Turtles, Mushrooms, Trails, And The Heat... My God! The Heat

I had big plans for the weekend, but the heat makes simply breathing difficult.   I know,  it is not as if I have never experienced global warming in Summer before.  The fact is that we are simply not aclimated to it yet.   (It was a rather cool and pleasant Spring, as I recall.)

Very Pretty. 

Yesterday, we went out to Muscatine.   And it was miserable!   Oh,  The Mississippi has receded back to normal and the trails were there as ususal.  If it had not been for the 90+ degrees and impossible humidity, I'm sure we would have enjoyed it much more.   I even found a Dogbane Beetle!  (Small, but Very pretty!) Too bad we left the Camera in the car.

Sun Screen in the Morning.

Off to Tee's for some chow and then back home.  But there was not much we could do when we finally got home.   Even the cat did not want to go outside in the heat.

Cheryl looks ready. 

Today is supposed to be even worse!   90+ degrees with no clouds to shade you at all.   The heat index is said to be near 104 degrees.  So, looks like indoor time is going to be manditory and I'll have to pospone the Subie doting until cooler temps arrive.  ( next week, so they say.)   Otherwise,  we continue to get up early so that Cheryl can run before the "real heat" hits us.

Even then,  she has not finished an entire training run in a while without walking a bit of it.   It's simply too hot and there is no other way to cool off without walking.  But today we wanted to check out our old Mushroom hunting grounds in Coralville. 

Summer Golden Oyster Mushrooms. 

You can't see from the pic, but the
spores were misting off the cluster.

Summer has only just started,  and we have already MISSED the Golden Oysters!    The only remaining fresh ones were too high to collect.    What is not shown in the blinding morning sun was the other side of the tree.   Old Mushrooms were hanging all up and down the tree.   I know they were all new because I cleaned the tree up last year just before winter.  It excites me to think Summer Mushrooms might be available sooner han expected.  ( usually around late July or August.)

Dog Stinkhorn!   This Early!

Smoothshell Turtle.  Wonder what kind
it is...

In addition,  we spotted a Dog Stinkhorn near our parking spot.   (note the fly on the stem.)   These guys appear mostly in the late fall around here.  But Cheryl's Sister said she had one in her yard just a few weeks ago.   I would have thought it impossible until I saw a picture.   Now,  we have one of our own to prove that they show up much earlier than expected.

Check out all those colors ...
and that NOSE!

Larger than my hand. 

While biking/running,    we encountered a Turtle on the path.   A few weeks ago,  I had taken pics of a very large Red Eared Slider...   ( Didn't post them)  It was laying its eggs in the soft soil.   My guess is that other species of Turtles are doing the same thing. 

The proper way to handle
a snapping turtle. 

While we ushered this one off the path to keep it from getting hurt,  there was a large Snapper in the road  on the way back.   People had stopped to help it get over the curb.   They obviously have never handled a Snapper before ( grab the long tail, and you are safe and good.)  because they were trying to move it with a crutch.    It looked like the turtle was not damaged in any way. ( better than being hit by a car!)

Exploring the New path. 

Cheryl at the NEW bridge. 

And finally,  the Coralville Bike path has been extended!   I hear it reaches all the way to Tiffin.   We did not explore the entire thing, so don't quote me on the details.  All I know is that they built a bridge and have a paved trail extending out towards the highway.   I can't wait to explore more with the bike. 

End of the line on this branch. 

With Cheryl running,  we could not explore very far.   Not to mention the death sun was still beaming down on us.   But if we take the bikes, we could explore the various forks in the trail we passed along the way. 

Deer in the sunlight.   The Sun hides
it well, even thought it was very close. 

As I read about  my fellow bloggers that I follow,   they are all in the same situation:  Iowa Heatwave!   So,  I hope everyone in the Midwest is staying cool and hydrated.   The garden can wait... along with any car maintainence... until the heat wave passes.   (Hopefully)   Or at least do your stuff in the morning and evening.   High Noon is a Killer!   Thanks for stopping in.