An August Day

What a gorgeous day! Temps in the lower 80's...and even less this a.m. of course. Yesterday Carol and Concha and I rode up to the Highlands and around. First time in several weeks I'd had the bike out. Got in 16.35 miles and felt great. So today, Carol and Mary and I decided to get out and try it again.

Carol and I met about 8:30 this morning and rode down between Carey Park and the Reformatory and met up with Mary. We left Carey Park and headed down to Highway 50. Catching a red light we stopped and waited for it to change. By the time it changed we were of course first in line and several cars behind us so we're trying to hustle to get to the other side and out of the way. Mary started laughing and said, "Well, I think I about mooned the cars behind us!" She'd caught her shorts on the nose of her bicycle seat and about lost them. Never a dull moment!

Then we headed out east on 50 Highway (sorry, but that's my least favorite place in the world to ride....can't explain that because I like riding 96 Highway...but that particular portion - about 2 miles - of Hwy. 50 I absolutely hate!)..but we rode out and then went a mile south on the Yoder Road. One mile south of Highway 50 Illinois Avenue intersects with Yoder Road and we took it east to the Buhler-Haven Road.

The temperature was perfect with a nearly clear blue sky and just a beautiful day. The first picture is of Carol and Mary and that one very lonely tree back there in the background. Illinois Avenue is kind of a "biker's delight" for a road to ride. Not bad surface, very little traffic, and virtually no dogs. (There is one dog on past Buhler-Haven Road but he's behind a fence and he'll run and bark...but when we come back past him, he'll have a toy that he'd really love for you to toss for him. That's a NICE DOG!!)

Then as we came back to town we came north of Highway 50 to that new street, Enterprise that runs from Yoder/Airport Road over to Halstead...also no traffic, no dogs. Mary experienced a tire problem...a little piece of wire...and I was taking pictures of egrets following the tractor and of the Hutchinson landscape. (That long elevator is one of the longest in the U.S....at least "longest under one head house" I've been told.) (Click on the pictures and it will greatly improve the view.)Mary finally announced that she "could use some help" and Carol went to help. They were unable to dislodge the wire..which was probably best, because then she probably would have had a flat tire.

But we all got back in safe and sound and better for the ride! It was a great day! I got home with 27 miles and felt wonderful.

Carol, Concha, Mary and I plan to get out and do a little longer ride tomorrow. Sure hope this gorgeous weather holds. Hard to believe it's August!

Count your blessings....they're bountiful!