Brown Season: Harvest Finishing Up

Escape Route: Old commute to Andy's Bike Shop

November. The month I generally figure on getting those late season mountain bike rides in and then being shut down for a few months right after Thanksgiving. Snow and ice aren't that far away, and when that stuff hits, it is all over for rides in the country, generally speaking. 

So, subsequently there is a sense of urgency when the leaves fall. A sense that any decent, Sunny day is a day wasted if you haven't ridden a bicycle. I mean, that is, if you are a cyclist. Not everyone is. And when you come across motorists at this time of year, you get the "Alein Freakshow on Parade" stare. It's as if after Labor Day you have to stop wearing white and quit riding bicycles. "The Rules" say so, and ya know.....cyclists are always in the way anyway. So much more so when you "aren't even supposed to be out there".

Trolley Car Trail

The long climb up Grand Boulevard starts in Waterloo.

Well, I was out there, on a weekday, no less, which makes it even more egregious, or marks me as a "retiree" with too much spare time. Whatever it was, the eyeballs were not friendly, for the most part. Only the few random walkers I saw on the bicycle trails going out were nice. Friendly waves and smiles were in stark contrast to much of what I saw in humanity on this day. Oh! And the young child on a porch in Cedar Falls that shouted a "Hello!" to me in a cheery voice as I trundled by on my fully loaded Gryphon. That was nice, but she probably didn't know any better. (sarcasm alert)

Men working on an ancient railroad bridge over the Cedar River in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

 

The last bit of bicycle trail around Big Woods Lake.

Yes, I was riding the Gryphon Mk3 fully loaded with gear to finish off reviewing some items. I was so hoping that this would have been during an actual overnighter or mini-tour, but alas! Things didn't materialize for me that way over the Summer. 

But that said, it was hard to be down about any of the above mentioned things. It was in the 50's already at 9:00am when I left, and the temps were zooming through the 50's to the upper 60's by mid-afternoon. It was Sunny, kind of, and breezy. Sunny, but in that weird "Fall-light" kind of way. That low-angle Sun does some weird things to the atmosphere. 

There still is some harvesting going on.

It's still pretty dusty out, but the roads are primo for riding now.

As the ride went on things warmed up and the Sun shone more. I never was uncomfortable even though I wore baggies and my legs were partially bare. Maybe for the last time on a ride in 2023. I wore a long-sleeved wool jersey with a Twin Six wind vest and no gloves. That turned out to be perfect. 

It is still very dry out as well. The dust was kept down only because of a stiff Southwesterly breeze which swept the dust off the road when a car or truck came by almost immediately. It might rain again Wednesday, but even if it does, it will barely make a dent in this drought. 

A farmer checks his wagon along Mt. Vernon Road

I couldn't spend a lot of time out in the country on this day, since I had to get home to feed the cats. That was probably a blessing anyway, since that loaded Gryphon was heavy and I was working hard to make it go. That was the bad part. The good part was that the load, the big, poofy tires, and the steel frame and fork were so smooth! 

But now that the reviewing is over, and now that any ideas of an overnighter are going to have to be put off again, I am stripping that rack and bag stuff off and going bare with the Gryphon for the rest of the year, such as it is. I want to put in a decent day of riding on just the bike again. 

The nice weather is supposed to last through the week. How many more chances will I get? I bet we'll be able to count them on both hands now, and the number will dwindle quickly. That sense of urgency? It's real.