A relaxing ride

I took my bike out again for more of a relaxing ride. I went 8.5 miles in 50 minutes. The sun was shining but the wind made itself known. It was out of the S/SE today at 7 mph. So I decided to take my time and look around. This is how I prefer to ride anyway. I am not a speed demon by any means!! I almost took my camera and after the first couple of miles I really wished I had. So I am just going to have to try and describe my ride.

First, I love the smell of the outdoors. It rained this morning and the air is still quite humid. You can smell the grass growing and turning green if you take a minute to notice it. The birds are all chirping and there is about twenty sitting in one tree, squaking at each other about something, trying to be heard over the bird next to them.

I ride farther and look to my right and there is a house that was built to look like a log cabin. There is some standing water near the house, quite a big "pond", and a little boy and a dog are playing in it. A little too "Norman Rockwell", like it is all staged, but cute none-the-less.

I turn a right around a corner and notice all the trash in the ditch. Kinda sad.... empty beer and pop cans, cigarette cartons, and an empty pesticide sack. Reminds me of the Hiroshima I did to the tomato worms.

I see some rope on the side of the road and about 2 seconds later realize it is a snake. Not big and scary- just a little gardner snake.

I turn right at the next intersection and am heading straight into the wind. I have to go to a lower gear and crouch down into my handlebars. I don't see much for that stretch except the pavement. I am ungracefully trying to be as aerodynamic as possible.

Then I turn right again, on the home stretch through town. I pass the street I grew up on, pass the grain elevators that stand so tall you about fall down trying to look up that high, pass the old bank, and turn back onto my street. I see Gavin at the corner with his bike helmet on and the bike that Santa gave him this past Christmas. He loves that bike and takes every moment he has to ride it.

I ride up onto the sidewalk and him and I take a little ride, just the two of us, down the street and back again. His little legs pumping faster and faster making the training wheels spin. He keeps looking back to see if I am still following him.

I love riding my bike.