Out for a Sunday Ride

I took my first ride on the bike with my dear husband (dh) today. He's been asking me to go riding with him for quite some time (most of the summer). It was such a beautiful afternoon and getting toward the end of summer; I figured I better do it before we lose the last of these great summer days. We headed out by the park and along river road.

I truly enjoyed my time outdoors on this ride. The day couldn't have been better. I takes a bit of getting used to straddling the back seat, and there is a padded leather seat, but it sure didn't seem all the plushly padded. I have to say it was still a bit hard to sit in one position and be bounced along on some of our bumpy streets. Even though a car ride would be more comfortable seating, the bike ride was a lot of fun. Along the way I couldn't help thinking that between the 'padded' bike seat and my 'padded' back side I should have been plenty comfortable. Hummm, do you suppose my back side isn't padded enough? Naaahh! I KNOW that's not the case!

The main thing I noticed different riding outside on a bike as opposed to inside a vehicle (along with the sun shining and the nice warm breeze) was the ability to inhale all the great outdoor scents of summer. We passed open fields of newly mown hay and alfalfa, fresh cut grass, the scent of overgrown trees and forrest smell of wooded areas, someone's bar-b-que and the smells of various restaurants with their tempting supper-time preparations. Even the sound of birds and crickets in the overgrown grass along the side of the road seemed cheerful when we stopped at a stop sign. Riding a bike certainly allows more of a heightened sensory experience.

Typical country scenery came into our view including these cows by the side of the road - all hundled together. One of the many views of North Dakota.

Why do they huddle like that? It made me think of that line in the Sci-Fi film 'I, Robot' where the professor contemplates why the discarded robots huddle together in the dark of their storage crates rather than remaining randomly dispersed. Perhaps it's a sense of community among those cows, in their social group.

It was such a nice, warm day today. Perfect for an afternoon of riding. The sun was great; shining bright in the sky, casting great shadows like these ones! I love to look at shadows at different times of the day. The angles change, and even the colors seem to change, dependent on the time of day.

It seems like I've always been intrigued by the forms of shadows. Their ever changing displays are created by objects from everyday life, but appear as a world all their own. I find it interesting how cast shadows are portrayed in various works of art. They are there at various times, but not at others, different shapes, colors, degrees of intensity and hues. Sometimes painted as blues, purples and violets, sometimes more grays or browns, etc. They are represented so many different ways.

Today was my firt experience riding a motorcycle on the open road at this speed. The most I've seen before is short rides at a slower pace. I was okay with it, though I thought I might freak out. It was actually a great deal of fun and a very relaxing afternoon. Here you can see that he's keeping it at a consistent 55mph.

We ended up riding around for several hours. We followed the river for quite some time, then wound our way through some of the new residential housing that's going up on the north side of town. Talk about really big homes! They looked beautiful set out on a somewhat rural setting, with large lots and new landscaping of trees and gardens. I think it would be enjoyable to move further out to a more country setting. I've been thinking about that alot lately.

Here we're heading back into Bismarck on the north side. We stopped for a sub sandwich before getting back out on the road to tool around a bit longer. We ended up on the south side of town, and also a bit on the east side. I liked it better out along the country roads better than going through town. It was such a quiet, peaceful setting in the country.

When we got home dh and I both wanted to get up and stretch our legs for awhile. Sitting in one position can start to make you get all cramped up. We took the dogs out for a nice long walk after we got home. Boy were they rarin' to go! DH had Ginger, our larger hunting dog and I held onto the two chihuahuas. They were so excited to be out for a walk, pulling against the leads like two little miniature sled dogs. Picture that little dinky dog that pulled the sled for the Grinch in the classic Dr. Seuss movie, 'The Grinch Stole Christmas'. That was me, with two little dinky dogs. Of course Sugar tires out midway through our walks. By the time we were heading home I still had Sparky pulling ahead of me and Sugar dragging her heels behind me. DH and Ginger were way out front in the lead.

Our relaxing Sunday afternoon was one of the best of the summer. It ranks way up there with taking the boat out onto the lake. I'm looking forward to when we can do it again.