A Prairie Ride

Garrison Keillor notwithstanding it is not always quiet on the edge of the prairie. In fact the prairie can be a beauty of a place that calls out in colorful noise to look and pay attention. That's what I found on Sunday as I did 20 mile on the Shooting Star Trail in southcentral Minnesota from the town of Le Roy to the even smaller town of Taopi.

It was a windy day. Which in that part of Minnesota is like saying it was a day. Through this section of the country have been built a large number of wind turbines to generate electricity. At one point I could see between 50 and 60 across the horizon.

There are some controversies around them, but I for one am hoping that we can get through them and utilize this resource for "green" energy.

Of course these things sure can interfere with otherwise natural scenes.

But it was mostly a day of just enjoying the prairie colors and scene. The mixture of yellows, pinks, purples, greens, browns and oranges was amazing.

The outward 10 miles was tough. The 10-15 mph headwind wasn't the easiest. My little cycle computer told me I only managed a little under 9 mph for that 10 miles but 12 mph on the way back. Actually, I noticed that my pedaling style and speed continues to improve week by week and there is something really satisfying about moving along at a nice 10-12 mph pace on level ground- which I was not able to do just a few weeks ago.

So began the full week of vacation. I hope to do at least two or three more rides between now and next Monday. Will keep you posted since I am sure I will also be taking pictures.