Matt ran and we rode North towards the mighty Mississippi river. This first ride on Brown Beauty for the year reinforced my desire for a new bike. It just isn't reasonable to have your bicycle slipping out of gear every few go rounds of the pedals on every grade of your ride! It just isn't! No fun at all. Scenery can make up for these little inconveniences, but I think I'm getting a new ride all the same. Esp. since Matt seems to want to keep training for marathons and I'd like to see him more often than I would get to if I didn't go along on some of his weekly runs. : )
We stopped for a brief scenic overlook opportunity at Shingle Creek Falls. Then continued on our merry way towards the Mississippi Regional Park.
The restored prairie areas were quite pleasant, very calming with their undulating stalks dancing to the wind. They're going to be awesome when the prairie flowers start blooming in June.
The rookery was cooler than words. We sat on a beaver log and watched the birds for a while. Amazing creatures. I'm sure we'll keep coming back to see when they hatch the next generation. Sometime in late April probably.
On the return leg, we noticed the beavers had been busy at some point. They hadn't quite finished their project, but I understand that, distraction is a simple thing when the seasons change. Everything seems as if it needs to be done right then.
Our path followed Humboldt, past Folwell park and then Crystal Lake Cemetery across Dowling. We hooked up with the bike trail near Webber Park and made our way along Shingle Creek to the North Mississippi Regional Park, then did the same in reverse. : )
