A Ride by a River

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Wildflower patchwork
Clouds like moving mountains
Birds singing Sunday joy

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A cool morning (the entire week has been remarkably cool - but no one's complaining), with temps in the 60s. Rain is falling when I get up, so I take my time over breakfast, hoping the weather will clear - which it does.

This morning I am prepared for a long ride:

Homemade energy bars ratio-based recipe:
Heat 1 part each peanut butter and honey until just simmering.
Remove from heat; stir in 4 parts oatmeal
(or oatmeal combined with breakfast cereal and/or grains of
choice), and 1/2 part each of desired add-ins
(mine were raisins, sunflower seeds, and chocolate chips).
Press into a buttered dish and let harden for several hours
or overnight. Loosely based on this recipe.

No more hungry rides for me, I'm hoping.

The sky is still grey with rainclouds as I set out. A flock of geese flies low overhead, making me think rather uneasily of autumn.

I pass a marsh edged with all kinds of wildflowers, including these cheerful heliopsis...

...in front of which are wild chicory...

...all edged by this gorgeous red clover. I love red clover, but for some reason seldom photograph it. Such a humble blossom, but so very beautiful.

Also growing in this spot are Queen Anne's Lace and wild phlox. A true wildflower quilt.

A few miles on and around a corner, grapevines vie with barbed wire in a twining competition:

Across the road some corn carts are sleeping in. (When I pass this way a few hours later, they've been put to work, trundling along behind a tractor.)

A colourfully-winged bee embraces a knapweed blossom:

Eggs, anyone?

Two swallows have had a spat and aren't speaking just now. (But all around are birds singing their little hearts out.)

Red barn, green fields: the colours of a Wisconsin summer.

Today I am expanding my riding territory. Turning on to a road that is new to me, I see this sign:

(Nice of them to warn me. But the road turns out to be no bumpier than any other of the rural roads I ride on.)

I don't think I'll have any trouble complying with either of these requirements:

I pass a small heard of Scottish longhaired cattle - not a very common sight around these parts.

It's time for a break and a snack. For some miles I've been riding along the Wisconsin River, but there are just enough houses along the shore to obscure the view. Finally I come to a corner with a boat landing and some public seating.

Energy bar with river:

And just the river this time. It's very lovely and peaceful here, and as you can see the clouds have broken up and pulled back to a picturesque distance:

Now the road begins to rise and fall as it follows the curve of the hills that line the river. The picturesque clouds peep over a corn-covered horizon:

Swallows at Sunday meeting, all prim and proper and dressed in their best tailcoats:

Another view of the lovely winding river:

I top a small hill and go careering down the other side, when something glimpsed across the fields causes me to slam on the brakes. Another barn quilt for my photo collection!

(The field is very large, making it hard to get a clear close-up.)

Finally I reach the halfway point of the ride. Here the Wisconsin River has broadened out to become Lake Wisconsin, and my route takes me across a causeway with wide blue views.

There are some lovely hills to be seen across the lake. (I hope next month to be riding among them.)

About six miles later, it's time for another snack break. I pass a likely-looking park and pull in.

Iris is parked against a handy oak tree...

...while I, having the park entirely to myself, find a spot in the shade to sit and eat.

This is what I see in front...

...and this is what I see when I turn around. The scent of the pines is warm and spicy and fills the air with a quiet gladness.

I've miles to go yet, and hope to keep future photos to a minimum. But I have to snap this incredibly beautiful barn which sports a fascinating cupola:

A few miles further, I see some striking clouds piling up to the north. One is particularly imposing:

Here's a less-immaculate (but friendlier-looking) barn:

The imposing cloud is shape-shifting as the miles go by.

Each new view of it is better than the last - so I decide to keep snapping it.

I pass some particular equine friends, and am pleased to see that their pasture is much greener than it was a month ago.

Another view of the cloud du jour.

The sun is behind me now - good time for a shadow shot.

No longer clear-cut, the imposing cloud has become soft and feathery-looking:

With just 4 or 5 miles to go, I'm starting to feel tired. (The energy bars seem to have done their job.) Two miles later, I'm quickly running out of gas, and stop for one last break. A few bites of the remaining energy bar, a few ounces of water, and a final photo through the southward-looking trees.

The break really helps recharge my legs, making the final miles fast and easy.

The beautiful weather, lovely views, and fresh air have blown the cobwebs out of my soul. A very good ride indeed.

45.1 miles

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