End of (2015) Season Wild Flowers

The normal wild flower season has lasted longer this year as a result of the unrelenting spring rains and the somewhat cooler temperatures during April and May.  However, it looks like we may be nearing the end of the season as many of the wild flowers have started to lose their petals and only the pods remain.  I wanted to capture as many as I could before they disappear with the summer heat.   All of the pictures below were taken on a single 35 mile ride through Denton County in North Central Texas. 

I happened on this little pond and was surprised to see these Water Lilies flourishing. While they aren't what I would normally classify as a wildflowers, they are wild, but so far without flowers in bloom. Perhaps if the water doesn't evaporate too soon, I will yet be able to capture them in bloom.

Commonly called Indian Blanket, these have been very prolific all season long. I have seen them in fields and along roadways throughout North Texas and into Oklahoma. They are beginning to fade and go to seed now. 

This closeup of the Indian Blanket shows the pedals beginning to drop and shows the round seed head at the upper left.  Obviously, the season is coming to a close. 

I was too late to photograph the Indian Paintbrush, which is always very prolific in this area.

This is just one of many varieties of wild daisies.  So far this season they appear to be holding their own. Notice, too that the wild grasses are beginning to form long seed heads that look like thin twisted rope. 

This is a closeup of another crop of daisies. The angle of the sun added to their brilliance. Notice in the undergrowth the light grey seed pods from other flowers that were present earlier in the season. 

Commonly called Mexican Hat, these flowers have been extremely abundant all season, but are now rapidly vanishing.  Where once they filled acres with their bright colors and tall heads, now, with few exceptions, the brown seed heads dominate much of the landscape. 

I was attracted to this small patch because of the variety of flowers growing together. In the upper left is the Indian Blanket seed head with a flower immediately below. Below that is the Purple Prairie Clover, and to the right appears a white variant of a Baby Blue-Eyes. 

The bright sunlight almost washed out the bright pink coloring of this Phlox flower until it almost looks white - but it wasn't.  Beautiful and delicate, but not as prolific as I would have expected.  The seed heads in the background do not belong to this flower, but instead are from an early spring clover. 

This is another close up of the Phlox plant.  It isn't washed out by the direct sun light. 

Doesn't lighting make a huge difference? 

This is a young Bull Thistle plant. Some would classify it as a noxious weed, but it is also considered a wild flower.  The prickly pods will soon turn into a prickly purple flower.

This is another view of the Bull Thistle. This one has gone to seed and the wind will now do its job of insuring that the plant is propagated in all parts of the county. 

This is a better shot of the Purple Prairie Clover plant. Surprisingly, it hasn't been very visible until recently when the rains have promoted a major growth spurt. 

I almost passed this Partridge Pea up because it didn't stand out was much as some of the other plants around it.  But upon closer examination, I was really glad that I took the time to isolate it. 

We'll be seeing a whole lot more of this stuff over the next month or two. However most property owners are conscientious about mowing the Prairie Grasses several times a year to minimize the risk of wild fires. 

This isn't a wildflower at all, but a cultivated Crepe-myrtle bush/tree.  They come in a variety of colors and are just beginning to flower.  The flowers will last throughout the summer months. 

My ride took me over several small streams, which sometimes during the year have no water at all.  I didn't find any that were dry on this ride. 

Many of the trails and roads that I would normally ride have been closed due to flooding.  Even some major highways have been closed, which I noticed has increased the traffic on roads that I normally consider bicycle friendly. 

While many trails are still open and accessible, the increase in ground debris from the heavy rain and flooding calls for much more caution and a slower pace, which, in this case, worked to increase the enjoyment and pleasure of my ride. 

STATS:
     Date - 19 June 2015
     Miles - 35
     Riding time - 2 hours, 30 min.
     Avg Speed -  14 mph
     Calories burned - 1852

TULSA RIDE DAY THREE -- Seminole, Oklahoma to Tulsa, Oklahoma

It didn't seem to matter whether I was riding on a north/south route or an east/west route; it seemed that I was either going up a hill or down one.  When I was going down, as I was here, I could see another ascent ahead of me.  Too often I fooled my self into thinking that what I saw ahead was the top, only to find that when I got to the top, there was yet another ascent to conquer.  Over the course of the three-day ride I climbed 5282 feet, and rode down hill 5092 feet.

Most of the time the roads I took were bike friendly and/or had a nice wide paved shoulder,  While this one suggested that motorist share the road, it was only two lanes (one in each direction) with a curve on a hill.  The sign provided little confidence to this cyclist that it was a safe route.  Only twice on the entire trip did I ask Diane to ferry me over an unsafe section of road.  The first was crossing Lake Texoma bridge on Day One, and the other was a six mile stretch on Day Three with steep hills on curves, with no shoulder, and no bike friendly signs. 

The town of Prague, Oklahoma is really proud of their Kolaches -- and you better be too, if you are going to stay there for any length of time.  Although it had a population of less than 2400 people, they had a very nice community park that we stopped at for a short break.


 

I wasn't really sure if this sign meant that what I first thought it said.  Why would someone advertise that they had the highest prices for certain items.  But then if they are paying the highest prices for these items, they certainly couldn't sell them at bargain basement prices.  Hmm.  Marketing?

The only claim to fame this dying town had was that it was located on what was once the famous US Route 66.  When the Interstate System bypassed this and a thousand other towns like it, the only thing they had to offer was a small part of history.  In most of the out-of-the-way places the original Route 66 roadbed no longer exists.  It does in Tulsa; and they are just a proud of it as this little burg.

Four o'clock PM, on Day Three.  I arrived at our destination!  I had very strong cross winds most of the afternoon. 

My new bike chain was binding up and skipping a cog every six to ten cranks of the peddle.  That was really stressful for the last two miles or so.  It took me a few minutes to catch my breath, but other than that, I felt fine. 

Proof that we were in Tulsa.  I'm not sure what to say about this, except that this replica of Oral Roberts hands is massive.  Enough said.

With our bikes loaded up.  We are ready for our return trip to Texas.  It has been a challenging, yet fun time we have had together.  I'm glad we did it!


DAY THREE STATS: 

• Miles: 88
• Riding Time: 5 Hours, 45 min. 
• Wind: 13-15 mph (Cross wind)
• Avg Speed: 15.3 mph
• Calories burned: 4404

TULSA RIDE DAY TWO -- Madill, Oklahoma to Seminole, Oklahoma

Day two - Madill, Oklahoma to Seminole, Oklahoma

The effects of the extra heavy Spring rains were evident at every river, stream, and creek.  Here the Washita River was above flood stage, but our trip wasn't impacted again, after we got past Lake Texoma.




We found this treasured old building in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.  It served as the Chickasaw Nation Capitol building until 1906, when the Chickasaw Government was dissolved by treaty with the US Government.  It is now used as a museum.

Around every turn and over every hill, we were presented with a new splash of color.  

It seemed that every spot highlighted a new variety of textures and colors. 

Some of my favorite scenes could not be seen from the road.  It wasn't until I got off of my bike to stretch out my legs or to take a bite from an energy bar, that I was able to discover all of the beauties around me.

Riding my bike in a hunched over position for hours on end really made the opportunity to stretch out and lay flat a true pleasure - even more desirable than to eat the lunch Diane had waiting for me.

Another hill or another turn in the road - and voila!  Another meadow of flowers that lightens the heart and brightens the soul.  Such varieties!  What a wonderful Creator we have!  On this ride the flowers seemed to come in large isolated clusters.




One of Diane's duties was to scout out places appropriate for lunch or a quick rest break.  We found that local cemeteries were often the ideal spot, even though they were sometimes a mile of two off the main road.  I'm glad no one thought that I was ready for burial.




When we came upon a town of any size we would take advantage of a city park or even a school playground.  Usually ten minutes was all I needed before I was ready to hit the road again.

TULSA RIDE DAY ONE -- Road Trip from Lewisville, Texas to Madill, Oklahoma

Diane took this picture as I was mounting my bicycle the morning of the 1st day.  I was full of anticipation (I think we both were).  We were embarking on a great adventure and, for me, a serious physical challenge.  We had planned well.  We knew which roads we would be traveling.  (We both had a printed copy of the route I would be taking).  Diane would be driving the support vehicle.  She had packed all of the water and sports drink I would need to keep hydrated.  She had food for meals along the way, plus energy and protein bars, dried fruit, bananas, oranges, apples, and cookies for snacks -- everything I would need to keep my caloric intake balanced with my usage.  We also had the car supplied with spare parts and tools to address emergency repairs.  Needless to say, by the time we added extra changes of clothing, the car was packed full.  I wore a blue tooth ear peace so that we could communicate back and forth via cell phone without having to use my hands.  I felt very confident, knowing that Diane would be meeting up with me every 20 to 30 miles or so.  

The first picture I took was of a patch of wild flowers growing along a bicycle path in Highland Village.  The flowers remind me of rockets with red and yellow flames shooting out the bottoms.

From past experience I knew that I would encounter scores of scenes along the way that would add beauty and variety to the whole experience.

However, more than that, I have been praying that I would be able to see and apply personal moral values from some of my experiences.

This is a picture of Denton Creek near Argyle, Texas.  It is usually just a small creek, as the name would suggest.  However, following the heavy rains for the past 30 days it, along with almost all tributaries, it was swollen well beyond its normal boundaries.

Later in the day we learned that due to extensive flooding in both Texas and Oklahoma the route we had planned to take, US Hwy 377, was closed to traffic at four different locations, forcing us to take detours.

One of the bicycle routes that I followed was the Denton Branch Rail Trail.  It runs along the railroad right of way.  This  section is about 9 miles long and makes for very nice riding.  There are also several Rail Trails in Dallas which I have followed previously.  You can't maintain a steady cadence, however, due to the frequent road crossings that require you to slow down or come to a complete stop every mile or so. 

Diane and I had planned to rendezvous at the Pilot Point town square for lunch on the first day.  The route I took to Pilot Points was 43 miles.  I was ready for lunch.  And a fine lunch I had, which included a rest break!

Typical of many small towns in Texas, the town square is just that.  Built around a court house, if it is a County Seat, or around a public square, as is the case with Pilot Point.  Nonetheless, you will frequently find turn of the century architecture, as with this bank building.

We stopped by the local police station to inquire regarding highway closings between Pilot Point and Lake Texoma.  There were three.  Following their recommended detours took well over an hour to get us back on track.   




 We were both amazed at how full Lake Texoma was.  The water was up to the level of the bridge.

The US 377 bridge over Lake Texoma has two narrow lanes and no shoulder.  So Diane ferried me to the Oklahoma side, where I resumed riding my bike.

Our destination for the day was Madill, Oklahoma which was only about 16 miles north of the lake.  

However, due to our long lunch break and the detours around closed roads, we didn't arrive until almost 7 pm in the evening. 


DAY ONE STATS: 

• Miles:  101.3
• Avg Speed: 13.9 mph
• Riding time: 7 hours, 15 min.
• Wind:  6 mph (head wind)
• Calories burned: 5553

A Bit of History

Cycling became my exercise of choice about five years ago, when we returned from our Mission in New Zealand.  While there, I developed a persistent condition of plantar fasciitis.  Cycling was my solution to this condition and still getting the cardiovascular exercise that I needed for weight control and heart health.  The side benefits were not totally unexpected, but made cycling even more appealing -- my knee and hip problems connected to jogging completely disappeared.   I started riding a hybrid bike that I already owned, but very quickly found that my appetite for greater times and distances was impractical with the heavier bike.  While it was very comfortable for short distances, it was actually painful after a 15 - 20 mile ride.   During the summer of 2010 I made the leap and have never looked back.  I purchased a steel frame Bianchi road bike.  With my road bike 15 -20 mile rides were no longer painful, but truly enjoyable.  Steel frame bicycles are not very popular now, they're just not "cool", but I couldn't be more pleased.  And it wasn't a problem at all getting it repaired after a collision with another bicycle.  The unexplained dents in the frame would easily have been the kiss-of-death for a carbon frame.  Enough about bicycle specifications!  (That is not my purpose here.)   Back to the history . . . after a year of riding my road bike with standard pedals, a choice I made intentionally at the time I purchased my bike, I felt ready to upgrade from sneakers to riding shoes equipped with cleats.  That change resulted in the realization of several immediate benefits; increased speed and better bicycle control to name a few.  But the most obvious change was my interest in even longer rides.  I immediately found 30 and 40 miles rides to be my standard.  Over the course of a couple of years of solo riding, I developed my "style" of riding which seemed to play down my initial preoccupation with speed and the overall cardiovascular workout, and focus more on the mere pleasure of the ride.  This has helped me to try to take in the scenery more -- although, hunched low on my bike does not lend itself well to aimlessly gawking around. Nevertheless, I rarely go on a ride but what I am rewarded with an renewed appreciation of the beauties of nature, the varieties given to us by our Grand Creator.  It is these simple masterpieces that testify that there truly is a God in Heaven, that He is our Creator and that He loves us -- this is my purpose in documenting some of my rides.

Four years ago, I decided to ride my age in miles.  One mile for each year.  Instead of candles on a cake, I'd put miles on my bicycle odometer.  So I rode 68 miles when I turned 68 years old, in 2012.  The following year I added another mile to my ride, and so on.  This year (2015) I rode 71 miles -- just so I could say that I did it.  A week later, on a beautiful spring day, I rode 84 miles.  I did it on a whim and I was ill prepared without enough food or water, and not enough money to buy what I needed.   I thought at the time that I would really like to do a multi-day road tour.  So I began planning a trip.  I considered several destinations, Houston, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Little Rock, Lubbock, and San Antonio to name a few that were up for consideration.  I finally decided on Tulsa, Oklahoma -- primarily because that is where our daughter, Becky, was living at the time.  Diane wanted to go along for logistical support.  Her contribution proved to be invaluable!   So my first entry will be a few pictures we took along the way.  Perhaps, later on, I will add a few pictures from other rides. But for now Tulsa, Oklahoma or Bust.