OCTOBER 19 - Grey Skies, Gratitude, Greens, Greenways and Ham

I really wasn't going riding today. It was a very grey day, cool with a forecast of rain, not exactly the biking weather I am used to. However, about eleven o'clock, I hauled Breehy outdoors, and left - planned just a short route, up 88 Avenue to Scott Road, down to 80 Avenue and probably over to King George Boulevard, as that would give me a nice long downhill glide most of the way home. But once again, the best laid plans of mice and men .... 

It was chilly. I got on the Wildflower Greenway, and pedalled into the wind, which froze my fingers and face and made my thigh muscles groan. However, I do tend to be stubborn and figured I'd warm up as the morning progressed.

I found some October flowers. They look something like daffodils, but of course they are not. 

I turned down Scott Road, which as you may remember from previous blogs, is a road with many many great big trucks. I was walking on the sidewalk when Neil called. He had just passed his Road Test and now is the very proud holder of a Class One licence.

I mentioned that I thought big truck drivers didn't like bicyclists, and he agreed with me. He said he wipes out as many riders as he can. So when we ended that conversation, I got back on the road and willed the trucks to give my left elbow enough room as they sped past.

I came across this sign, and thought it was a great sentiment. I am very grateful for a lot of things - one being not getting run over by a truck. Another that it wasn't raining - yet. And another that I had pushed myself to go riding this morning. Because once I'm out there with Breehy's tires whistling in the wind, I feel a lot better about a lot of things.

Did I mention it was a very grey day? The rain clouds stayed overhead, no matter how fast I went.

When I reached 80 Avenue, I decided to keep on going straight for a while, and when I saw a Superstore, I thought I'd drop in and see if they had any hams for tomorrow's big dinner. And, Yes, they had. So I bought one, plus a salad and yogurt parfait for a picnic lunch when and if I came across a picnic spot on the way home.

Then it was on the road again, with Ham in Breehy's basket, until I neared 72 Avenue and saw this sign. I pulled Breehy onto the sidewalk for a little walk to the intersection a few metres away. At the bottom of the pic, you'll notice Ham posing for its first photo shoot.

Because there was a fine hill after the intersection, I decided it was a good time to cut across town on my way home.

Just a wee bit on 72 Avenue, and look what I found - Cougar Creek. I had tried to find some info about Cougar Creek Park online this morning, as a possible destination, but could only find it in reference to a school - of children, not fish. But here was the creek itself. Cool. There was actually water in it, too, and I could hear it splash and gush its way down the short bed. Cougar Creek is actually made up of a lot of culverts, but I guess the salmon don't care if they get to where they're going in tunnels.

And another photo op for Ham.

I knew (or thought) there was another greenway cutting across this street, and sure enough, I found it. This is the Serpentine Greenway, and it's a really good ride through meadow and shrub land.

Lots of bull rushes, but no babies in baskets.

I did, however, meet a 3 month old Golden Lab puppy who seemed very interested in Ham. He ended up using my hand as a teething toy for a few minutes, before his daddy called him off.

The day remained grey, and I did feel a couple of raindrops on the way.

Reached Scottsdale. I've seen that word on buses, and now I know where they go.  Maybe they take spies here to get their Agent 66 equipment.

And then, by some unfortunate twist of fate, I ended up at the intersection of 88 and 120 again. Guess somewhere I veered left instead of right. My sense of direction isn't so great. I crossed the intersection, and found a little tiny spot with a couple of benches and a non-functioning fountain, and decided to have my lunch with the sound of many vehicles, horns, sirens and people around me.

Lunch was a small Chicken BLT salad ($2.93), and I must say, for a pre-packaged salad from a huge supermarket, it was extremely fine. The lettuce was fresh, there was lots of chicken, bacon, cheese, tiny tomatoes - and the Renee's Sweet Onion Vinaigrette dressing topped it off amazingly well. It was so filling I decided to take the yogurt home for later.

However, it didn't warm up while I was eating, I think it actually cooled off a bit. The wind was cold again in my face and hands - but the sight of these pretty little roses warmed my heart a bit.

And I rode home. First thing was to plug in the kettle for a cup of Hot Chocolate, then it was my Yogurt Parfait, which was also delicious. A sweet cool finish to a sweet cool trip.

I found this Smrt Gals post about October weather, and thought some things never change. I suppose Octobers will always be cold, and they will always jump on you and remind you of how you complained during the hot summer weather.

October, 2009

This is a winter day, even though it's only October first on the calendar. Here I stand at the bus stop, wishing my fingerless gloves had fingers, and wondering where the hot flashes are when you really need them. The wind blows at my umbrella, the raindrops reroute themselves so they take a ballroom dip and sneak under it to kick me in the face, and I find myself once again complaining about the weather.

Yes, leaves are falling. Rain is falling. It's Fall. My favourite season, actually, although it's hard to appreciate the rich warm colours dressing the trees, when I'm shivering, hunkering, dancing almost, when my goose bumps have goose bumps and my warm jacket isn't quite warm enough.

And I remember this past summer, when the sun blazed its way through clear skies and it was hot enough to make your knuckles sweat, when a few hours walking around Stanley Park resulted in sunburned skin peeling from my shoulders like old paint from an abandoned boat, and I swore and complained and longed for cooler days.

Guess my prayers were answered. Now if only the lottery ones were next.

This little map is the best Paint would let me do today. If you imagine the red line going straight up from the bottom left to complete a rectangular sort of box, you'll see my trip for the day - about 17 km - 10 miles.