Seeking Balance

A gorgeous afternoon to ride.

They say that nature seeks balance. You'd be forgiven for thinking that saying is B.S. when it rains for six weeks straight. From late September to mid-October, the weather was negative. Rain came in bucket loads. We flooded. Twice. The last time it was a "major flood" category event.

So, I was thinking that we'd get cheated out of some of our usually nice Fall riding. However; it looks as though we're going to get a bit of balance back after all. The last two days have been stellar Fall days. Little wind, clear skies, comfortable upper 50's/lower 60's for temperatures. Just really nice Fall weather, and it is forecast to continue on like this for several days.

Of course, I love that news, but farmers here are overjoyed. They are out en force reaping the harvest and I cannot blame them. The recent activity in the rural areas has been intense, and I expect nothing less than totally gleaned fields next time I get out there. That should be very soon, by the way. (Probably today)

So, pretty much everyone is happier now. The Sun shining has a lot to do with it, and we did miss that a lot during those rainy weeks. But not everything is roses now. Of course it isn't. The single track is wrecked as of now. Standing water is everywhere in the woods. The rivers are still pretty high, so water drainage is slow to occur. Evaporation of the waters which are sitting in pools now is a slow affair with these temperatures and light winds. Trees and branches litter the trails. 

Standing water cuts off a single track trail in Lower Hartman here. 

Broken branches and downed trees cut off other single track routes in Lower Hartman.

So, I toodled around where I could in Lower Hartman and along old Shirey Road. Then I headed back toward the house on paved bike paths and down several Waterloo city alleyways. It never fails that when I pop down an alley that somewhere I surprise a motorist, citizen, or resident who isn't expecting a cyclist to be rip-roaring down the alley. Don't they know alleys are public and a lot of fun to bomb down?

A beautiful day for a bicycle ride.

I definitely stopped a few times to soak it all in. These days go by so quickly and I just was so happy to be out and about when the weather was so good. The leaves are still turning colors and despite the wicked weekend winds, most trees still retain their foliage. That in itself is amazing!

So, I hope to get in some good rides before the weather takes a turn for the colder and Winter hits. We'll have to see how long we get before that happens, but just several weeks is my guess. Stay tuned on that......