2022 Rides - Week Eighteen

It was a beautiful week for riding... so... I didn't do that much riding... 

I did as much as I have the last few weeks, but I'd really hoped through May I'd start getting out for longer rides...  

I didn't even get out for much of a ride Monday until the evening. I went out for some groceries - and took the "scenic route" along the river to see if there were any new birds to see. 

I did spot a few Canvasbacks and a Grebe! 

By the time I was heading home, the sun was setting! 

Tuesday I made a few short trips. One to 20th to hit a few stores - mostly looking for new tires for the Salsa. 

Then I rode up to my folks to drop some stuff off. I thought I'd take the fun route - but then I ran into these guys and they all looked like they wanted to take my lunch money...  

(I made it past without incident...) 

GREEN GRASS along the trail now! 

Spotted a few American Coots along the way...

a pair of Common Mergansers... 

and a few Grackles....

Oh, and this little guy ran across my path. 

Usually these little guys dart away as fast as possible. Maybe it's a young one that hasn't learned FEAR yet. 

In the late afternoon Keiran and I rode up to 33rd to the Art drop-in at SCYAP.

Wendesday I did another loop up to the Circle Drive Bridge and down the other side of the river. 

Crocuses still blooming. 

I decided to try and take the dirt trail right down by the river - to get a better look at the birds along the east side of the mid-river island. 

There was one muddy bit... 

But I DID see some birds I hadn't seen before - three different Grebes! (only two present in this pic) 

Nest! 

Lesser Scaups 

Still snow! Well... ice... in a deep gully. 

Needed to either pass through the gully to go back up the bank on a relatively not-so-steep pathway - or push up a REALLY STEEP path on this side of the gully... 

Gully it is. 

There was a fissure down the middle where watter had run. it wasn't very wide, but very deep and still presented quite the obstacle to get across... with a heavy cargo bike... on uneven and somewhat slippery ice. 

I did get across though. 

The not-so-steep pathway has a lot of long over hanging grass and short shrubbery... and I picked up a few friends along the way. I brushed a few off my legs and bag. 

A few even made it home on the bags!? 

Thursday I made a quick trip to broadway to pick up the new Bottom Bracket for the Salsa (that's a bit of a story... but I just don't have to time or energy to revisit that ordeal!) 

After supper, Keiran and I rode out the the Chappell Marsh Conservation area. 

Motorists passing at high speed kicking up lots of dust.... 

The Marsh is looking pretty dry on the south side of the road - the part that is actually in the Conservation Area... 

Depite all the signs that say "Foot Traffic Only", it looks like some tool decided to try going off-roading in the Marsh.... doesn't look like they got far.... 

it was a little depressing... How much rain to we need to refill this - especially when ALL THE SNOW we got this year melting didn't do the trick!? 

Brought the big binoculars along to look at birds. 

Kerian seemed more interested in looking at the dude out taking pictures in the marsh with a GIANT camera lens - seriously it looked about as big as my leg (and I've been described as havong tree trunks for legs!). We both has a bit of a laugh about the ridiculous size of it. 

He probably does take way better pictures than me, though... so... maybe a bit of sour grapes there... 

There were LOADS of Red-Winged Blackbirds back - I could HEAR a lot more than I could even see - and i could see quite a few of them! 

Friday I spent a chunk of the day fixing up the Salsa - tune-up, new bottom bracket, new tires. 

In the afternoon I took it out for a test-drive and rode to campus to meet Amanda. 

There she is. 

Saturday I rode with Keiran to dance class and then thought I'd ride over to Montgomery for a quiet pleasant roll through the neighbourhood... when I got there the streets were lined with parked cars - not usually the case - further into the neighbourhood, the streets were just PACKED with parked cars and cars driving around very slowly (some looking for places to park, others just driving around because they're too lazy to park and just walk) and crowds  of people walking up and down the streets... Turned out this weekend was the annual community wide garage/yard sale - It's really quite the event!  I probably should have taken some pictures of the streets further into the neighbourhood... but there was just too much movement on the streets (and there are no sidewalks in the neighbourhood) and I kind of just wanted to pass through and ride the long alley way that skirts the outside of the neighbourhood... 

and... that was about it. I'd thought about going for another, longer ride after I got home on Saturday... But I was tired and had to wait for a delivery and ended up just drawing birbs. 

I was feeling tired and lazy on Sunday as well... 

Maybe next week...