Saturday Bike Ride

The hubby was in my rear-view mirror yesterday on our 6.36 mile bike ride around town.  The temperature was in the mid 80's but the humidity wasn't bad.  Clouds gave some relief from the hot sun, and I'm still enjoying the bounty of blooming flowers.

As always, however, never a dull moment and plenty of interesting scenery on every ride.

I stopped to snap a few pictures of the progress being made on the bridge.  The layering of the trees, field corn, stream, and purple cone flowers by the side of the road give a rich colorful depth to the ride that I will miss while stationary pedaling this winter.

I am hopeful the bridge will be done before the end of the riding season, as it cuts this portion of the ride in half.  The latest reports say the bridge reconstruction is progressing nicely, but gives no projected completion date.  After the existing bridge was removed, the creek had to be rerouted before the new construction could begin, so the road has been closed to thru traffic for quite some time now.

Now for the interesting part of the day's bike ride...

Making our usual loop around the county fairgrounds, we came upon an uncommon sight.

Clad in long chocolate brown dresses and carrying sunflowers, the bridesmaids gathered near the round bale of hay marked "CEREMONY" awaiting the groomsmen who screamed through the fairgrounds full-throttle on their Harley's.

Not far from the ceremony area, an inflatable bouncy house awaited the younger guests, and the corn bag toss was all set up and ready to be played after dinner which would be served in the shelter house.

Now, I'm not claiming to be old-fashioned at all, but weddings sure seemed to have changed over the years.

Blazing Star State Trail Bike Ride

With temps in the upper 70's, a slight breeze, and beautiful skies, yesterday was a perfect day to ride the Blazing Star State Trail in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

Just after crossing underneath Interstate 35, the trail enters the Myre Big Island State Park.  Lush, green rural landscapes punctuated by colorful wildflowers make this a scenic ride.

We rode the trail all the way into the park until it turned to gravel.  I'm sorry to report, unlike the Root River Trail, this trail is not well maintained.  The deep crevices, holes, ruts, and cracks nearly shook my Catrike Expedition apart.

By the time we saw the "Steep Grade Ahead" sign, it was too late to take a picture or to turn around. Cruising down at full speed, I only briefly thought about the fact that I would eventually have to pedal back up that hill!

Fortunately, 9.55 miles later, I had conquered the challenge and could say I did it!