2022 Rides - Week Twenty-Nine

Monday I decided to have a "rest day" and not go anywhere. This is almost always a bad idea. Always best, when you have a goal in mind of distance you want to ride in a week, to do as much riding as soon as you can... if you happen to get it all done by Wednesday, great! You can take the rest of the week off... OR.. do some extra riding!? If you take Monday... and Tuesday... and then Wednesday off... and then things just don't work out on Thursday.... or Friday... it becomes impossible to catch up... 

I didn't TOTALLY take Tuesday off... I rode downtown with Keiran to the library. 

Really...? REALLY!?! I mean the snow has been gone for months!? You don't really have an excuse anymore!? 

Later in the afternoon, my friend Neil invited me to go for a short ride with his kids! 

We found a HUGE pile of mushrooms! (it has been raining a LOT!) 

Wednesday I did got out for a longer ride. 

I hit some trails that I've been avoiding for a few months. 

First because of ticks, then because of rain (and MUD!) 

They seem dry enough now, if a bit overgrown with grass and weeds. 

Rode up to Chief Mistawasis Bridge on the west side of the river and then crossed and headed east through the swale. 

Spotted an American Coot with babies! 

Also a Swainson's Hawk! 

This never gets old... WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO!? HIT THEM!? 

Took a little detour on a mowed path through the swale. 

It's really a beautiful bit of preserved natural prairie. 

Clouds and shadows

More clouds and shadows. 

Back on the road

More overgrown single track along the river on the east bank.  

Peturrson's Ravine

Thursday I just did a couple errands by bike... didn't take a lot of pictures. 

Friday I basically did the same ride as Wednesday, but skipped the singletrack and stuck to the paved trails. I didn't take many pictures as I was in a bit of a hurry and just wanted to get in the Kms

Saturday I went for a longer ride south of the city on the east side of the river. 

The sky was so dark, I thought for sure I was going to get rained on! 

ominous clouds! 

What is going on with that pole!? 

Heading south on Strathcona Avenue 

Riding along I spotted something small and brown move in the field right next to me - it was a darker brown than the ubiquitous Richardson Ground Squirrel - so I stopped to look and was super excited to see a small weasel! I see one about once a year. Usually they dart away so quick that I never get to take a picture. Maybe this one was curious... or maybe it was just that I was far enough away (and using a zoom lens!)... it sat still long enough for me to take a few pictures! 

bebe ducks in some pretty thick algae!!

Cedar Waxwing! 

Went east and the South again. 

Stopping at the Northern edge of CFD Dundurn

Cruising along the dirt summer road, heading west again. 

Heading North back towards town. 

Sky starting to clear up. 

Lone grain bin... 

I spotted a few American Kestrels on this ride. This one was WAAAAAAAAAY out in a field... 

Another Kestrel on a power line. 

Sunday, I had originally planned on getting out for a ride in the morning and knocking off that final 35Km to make it to 200Km for the week... but I ended up sleeping in... and then I was in a panic to try and finish up a book for Book Club in the evening and spent ALL DAY trying to get through the book... only to have NO ONE show up!? GAH!? 

Ah, well... maybe this next week will be better...?

(...probably not, as, once again, I'm starting off with NOT GOING ANYWHERE on Monday!?) 

2022 Rides - Week Twenty-Eight

Tiger Lillies in my yard... 

Feeling a little better on Monday, I went out for a ride Southwest of town. 

Althoguh there were a few moments where I felt a wave of illness and wondered if I wasn't quite out of the proverbial woods just yet... 

Sometimes wondered if maybe it was just the heat...? 

So many of these little wild roses everywhere along the roadside.

Tuesday temperatures soared further up into the +30s (°C).

I went for a circuitous ride downtown to see how we'd get down to an appointment later in the afternoon - because there is roadwork all over the place. 

Then I tried scouting routes to get to Rusty McDonald library - where Keiran will be doing a program in a few weeks. I tried out the "multi-use trail" along Warman Road....

Yikes... 

Tried a different route home taking some of these little pathways between residential  courts and crescents.. wasn't much better. I'll have to just look for a better route through River Heights...  

Then road down to the South Bridges to make it a 30+Km ride. 

Later in the afternoon, I took Keiran to an appointment - but when we arrived, the two end spots on the bike rack, where I normally lock up the tandem, were taken!? So I had to do some fancy propping and locking to keep it's ass-end from hanging out into the lane! 

Wednesday was even hotter, so I did a shorter ride - a figure-eight loop of the Circle Drive and South bridges.

In the evening, I made two trips to the dance studio to drop off and pick up Keiran... 

And that put me at 100Km already! 

Spectacular sunset when I went out to pick up Keiran from Dance class on Wednesday. 

Days are getting shorter already... 

Thursday I rode up to Costco

As always, I kind of overdid it... 

Couldn't even get in through the gate when I got home. 

Evening ride with Amanda and Keiran on Thursday - to haul Keiran and stuff to a friends house that they were house/cat-sitting at for the weekend. 

Friday afternoon ride to Chief Whitecap Park. 

way-finding signage, horses and distant clouds threatening rain and thunder later that evening. 

Made the ride a little longer by riding up to University Bridge when I got back into town. 

Stopping by Night Oven Bakery after picking up Keiran on Sunday. 

Canada Geese under the Sentator Buckwold Bridge

That's it for now.