A Beautiful Ride in The Hills

Saturday, September 27, 2014

We were on the bikes by 8:15 without raingear for a change. We did, however, require our 'flashing lights' as a fog shrouded Shelton.

Today's ride can only be described as beautiful. After climbing up out of Shelton we jumped onto State Road 101 which was our first taste of a full fledged expressway. What a treat. The shoulders were a full lane wide and the climbs were gradual. We then turned onto State road 108 where the shoulders were a little narrow at times but the scenery was great. We stopped and spent some time watching a herd of elk. There must have been 30 to 40 of them grazing in a hayfield. Yes you read that right, I said hayfield. We had come upon a small pocket of agricultural land. The hills became a little bit steeper as we approached the highlands where we again saw lots of evidence of 'clear cutting'. Something has to keep that mill in Shelton running! We also rode through an area that was dominated by Big Leaf Maple trees. Some of them would rival the size of Grey/Bruce's sugar maples! I always thought they only ever grew to shrub size! About this time what should appear but the sun and the fog was quickly burned off. for the last part of the ride we turned onto another expressway and 'flew' into Elma where we stopped for the day. Our speeds on this section were well beyond 25 kilometers per hour which was a great finish to a beautiful day on the bikes.

We arrived in Elma at 11:30, yes that is right, at 11:30 am. Our destination for the day was shorter again so that we could enjoy a partial day off. It also allows us to do some laundry and most importantly gets us back onto our schedule that we managed to get screwed up a couple of days ago.

I guess I would also be in trouble if I did not mention that it is Sue's birthday today. I will not say how old but she has now caught up to me, even if only for a couple of months!!! We could not have asked for a better day except she did mention that it would have been better on a southern beach. She will have to be okay with the Elma RV Park! When we arrived we were given 'homemade' chocolate chip cookies. This place rivals the place we stayed at in PEI, not quite the setting, but certainly matched the hospitality.

Trip Distance = 45.01 km. Time on the Bikes = 2 hours 50 minutes. Average Speed = 15.86 km. Maximum Speed = 40.13 km. Wildlife Sightings = 30 to 40 Elk.

PS. Happy birthday Mary Lou. We will soon be celebrating your 50th!!!

Elk Herd Grazing in Hayfield