Strike a Light!

We got caught up in delays caused by roadworks - usual thing,queues of traffic, lots of maintenance vehicles,no men working.


We waited...and waited.

My gaze fell upon some trees - several wonderful, long, rows of poplars,

which look a little out of place in this rural landscape.I remember reading that these trees were planted with the intention

to sell them to Bryant and May,

the match company.


The company closed in the late 1980's.

Perhaps this is why these trees escaped the axe.So, they tower very elegantly over undulating farmland,looking as though they lead to

somewhere quite grand.

© IWM (EPH 4207)

I wonder how many match sticks were made from a single tree.

and just how many of these rows of trees

remain dotted around the countryside.

A crop which wasn't harvested.

Eventually, the lights changed and we moved on

to visit dear old Aunt Lillian.

The homeward journey is always sweeter.Country roads, as much as possible.Quiet, single track ones,preferably.

We met no other trafficand had time to enjoy views like this.

After a hasty sandwich I harnessed Toby Too

and we set off for a 'training' walk,

along this track...

we both enjoy it,for different reasons.I like the peacehe loves the smells,the possibility ofencountering a pheasantor a rabbit.

At the end of the track is a paddock with a wonderful assortment of animals...are these sheep or goats?I am never quite sure.They miss nothing.

They share the paddock with this fat little pony,who is companionto

this beautiful, milk-white steedand a couple of little goats.
On misty evenings, as I look out across the barley field,this lovely horse almost looks likea unicorn.

borrowed from sodahead.com

End of theYear

Well, I will have to settle with 2028 miles on the bikes for the year. I should have braved the wind today, but just did not have the drive. Yes, it was in the 50s here. I know others were out riding, but I called it a year.
No chance to ride tomorrow (New Year's Eve) as the weather is heading South as I am writing this (sleet and snow on the way). Forecast is for bitter cold on New Year Day.
Don't get me wrong, I am pleased with my efforts this year. After the worst winter weather in decades, a week in the hospital for biopsy, 7 1/2 weeks of radiation treatments, and 11 weeks of chemotherapy, I was able to ride 340 miles during the period.
To celebrate getting though the treatments, I treated myself with a new bike - my first road bike. Ended up with logging over 1000 miles on the new bike this year. Not much dirt riding at home, Lake Manawa trails were under water most of the year. Enjoyed some awesome dirt riding in Wisconsin and S. Carolina.
So, I am ready to close the book on ...
, bring it on!

You Think You Got Problems?

Chuckles for the weekend...

Conflict of interests

By coincidence, the state meetings of both the Alabama Master Gardeners and the Alabama Wildflower Society were held in Huntsville this past weekend.
I had a conflict of interests!

Actually it wasn't too bad, except for half a day on Saturday, when the AMG was winding down and the AWS was beginning.

We did not get as much time at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens as we would have liked.
This is their 115+ year old dogwood.

A trillium that doesn't know how to count. (It's supposed to have only three petals.)
A quadrillium...?

At a garden we toured, my favorite feature was this granite wall that the owner had built out of free scraps.
I didn't take my "good" camera due to forecasts for lousy weather, and of course ended up wishing I'd had it.

Especially when we hiked the Monte Sano sinks trail. I saw Squawroot for the first time...

...I didn't realize it was so big!

One night the banquet hall was late opening up, so I wandered the neighborhood and photographed enchanted medieval castles. (Or possibly it was just a backlit church with swirling clouds.)
I had a wonderful time, but boy are my feet tired.

Can’t Resist a Colorful Sunrise

Friday, January 6

I woke up around 4:00a, and after tossing and turning to no avail, I got up.  I’m an early riser anyway, but this was ridiculous.  Oh well; gave me a chance to catch up on some reading.

When I went up to my home office around 6:30a, I caught a glimpse of a rainbow of color through the slats of the plantation shutters — a beautiful sunrise was in progress.  The camera was handy, so click went the shutter.

Nice color foretells the forecasted temperature warm-up.

Lunch Ride to Mineola

I had been meaning to ride to Mineola on a Wednesday for lunch. Wanted to check out their tenderloin sandwich (a Wednesday Special) at Toby Jack's Mineola Steakhouse.
Sunny say, nice temperature, with a breeze from the WNW. The wind direction was a problem, I was not looking forward to pedaling up the hill into the wind on the way home.
When I got to Margaritaville, I notices some changes. The area has cleaned up and the bike racks moved over to the East side of the trail. There is a new (second) grill there. Looking good.
After lunch, I started pedaling up the hill, sucking on a shot blok. It was an effort, but made it. Tool it easy down the hill. Just before the trail head, there's an open space. The wind was sooooo strong there, I had do shift way down, and hoping to not bonk. Made it, but my lets were toast.
Needed a day off the bike to recover.

Quite possibly, the Greatest Show on Earth.

Saturday is Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Festival. The festival headquarters will be in the park in Crosby, MN. Crosby is an easy 2 hour drive North of the Twin Cities.

Why Cuyuna? Cuyuna Country Ride Center. Over 25 miles of sweet singletrack in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. Ride amongst and over the overburden from the iron ore mining. Add in the northern hospitality and its a great time. I was there last year for the grand opening of the Ride Center. Came back for rides in the Fall colors.

Friday is the IMBA Great Lakes Summit at Cuyuna.

Weather is forecast to be awesome for bicycle riding.

Hope to see you there.

ps: Next on my schedule is MidWest Mountain Bike Festival. Scott County (Iowa) Park near the Quad Cities.

More Moose!

(Click the image to view a larger version)
What a day! Saw FIVE moose today... 4 on the same bend of the Pigeon River, first a male and female pair, then another female with a calf showed up and scared the other two away. Fifth one was seen on Partridge Falls Road on the way home. Paddled 10 miles on the river... besides Moose saw lots of Beavers, the Otter family of 6, and many ducks. The cow and calf shown in this photo crossed the river upstream from me three times, and I was able to get images of them each time they crossed. The image shown here was my favorite.