Brown Season: More Harvest Action

Corn stalks round baled sitting alongside empty corn fields.

With "Brown Season" in full swing I was able to get out before we got any snow that was predicted. With time running out to get the crops out, there was a lot of activity out in the fields.

The temperature was in the upper 30's or so with a nice Northwest breeze. That probably made things feel like the upper 20's. So what did I do after I got to my launching off point? I realized I had forgotten my gloves. Doh! Good thing my Bontrager jacket was made with a sleeve length that was right for a spider monkey, because I was able to pull the sleeves over my hands- mostly- and I started riding. I knew once I got going that my hands would warm up. I knew this because I had raced Triple D in January in similar temperatures, maybe even colder, and was able to ride for miles with no gloves. So, I figured I would take the chance to try it out. I could always cut things short. But thankfully, things turned out just as I had predicted and I rode for 2 1/4 hours.

There was a variety of road surfaces ranging from pavement-like, blazing fast to rough, mile long slogs in deep, fresh white rock. I headed east this time, a bit further than I have gone in a long while. Actually I went a couple miles East of Dunkerton, so far Eastern reaches of Black Hawk County on that day. This meant that besides seeing a lot of farmers hard at work I also got to see more new-to-me barns. And you know what that means!

More "Barns For Jason", that's what that means!

Barns For Jason #1.

An older Farmall and a Brent wagon await a fresh load of corn. 

I took Big Rock Road East most of this day and it is not a particularly flat stretch. It doesn't have the super punchy roller type of hills, but longer grades which require a rhythm to tackle. I like the different feel of this area as far as climbing goes.

Coming at ya! A combine dumps freshly harvested corn into a wagon pulled by a tractor.

Wouldn't THIS old Chevy make a great vacation hot rood or a vehicle for a bike shop? It would take a LOT of $$$'s though!

I saw a lot of harvesting going on and it seemed like I saw more the further East I went. Of course, these behemoth vehicles were cruising the gravel roads as well. I was fortunate to miss having to be passed by any of them I saw though. Had I been obliged to meet one, or been overtaken by one, I would have had to have gotten off and into the ditch!

I passed a County maintainer on the way out.

Barns For Jason #2

I had another dog encounter, but this time it was actually humorous. I heard the barking, of course, and as I looked to see what sort of hound was on my tail, I saw a figure that was somewhat unexpected. A pit bull-ish thing, a bit overweight, and it was running pretty fast, but not something I couldn't outrun. She didn't draw a bead on me at first, so I played things out to see if she would stop at the "end of her territory". But she didn't. Actually, she made a sudden 90° turn right at me. So, I jammed on the brakes, came to a halt, and she reached me just about at that time. She "booped" me with her nose, immediately turned about, and ran back to her house without so much as another bark, or even a look.

Weird!

A harvester lost in a sea of corn.

Barns For Jason #3

I did a little lollipop loop out of this ride. I went a mile South on Nesbit Road, then I turned back West again on East Airline Highway. I realized immediately I was going to be pushing the wind most of the way back. It wasn't bad, so I just had to temper my expectations for speed a bit and continue grinding.

St. Francis Catholic Church on East Airline Highway.

Most soybean harvesting is over, but here we see a harvester taking out a field on Ordway Road in Black Hawk County.

I had to head back a mile North to Big Rock Road again to miss a section where Airline Highway is truncated. I passed Schenck Road where I had come up to Big Rock and went to Sage Road to see "The Big Rock" which the road takes its name from.

Wagons at the ready.

Barns For Jason #4

The ride went well, I stayed warm, even my hands, and only my feet got chilled, really. I probably should have used some "dirt bag" vapor barriers. Oh well..... No harm-no foul. I've no idea how many miles it was as my Lezyne computer would not boot up right and all I was getting was speed, elevation, and time. Dang devices!

And one more- Barns For Jason #5

A strange mix of crows and some other smaller birds here.

The ride went a bit longer than I had intended, but only going over by 15 minutes wasn't bad. I still had plenty of time left in the day to get some website work done, tackle e-mails, and write, so it went great. And I beat the snow, because Monday night the white stuff made its official arrival to kick off Winter here in Iowa. I'm sure it won't last too long, but you never know if you will get a break, so we will see.