Off again on again

Some will know that the blog title is the first part of the message sent by railroad investigator Finnegan on his second investigation report after being harshly reviewed by his supervisor about his first report.  It is also my ride schedule.

Hard rain yesterday (although it did stop mid-afternoon making for a gorgeous evening).  Today felt like summer.

Free from the constant threat of precipitation that has been present for all of my most recent rides I rode a lot farther from home than I have recently.

This is near the turnaround point about a mile less than fourteen miles from home.  This pleasant country road leads down from Rice Street just west of Highway 96 into the Sucker Lake picnic area.

Note that even though I was that number not often used miles from home there was no danger of finishing the ride with that number and having to post it to the bike log.  I was a long ways from home.

And the ride from there went really well.  I finished the standard length ride in under two hours of actual riding.  That means my average speed for the ride reached a level which generally is only reached after I have attained a useful level of fitness.  The reason why the standard length is standard is that it is the first even number reached after I have ridden for two hours at my more or less standard average speed.  If I finish in under two hours I have just had a ride where I felt strong, I rode fast.

We'll have to see how I feel tomorrow, I suppose, but for today I was encouraged.

Here's an example of what I described recently, bike in fishing at Lake Vadnais.

And yes, that's a MAGNA.  That guy may have more invested in fishing gear than in that "bicycle".

With the road having been removed from the edge of the lake and a path having been put in a new trend has emerged.  People sit on the path.  Sometimes with folding chairs, sometimes just sitting on the path.

They never did that when cars came along every once in a while.

Bicycles and POF are not a good mix.

Meanwhile down at the south end of the lake the new parking lot has finally officially opened.

See, it's a trail, no motorized vehicles.

You can see some people at the old familiar fishing spots.  Those spots used to be in the shade of the several large cottonwood trees and the fishing people used to be down at water level instead of a couple of feet above it.

Note the flooding of the circle in the middle of the parking lot.

It rained a lot here yesterday.

I got home and was standing at the garage door with my bike punching in the combination to open the door when the aroma of lilacs somewhat unexpectedly flooded over me.

The mini-lilac that we planted next to the front door has emerged from the couple year funk of transplant shock and is declaring itself healthy and ready to go.  That is by far the greatest profusion of blossoms yet produced by that little flowering shrub.  And even though it may be late, everything is late this year.

Including the first ride when I felt really quite fit.