160th ride

It was a very grey day today. The morning was about as warm as yesterday but today I stalled around instead of heading out early thinking that today might warm up as satisfyingly as yesterday did.

Alas, by noon it was obvious that grey was the dominant color of the day. And by that time I pretty much had to get out there if I was going to finish before dark. I jest, but barely, sunset is 4:37 today.

One of the hallmarks of the season for me is my appearance at the gates of Lake Vadnais to discover that the county parks department has shut the road down for the season. I thought that today might be the day. Nope, still open but very nearly deserted. And grey, very grey.The ride was, however, my 160th of the year, so that goal is attained. Pretty much anything that was possible has been accomplished, I guess from now on I ride for entertainment.

Without the sun the day remained very cool. I rode past the temperature display at the A&W on Rice Street and it said 50. However, just before I reached home the sun poked through. The sky was blue and I extended the ride.
I got this shot for contrast with yesterday's picture of Sheldon Street. This is Albert Street, one block west of Sheldon Street, again looking north from Frankson. The trees on Albert Street are just a little bit more bare than the oaks on Sheldon.

Having gotten that far off my originally planned path I continued along down Frankson and eventually crossed Snelling into the Fairgrounds. This path led me back through the farm campus and back towards home. I noticed that the fields have been cultivated and I briefly considered a photo of the corn field. There really isn't much to see, though. The stalk remants are mostly gone and there are shallow furrows, really not much to see.

There was plenty to smell, however. What the farmers on the farm where I briefly toiled as a high school student used to call the honey wagon had been out and made several substantial deposits. Ah, the smell of manure.

FC Nantes is on a three and a half week break from Ligue 2 competition. The team will travel today to Les Sables d'Olonne for training and what the website calls regeneration. The only scheduled fixture before the resumption of Ligue 2 is the Coupe de France game against Vertou which will be either Saturday the 24th or Sunday the 25th at the big stadium in Nantes.