May 30--Middle of roundabout at intersection of Tower Terrace and 35th Street in Marion, Iowa. Quick afternoon bike ride with wife, daughter and grandchildren.
I’ve not yet had a long summer ride. My weekdays are busy, and weekends have been too, so far. I hope to start increasing my bicycle mileage, though, as summer has arrived.
Despite wishing for more rides, I’ve had some pleasant ones recently. On Saturday, May 30, for example, I rode with a daughter and some grandchildren on a fairly short, but satisfying, ride.
And on Sunday, the final day of May, sort of to welcome summer, I rode into the night. I started my ride around 6, and pedaled first to the Mount Mercy University campus. I wanted to take some final flowers images there, since I have posted a gallery of campus shots this May—mostly, I think, because I missed all of the usual end-of-semester hoopla, and felt a bit sad that seniors and other students could not be there as the campus turned pretty in the warming weather.
I then headed down to Cedar Lake. I was not sure of where to go from there, but decided to make it a lakes day, and headed over to the Prairie Park Fishery via the downtown trail.
I was a bit startled on Otis Road, the street that leads to the fishery, at how high the Cedar River is. Otis Road is the canary in the coal mine for flooding here—it’s the first important street that gets closed when the water rises, and water was lapping at the edges of the road. We had less rain that usual in May, but enough, possibly north of us, to have the river fully full.
Sun breaks through clouds at MMU campus, May 31.
Clouds reflected by Cedar Lake.
High water of Cedar River seen from Otis Road.
Well, the worst flood in Cedar Rapids history was in June of 2008. I hope June of 2020 doesn’t rival that yea—if feels as if we have enough to contend with even without one.
Anyway, it was a pleasant ride. The sun was getting low as I headed north again, using the trail route home this time. It was a very summer feeling evening. My main headlight ran down before I got home, but I have two headlights, so like the Wallflowers, I can make it with one headlight.
As I got close to home on this final day of spring that is transitioning into summer, it occurred to me that something was missing. I hadn’t seen any lights twinkling in the grass—when will the fireflies appear?
Maybe they heard me. As it grew darker and I made the final turn to home, little lights were winking at me from the grass of my own front yard. Just in time to say goodbye to spring and hello to summer, the fireflies appeared. More images from recent rides:
May 29:
Afternoon bike ride. That's my daughter's bike, although the grandson shone did ride on a similar seat on my bike. Rode with three grandsons that day, and the 7-year-old did 4 miles on his own small bike and kept up with us.
Later, longer ride down part of the Grant Wood Trail.
My bike at turnaround point in Linn County along Grant Wood Trail.
On the trail heading towards home.
May 30:
Cedar Lake
Geese create traffic slow down along lake. Geese with goslings demand the right of way.
Goslings.
Duck swims in Cedar River.
Prairie Park Fishery lake.
On the way back home, pink light on Cedar River.
Sunset at Cedar Lake on the way home.
Along Cedar River Trail, heading north, deer crossed the trail in front of me and pauses to watch as I take her portrait.
June 1:
Grandson ready to ride. Green bike is my wife's, mine is blue bike with blue Tag-A-Long.
No comments:
Post a Comment