Fiery Bike Ride in Coralville.

Fire in Coralville!

Pretty close to us..   How cool.

 We were greeted  this morning with a fire as we entered Coralville.   A rather large fire just behind the strip mall we frequent from time to time.  From the looks of things,  I would guess it was one of those apartment complexes behind it.  And it appears as if the boys in the red hats were on the job.  How exciting!

Unless this is your house.  

At least the fire department was there.

I noted, and Cheryl agrees,  that for my entire life in Michigan I have never seen as many residential fires as I have seen while living here in Iowa.  Houses, barns, Apartments...  And those are the ones we have seen up close!   Never mind the distant pillars of black smoke coming from the dump, various farms, etc.  Folks around here simply shrug when one happens and ask if it was exciting... or if anyone was hurt.

 I guess it must happen quite a bit more here than in Michigan ( not counting Detroit!) Still,  I'm not exaggerating when I say I have never seen a house fire in Michigan in the first 40 years of my life.  And Cheryl's experiences are similar.  She could not remember ever seeing a house fire... or any fire while living in Michigan.   Maybe those fire safety classes they put out are doing the trick! (Only you can prevent forest fires...  and house fires, I guess)

Cheryl ready to Bike!

And looking very fashionable. 

On the Bridge.

Nice day for a Ride.

 So after roasting a few marshmallows,   we decided to head out to the trail and enjoy the day bike riding.   Cheryl wanted to take a day off from running, but still wanted to experience the great outdoors.   I was very happy to oblige.

Let's head to the Falls!

Looks like Ice flows

Being on bikes allows us to travel a little farther than a typical training run day. The only bad part was that we are all too familiar with the trails in Coralville.  And with the sun out and the temps rising,  it made for a pleasant day with many other runners and cyclist out there on the same trails. 

But it's really just foamy suds.

Looks like shaving cream.

Cheryl wanted to explore the "rarely used" route around the dam.   I noticed the river being covered in Foam.  It at first appeared as if it were ice floats.  But as the wind picked up and blew it around,  it looked more like a bubble bath that got out of control.   Despite that,  people were fishing and playing on the shore.   It reminded me of the Rogue River in Rockford, Michigan during Steelhead season.   The foam would gather as huge piles of suds  in the eddies.   As kids, we would throw stones or pick them up with sticks and try to fling them at each other.    Ah,  the things kids do....

Cheryl's Gene Simmons Impression.

Sunset in Wellman

All in all,  We had fun.   Cheryl still insists that she enjoys running better, but admits this was not that bad.   Best of all, it did not re-inflame her runner's knee. And that really is what Cross training is all about.    And the Opportunity to ride a really cool Trek bicycle... with me!   Who wouldn't want that?

Behind the trees.

Remember when the sun set on the water?

So now we will watch the setting sun once again here in Wellman.   I'll admit that the sunsets are not as breathtaking as they once were in Michigan over the lake.  Still,  every now and then,  we are able to capture something hat looks pretty cool.   Thanks for stopping in.