Another Awesome Day. Rinse and Repeat!

Another Fine day.

Ready to run.

Yesterday was so great that we simply had to repeat it again today.   The temps are similar and Cheryl was itching to get back out there and run.  Slightly shorter distance this time, but 7 miles still seems like a distance for me.

Kinda like this...

I trailed alongside her on the bike.   22 miles yesterday took a toll on my body more so than I had thought.   Not so much in my arms and legs, but rather my "nether regions."   Spend enough time in the saddle and it is no wonder cowboys walk bow-legged.  I had not really noticed it much yesterday after the ride;   but after a few miles this morning,  it became rather bothersome.

Deer next to trail

If I wanted to do the RAGBRAI,  I would have to get used to riding twice that distance each day.... and then repeat that for 5 days total!   I hear the distance between checkpoints is anywhere from 40-70 miles.  I can only guess how much riding you would have to do to get used to that type of soreness.

They are rather friendly today.

Off they go!

While running,  Cheryl almost tripped on several deer as they browsed next to the trail.   I don't think we have ever been this close to one before and had a camera present.  ( several "close encounters" have happened before, but we have no "proof" of such an event.)  They were very friendly and lumbered off a short distance after they go bored of me.

Cheryl... Ready to Ride!

Bike trails seems Popular today.

The bike trail was quite busy today.   We limited the ride to only about 3.5 miles.   Cheryl wanted to check out the "Sludge Pond"  near the water treatment facility.  I'm curious what causes the aqua-marine/ turquoise color in the water.

Surveying the Pretty Water Colors

 I remember being fascinated by that color in the Kenai River.  The color was the silt from the Glacier run-off.   Here in Iowa... there are no Glaciers.   My Fish and Wildlife education touched on various water treatment methods.  Mostly, it was adding Oxygen  and mixing the water to allow nature to do the work.   But many modern treatment plants still rely on Chlorine to sanitize the water.    Others use salt to take out the heavy metals.   ( I think.   My memory is not always as good as it used to be.)

The geese don't seem bothered by the water. 

The Chorine theory seems far-fetched as the geese were swimming in the stuff and did not seem to mind at all.  Perhaps the levels are fairly low...like a swimming pool.

The shore seems whiter than the usual ponds.  Salt? Calcium? 

I also noticed that there was a white-ish powder along the sides of the pond.   Perhaps salt...  Maybe calcium.   I'm not really an EPA guy....  but whatever it was... it sure looks cool.

Cheryl on the Rocks. 

So the sun is still out and I finished planting a few more cardinal creeper seeds around the yard.  I have some serious hopes that they all bloom and bring in the Hummers when the time comes.  One of the plants I had growing inside actually had a flower popping out already!   These guys take only about 2 days to sprout;  so I'm hoping I will see some signs of life by the end of the week.   Fingers crossed.

Creeper planted!

Other than that,  we are back to work tomorrow.   If the people in our group go crazy,  we might be finished with the project by next Friday.   Cheryl has concerns about our financial situation.... as usual.  We may have to eat Ketchup sandwiches for the next few weeks as the next Pearson Math project comes along.   We shall see.