Daylilies In The Ditches

Time to test this new Bolle' "The One" helmet out. My first go at an aero helmet.

Wednesday it was perfect for riding again. Maybe not as near as good as Saturday was, since there was a touch more wind, but really. Who cares? When it is good, ya gotta get a ride in. I cannot always do that, so Wednesday was a blessing.

I had a new helmet come in for a review on RidingGravel.com. It is a helmet from Bolle', who I know as a sunglasses maker. Now, I was pretty dang skeptical this would work out, and for good reason.

You see, I was blessed with a big melon head. My "official" hat size is 7 7/8ths. Something like 63cm or so around. So, most helmets don't fit me, most hats don't fit me, and most anything for your head, yeah......it doesn't fit me. To make matters worse, my head is really egg shaped. Not round at all. It makes fitting a helmet for cycling darn near impossible. In fact, I didn't wear a helmet for many years. There just wasn't anything that fit.

I ended up modifying a Shoei helmet back in the 90's by Dremmeling out some of the foam in the front and back of the helmet to make it "custom" fit to my head. Finally I came across Bell helmets which were an acceptable fit. Newer Bontrager stuff fits me okay, but nothing I've tried is really very good. Nothing. Every helmet I have ever had is a compromise and fit is not 100% right. Same with this Bolle', with one minor exception- It is the first helmet I've ever tried that fits and stays on my head without it being strapped at the chin. I can actually lean over and it doesn't fall off. So, it's closer to fitting me right, but it is not spot on.

It varied from mostly cloudy to partly cloudy but the temperature and humidity were not bad.

Enough about helmets. I slapped that Bolle' on my head and headed North. I haven't been North of town in awhile, and even though I didn't check the weather, I hit it just right. I'd have a tailwind on the way home.

The other thing I hit about perfect was the blooming of the daylilies in the ditches. I love wild flowers, so I look forward to the yearly blooming of the different flowers. This year's daylilies are fantastic.

There were a lot more than this, but that should give you a good idea of how it looked out there. Pretty spectacular in places where both ditches were filled with that distinctive blazing orange color. These will last for a week or so, if we're lucky, and then they will start fading. But other flowers are coming on, so the show isn't over just yet. Get out there and enjoy it while you can!

Red Winged Blackbirds were busy trying to harass me again, but the heavier winds were keeping them at bay. The other thing I noted was odd, to me anyway. Those birds are beginning to flock together again. Usually that is a sign that migration is happening soon. I'm not super familiar with when Red Wing Blackbirds leave Iowa for Winter, but I am very aware of when they come. Maybe they always leave around now? Don't know......

I ended up with about 30 miles. I had to get home for a dentist appointment. Nothing major- just routine maintenance. Passed with flying colors. Next big ride should happen this Saturday when N.Y. Roll is putting on a 75 miler featuring a lot of Level B Roads. Should be a scene.