Leaves Down

After a slow start to the morning I made it down to Mohican about 10.  As expected the fall colors were past and the trees were mostly barren of leaves.  When I pulled into the parking lot I saw one rider hitting the trail.and three other guys were gearing up and heading out.  I got my stuff together and started the chase.

Where's the trail?

This was my first ride on the Paragon in a couple months and it definitely felt different than the Karate Monkey.  Despite having gears at my disposal I rode a single gear all the way to the covered bridge.  I did some downshifting for Mount Doom.

Low sun before noon.

The leaves were disguising the trail pretty well.  Combine this with front suspension, that I have no ridden on in a while, and I was mostly just aiming straight ahead.  I didn't really feel any faster, just less thoughtful of how I would get where I was going.

I had never seen this particular view while climbing

Mount Doom.  Looks like a mountain over there.

I guess my head was always down huffin' and puffin'.

In the first 5 miles I had caught the guys ahead of me, which probably wasn't the best warm up.  I felt good through the second trail head after a pretty moderate climb up Mount Doom.  Through the fern forest and having fun. At the mile 19 I did a time check and decided to road it back.  Still much to be done today.

Cold on the Road

Well, it was not really that cold.  Maybe it was the coldest road ride yet this fall for me, 35 and windy when I left the house.  Thankfully my clothing choice was good and I felt fine after a 10 minute warm up on the road.

I was heading out Heyl Rd, with head down to the wind, and passed three cyclists pedaling in the opposite direction.  They were enjoying a tail wind and probably saw me long before I saw them.  An OCC jersey was in the bunch. 

It was a fine afternoon to be out on the road.  Hardly any traffic along my route and the air was crisp and skies sunny and blue.  I do like colder weather riding!

Back to the sun, and wind, on the way home.

Fall Fell at Mohican

It's been a long dry streak of spinning the cranks on a bike.  A stomach flu that came and went and came and went and came and went has had me out of action.  Today's agenda was to get down to Mohican before the deer gun season lights up and blow out some cobwebs.

Where does the trail go?

The leaves were disguising the trail making for interesting riding.  It was not possible to pick through the terrain, just roll and go.  The air was crisp but it was warm for mid November, just above 40 degrees.  It sure felt good to be out in the woods.

Just before turn around.

I rode out about 6 or 7 miles before turning around.  At this point I was content to get some mild exercise and hopeful to not trigger a relapse of illness.  Just before turning around I came upon a squirrel hunter.  It was the first time I had talked to a squirrel hunter out at Mohican.  We talked about how crazy deer gun season is down here and both agreed it was best to avoid the woods.

Dropping fast.

The sun had dropped below the tree tops but not yet below the hillsides.  I knew It was going to get dark quickly in the woods so I rode steady back to the start glad to have been rolling on two wheels again.

It's Falling Around Here

This morning I headed out for a couple and a half hours of road riding and fall gazing.  The trees put on quite a display in their preparation for dormancy.

Changing colors.

It took me several attempts to dress.  The thermometer on the window reported 58 but Weather.com was reporting 41.  Hmmm, strange.  I ended up with knee warmers, a wool jersey, and skull cap after spending a few minutes on the back patio.

Long fingered gloves and toe covers too!

The wind was coming out of the west at 12 to 15mph so I headed into it on the way out.  I rode the Old Lincoln Highway for a good while, out past Reedsburg, before turning north then south.  I crossed the Funk bottoms before sneaking past Shreve.

Stopped by the grandparents gravesite

on the way into Reedsburg.

 

The leaves were changing color all around.  There was still some green to be seen and not too many fallen leaves yet.  The cool air made it seem later in the year than it is.  I was glad for each piece of gear I was wearing.

Lots of raking.

This was the first road ride since they finished paving SR3.  The final part of every ride from home is a short run on the state route.  Fortunately vehicles have always been polite despite the minimal berm for a cyclist to ride on.  It seems there is more space to stay right now.  Or at least the freshly paved road is rideable further right than it was before.  Hopefully this makes the conclusion to a road right that much more enjoyable.

It depends on where the white line lands.

Racing Red in the Fall

Made it out for a short ride "around the block".  The distance didn't matter, I was just glad to be riding after being stuck with an incessant cough for the past week.  I made a point to bring the camera, as I figured there may be a nice fall scene to capture.  Shortly into the ride I found such a scene and, with the setting sun at my back, stopped for a picture.  I wondered if my Rudy glasses with their Racing Red lenses were inflating the colors of the scene, so I snapped a pic through the glasses.  It kinda came out cool.

 

It was a tight squeeze to fit the camera

between my face and the sunglasses... right.  :-)