Racing Butterflies

Fall is SO much my favorite season! Today I took my trail bike on the big loop of the park. What a lovely ride. Woods and open fields, winged creatures abounded. Twice I found myself following a butterfly. Geese honked overhead in their familiar fall V-formation, celebrating their growing strength for the upcoming southbound journey. Wheeling around a corner, I came upon a hen pheasant. She really didn’t want to fly this early in the morning, and ran down the trail ahead of me as fast as she could, but eventually had to fly into the nearest thicket. And throughout the ride were the first splendid hints of fall color.

Temp was 72 degrees with a strong south wind, weather that so often precedes thunderstorms. The park trails were still a bit washed out from the most recent rainstorms. A few days ago we got an inch and a half of rain in about 20 minutes, and nearly three inches total. Apparently the park did as well.

The ride was energetic, lasting about an hour. Distance is irrelevant because the trails are tough; I used every gear on the bike (there are only seven) including and especially the climbing gear. Heart and breathing rates were right up there the whole time. I stopped just once, to admire the view from a high point in the park. What a great, refreshing ride!



Breakfast: Organic oatmeal, organic nonfat milk, organic grapes, kiwi, organic strawberries, banana. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 6. Basswood leaves fall first in autumn, rather unceremoniously compared with maples and other colorful trees. This one landed photogenically on the picnic table where I often photograph my food.


Salad: Organic romaine, avocado, blue cheese, organic nectarine, organic walnuts, Sunshine's homemade corn & amaranth bread, raspberry vinegar. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 5.


Dinner: Organic vegetable dish (sweet potato, beans, onions, squash), sweet potato chips, parsnips, Sunshine's corn & amaranth bread. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 5.