Two Days - Two Rides

Storm clouds coming
in. 6/3/20 (dwm)

 When I rolled out of bed June 3, rain was in the forecast.  The pavement was dry and there were rays from sunrise peering between clouds.  The foreboding clouds were far away providing a quick window to ride.

 My goal was to get out and back before it rained and in less than an hour.  I went north on the trail along County M as far as it went before getting on Junction Road and following it until it stopped at a T-bone intersection.

 Jumping to the south side of the road, I discovered the breeze that was missing while I rode north.  A slight downhill and smooth trail compensated for the head wind.

Thanks to the new path, I was able to click a quick shot of the partially covered bridge at the University of Wisconsin Turf Management Science fields.  It is only for pedestrians and doesn't qualify for covered bridge status in my book, but it did make for a nice foreground in a shot of the looming clouds.

6 AM on a bike path.  6/6/2020 dwm photo

 A few days later the weather was completely different.  The humidity disappeared and potential storm clouds were replaced by fluffy cumulus clouds.

It was a ride without a plan other than getting home in a few hours.  

The ride took me over a hill on a new trail and through a natural area with recently installed flood control ditches before sending me way up city streets along Madison's west side into Middleton.  

Early weekend mornings are excellent times to ride.  Sometimes there are so few cars, you can't trigger a stoplight to change.

There were quite a few people walking, running, walking dogs, and on bikes either solo or in a group.

I enjoy the opportunity to gather my thoughts or be completely thought free, which I guess in the parlance of today is called "being in the moment."  Whatever you want to call it - it's a time of day and experience I treasure.