Another cool, perfect day for riding greeted us Saturday after rain late in the week. I was better prepared for the cooler ride with my thermal overshirt, mid-weight gloves, and warmer neck tube, but I needed to wear tights under my pants. Perhaps I felt cooler on my legs because the rest of me was so warm.
A second fix I need to make is wearing my sunglasses under my visor. The late autumn sun is low in the sky when we headed south, and I had to tuck my chin to lessen the sun’s glare in my eyes. But I was happy to have the sun out to highlight the muted colors of fall. More leaves lay by the curb and on the road, and as we rode, we left leaf wakes from our back tires. Though more of the road was covered in pine needles. I find it interesting that pine trees are considered evergreens, and they are covered in green needles, but they have clearly found a way to shed loads of brown needles while replacing them with new green.
Bill led us around in a loose, comfortable ride, with mostly large U-turns. On my own I did some tightening of my turns, but I mostly enjoyed the free ride. In fact Bill stopped off for a little visit and I went off on my own for a bit. It was during my little independent cruise, while I was heading to the forbidden school lot, that I spotted the monarch butterfly landing on a blossom on a taffy butterfly bush. She stayed opening and closing her wings, so I was able to pull out my phone and snap a photo. She’s on a lower blossom over to the right, and I was very happy to see her. I know I won’t be seeing too many more butterflies until next spring. But I will enjoy the cooler rides until the warmth of springtime returns.
Flutterby Biker 