Not Quite Over

I have the best boss in the world. When I pointed out to him that the weather on Wednesday (September 23) was going to be far too nice to waste on work, he agreed and gave me the day off to go riding. So off I went for one more visit to my favourite bridge. A fifty-five kilometer round trip on an absolutely gorgeous fall day. Who could ask for anything more?

Though it was warm and the skies cloudless, the crunching of the leaves under my tires left no doubt summer was over. The evidence was all around me. Still, the beauty of the lake drew me on and the open path beckoned--just one more time before the snow flies again in the Great White North.

There wasn't much in the way of wildlife this time, just a few geese and one napping squirrel. The trees on the other hand more than made up for it with explosions of colour all around. The ones right along the canal were the best with their reflections in the still water.

I have grown as a cyclist this summer, working up from just a few laps around the park back in April to my final marathon rides. I have also grown as an amateur photographer. I have taken hundreds of pictures this summer and some are what I call keepers. The hawk pictures blew my mind as did the fireworks. I had no idea this little camera was capable of such things. Now, after four years I am finally beginning to learn how to use it and what makes a photograph work.

I began this blog as an attempt to rekindle an old friendship. That didn't work out but the blog itself has persisted and developed a life of its own as has my Flikr page. My bike rides and subsequent photographs are reason enough for both to continue. The old friend and I are probably both better off without each other anyway. The journey isn't over yet by any means and as I go further with each ride, I take better photographs. Perhaps in time I will improve my writing as well.

Out of the East

Even as the last days of summer disappear into the west, another day and a new season are born in the east. Tomorrow is the first day of autumn. I can truly say that I have spent the entire summer on the bike. It's been quite a journey both in the physical distance travelled and the inner peace I found there.

The exertion required clears my mind and frees it to consider the world around me instead of the world of CNN. The hawk circling in the field becomes more important than the latest Great Fear they would have me worry about. The smells, sounds and even the taste in the air have marked the changing seasons. I began this journey in the spring and for the moment have ended it in the fall. I began it in anger and have ended it at peace.

On Friday I have to go in to get the last of my teeth extracted so it's doubtful I'll feel much like riding for a while. This is Calgary however and anything's possible as far as October's weather goes. Maybe there will be more to this saga.

Some people think they have to travel vast distances to 'get away from it all.' In all, I rode no more than fifty to sixty kilometers each time I went out yet I still managed to put it all behind me with each stroke of the pedals. The world beyond the bike path simply did not exist. For four hours every week I escaped. It's not where you go so much as how you get there.

On Golden Fields

Once more I ride down the dirt road beside the canal to the railway bridge. I look down and see tire tracks in the hardened mud. I smile, for they are my own from last month when I came out just after the rain. I've spent the entire summer out here on my bicycle. If today was the last ride of the season then so be it. Every warm day we get now is a bonus and when it happens to coincide with my day off—fantastic!

It was windy today which makes the ride easier one way or at least that's the theory. Actually it somehow managed to blow against me both ways, a phenomenon I have noticed in the past. Not quite sure how that works--probably just proves the weather gods have a sense of humour. For this time of year though, it was a beautiful day and a great ride.

The skies were once again full of Red-tailed hawks and I was quick enough with the camera to catch a few shots. I have noticed their numbers seem to be on the rise, no doubt a reflection of the increased gopher population. There was enough wind today for them to soar in place as it were.

Where have all those lazy days of summer gone? Into the west, never to return...

As summer gives way to fall, green fades to brown but not all at once. Some crops mature faster than others, producing bands of colour. All summer long the Canola fields lent their bright yellow to the mix. Prairie grasslands have a beauty all their own, one I have come to love. There's something magical about a horizon that just goes on forever.

The cycling has given me a closeup view of the prairie, one far better than what can be seen from a speeding automobile. I have smelled the crops as they grew, heard the birds overhead and felt the winds blow unchecked from horizon to horizon. So into the west goes another day, never to return but it was a good day for all that.

One More Time

Caught these pictures of what I think is a red-tailed hawk out on the bike path by Heather Glen golf course. For some reason he was completely unafraid and posed for me. Once more I am impressed by my tiny digital camera. This has been a wonderful summer for me and I've managed to take some incredible photos.