Trails Clear

Yesterday was the day to take the hybrid up for a spin. Sunny, light breeze from the WSW, temp in the 30s. There were some clouds when I headed out from the Wabash Trace trail head, they started dissipating.
Had reasons to ride the hybrid. Wanted to checkout the fenders and how it would handle on slippery conditions. Well, did not really accomplish these goals as the trail was clear and mostly dry.
Council Bluffs Parks & Rec did a great job clearing ice/snow off the trails. I did not encounter a slick spot on my ride from the trail head to the Trail Center. The photo above shows the "worst" section of the ride. Thanks Larry Foster and Crew!
Though it was in the 30s, near 40 when riding, it felt cooled than yesterday. Even had a layer more on the core. Since the hybrid is equipped with SPD pedals, I had to wear my cycling shoes. With the neoprene booties, they were comfortable.
Logged 17 miles. Longest ride of the year. Unfortunately, it looks like the weather is heading south, soon.

Liesurely Ride on the Lake Manawa Trail

A little remiss blogging about my ride last week. Wednesday was about the only day that was warm enough and not windy, conducive for a bike ride. Aired up the tires on the hybrid and loaded the bike to the car rack.

A chilly breeze was blowing from the SW. Temperature did not feel the 50 degrees that the thermometer indicated. Headed down the Lake Manawa Trail and see how far I decided to ride. A little before I reached the Indian Creek bridge, I ran across "Tom" - a bird watcher & photographer. We had stopped and visited previous (at almost the same place on the trail).

Tom told me he was planning to shoot some photos of the eagles that are now calling Lake Manawa State Park home. That peaked my interest. Continues my ride to the bridge and turned back towards the trailhead.

In no special hurry, when I caught up with Tom again, I rode with him (he's on foot). He's still shooting film (slides) with a Canon EOS. Planning to get some photos along the E side on Lake Manawa. Made plans the meet with him after I finish my ride.

Decided to take a little side ride on the Nature trail. (see photo). Noticed several large bird nests high in the trees along the nature trail. Pedaled on to the car and loaded the bike on the rack.

Thought I might have missed Tom since it took a little longer for me to get back to the car and load the bike. Thought I might have missed him, but found him at the place expected. Watch the eagles and visited a little. Gave him one of my calendars.

Didn't ride many miles but sure had a enjoyable afternoon. Topped it off with a visit with Blaine at the bike shop.

Eagle Landing

Just one of the 4 Eagles that I saw flying around the visitor center at work today. This immature Eagle was coming in for a landing on one of the Birch trees along the banks of the Pigeon River.

In The Shadow of Giants

These huge redwoods are awe-inspiring.

The first tumble

A new year, a new camera and a new fall. Yesterday I managed my first crash of the year at Tomewin, while riding across the top of the Macpherson Range on Glengarrie Road. It's the sort of thing that happens when you attempt to climb steep graidents on rocky dirt roads covered with a slick coating of mud. Very little damage was done, although my left hip is a little stiff today, and the surroundings in the Garden of Eden provided more than enough compensation.

Evidently Martin and I hadn't had enough flooded creek crossings from the day before, as we first headed toward Urliup. Much to my surprise (especially as the lost bet cost me an inner tube), only one causeway was under. Another surprise in the early stages was just how quickly the wildflowers have taken over Urliup after the flood. It's not an area known for them, but the freakish downpour may have created just the right conditions.

A punishing climb to the summit of Tomewin followed -- the punishing nature of the climb owing as much to the muggy conditions as the gradient. It was followed by the now obligatory detour along the Garden of Eden Road, before returning to the Eastern side of the range for the ridgetop ride across the top. The muddy conditions made for difficult going, and I had several near misses before "the crash". Nevertheless, I found the motivation to continue as we watched some rain approach.
The rain held off until we descended the switchbacks of the Zig-zag road, before creating a slick surface for the final descent into Bilambil (how convenient). Martin managed to pick up a flat on the way to the bakery and a welcome food stop (that still leaves me in front 3-1 however) -- a large piece of glass was responsible, and he'll probably need to replace the tyre. The final stretch through the last 30-odd km of suburbia was uninspiring, but at least a tailwind made it pass quickly. In the end we both agreed that it was one of the hardest 100km rides we've had in a while, but every minute was worth the effort.

Morning Glory With Dew

A Grandpa Ott covered in dew.

Foam Trails, Manabezho Falls

Another beautiful waterfall on the Presque Isle River! This one is named "Manabezho Falls" and, according to signage along the trail, is the largest waterfall on the river. It was getting very late in the evening when I photographed this waterfall. As such, it was easy to take long exposures of the falls. This one ended up being 6 seconds and gave me some very nice "foam trails". I love taking long exposures of rivers and showing the movement of the water. It's one of the funnest things you can do with a camera!