Tall shadows, short rides

It was good to see two riders making their return from mechanical absences; Brian’s PX is running once more thanks to Sean Nicol, and John showed up again, having fixed his bike’s drive belt. Of course, Rick was there as (nearly) always.

The group did a little improvisation using the August 3rd ride as a model, basically reversing things, beginning on Strong Road to Assembly, Assembly to Andrus, Cheney-Spangle to Curtis, Curtis to Sherman and back, arriving at the Elk just before dark. The trip was – and we know this is sounding repetitive – another great one; light traffic kept the pace relaxed, numerous farms and wetlands made it really scenic, and the limited daylight kept the ride relatively short. Rainfall the day prior cleared the skies of the wildfire haze so typical this year, which helped make things even more enjoyable.

Like spring but reversed, lightweight gear was fine at the start, but halfway through, as the sun dropped behind some of the bigger hills or thicker ponderosa stands, coats were required to combat the chill. Rick noted the hobby railroad yard at the corner of Short and Anderson too late to stop the group, but pledged to catch the opportunity on the next pass.

Just three more Thursday night rides this season (no ride on the 21st), though we’ll likely do occasional weekend rides as long as the snow stays away. If you haven’t dropped by yet, time’s running out!