Riding to the Root: The war against wind

When I was in junior high, one of my favorite Vikings players was running back Leroy Hoard.
It wasn't because he blew anyone away statistically. Robert Smith was the Vikings featured back at the time and Randy Moss and Cris Carter were putting up far more illustrious offensive numbers. There also wasn't anything flashy about him. He wasn't a likely candidate to break for a 60-yard run a la Adrian Peterson, nor was he likely to blow through a defensive line like an in-his-prime Jerome Bettis.
No, Hoard endured himself to me for being what NFL analysts termed as a "grind-it-out" running back. He hardly ever broke for a long run, but he could always be counted on for 3-5 yards a pop and was one of the best at "moving the chains." Matter of fact, I distinctly remember a commentator saying this about Hoard: "If you need two yards, he'll give you three. But if you need 6 yards, he'll also give you three."
You're probably wondering what this little flashback has to do with my biking exploits to the Root River Trail. Well, as I sit in a gas station in Dexter, waiting for the rain to blow over, only one thing comes to mind when I look back on a full day of cycling: Wind.
Simply put, the wind has been relentless today, coming from the southeast all day and ranging in speeds from 15-25 mph (a woman in Lansing told me that Austin had a wind advisory today, I believe it). Given the direction of my travels (south and east), the wind was kind of like having an anchor attached to my bike.
I dealt with the wind fairly well at first. But as the day wore on, it drained my energy and sapped me of much of my enthusiasm.
However, rather than lamenting about how Mother Nature dealt me a crappy hand and calling it a day, I settled into a grind-it-out mode, much like Hoard back in the day. I didn't care if I had to downshift to lower gears of hop off my bike and walk for a stretch. All that I cared about was making forward progress.
This isn't a race, and I'm not trying to get to Lanesboro in record time. If I were going for speed, I wouldn't have packed most of the things that are currently bungeed/strapped to my bike. I also wouldn't have brought a laptop with to keep my readership entertained.
No, this trip is closer to the principles I lived by at RAGBRAI last summer. Nobody cares how you get there, just so long as you get there. If that means having to hop off the bike and walk, so be it.
Just keep moving the chains...
*On a positive note, my bike had zero malfunctions today and, up until now, I've had good luck with avoiding the rain that has apparently blanketed the state. The people I've met along the way have also been exceptionally nice. If the rain lets up, I might try to grind out a few more miles before setting up camp for the night.

Back

The first "nervous" commute out of the last several thousand turned out alright in the end. We seem to be right in the middle of the windy season at the moment, which has meant decent headwinds riding into work over the last two days. Coming from the north, it's also meant high humidity and air thick enough to cut if anybody could find a knife sharp enough. The first morning I actually made the junction between the lights on Rudd Avenue, which it quite doable, but usually requires a reasonable level of performance. That was a sign that I was closer to being "back" than I thought.
Unfortunately, the exhaustion at the end of that first ride (an 8.5km commute is usually a pretty routine exercise for me) suggested that I still had some way to go. But it was interesting to note how much easier it all felt yesterday in identical conditions. I'll be seeking out 30-35km after work this evening, and possibly making it to Austinville (pictured above) on Thursday night. Hopefully by then, I won't be reduced to using old pictures from previous rides in this blog any longer.

Tossing Chips

This time of year, wildlife is abundant as many animals are busy preparing for the coming summer season. As is the case with many creatures, this means building a nest in order to raise their young. Today at Grand Portage State Park (which is where I work for my day job) my co-workers told me about a large bird that they had seen climbing out of a hole in a tree. Based on their description I told them it was probably a Pileated Woodpecker. They showed me where they had seen it and sure enough, that's what it was. He was diligently working all afternoon on carving out a nest cavity in a tall aspen tree. When we first got to the tree the bird was nowhere to be seen, but we could hear a muted tapping sound. After a few moments the woodpecker stuck his head out of the hole and promptly threw a mouthful of wood chips to the ground. We watched him do this over and over again.

I knew I had to get some footage of this activity, so after work I went back to the nest and he was still hard at work, tapping inside the tree then throwing the wood chips out. I watched and photographed him for about an hour. Hopefully this means that they will be having babies soon and we will be able to see them being fed by the parents. This is an easily accessible location at the park so it would be neat to share this wildlife encounter with park visitors :-)

Setting up

The German market is taking shape on the plainstones beside the National Gallery. As I passed through tonight the place was a bustle of activity ahead of Thursday's switching on of Edinburgh's Christmas lights and the market opening. Much unpacking of boxes, tapping of hammers, fixing up lightbulbs, and animated chat in German.





It all reminded me of the chapter in The Wind in the Willows where the Rat encounters animals and birds making ready to hibernate or migrate - except in reverse. "Many were digging and tunnelling busily; others, gathered together in small groups, examined plans and drawings of small flats...Some were hauling out dusty trunks and dress-baskets, others were already elbow-deep packing their belongings; while everywhere piles and bundles of wheat, oats, barley, beechmast and nuts, lay about ready for transport."

I always wonder - what do German Christmas markets do for the rest of the year?

Good Advice!

Belton-in-Rutland - Wardley - Ridlington - Belton

Led by Barry. 9.5 miles. According to the garmin there's about 900 feet of ascent. Fine, warm sunny. With Maureen, Gordon, Eddie and me.

From the war memorial in Belton, near the church, we turned downhill past a green with a lime tree and a seat (too early for caffeine!), the Old Smithy and Rutland Manor, to a point where a footpath sign points to the left. We went through the gateway and immediately right, crossing the field to a stile in the far right hand corner. We followed the Rutland Round along the hedge and over a footbridge, then took the path along with the hedge on our right. We crossed a bridleway and continued to follow the waymarks as the path goes downhill, crosses another bridge, then uphill to a gate in the hedge and on to the old A47.

They shut the road through the woods



Seventy years ago.



Weather and rain have undone it again,



And now you would never know



There was once a road through the woods .(Kipling)

We walked left along this, then turned right to the present A47's junction towards Wardley.

From the old road to the new

We crossed the road and walked into Wardley village with its well-kept houses and small church.

St Botolph's church, Wardley

Time check?

No walk is complete without one of us going back for something!

We turned down the lane past Wardley House, opposite the church. There are terrific views of the countryside.

View from Wardley House

We walked along the track, following it round to the end of Wardley Wood. Here we turned left into the wood, but instead of walking straight though we diverted slightly to the left, in order to avoid some of the mud. We then followed the edge of the wood and headed up towards the A47 again.

Wardley Wood and beyond

We were not really where we wanted to be, so it was a case of heading downhill and meeting the path we had left earlier. Once we'd found it, it took us up to the Old Leicester Road going into Uppingham.



We had to walk for a few hundred yards along the A47 - the north side of the road has just enough verge to make this ok. We crossed back to walk along the old disused road, then crossed over to join the footpath which follows field boundaries more or less north. There are plenty of signs telling walkers where they shouldn't go, and by avoiding them we made our way towards Ridlington.

Rolling countryside

St Mary Magdalene and St Andrew's church, Ridlington

We walked round to the other side of the church, and along the road for a short distance before turning right along a marked footpath. Apologies for the garmin trace here on the map - I'd turned it off in the church and forgot to switch on immediately afterwards.



We found the footpath towards Leighfield. This was straightforward, with a little help from the 'Keep Out" Notices. It goes downhill from Ridlington, passing a flock of Jacob's sheep.



The path flattens out as it approaches the River Chater and the fishponds near Leigh Lodge.

Newly planted trees and the bridge over the Chater

Bridge and fishponds

A good spot for a second break before tackling the long uphill road to the left.





At the top we turned left, then took the path indicated on our right. This went downhill quite steeply towards Belton. The path joins the road to Lambley Lodge, which we followed for about half a mile, downhill then up into Belton.

Beau, the Wonder Dog

Our Bishypoo, Beau, is the dog of the hour. This morning he led us to the deer my husband killed right before dark last night. It ran off into the woods after being hit and couldn't be tracked in the dark.
It always makes me nervous when a deer is shot, runs off, and has to be tracked. Sometimes you find it and sometimes you don't. I can't stand to think that all that meat is lying in a ditch or the woods somewhere close by but can't be found.
My husband got up early this morning to go look for blood drops, but with so many red leaves on the ground, he wasn't very hopeful of finding any. I told him I wanted to go with him; not because I wanted to see a dead deer. I didn't. I just love getting out into the woods for any reason. It brings back many memories of my childhood when I would go rabbit hunting with my grandpa or just walk through the woods as quietly as possible with my daddy. Darcie wanted to go, too.
So the three of us piled into his pickup truck. I asked if he wanted Beau to go help us, since he's always chasing squirrels and running around a lot with his nose to the ground. I figured he might be a good tracker. He said to bring him, so we loaded Beau up, too.
We drove across our field to where my husband thought he hit the deer, and started looking there. No blood was seen, so we walked into the woods a little ways. I had my eye on Beau whose downed nose was going back and forth. I saw the minute he was on to something and was surprised that he didn't bark. I guess I'm used to Grandpa's beagles baying as soon as they lock onto a scent. I walked away from the other two following Beau deeper into the woods. He stopped and began sniffing like crazy. I walked over and saw dried blood spots. I called to Gayle and showed him what Beau had found. He was pretty excited to know we were on the right track.
We split up again with me just watching and following Beau. He went a little deeper into the woods and I saw the deer's body. He never did bark. Strange. I called everyone over to see, and Gayle began examining the buck to see where the bullet entered and all the other things men look for such as number of points on the rack, estimated weight, size of rack, etc. I was too busy praising Beau and scratching his ears to pay much attention to the deer. I don't like seeing dead animals but am glad for the meat for the freezer.
Later I heard Gayle talking to our son-in-law on the phone. He was just bragging on Beau and saying that we never would have found the deer if not for him. Not a bad morning's work for a furry, white lap dog.

Austin Garden Conservancy Tour

Even though they don't know me, the owners of seven gardens in Austin let me into their gardens yesterday.
Today we still don't know each other, but there have been introductions and conversations and parts of their gardens are burned into my memory.
Thank you very much for letting me come to see your gardens!
The stress of planning her move to a new house didn't prevent Pam/Digging from also planning the route we'd use for the .. Austin Garden Conservancy Tour. As she drove I acted as her Dr Watson - right down to the bumbling. It was wonderful to catch up on news and talk gardens as we traveled around Austin, making it to all seven locations.
We discovered that we'd both zeroed in on Stone Palms as a must-see - and so did everyone else! Just a few minutes after opening the garden was humming with visitors. Before we reached the ticket table Pam met two people she knew and I'd reconnected with Mary, whose lovely pond and ingenious stock tank filter were among the images I used for the post and video of "The Pond Song". We took this as a sign the day would be a special one and entered garden #1.
This intensely personal garden was all I'd hoped for and more, from the entrance palms created from Edwards Plateau karst, (those cool holey rocks we all love) to the enchanting dining area surrounded by wisteria vines, its shady space brightened with shimmering green reflecting balls. The garden owners are a landscape designer who works with stone (he told us that the table is also one of his creations) and his wife, an artist who works in shells (the sideboard was her design).
Incredible containers graced every corner and a large umbrella filtered the light without the heaviness of a permanent roof.
We noticed many places to sit and talk. One thing I loved was the way these conversation areas let the sitters look outward while still feeling enclosed by the garden. This structure does double duty as a greenhouse in winter, protecting tender plants with the addition of transparent sides and if necessary, warmth from a fireplace that is tucked around the corner.
Not too far away was the second garden, Fatal Flowers, where I was charmed by seeing our beloved Oxblood lilies used in a raised bed with other colorful and tough plants.

Other bloggers will give you the big picture - I was caught by details - like the way the entrance was put together with a little roof running lengthwise over the top of the fence and a low bench right next to the gate. Another gate had a similar roof, flanked by a stacked stone wall with space inside for the roots of a Whale's Tongue Agave.
I forgot the right word for the kind of open meditation porch in the photo below and also don't know the name of the interesting large leaved plant with yellow daisy shaped flowers. Could it be Ligularia dentata? Other plants I found fascinating were a finely divided form of Nandina and a real yew - not the Podocarpus called "Japanese yew". The garden owner said that this Taxus chinensis will survive in Austin. Also exploring Fatal Flowers were Diana of Sharing Nature's Garden and her friend Maria - it was fun to see them!
I hope the charming owners of Fatal Flowers won't mind if I show the cleverly designed area behind the house. It is beautifully fitted out with potting surfaces and space for growing on potted plants, a compost area, a clothesline and built-in brackets for hanging plants, all neat and all accessible.

The next house, Modern: Inside and Out was just as described, "simple and serene". The large carport had a ping-pong table set up and a new-looking area for growing vegetables. These neat kitchen gardens with brick paths really appeal to me but I'd want that chainlink fence to disappear if it were my potager. At the modern garden we met up with fellow blogger and budding entomologist Vertie and her friend Sheryl (guessing on spelling). What fun to find out Sheryl and some friends formed their own version of the Divas of the Dirt after reading about us in the newspaper. Hanging out with Pam and Vertie meant another introduction - they both know Linda Lemusvirta, the producer for Central Texas Gardener who also writes her own fantastic gardenblog.
What a thrill to meet these women!
With so much lawn and few flowers this spare design seems more about landscaping than gardening, but when you stand near the house looking out at the angled areas, it seems like a fabulous place for a party - too bad I'm not on any 'A' lists!

If you've seen other posts about this tour you already know the garden bloggers were surprised to discover that there were a few locations where the visitors were allowed to tour the gardens but were not allowed to photograph what they saw.
The G. Hughes and Betsy Abell Garden was designed by Scott Ogden and when we arrived in the courtyard -
there was Scott himself, with a preview copy of his newest book, Plant Driven Design, written with his wife, Lauren Springer Ogden. Since this was one of the no-photos gardens, I snuck a tiny book cover from this most intriguing book off the Amazon pre-order site.
A wonderful wordsmith could tell you about gardens without using photos.
I can only say that the entire house and its grounds felt like falling into another place and time - Mexican-Spanish-California-Colonial? From the time we passed the ballustrades into the garden, I was sunk. We saw Agaves sprouting from the tile roof, areas that were sheltered under the main body of the house but were still outside, balconies and paths and Lake Austin river in the distance, palms and bamboo. It felt as if it had been there for generations, so it was a revelation to hear that house and garden were less than a dozen years old. I don't know why I liked the whole thing so much, but if it were mine, that basketball court would be an outdoor dance floor with musicians floating hot notes from the balcony above.
There are also no photographs from the Granger Garden, with large expanses of lawn and views of Lake Austin. The owner greeted guests and told us about some interesting plants including a very cool Mexican Olive, planted against a stone wall and a very cool grass...some kind of fancy zoyzia... that alternated with pavement on the sloping entrance to a secluded courtyard. (More people knew Pam at this garden, too.)
Yet another garden also has no photographs - the Ofman Garden, also on Lake Austin. This garden had roses in bloom and views of the river. The service area at the back of the house had been made into a plant-filled shady tunnel with a water feature that could be seen through a window from an area inside - something I found quite charming.
Even if you haven't seen the other bloggers' Conservancy Tour posts, the photo above could have clued you in on which garden Pam saved for Dessert! In addition to Pam's photo-essay about the garden of James David and Gary Peese at the .. Conservancy tour, visiting this garden was a highlight of Spring Fling in April, and the Flingers set loose a flurry of wonderful posts with great photos. So many bloggers took their own version of the scene in the photo above that MSS even wrote a post about it!
Yesterday's visit was my third stroll on the stones and paths of the David~Peese garden - high time for me to snap a picture of the formal lawn and share more glimpses of this extraordinary place. As you might guess from the shadows in my photo, it was late afternoon when Pam and I arrived. The owners greeted the visitors near the entrance table and even after all the hours of answering questions they were still gamely identifying plants and talking chlorophyll with enthusiasm.
Although I'd been here before, this visit was different. A faint scent of something like Tea Olive could be discerned in the entry garden,and for the first time my response to the garden was not just respect and awe and amazement, but affection - something that surprised me!
While the hardscape is astounding and imposing, the plants are approachable and irresistible - there's a blue Skyvine (Thunbergia grandiflora?) scrambling up other plants like scaffolding and there are unusual evergreens (maybe the one near the entrance is a Kashmir Cypress?) and the succulents alone are too numerous to identify - there are hundreds and hundreds of kinds of unusual plants.
We walked out on a new path to a part of the garden that's in progress, then turned and looked back toward the house. How can a wire box of rocks, a plain metal spout pouring water into a large basin, some sloping decomposed granite and assorted succulents combine to make such a pleasing scene? Is it the perfection involved in choosing each individual element?
I liked the way this small pool looked in that late afternoon light with the semi-circle of ripples, but wish I'd remembered to take a photo of the fig ivy 'Eyebrows' set over two semi-circular windows on the house...something I loved at first sight. The eyebrows are under strict control, but shortly before the tour ended at 5 PM we noticed that another plant was allowed to roam. Some type of gourd or squash vine climbed over structures and shrubs, up and into a tall evergreen, hanging one large fruit way over our heads like a green lantern waiting to be lit - time to go home!
But before we headed to the car, Pam ran into another friend. It was a delight to meet Roxane Smith, the Open Days regional rep and her husband - a volunteer we enjoyed chatting with at an earlier garden. Knowing other gardeners has expanded my world in so many ways!
Thank you for the wonderful day, Pam!
Austin Garden Bloggers who have already posted on the Conservancy Tour are Lancashire Jenny, Diana, and Julie/Human Flower project.
Edited Oct 7- Pam/Digging took a break from unpacking and posted the first entry in her Open Day Tour series: Stone Palms.

The Cure For Boredom

"For those of the current generation the normal reflex when bored is to watch a video or surf the Web. What can we do to help our young people accept the short-term pain of learning creative life skills in order to avoid the long-term pain of chronic subconscious boredom? What can we do to teach them that an addiction to electronic entertainment will shrivel their souls? Many of the short-term solutions to boredom undoubtedly give pleasure. But these are unsustainable and provide only a counterfeit of life and ultimately lead to spiritual emptiness." (p. 124)

Unfortunately,I can't remember where this quote came from. Of the nine books I've read in April, it has to be either What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty or Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. I'm thinking it must be the Jane Austen one for it made many contrasts between the 19th century and our present time. They're both worth reading. I'll be reviewing Rigler's book here soon.

I think the solution has to be the parents. The most important thing that we can do is to not be addicted to "counterfeit life" ourselves. Our children are going to emulate us. If they see us always connected to a portable device, then that's what they'll want, too. We need to be parents and people who are interested in real life.

My parents and grandparents took me along with them when they did their shopping, visiting, and chores. I learned how to be an adult alongside them. They took an interest in the world and so did I. If I wanted to learn something new which they weren't interested in, they made sure I had lessons. I was in 4-H club where I learned all sorts of things. I read voraciously and was outside most of the day when I wasn't in school or doing chores. The great outdoors is a great teacher! And because of my upbringing, I'm never bored today. In fact, one lifetime isn't enough time to do all the things I'd like to try and accomplish.

I believe many children today have too much leisure time. If they're keep busy and engaged doing chores or being with adults as they work, then when they do have free time, they'll treasure it. Games, books, and toys should be provided for the children to use as well as large quantities of unscheduled time outside. This is when their imaginations are expanded the most and they learn to appreciate nature.

Anyone have any thoughts on how you keep your kids from being bored? Are you bored yourself? Is electronic device addiction something with which you or your children struggle?

Cedar Rapids Trails

This morning I met a friend for breakfast. From there, dropped off the Fuel EX7 at his Apartment in Iowa City. Drove up to Cedar Rapids, picked up his bike, and headed to the C St. Trailhead.
We rode South from the trailhead on the Cedar River Trail. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. Another mostly sunny afternoon, temperature about 70. Lots of folks on the trail. Not sure how far the trail was open (maps show "proposed" on the South end). There were a couple places where the trail fooled us. Thought the trail was ending, only to find a sharp turn and the trail continues.
After about 5 miles, we were at Wright Brothers Blvd. The trail still continues, but we decided it was time to head back North. Wanted to check out the trail toward downtown. We found that the South end of the trail is called the Hoover Trail.
Stopped at the car to get another bottle of G2 and the tire pump (forgot to pack that on the ride) Heading north we only got under a mile when the trail was closed. Doing some tree removal along the creek.

Plan B - load the bikes and head downtown CR, picking up the Cedar River Trail there. It a very urban trail. There are detours downtown due to the floods. Followed the trail and detours to Cedar Lake.
The photo above was of the Cedar River Trail at Cedar Lake. At the lake, we turned back to the car, which was parking in Czech Village. It was time for some food. Found The Red Frog. Had a great burger and fries.
Dropped my friend's bike in Cedar Rapids and headed back to Iowa City. Time to relax after our 17+ mile ride. Logging the ride, I learned that the ride took me over 500 miles for the year.