DAY 167

Summer Hiatus

When I began this blogging adventure I did it primarily to keep myself honest during the winter. I figured it would be a motivator to hit the trail even when it was cold and uninviting. And so it was. The only days I missed from October to the middle of February were due to a short spell of back trouble.

Now, however, I find myself in a dilemma. I don't like stopping to take pix in the summer. I want to ride far and fast. My toes are clipped in. The thrill is in the chase, not the details of the path.

So I'm going to let my blog take a summer vacation. Who knows what mischief blogs get up to when unattended, but I guess I'll find out.

Meanwhile, enjoy your summer, ride the trail and we'll meet again sometime.

Doug

DAY 166

 Rainy, rainy, rainy.

DAY 165

Gigantic peony in the final stages of her glory.

 Underpass below 55 bypass. These columns are wasted below a highway.

These are river irises. REAL irises. What irises were meant to be. What all irises aspire to be.

DAY 164

These started to make me sleepy . . .

DAY 163

Helicopters on the trail.

I love maple seedpods. When I was a kid we called them whirligigs. They were fun to walk through, and they signaled the end of the school year. The way they spin to the ground is so cool to watch.

DAY 162

Must resist... iris.
No.

DAY 161

 I love the strange goings-on that happen along the trail. Here we see a unique high school graduation photoshoot under the Beltline bridge.

 Just moments before this photo, this very duck was under the I-74 bridge. He was annoyed with me and was quacking up a storm. The quacks echoed. Yeah, that's right. That Internet fact about ducks' quacks not echoing is a myth. Damnit! Or maybe this is the one duck they didn't test and he's special.

Yes, I know. Flowers, flowers, flowers. But it's Spring and I can't resist. This shooting star is so gorgeous. The colors are amazing, and the texture is like velvet.

DAY 160

The shadows of hungry people waiting in line for their dose of Two Blokes and a Bus.

DAY 159

Kerrick Elevator grain bins framing the sun.

DAY 158

I have a fondness for the stubborn blossoms that refuse to give in to Mother Nature's call. Here's to this stalwart tulip!

DAY 157

You hate them if you are cultivating a suburban greensward, but dandelions can be a sight to behold.

These reached their zenith this morning at dawn, covered in sunlight and dew.

DAY 156

Well as a matter of fact it was a little bit like being in Provence while the lavender is in bloom.

Whole swaths of gorgeous purple flowers. I have no idea what the plant is. The last photos shows detail of blossom (snapdragon-esque). This is on the Hudson blacktop, two miles north of the end of the trail.

DAY 155

Dogwoods on the trail.
The top is the more traditional flavor (cornus florida). The pink petaled version is the hybrid "Cherokee Chief."

Interestingly enough, the "woods" in a golf bag were originally made from dogwood lumber, as it is extremely dense and strong.

Arf. (there's no good story about the name, unfortunately)

DAY 154

Elizabethan.

The Elizabeth magnolia has popped and is having a beautiful season this year.

DAY 153

It was a blustery day and the wind and rain stole the petals from these crabs.

 It looked like a stream flowing around obstructions.

Also along the trail there are woodland poppies (botanical name celandine, which is were that color comes from).

Welcome, hostas!

DAY 152

Dandelion wine?

A mini vinyard growing amidst a sea of dandelions.

DAY 150

 Another extended trail day. The trail goes 10 miles to Shirley, Illinois. Old Route 66 takes you the additional 4.5 miles to Funks Grove.

Today the woods was carpeted in bluebells. Next to a babbling brook. It's a sight worth the ride.

DAY 149

As a Dutchman, I feel obligated to show the orange today. Long live Queen Beatrix. Long live King Willie.

Go, Orange!

DAY 148

Funky Town

The trail runs south and west from Bloomington to Shirley. From there it's just four miles to Funks Grove. Right now — this week — the grove is beautiful and full of wildflowers blooming. Total round trip ride distance (from downtown Bloomington) is just 28 miles. It's a great ride.

DAY 147

Each spring, there is one perfect point at which temperature, rain, sunshine, wind and timing come together for maximum display power.

I predict that point for 2013 will occur this week.

The most impressive display this week might be the two yellow magnolias in the Audubon Garden. They are magnolia acuminata "Elizabeth." You don't see a lot of them around, and they're worth a trip.

In that same garden there are two redbud trees just waiting to burst into full bloom.

Everything else is icing on the cake.