In Which Rides Slowly Improve

Mount Mercy University campus Sept. 3, 2020. Parking my bike at bike rack, Warde Hall. Classes start Monday and the regular routine of commuting to work by bike is underway.

The wall of tree debris still stands like a gap-toothed barrier between me and the street. Riding a bicycle in recent week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been both a bit dicey—avoiding flats requires constant attention—and sometimes a bit of a downer. It’s a reminder of how damaged this town is by an August act of violence by Mother Nature in this strange, scary year of 2020.

But the derecho doesn’t have me completely down. In fact, the weather has turned September beautiful, which I appreciate. And the rides are thus getting more satisfying.

I suppose it helps that, although most streets are still clogged, you can see the recovery starting to take hold. As I rode to campus last week, it was almost startling to have some of the streets look, well, almost normal.

Well, good. Here’s hoping that your fall cycling brings some smiles to you, too.

Bike rides Saturday (left) Sept. 5 and Friday (right) Sept. 4. I rode Sept. 3, but didn't bother to record miles--probably 7 to 8 miles, regular commute. Friday I had a meeting, s near campus so a few more miles than usual. Saturday's ride was a just a quick one.