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| Riding through woods on the Cap City trail. 6/29/24 dwm |
My latest ride started early to beat the heat. I was on the way around 7 with a stop five miles down the trail to grab a chocolate milk and peanut butter and jelly sammich for breakfast.
June has been a bit tricky when it comes to rides with the frequent rains, but thankfully we've not had many consecutive rain days that could have washed out a weekend.
I didn't have a ride planned but was looking to get the miles under the wheels and head home. It rained overnight, leaving puddles on the trail and water rushing down creeks.
Listening to the water as I rode through an urban forest either side of the Capital City bike trail, it was loud, rushing down the valley, barely fitting between the banks on either side. In that stretch the trail follows the stream, winding along the creek to where it meets another, combining efforts to send even more water to a nearby lake.
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| Left of the cranes is their little one. 6/29/24 dwm |
You might not be able to see the young sandhill crane clearly in the picture to the left, but between the trail and the adult cranes grazing on grass is their little one, maybe 18-inches tall in orange-brown feathers.
I stopped 30-feet away, not wanting to frighten the birds. The family was used to the traffic, they didn't even raise their heads as another rider and I passed. I expected the parents to take a defensive posture but they apparently didn't perceive a threat.
The ride continued east to McDaniel Park in McFarland where I turned to get back on the Cap City trail and ride to the isthmus.
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| Downtown Madison from the rail near John Nolen Dr. dwm |
From there I headed home on pavement that eventually becomes the Southwest commuter trail. I've traveled this stretch quite a bit and knew I needed a few more miles to hit my goal.
As I crossed the Beltline on a bike-pedestrian bridge I saw some residents from Oakwood out for a ride. I had seen this couple a few weeks earlier but didn't realize who they were until I past them.
We stopped to chat a few minutes then headed down the trail. When I reached my usual turn I continued on the trail for three miles before doubling back to get the six I needed to reach 40.5 for the ride and 582 for the year.
The ride didn't really end there. Because of puddles and water on part of the trail I spent ten minutes cleaning the bike before putting it in the garage so it will be ready for trip 16.
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