In Which I Enjoy Early Fall Light

Aug. 21 (this and next three images). I bike ride down the Lindale and Grant Wood Trails on the final Sunday before school begins. Late day ride, pretty evening. Pond at Waldo's Rock.

A running cloud puppy.

Golden late sunshine on the pond at Waldo's Rock Park.

Golden hazy light as sun nears horizon, seen at the new bridge into Marion.

Evenings are coming a bit earlier these days—not super early, but the change in light is becoming obvious, and I’m using lights on my bikes a bit more. I’m also enjoying the pretty light of the low late sun.

This week, my wife got me a new bike bells and a set of fairy lights for a bike for my birthday. And I got myself some new tires and a portable pump. That doesn’t sum up my birthday entirely, but it was a good biker birthday on Tuesday.

And a bachelor one, too. My wife, who is retired, was visiting a grandson and his family in San Francisco on Aug. 30, the day I turned 64. (She left the gifts at a daughter’s house, where I went to celebrate.)

And no, since my birthday was a school day, I didn’t ride 64 miles. I’m not sure if I will do that this weekend, or not. Maybe I can count all the miles ridden this weekend towards that goal?

Anyway, the Iowa weather has turned dry. Grass is crunchy, trees look a bit sad and high summer, a time when the greens are a bit less vibrant and you can see signs of approaching fall in reddening Sumac and enlarging orb webs, is upon us.

It’s generally good biking weather, although, unlike my wife, I am not retired, so my time on two wheels has been a bit constrained by the reality of work. Still, I finished August with 335.33 miles, have ridden 20.05 in the first two days of September, and have 1,937.62 for the year.

In this week’s biking development in my corner of the world: There is a trail I often ride, the Lindale Trail, that heads from Cedar Rapids into Marion to link with the Grant Wood Trail. I posted pictures on this blog of the two new bridges they’ve constructed to joint the cities, but one stretch of that route has been a limestone stretch, less then a mile, but mushy when wet.

Given the plans to enlarge Marion’s trails and link them to Cedar Rapids, I always thought it was a bit odd that this one bit of limestone was left. I figured sooner or later, they would put up “trail closed” signs and, something like six months later, the trail would open.

I was wrong. Not about them paving it, but about the time frame. They coated that section with blacktop in two days. Whew.

Roundabouts are featured on the transit of Marion, and they are a bit dicey. You approach them with traffic headed your way behind your back, at an odd angle. I have to train myself to come to a full stop before crossing traffic, and it feels way more awkward that going through an intersection. Honestly, I'm not one of those drivers who hates roundabouts--I don't love them either, just am neutral on the whole "are roundabouts Satan's traffic control?" question. Just getting acclimated to them on my bike, and hoping no injuries are sustained as I get used to them. 

Anyway, the new trail blacktop and getting used the roundabouts were features of a Sunday ride Aug. 28.

Aug. 28--Another Sunday, another view of pond at Waldo's Rock--a bit early this time, and shot with my cell phone since I didn't carry a camera on this ride.

Riders about to cross onto new asphalt on newly paved stretch of Lindale Trail.

A small part of the new route through Marion is on a bike lane--with roundabouts at each end.

Crossing the street here at the roundabout involves an awkward left turn. Takes some getting used to.

Trail east of Waldo's Rock has its first layer of asphalt.

As of a week ago, on Aug. 28, this stretch of trail was still closed. The asphalt that is there does look like the first of several layers, there is a clear drop where it meets the rest of the trail. But pavement is coming!

The new side trail that leads north from the Boyson Trail past Lininger Park has been closed for a week—why, I don’t know. But I’ve observed asphalt being applied on the Grant Wood Trail east of Waldo’s Rock park. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll bike out there and see how the project is going. And maybe I’ll turn around and ride 50 more miles.

After all, I recently turned 64.

Getting ready to bike home on my final day of being 63, Aug. 29. I am being watched.

Aug. 31--And now I have been 64 for the second day. New pavement on Lindale Trail looking more at home.

Aug. 31--This new trail has not been open very long. Closed? Why?

Sept. 1--A young September deer on Lindale Trail.

Sept. 1--Mom, peeking from the woods, eyes photographer.

Earlier in my Sept. 1 ride--fawn leaping into woods off of Marion Trail, the little side trail west of the Boyson Trail. Don't know if the trail has a name.