In Which I Enjoy A Wormy Taste Of Summer

The morning ride--dodging worms brought forth by warm spring rain.

Things changed by afternoon. Crocus blooming in grotto at MMU.

How warm was it today? It started with rain, and it was rather damp on my ride in. The rain had largely ended, but the pavement was quite wet and strewn with worms.

Daffodils dangerously (for them) close to my bike.

It had not gotten much below 40 in the night, and felt warm. I rode with my sweater on—another sign of spring. No coat. I’m sure I was a bit damp in the nether regions by the time I got to campus, but my back rack and front fender for the most part diverted the water.

And yes, I did lube my chain before starting out.

This afternoon turned glorious and warm. It was a tragic day to be gainfully employed, and I wasted some time after an early faculty meeting taking some spring photos in my small region of campus. The grass is suddenly green, the fish in the pond were swimming un-coyly around, there were plenty of bugs—a damp, lively, springy kind of afternoon which makes you think that the trees won’t be wasting too much more sunlight before they bud out.

I’m not sure how much riding I will get in this week—too much rain in the forecast, and a chance of snow Thursday. But I’m sure the ride home tonight, in which I won’t even need the sweater, will be a foretaste of good weather to come.

Early iris between Warde Hall and Basile Hall on MMU campus.

Spring Ride and What I Saw and Heard

First flower on Mount Mercy campus, an iris-like crocus (or crocus-like iris) near Basile Hall. And a goose guarding trail by Cedar Lake.

I rode to Mount Mercy today to print off some papers I need to grade, and on the way there and back, I used the Cedar River Trail. It was cloudy, but nice—a good day to be on the trail. Among other things, I saw:

• A goose who was very territorial when it came to the trail. He honked and was generally hissy, but didn’t actually attack, which I know some do sometimes.

• The first crocus blooming at MMU. The same pretty blue one that is seen each spring near Basile Hall.

• The first crocus blooming in my front yard. I've had some in back for several days, but now the ones in the front lawn, which I planted just last fall, are starting.
  

• Lots of people, joggers and walkers and bikers. Had to stop for a tot on a bike who wasn’t wary enough, but safe biking is no accident.

• The first robin. Granted, it’s been so warm this winter and early spring that I’m sure robins have been around since January, but it’s the first one I saw. Actually two, since it was a pair of contentious males.

• A bike brake shoe with pad lying near 42^nd Street. Hope whoever lost this was able to stop.

Anyway, it was another beautiful spring day. A great sadness of modern life is all the empty parks you see—kids don’t play outside as they did when I was a wee lad. It was great to see some people out there today enjoying this fine weather.

Riding on the trail definitely gave me the itch. I’m leaning more and more towards the whole week of RAGBRAI—and decision time is coming within a week!

A slide show of what I saw today:

The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring, Tra-La!

Spring flower from late March at MMU. A peek into the future as the northern world turns brown.

November is slowly closing in, although this has been a long, pleasant fall in Iowa.

A bit of a cool rain is forecast over the next few days, and that, plus recent frost, may encourage the last of the trees to finally surrender their leaves—but in my yard, the maples and tulip are still hanging on to a fair amount of foliage, and the pears have yet to acknowledge autumn in any serious way.

On my commute, the Ash are all bare, but there are plenty of colorful maples and burning bushes left, and lots of lilacs have yet to turn brown.

From the bike parking rack at MMU I can look north across the valley that I cross on my commute and see fairy leafy-looking hillsides.

The November time when it all turns brown is coming soon enough. I actually enjoy the look of the stark bare landscape—you can see the hills in woods that are hidden in summer—but the brown scenery is a pale substitute for summer glory.

So this year, Audrey and I planted flower bulbs. Hundreds of them. I put lots of clumps of crocus in my front and back yards, hoping for that first splash of spring color that will herald spring. In addition, daffodils, tulips and hyacinth are planted at the bases of trees in my yard.

Along my commute, there are several years that are especially resplendent with flowers—one in particular at E Avenue and 42^nd Street. There is also a yard near MMU that used to have lots of crocuses in the lawn, although I think they may have been killed by weed spray last year.

Oh well. As the trees finally surrender the final leaves and the earth strips of its leafy cover, it’s nice to think that come spring, there will be the welcome signs of green and color.

So thank you, anonymous gardeners who plant your flowers between Bowman Woods and MMU—personally, I’m looking forward to the flowers of spring. Tra La!

A Cool Return To Spring-Starved Iowa

The photo is crocuses in bloom in Seattle earlier this week, but I was pleased to see that it wasn't so far from reality in Iowa where a few art blooming in my garden.

My sister noted on Facebook that her crocuses in her yard are abloom. I rode my bike to MMU this afternoon for a couple of hours of work (paying for my Seattle trip now!), and I noted some getting ready to bloom in at least one garden along the way.

It was a cool re-entry today into the world of bike commuting, but it could be worse. We flew back from Seattle to Minneapolis Thursday, and Minnesota is blanketed in snow. Then, we connected with a flight to Omaha. The ground was bare when we landed, but Thursday night, you guessed it, it snowed--about 3 inches. The next day, we drove across Iowa, and the snow was pretty much gone by the time we got to Des Moines.

So the pavement in Cedar Rapids was nice and bare on this chilly, early spring day. It will freeze pretty hard tonight, and I just hope it doesn't nip all the tulips and hyacinths already poking out of the garden through last fall's leaves.

Looks like I'll be biking to campus tomorrow (more makeup work) and Monday. Tuesday's weather forecast is a bit dicey now, but we'll see.

At least I'm home. I loved visiting Seattle, but it's great to be back home and back on my bike.

Spring Is Officially Here

I saw them this morning--was too rushed to grab my camera, so you'll just have to take my word for it--but some purple crocus will bloom today in my back garden.

I've noticed this past year that the changes in seasons in Iowa have tended to be sudden and dramatic. It seemed last year that the shift from winter to spring and then from summer to fall and fall to winter were all one-day events. This week saw a frosty start, and now flowers are blooming.

Well, that's Iowa. In a month, it will be easy to forget there ever was a snow pack, even if the risk of a parting winter shot isn't that remote.

Sadly, I had to drive yesterday and today, so I only biked twice this beautiful week (I'm only counting my workweek commute--yes, I know, 3 days are recorded in my log). I was even hoping to ride in the St. Pat's parade, but have other commitments (which explains the ride, too).

Given my plans over the next week and the MMU spring break, this blog will be on brief hiatus as CR Biker isn't biking in CR for a bit. Catch you all on the flip side when break ends and the rhythm of my commuting gets into gear!

Early bike log:

Sunday, 10 miles.

Monday, 10 miles.

Tuesday, 10 miles.

Unrecorded last week (trail route home on Friday, 2) miles.

That's 32 miles this week, a mark I hope to start beating routinely after spring break.

Year so far: 198. So close to 200!

A Frosty Spring Morning

I think since it requires a certain humidity as well as related temperatures that are low, but not too log, a spring hoarfrost is different from the fall frosts.

The fall frosts are the end of it all, a sign you don't have to give the dog heartworm medicine because the mosquitos, tomatoes, annual flowers and all other non-Asian beetle or box elder bug creeply crawlies have either died or gone to sleep.

A spring hoarfrost seems more like an opening chapter. It's way too cold for mosquitoes (and frankly, who misses them?) but box elders are starting to stir.

The ride in this morning was frosty, temperature in the 20s, but it felt good, and this afternoon is sunny and springy. I've seen green things sprouting in my backyard gardens and on the campus of Mount Mercy University, but no sighting of that first blooming snowdrop or crocus yet.

Still, despite being a brown ride, it feels, after this daylight savings time change, like a spring ride. It's a good season to be a two-wheeled commuter!