In Which Summer-Style Riding Arrives

Pretty May sky on Grant Wood Trail, Marion, Iowa.

Late day sunshine at Waldo's Rock Park along Grant Wood Trail.

Late day sun on Grant Wood Trail.

Spring, phase 3, is upon Iowa. I’ve not written much about rides recently—May is my busiest month and school has been out for only a few days. I’m getting my feet and my wheels back under me again.

Today, it’s rainy and cool. A chilly April was followed by a May with almost every kind of weather Iowa has to offer—hot days in the 90s, cold nights in the 30s, sunshine, rain. Thankfully, no snow, although that’s always possible in early May.

And I’ve had some fun. I still haven’t cracked 40 miles on a single ride, and it will be, because of other life activities, a few days before I try.

Despite the occasional cool, the trees are now all green. Early flowers have faded. The startling green of an Iowa spring is suddenly everywhere you look. The air is sweet, sweat can be an issue and bugs are finding us again.

May 24--Cloudy mid-day ride before rain--headed north 5.5 miles on Cedar Valley Nature Trail to where damaged bridge has trail closed. My bike as far as it can go headed north.

Bridge is out, trail ends here for now.

Not sure what was going on, but someone was working at the gap.

Closure gate on Cedar Valley Nature Trail north of Robins, 5.5 miles or so from start of trail in Hiawatha.

In short, May has been a pleasant biking month in Iowa. I had put the wrong kind of tube on my hybrid bike, and the subsequent flat tyre kept me off that bike until the semester ended, and I had time to swap tubes. But it’s back now. I’ve used all three bikes this month, mostly riding on my road bike.

Blue skies, breezy days, the sight of deer and bunnies and birds—this is the time of year that a biker who loves biking all year long most especially falls in love with bicycling. I hope you’re enjoying your May rides.

Miles so far: 190.45 in May; 797.35 for the year so far. More May images:

Deer seen on ride north on Cedar Valley Nature Trail.

Iowa's state bird, goldfinch, seen on Cedar Valley Nature Trail on ride north. It was in a bush beside the trail. Not easy to capture images of these shy birds.

Nice day in back yard on a Sunday afternoon--putting new tube (and new tyre) on hybrid bike.

This should work better on the hybrid bike.

On trail to Menards. After changing tyre, took hybrid bike on 10-mile trail spin.

Goose seen early in May at C Avenue pond on bike ride to work.

Got a flower on "Have Mercy, Give Mercy" event early in May at MMU, create a vase to carry it home on bike.

Maybe I should have a flower on my bike more often?

In Which I Tote Like a Pro In Cool, Wet, Dry

May 1--Ready for afternoon ride to campus with new bike bag my wife got me for Christmas.

More recently, my wife picked up a new vest--my old one was getting ragged. Wearing winter jacket on a cool May 1 ride.

Bike parked at campus--tyre holding air.

May 1—I have an early class Monday, the final week of classes.  So today, I rode to my office to print some Monday morning class notes.

The week after this is finals week—the spring semester is coming to a close, which should soon mean some longer bicycle rides Weather willing. Was it willing this past week or so?

Kind of. Sort of. Some days. We’ve had an unusually cool April that featured plenty of clouds and chilly sprinkles—so cold, wet conditions have limited my ride time, to some extent. Yet, the irony is that April 2022 was a bit on the dry side of average, and I hope that doesn’t foreshadow a dry summer—a dry summer in Iowa can be pretty extreme. We are a land of extremes in our weather.

April 21--Not all days have been cold. This day, it was warm enough to ride the road bike to work with no jacket on.

It felt a bit extreme today. I dug out the winter jacked and donned my gloves—for a bike ride to campus on May 1. May Day, springtime somewhere. Well, to be honest, it’s spring here, too, with daffodils at their peak, tulips starting to show, fruit trees beginning to flowers—but a slow, chilly spring where your bike correspondent dressed like it was early March on May 1. Get the memo, Mother Nature. Wrong M month.

Anyway, back to today’s adventure. I’ve been riding Argent, my road bike, for most of my recent rides—and frankly, I’m loving it. After a winter on the mountain bike, it feels like shifting from a mule to a race horse (or so I imagine, having ridden neither mule nor race horse).

Today, however, I decided to be brave. Both my road bike and my hybrid bike recently had flat rear tyres, and I repaired both. But the tube they gave me at the bike shop for my hybrid bike has the narrow valve on it—and that bike has a hole for the wider, car-style valve.

The tube was clearly the right size, and I inflated the tyre some days ago and went on a 1-mile ride with a grandson. It was too cool for him (Iowa spring), so instead of taking him to his house via bike, I came back home and gave him a ride via gasoline vehicle.

And I haven’t ridden the hybrid bike since. Mostly, I think, because it’s been such a joy to ride the road bike that I’ve gravitated to it.

April 27--Some sunshine as I arrive on campus early in the morning.

April 26--Morning at the C Avenue Pond on the way to work--Goose comes over to run off the riffraff. Geese get aggressive at this time of year.

April 26--Some sun in the sky at C Avenue Pond.

April 26--Sky is not exactly clear, but sunny for this cool, cloudy April. Pretty morning light on the C Avenue Pond.

But maybe some tube trepidation, too. So I decided to screw my courage to the sticking point and give my commuting bike a test ride to campus.

As far as I can tell, it went just fine. The tyre stayed nicely inflated. I even tacked on an extra mile on the way home, with no ill effects. So what do you think, dear reader, am I OK to leave well enough alone or should I get a tube with the right kind of valve? I hate changing tubes, but I can do it, and I would hate even more being stranded if the valve causes a blowout.

Will I ride the hybrid to my early class Monday? On today’s ride, I was using a new bag in back my wife got me, which is handy for carrying school stuff, so I have some incentive. We’ll see. That darn road bike will be right beside it, and it sure is fun to ride.

I did do one weekend ride on the Fancy Beast about a week ago—I expected a nearby limestone trail to be a bit mushy, and the mountain bike was best for the conditions. I have seen a few butterflies as insects slowly reappear in my world, and wanted to get an image of one. And I noticed bluebells budding in my garden and know there were some wild ones in the woods along the trail.

April 23--Bike on nearby trail, part of it paved, part limestone. A cool, cloudy day, but not bad for a ride.

April 23--Trees still winter barren, but ground is getting green.

April 23--Pink buds in woods beside the trail. Pretty blue flowers are on the way. I love bluebells.

April 23--Sky getting grayer as I near end of ride, clouds on Lindale Trail as I head home.

April 23--View of Dry Creek from the trail.

April 23--Must not have been too cold that cloudy day--I'm wearing a bike shirt for the first time. Selfie on the trail.

The ride was 50 percent a success, in terms of being a butterfly-bluebell hunting expedition. I didn’t get to shoot any butterflies, but did make some images of some wild bluebells.

Between April 21-27, I rode 47.4 miles. Total for April, 186.58 miles, a bit more than March, slowly building miles. Year to date, 616.35 miles.