Saturday, October 4, 2014

Slimey Crud October 2014 - Saturday

I went outside this morning at 5:30 and yes it was cold, there were light snowflakes falling.  It was actually quite pretty.  Back inside my warm and cozy motel room, made my little pot of coffee and started listening to some BBC on the radio, decided that I wasn't in the mood for more dismal Middle East news so sat and stared out the opened curtains with some Pat Metheny, his 'White' album and appropriately enough, Travels right up there among my favorites, on my MP3 player, watching the practice snowflakes fall.  That all gave way to doing some reading of a recent download from our library on the Kindle, the hours passed quickly so before I knew it 1:00 arrived and most of the rain had stopped.  I enjoyed a couple of the meat sticks and Wisconsin cheese I'd purchased from The Meat Market yesterday for lunch, suited up and headed out for a ride.

There were only a few drops today, mostly just dark clouds though they finally broke up, at least partly, this afternoon for some actual sunshine.  By the time 5PM arrived, the clouds got stubborn again and refused to let any more sunshine appear.  My online temp reading at 5:00 reported 47 degrees that felt more like 40 with the wind.


 A white snaky bale tube; the tube's filled with hay to control spoilage.


County KK disappearing into the valley and beyond.....


Slightly different view.....


Views that were simply luscious today....County F disappearing on the distant hill.


Found some wet gravel today (Dore Road) that really was more silt-on-top-of-gravel than real gravel.  I had to pay attention since the softer stuff on top was perfectly willing to take control and decide my front wheel's direction.




Clark Road.......


I've been here before, remember Pekala Road very well.


Sure they misspelled it but I'll forgive them.  How could I not take it??


Santa's Loop Road.....a new one for me today.



Yesterday's loop was southeast of Reedsburg, today I went the opposite direction, generally northwest.  This is the overview of my roughly 85 miles this afternoon.


Here's a section with more detail of the roads I followed.  Look at the choices of roads I did NOT take!  How does a rider decide which to choose with choices like these??  The majority are paved; the gravel ones are jackpots when I'm in the mood and on the right machine.  Just wandering works.


Depending on wind, cloud cover overnight, we could have freezing here tomorrow morning; skies are predicted to be bright and clear.  I'll be checked out relatively early to make my way to Pine Bluff for the Slimey Crud Run.

10 comments:

  1. Despite the overcast sky and your mention of snow ... the ride looked spectacular. Glad you had the luxury to wait out the weather, down days are good too!

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    1. Karen, it was a nicely balanced day; a lot was accomplished :) I'll check out early today, freezing temps to start but sunny and warmer....eventually. There will be more miles ridden today and then the drive home this evening. Weather should be good enough for a big turnout.

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    2. I forgot to ask how slimey was Slimey Crud ... and did you see Santa? Too bad they don't know how to spell.

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    3. The event itself didn't get rained on but it sounded like at least one of my friends had a wet spot or two while on his way up from IL. Attendance seemed a bit less, I'm guessing due to the cooler and potentially worse weather. Hope to follow up with an event Post tonight or tomorrow.

      No Santa sightings for me; I'm still very curious how some of these whimsically named roads get their names.

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  2. I my the fall foliage never ceases to amaze me. Despite the temps it must be beautiful to ride through this colour composition. Plus the solitude. I can only dream to experience such a powerful change of season.

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    1. Sonja, I'm with you. There were spectacular views around almost every corner. Few people out on the roads, few people out period at least the places that I passed by. Reedsburg is celebrating their Fermentation Fest and Farm Art D/Tour; signs and events are scattered throughout the area.

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  3. I am still loving all of the lush greenery.

    Oregon has forgotten it is fall and we had 85˚ yesterday and are heading to 86 today, 80 tomorrow, and back into the high 70's by the end of the week.

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    1. Brandy, it honestly does seem as though the greens get their deepest hues this time of year though maybe it's just the contrasting shades of brown that make it look that way. In any case, these greens win out as my favorites over the spring shades.

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  4. Our leaves aren't quite there yet, but your rustic roads caught ahold of my heart and I am ready to roll out into the countryside asap.

    Beautiful photos and of course, where I always want to be too!

    Thanks for sharing the splendor... :=)

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    1. Deb, friends and family that don't have equal access to these seasonal changes are often curious (or nostalgic) of our swings throughout the year.

      Exploring these roads is extremely pleasurable for me and I'll do my best to keep that going. It's gratifying that I'm not the only one :)

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