In Which I Like the Low Light

Pink post-sunset light in the sky at Cedar Lake on Friday. Take care riding around the lake--geese are not happy with visitors when they have babies with them.

It’s been a damp week in Iowa, although it seems to be drying out at the end. Despite the rains, I’ve been mostly able to bike, thanks to most storms hitting in the evenings.

And with the warmth and wet, it suddenly is warm mid-spring, with sounds of singing frogs and the air filled with flying insects.

As the light vanquishes darkness at this time of year, I’ve been enjoying the serenity of some bike rides during the dark times. On Thursday morning, I biked to the gym and took a short trail ride on the way home. It was foggy early in the morning, dim and cool, and I liked the quiet of that hazy, dank world.

Fog on the Lindale Trail Thursday morning (above). Later the same morning, clouds reflected in pond on C Avenue (below).

Today, Friday, I attended an annual banquet at work, and then rode home as the daylight failed.

Despite the encroaching dark, there were still lots of bikers and walkers on the trail. I had walked around Cedar Lake with my wife before the dinner, and took a spin around the lake just after sunset before heading home.

Friday early evening at Cedar Lake.

That trip home was a bit more involved than I realized, since I didn’t know the trail is closed, and when I got to that closure, I had a bit of backtracking before finding a street route home.

Still, I liked the twilight ride. Like the morning foggy ride, the evening ride was muted, a bit cool, mostly peaceful except when a mama goose took exception to my existence.

I’m glad warm weather is here, and that in a few weeks school will end so I can start putting in some daytime sunny training miles. But this week, the theme was enjoying bike rides in the satisfying low-light times.

Saw this hawk on the bike ride in to work Friday morning, Clouds starting to blow away.