It was the Babe's favorite route except for some pretty gravelly park roads through Sucker Lake park. We dodged the gravel by riding bike path through that park and we arrived in good time at Lake Vadnais. For orientation, yesterday's image with the sign is about 20 yards to the Babe's left. The pump house is behind the trunk of that tree on the right.
As we saddled up to start for home the Babe observed that there was a very pleasant breeze. I replied that it only felt pleasant until you had to start riding directly into it. The Babe came up with the absolutely appropriate response when she remarked that she had felt really strong on the ride to that point.After riding out with the wind and back into the wind for two straight days, I am prepared to say that back into the wind is fine for the novelty of the effect. But, it is way harder. Into the wind and back with the tailwind is just plain easier.
The corn looks pretty bad. The rain came too late to salvage the crop. The ears are shrunken and inadequate looking. The Babe is for scale but also you can see an ear of corn just off to the side of her left thigh. It is disappointing corn.
In England yesterday Manchester United defeated Sunderland 1-0 which resonated loudly today when Aston Villa dumped Chelsea 2-0. Liverpool and Arsenal are even on points now atop the table, Liverpool leading on goal differential. Chelsea and Everton are also even on points but trailing by reason of having played one more league game to this point. ManU is 8th, 2 points adrift of Chelsea but also having played one game more than the league leader.In Spain Oscar Freire captured stage 2 of the Vuelta and assumes the leader's gold jersey. Yesterday's leader Bennati was in a crash with 1.7km to go and finished well behind. They don't give time bonuses to the stage winners in the Vuelta so after 2 bunch sprint finishes the entire field has the same time. Freire is the leader by the tie breaker of placements. He has a first today and a second yesterday to surpass the results of any one else in the field. Tomorrow again features small climbs with a flat finish which may again produce a bunch sprint. Stage 4 seems certain to produce some gaps in the field, however, as it will have a mountaintop finish, a special category climb, the Vuelta's equivalent of the French "hors categorie".
2 comments:
That is some sickly looking corn. I hope that it can be salvaged for sileage or something. There has been some corn on the cob in the farmer's markets, so someone got rain when it counted.
I think I can see a common tree in the two photos. Or maybe just similar ones. I'll bet that spot is pretty in October. And as for heading into the wind, when the wind is from the SW, that is not really an option here, as you know. So I have gotten good at identifying the routes with the most shelter from a headwind, especially one from the SW. Sad about the corn. It was an interesting series over the summer, and I expect it isn't quite done yet. SS
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