6.3.2011 Ride: The Day Before

No sunrise ride this morning. I waited to ride while Rachel had soccer practice in the afternoon, close to the hottest part of the day.  The high of 93 was our highest temperature reading of the year.  I'm sure there will be plenty of hotter days to come.

The day before...as in I am on my way to London tomorrow where I will meet Carol who is already there for a conference.  A few days in London and then on to Paris to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  I looked into bike rentals in both cities until I was made aware of the fact that both places have bike stations for public use scattered all over town.  This will make it very easy for me to keep up the daily ride as I will be able to ride whenever I desire.  Doing a sunrise ride may be somewhat of a challenge as the sun rises at 4:45AM in London due to it being located further north than us.  But, we shall see.

A very good ride today despite the heat.  I made my way from the soccer fields to Little Flock along quiet country roads.

From the soccer fields, a bike paths runs along the small lake in Bella Vista.  Someone had a good sense of humor painting eyes on the end of this log.  At first, they had me fooled as I thought it was natural coloration.

Usually, when I stop to take pictures of animals, they quickly move or get up.  This mother and calf were especially accommodating as the cow shifted closer towards the llama for a better picture. I like the contrast of the two animals faces.

Basketball goals seem to be stumbling into my photo life lately.  I really like this one below.

 Mailboxes on the way to Little Flock.

I'm not quite sure what it is about this tree with the survey tape that captures my attention.  Visually, there is a bit of an optical illusion at first as it takes a moment to realize the left trunk is not all there.  Symbolically, the tape came to remind me of the orange survey tape that they gave us to put on our wrist when we volunteered in Joplin for the tornado relief.  It's as if these trees down in Little Flock are wearing the tape in remembrance of all the trees that were uprooted further north.

Tomorrow, I will still be coming to you from Fayetteville.  And, if all goes well, Sunday from London!

Today's Ride:  2hrs.  23.84 miles.  93 degrees.  Miles YTD:  3,438.67