Up and Around

The beautiful.  7/12/2020 dwm photo

 There are virtually an uncountable number of ways to get from one place to another.  That leads to extremes, of course, unless you want to go 75 miles to travel 5.  

 Before heading out, I decided to ride to Sun Prairie and back.  

 For my purposes, there are three ways to get there - ride around the north shore of Lake Mendota; ride south of Lake Monona; or ride on Madison's isthmus.

My route went past Lake Monona and around Truax Field while navigating the bike path between the lakes, after winding south along the Capital City Trail where I took in some beautiful and unusual sights.

The beautiful including summer wildflowers and a family of Sandhill Cranes who didn't mind having their picture taken. 

A Sandhill Crane family with parents and
two Colts (one is off screen). 7/12/20 (dwm)

The unusual is the sign warning passers-by about reptiles that may or may not have moved north.

It was one of the nicest days in weeks.  The humidity was finally wrung out of the atmosphere, creating the feel of a perfect day.

My goal was to cover 50 miles, making it my longest ride this year.  The roads were familiar, but in a few cases it was the first time I was heading east instead of west.

Just past a north-south runway at Truax Field, I paused at the top of a hill for a snack before wrapping up the 30 mile outbound leg. 

The unusual.  You never know what you might
see in Madison.  7/12/20  dwm photo

 I stopped at Kwik Trip to refill my water before heading home. 

 A few of the return miles were in the bike lane of East Washington through an area of town where things are popping these days.   

 It's only fitting "East Wash" is a prime entry point to Mad City, acting as a concrete carpet to the state capitol.

  From there, I rejoined the southwest commuter trail for the trip home - with pictures, memories, and 52 miles.