Through Cottonwood Flurries

Cottonwood flurries gather along the edge of the streets and lawns, in trees and bushes. They blow along paths and in the open air. They make for a beautiful start to my 2009 biking season.

Yes it is already mid-June and just got out on the trail for the first time this past Sunday. But, oh, what a wonderful and beautiful day it was.

I did the eastern end of the Root River Trail in southeast Minnesota, in what is known as Bluff Country, the 12.5 miles between Houston and Rushford and back. The sun was out, the birds were singing up a storm and the Cottonwood flurries made it fun.

(One of the bridges across the Root River.)

I don't know what it is about bridges that attract the pictures I want to take. In this case I was struck by the shadows and strongly contrasting colors. The lines and angles add a lot that make me want to try and capture what I think I am seeing. When I look at the picture I am also reminded of the smell. It is the old aroma of creasote in the wood. It always takes me back to the days of walking along railroad tracks when I was a child and the smell coming from the ties in the hot summer sun. The smell remains the same.


Then there are the flowers. Here is an extreme close-up that showed me things I never saw before- the tiny little hairs along the side of the flower and leaves. I wonder if that is partly how the plant gets water to drip right under the flowers where it is most needed. These wonders never fail to amaze me.

It was also kind of interesting this time to get under a flower and look up, allowing the sun and shade to play different roles. This set of flowers was about 5 feet off the ground reaching out for the light. (Not a bad metaphor, actually.)

Sometimes I wonder if my love for biking trails is just an excuse to get out and take pictures or vice versa. In truth I enjoy them both. There's nothing like getting into a rhythm of pedaling and listening, watching and thinking on a beautiful afternoon.