In Which I Praise the Fall Sky

Moon morning of Oct. 8--cool, nice morning for an eclipse.

Grotto at MMU. Can't really bike here, but it shows how nice a fall day midday can be. On a walk Oct. 8 at MMU, we took a bit of a detour just to pass through the grotto.

Fall is biking season, for sure. Crisp air, blue skies, no more summer heat—of course, parts of fall can be wet and dreary, which is not fun, but so far Fall 2014 has been textbook perfect for bike commuting.

There has been some rain and some winds, but frankly wind  is OK. It can be a problem on a long cross-country ride, but when your commute is only 4 miles, even a pretty stiff headwinds is not such a big deal.

It’s just a nice season to be outside.

On the MMU walk.

Most of these photos aren’t actually from biking. I did take the sunrise over the Rockwell-Collins pond this week—I know it’s not that different from an earlier picture, but I like it anyway. The moon is early (around 6 a.m.) from Oct. 8, when the moon passed through the Earth’s shadow. Otherwise, these are pictures of the Mount Mercy University Campus, several during a fitness walk Oct. 8.

Flag at MMU during walk.

There is something nice about the fall sky—interesting clouds, deep blues, a nice light angle from the southern journeying sun. Summer light can be more overwhelming, and winter is a bit too faded with long shadows midday.

Spring is nice, but your attention is more drawn down, to the first flowers. And in Iowa, fall is often dryer than spring, which makes it a bit more of a sky-viewing season.

So, welcome bikers, to the best commuting season of all.

The pond at Rockwell-Collins in the morning. Tuesday, I think.

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.

March Madness--Spring Sort Of Arrives

Sun was cool this morning--and the breeze from the south was in my face most of the way to MMU.

That wind was biting cold.

But the sun was still bright and the afternoon is really beautiful.

The picture shows some flowers just starting to emerge at Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto, MMU.

A gallery of Grotto images on this first day of March can be seen at my other blog, crgardenjoe.

Anyway, back to work, for a while. I have "bells" today so I must stay on campus, but maybe my wife will want an afternoon walk. And, even if it's twilight and cool by the time I have to leave, it's great that the first day of March was such a nice day for a bike ride!