Cool Ride

My dh and I took some time out yesterday to get outdoors for another motorcycle ride. It's decidedly crisp outdoors now - fall weather is definitely here. I love this time of year. We are starting to see leaves turn yellow, feeling that cool nip in the air and Papa's Pumpkin Patch is open for business!

We decided to take a look at the progress on the new Liberty Memorial Bridge that is now open. The older bridge right along side the new is already being dismantled. There is still lots of work to be done there.

There is a webcam set up to show progress on the bridge. We did not show up in any of the photos from yesterday's date. It's a great bird's eye view of the bridge. If you're interested, there is more info on the bridge.

Looking north, further up river, the bridge for the train to cross the river is visible in the distance. The girders you see here from the old bridge will be gone soon.

The tall white concrete elements that make up the west side plaza area are visible in this photo. Take a look at the plans on-line that show what these pillars are supposed to look like when everything is finished.

We went on to take a spin around the strip in Mandan and Raging Rivers Waterpark. It was a nice quiet afternoon. I dressed in layers to ward of the chill in the air, especially on the back of a bike. This may very well end up being one of the last rides for the season as it was pretty cool. Being in the direct sun wasn't so bad, but shady areas were a good deal cooler.

We rode along river road and down the lane to Papa's Pumpkin Patch. We'll take another trip out to the pumpkin patch later. One can't really handle a purchase of pumpkins on the back of a bike, after all.

Later in the afternoon we attended a picnic at Sertoma Park put on by fellow employees where I work. There were games to be played, great food and conversation. It ended up being a very pleasant day.