In Which I Enter Dark Times with a Light Heart

Enjoying the last night of late light Nov. 4--my bike parked at Mount Calvary Cemetery. I rode there because site of Sisters of Mercy graves is very peaceful and beautiful at sunset. Sisters founded university where I teach.

Nov. 4--Low sun at Cedar Lake.

Low sun behind Sisters of Mercy graves, Mount Calvary Cemetery, Nov. 4.

Winter is coming.

I’ve never seen “Game of Thrones,” but even I haven’t escaped that line. Winter really is coming. We’re into mid-November now, nights have a definite chill and the world is turning brown. Fall is late this year, but still the trees are emerging from their leaf coverings and the drab look of the sleeping landscape is taking hold.

It’s still a good time for biking—not winter cold yet, although I’ve used my riding hat and gloves a lot more recently. But last weekend was the time shift, and rides home from work are starting to require lights as darkness falls around 5.

I’ve had some pretty fun rides in the past week, encroaching winter notwithstanding. Last Saturday, I rode briefly to campus, and took the First Avenue route just to capture the low sun at Mount Calvary Cemetery. After picking up some files on campus, I headed down to Cedar Lake, one of the best places to enjoy the late afternoon light.

And it was late, maybe close to 6, because I hadn’t turned the clock back yet.

Nov. 4--Gull flies over Cedar Lake, lit by late sun.

Nov. 4--Smaller south lake by Cedar Lake--pelicans seen from bike trial.

On the first day of Standard Time, Sunday, my wife and I went over to Des Moines. There was a family baby shower that my wife and daughter were attending. Meanwhile, I visited with my son, his son, his wife and the other daughter’s son (so, two grandsons). My son in Des Moines has a  young child who needed a nap, and my son needed one, too—so while he was reading stories in the hope of inducing sleep (which, thankfully, worked out) my daughter-in-law, my older grandson and I embarked on a bike ride.

The Des Moines family lives on the south side, and it turns out there is a route along ride-able residential streets to Grey’s Lake. I attached the Tag-A-Long seat to the hybrid bike, which I had brought just in hopes of taking a ride, and we were off.

My daughter-in-law just recently learned to ride a bicycle, in her adulthood, but rides well. And she was faster than me—then again, almost all bikers are. In my defense, my hybrid bike is not my fastest bicycle, and I was towing a grandson. Sometime, I’d like to go on a longer ride with this daughter-in-law when I’m riding my road bike and not towing anybody.

There were some hill climbs on the way to Grey’s Lake, but we had a pleasant ride around the lake, and then stopped at a park to let the grandson run around. It was funny, he was complaining about his legs being tired on the ride, but when we got to the park, he was zooming around at peak speed.

Nov. 5--Warm afternoon in Des Moines Park, but trees do look like mid-fall.

Nov. 5--Grandson enjoying park in Des Moines.

Well, to be fair, you do use different muscles biking than running, and the grandson normally spends a lot more time running than biking.

It was a pretty day, and the ride totaled just a bit more than 6 miles. A short ride, but a ride nonetheless on a day when I was out of town.

Next time, Stefani, I hope we can ride together for a bit more distance.

I have passed a milestone on the way to my 3,300-mile goal. I’ve rolled more than 3,000 miles—as of today, I have 3,035 miles for the year, 62.8 miles in November.

Nov. 10--Bike traffic on a cool fall afternoon, Lindale Trail, on my bike ride home.

Darkness comes earlier, now. Nov. 6, look of the sky at Mount Mercy as I start my bike road home.