Gone Biking

I got the Bliss out again. I've caught up on Fence Maintenance, Gardening, and most of the yard work I wanted to get done.

Time for some riding.

I got the mules' manes and ears clipped also. Their coats are glossy and I need to be riding them. Fred is pretty much retired as he is going to be 34 this year. I know that if my Kenosha friends show up, I will let their youngest daughter ride Fred in the pasture. She prefers Fred as he is a pony and she learned to ride on him.

Butts....

I loaded up the bike after my dawn ride and met my friend at the Reserve for a ride. Bill had not yet bicycled on the Old 131 trail yet, so I said we'd do it together. I told him I'd done it with Kristine on Monday [and last Friday too]. This time we started at the LaFarge end and rode to Rockton with stops along the way.

We only met the guy that was cutting the grass alongside the trail for the horse traffic.

But we got to see yearling deer twins, some Cranes, and this turtle making his/her way from one pond to another. 

One thing that is so fun about having Bill along is that he is a bottomless pit of curiosity.

He sees something and then asks. I'm happy to answer his questions and even admit that I don't know answers when he asks about things in Nature.

Bill rode a bike that his father owned and he had refurbished it. Obviously the higher end bikes don't have kickstands. Mine is an 'entry' level road/mountain type bike that can be ridden on black top and not rough trails. 

I am going to see if I can get the bike shop to put a cargo thing on the back and I can get a little pocket thingy [like those technical terms?] for under the seat.

I thought about finding some way to carry Charlie but I don't think that is a wise idea. The extra weight moving around in some sort of basket would probably cause an accident. This will have to be an adventure that Charlie misses out on.

We rode to Rockton and explored one of the canoe landings. Bill had a lot of questions about the river and kayaking or canoeing.

I was amazed that he'd lived here nearly as long as I had ... and had NOT yet Canoed The Kickapoo!

I informed him that he absolutely HAD to Canoe the Kickapoo. It is great fun and very relaxing. 

I nearly volunteered to Kayak with him. We could socially distance ourselves and I did know the river fairly well.

But I didn't want it to be awkward for him so I stayed silent. 

However if I did go with him, he'd have another adventure to take his wife on.

Bill isn't comfortable striking out solo to explore.

And I am a solo explorer.

We got back to our vehicles and had some cold flavored water drinks. Bill complained of his 'age'. Claiming that he was getting old. I remarked that I didn't know many folks of our age[s] that were as energetic as we were.

He wanted to know where I got all of my seemingly endless energy. 

I laughed and asked him if he knew about Jack Russell Terriers and then said just think of me as one.

I'm like Morris...go go go...and then drop into a deep sleep.

Biking, Riding, and Hiking are only forms of freedom and self re-energizing for me.

What can I say?