Windy Day Ride

New York Peak in the wind.

Moving sky, solid earth.

The wind has been blowing pretty much every other day lately. April 3 was particularly windy, and finding my morning water change finished and nothing pressing until the late afternoon, I decided it would be a perfect day for a ride toward the mountain. The wind had a cold bite, but by the time I made it to the water gauge above the ranch I was overdressed (oh well, I needed to pack a load). Above the water gauge, the hills narrow on the creek and we ran into what seems a particularly windy day obstacle, the entire road buried in a giant snowbank of tumbleweeds. There was a single-track trail through it, but the tiny Russian thistle stickers are hard on the puppies feet and we ended up detouring up the hill and around this giant pile of nastiness. A reminder that even on the most beautiful day, life here isn't easy, or set up for a pleasant bike ride. But that is exactly what we had past that first obstacle. Down along the canyon of Leonard Creek the wind couldn't get to us as much and "the livin' was easy." We stopped and snacked at Upper Ranch, the site of my family's first homestead in the area (they moved from there to the present ranch in 1923). From there we climbed up to the junction of Leonard and Snow creeks, across the base of New York Peak back toward the ranch. Up there the wind picked up, but mainly at my side and back, and across that plain it is just a long coast back to the ranch. The whole ride was about 12.5 miles and took 3 hours, with many picture stops and a long break at Upper Ranch when the wind wasn't blowing too hard and a mini snow storm in the sunlight was a wonder. The only excitement of the ride home was an angry mother cow, not used to bicycles and looking for a dog to eat, but we made it by her without much ado, and then more coasting all the way back to the ranch. I coasted a little fast and Coco ended up far enough behind that I had to walk back up the road from the gate above the ranch looking for her, I think she must have found a treat to chew on because she wasn't in much of a hurry ~ Here are some pictures from the day.

Sagebrush and sky.

Wind forms toward Snow Creek Flat.

Pups loving the water in Leonard Creek at Upper Ranch.

Coco wind-blown.

Cartoon alligator cloud above Leonard Creek.

Dusty loves biking!

Prime real estate.