamp headed over to my parked bike and landed on the handlebar. I think of it as an attempted bike abduction with only the physics of such a tiny creature being unable to move the weight of my bike as my saving grace. I did get some cool butterfly on a bike images, though.

Brazen butterfly bandito attempts bike heist. Fortunately, it's too small to ride off on the bike. Same shady character in the sunshine below.

At the time I wondered a bit--it looked like a monarch, but seemed a little small. And a closer look at the images shows the characteristic back wing stripe of the viceroy, a butterfly that closely mimics the monarch in appearance, but is a different species. It's still a pretty butterfly, and the smaller size of the viceroy means it has even more chutzpah to try to ride off on my hybrid bike.

Later in the afternoon, I picked up the road bike from a shop in NewBo. It was still hot, and I thought I would just ride home rather than getting in more miles. I tried to get there via the Cedar River Trial, but near the federal courthouse, the Cedar River was not beside the trial as it usually is, but was across the trail.

Road bike by flooded trail. Turned back and rode streets through downtown.

Well, I rode an alternate route through downtown, and headed north on the trail where there were no flooding rivers.

It was good to be on the road bike again, and despite the heat, I decided to ride the quick ride up to Lafayette before heading home. They have a brand new and pretty cool bottle filling station at the Hiawatha trailhead, by the way.

I’m glad to have the road bike back and hope to get more miles on it, since it will probably be the main bike for faux RAGBRAI. The mountain bike is still in the shop, and I may explore the grassy part of the Grant Wood Trail after I get it back later this week.

One final biking note—my wife and I spoke with our son who lives in San Francisco Sunday via video call. He showed me his new, second bike—a black mountain bike that he’s planning to put a seat on so he can take his baby son for rides when the baby gets more confident sitting up. It was cool to see, and I thought of the bike that’s in the shop. It’s a mountain bike, too—black. And it originally belonged to the said son. Not sure how it can happen, but maybe someday we can take the young grandson for a ride on a trail riding our black mountain bikes.

That would be cool. Even more cool than a hot day attempt by a butterfly at a bike heist.

Summaries of Sunday rides--why Element and Map my Ride don't quite agree, I don't know:

In Which Unstable Summer Skies Still Allow Rides

Monday ride, hybrid bike parked at Cedar Lake.

The final full week of June 2020—it’s suddenly very warm and humid in Iowa. We’ve had several rainstorms this week, with chances of rain almost every day. Still, it’s also been partly or fully sunny at times, and despite being short on time, I’ve enjoyed several rides.

Sadly, today, Saturday, the day that I usually do a long ride, I didn’t get on the bike at all due to other things going on. This has turned into the year without a summer, partly due to extra planning for school and partly due to sometimes expensive, always time-consuming home projects.

Still, there were many satisfying rides this week. Thursday featured a nice afternoon ride with a 4-year-old grandson. We rode to a nearby park, played for a while, and then came home via the Boyson and Lindale Trails. I ride slower with him on the Tagalong seat anyway, but kept the pace low the breaks frequent on this hot, humid afternoon. The ride totaled almost 6 miles, which was pretty long for him.

Images from Thursday ride:

Boyson Trail: Grandson watches butterfly.

Dropping sticks in Dry Creek on Boyson Trail.

Mercy Drive at MMU is open--evening ride.

Grandson investigates dirt by bridge on Boyson Trail.

Wednesday I took a quick evening run to Lowe Park in Marion. The sky, as it often is in Iowa at this time of year, was quite nice.

Images from Wednesday ride:

Sun going down at Lowe Park.

Another view of sky on Lowe Park Trail.

Heading west from east end of trail.

Tuesday, I took my two bikes in to the shop, finally. The road bike should be done soon, with the mountain bike taking a few more days. The bike shop has a rear wheel for the road bike, which has a busted rim. The mountain bike only has a broken spoke, but the wheel is old and it felt like a good idea to get it replaced. After taking the bikes in for service, we, my wife and I, went on a quick ride with the grandson.

Tuesday pictures:

Bicycles ready to be taken into shop.

Another view of bikes--and milkweed--at shop.

This and next several images--bees and milkweed as I wait for estimate on bikes.

C Avenue park--evening ride to play and then take grandson home.

And finally, I made many more images from Monday's ride, a night when I went down to Cedar Lake.

Monday images:

End of bike ride, sun going down at Collins Road.

Woodchuck near Cedar Lake, hiding in grass by trail.

Milkweed in bloom by Cedar Lake.

Fading light at Cedar Lake.

Late afternoon light on Rohde Family Plaza, MMU.

Bird at pond at Collins Aerospace.

Clouds in Iowa sky.

Early in ride at pond on C Avenue.

Bike parked at Cedar Lake, here and below.

Flowers in bloom at Cedar Lake.

Low sun at Cedar Lake.

Collins Aerospace pond as night fades.

In Which Family Adds to Recent Rides

Grant Wood Trail on Fathers Day, warm sunshine.

Fathers Day 2020 also coincided with the sun’s farthest northern sky journey—it was the longest day of the year, if you define “day” as daylight.

It wasn’t the longest bike ride. It was very humid and warm today, and I had family plans. Local daughters were stopping by with their children, and we were to enjoy an afternoon feast of some of my favorite foods—brats, macaroni salad, coleslaw, potato salad, deviled eggs, hot dogs, chips—it was summer, Midwest style.

But before the feast, we set aside a couple of hours for biking. I knew the far end of the Grant Wood Trail was about 10 miles from my house, and I thought that route would be a good ride that suited the day. Plus, neither of the two daughters who were riding with me had been on this route before.

One daughter was on a nice road bike, and could make good time. Another daughter was accompanied by her boyfriend, and he was on a road bike. That second daughter, however, had to borrow a bicycle, and the one she road was a bit of a beast—and old Schwinn women’s mountain bike.

Well, at least she was riding with dad. I was on my only ridable bike (if you don’t count the tandem) right how, my hybrid, which I use mostly for work commutes and family rides. It’s not the choice for a quick summer ride like this, but the road bike is still down with a broken rear rim.

And, to be honest, even if I were riding my fastest bike, I would still be the slowest rider. I’m big and not young and not fast at all on two wheels, but I still plug along and ride, that that’s important thing, I think.

It was a fun ride. The day was humid and warm, but not too hot. We made good time, by my standards, and chatted amiably during the ride. We did hurry home, a bit, and not just because of an awaiting summer feast. The weather in these parts was unstable, with some thunderstorms rumbling through the area, the sky started to look a bit ominous. It was time to get home.

Looking east at end of the contiguous segment of the Grand Wood Trail. More clouds moving in on warm summer day.

We have turned back and are nearing town--note trail is paved here. And sky is getting more interesting.

Recent rides, for me, have often been family affairs. I did a quick 10 miles alone on Saturday, but in the week before had taken a granddaughter on her first tandem ride, and enjoyed a quick evening ride with my wife.

Granddaughter ready for first tandem ride on June 14.

I like biking alone, but biking with family is even nicer. One of the key elements of biking, I think, is that it’s one of those diversions that works both solo and with others. It can be solitary and it can equally be social.

Fathers Day 2020—We visiting the beast in the bog, circled the pond at Waldos Rock Park and enjoyed a nearly perfect family ride. I have six children, and only two were with me on the ride, but it was still a great way to enjoy the day.

A summary of today's ride, and some images from my solo ride yesterday:

One of my sisters claimed this was the appropriate image for Fathers Day because it's a sperm wearing a shirt.

End of quick ride Saturday. C Avenue pond at Collins Aerospace.

Start of Saturday ride. Sky was not settled that day, either.

Sky at Cedar Lake, this image and next two.

Clouds in west look interesting. There was rain in the morning and rain at night, but none during my ride.

Common milkweed ready to bloom near Cedar Lake.

Heading north on Cedar River Trail.

Getting near home, pond at Noelridge Park.