The Fairfield Loop Trail Is Fully Open--3 Rides

The Fairfield Loop Trail is busy this October. Brown and black woolly caterpillars are diligently crossing the trail to get to the other side, and squirrels are combing the woods for nuts and seeds, pausing to gaze up at me, sometimes a black walnut clenched in their mouths as I cruise by on my bicycle. This week I've taken three rides that have included all or most of the Loop Trail, and fall colors are increasing, the reds of wild sumac beginning to blaze beneath the cooling autumn sun.

The Loop Trail is sixteen miles long, encircling Fairfield, Iowa, mostly composed of lime chip and gravel but including some cement pathways as it passes through town. On Thursday, my ride was eighteen miles, the extra two miles of riding consisting of a couple of errands, a bank deposit and some grocery shopping that I included on the ride. Friday's ride was twenty-one miles that included some road riding north of town and on the Libertyville Road. On Saturday, my twenty-three mile ride consisted of a twelve and a half mile ride on pavement northwest of town out to Libertyville, missing the industrial cement paths of the trail, and catching the Cedar View Trail at the 223rd Street trailhead off the Libertyville Road and then continuing back north of town on the Loop Trail. 

Note: the maximum speed was downhill on pavement, not the trail

All three rides were enjoyable on my new e-bike, which I bought this summer--an Aventon Level 2. As I've said before, and I'll say it again, e-bikes get rid of all hills and headwinds. Electric-assisted bicycle riding both giveth and taketh away. Riding my e-bike allows me to take longer rides more quickly with less strain, yet the electric assist also provides less conditioning opportunity. As our local bike guy says, "Electric bikes help you get in shape if you're out of shape, but if you're in shape, they make you lazy." I'm trying to ride that narrow trail between the good and bad, so my first two rides this week I stayed in the lowest assist level on the e-bike ("1" out of five levels) and consciously geared a little high on some of the longer inclines on the trail so that my legs had to work a bit more, Realistically, though, riding longer distances is what provides the exercise on the e-bike. For someone who doesn't ride much, the 18-23 mile distances I rode this week might seem like a lot, but really are pretty easy to knock off. The biggest challenge of three days of riding is getting my rear end toughened up! Today, any exercising I'll do will be chores and perhaps some working out with light weights.

Lamson Woods at the Mint Blvd. trailhead

Yes, the Fairfield Loop Trail is now fully open! The last closure was the section of Lamson Woods that led to the underpass at Glasgow Road. Quite a bit of work was accomplished there, with a new cement trail laid beneath the new bridge, and plenty of erosion-control stone added beneath the bridge to keep the area safe during flooding conditions. The area has been closed for so long that I had forgotten what a nice stretch of woods that little section of Lamson Woods includes. For most of the summer, I was able to ride the wetlands section of Lamson Woods and then detour on Glasgow Road up to Chautauqua Park to catch the trail again. For part of the summer, parts of the trail were also closed temporarily as the trail and environs were spot-sprayed for invasive plant species. Now, though, the entire sixteen-mile route is open; however, be aware that because of the August and September lack of rain, there are cracks in the trail surface that can catch a tire, and there are also sections of the trail where the gravel is loose and a tire can slide out if you're not careful.

Even though the Aventon e-bike can zip right along at higher assist levels, I'm careful on the trail to not go too fast--for several reasons. One is that I don't want to crash and hurt myself. "Road rash" burns, and I have no desire to pick gravel out of my skinned knees and elbows, even though I carry a small first-aid kit. Loose gravel, cracks in the trail from the summer drought, animals skittering in front of you, and unexpected and perhaps leaf-covered tree roots on the trail can provide dangers for the bike rider, whether the bicycle is electrified or not. 

My trusty brass bell

A second reason I don't speed is that of politeness. When I'm around hikers on the trail, I always reduce my speed so I don't rudely and recklessly blast past them as they stroll along. I've bought a nice brass bicycle bell from Fairfield's bike shop, The Ride, so that when I come up on hikers from the rear, I can pleasantly let them know I'm approaching. Quite often, a single merry chime of the bell will result in the person being startled because they were listening to music with headphones or just drifting down the trail, not paying attention. The bell chime is better, though, that suddenly blasting (or even cruising) past the hiker, making them feel afraid they might be run over. As I pass a hiker after ringing my bike bell, I usually wave and say, "Didn't want to frighten you!" Any bicyclist can startle someone hiking the trail, but e-bikers have to be even more careful, I think, because people can unfairly think riders on e-bikes are a bunch of thoughtless speed demons, which in my opinion is inaccurate.

Cedar Creek on the Cedar View Trail

A third reason for not speeding on the trail, even if I'm completely alone as is often the case in the more remote sections of the trail that skirt the freeway, is that riding the trail is not only good exercise but is also good for our mental health. Sometimes I ride just for the exercise, and if I focus on my cadence and if I ride early on a weekday when I'm alone, I can ride the loop in a little less than an hour and a half. Usually, though, I complete the loop in around two hours, which allows me time to stop and snack, take some photographs, and sometimes to even get off and push to bike to savor special sections of the trail. A favorite section of the trail for me has been the wetlands section of Lamson Woods. The wildflowers, yellow and lavender; the honking of geese, the calling of the field birds; and the rich perfume of the wetland green-growing earth; blue water reflecting the blues of the sky--all this life in accord with nature is a balm to the soul, a reminder that there are larger rhythms of life which provide a stabilizing perspective to our daily challenges. Stopping to smell the flowers isn't just a cliche; it's a wellness intervention that tips my attitude in the direction of hope and regeneration.

the wetlands reservoir across the road from Walton Lake

We are so fortunate to live in our town and have the Loop Trail nearby. Riding my e-bike on the trail lets me ride the complete loop in the morning and to still have the time and energy to get on with my day. I plan to incorporate into my weekly schedule at least one trail ride per week with my standard, non-electric bike to provide myself with more exercise and also to remember the experience of riding completely self-sufficient on my own power and strength. I bought the e-bike this year because after a year of coming out of retirement and teaching full-time, I felt an e-bike would get me out riding more often and for longer distances. Who knows, though? I might over time, as I slide more fully into my second retirement, enjoy taking the entire morning and spending two and a half or three hours on the trail--just me, my own muscles, and nature. Right now, though, having the ability to exercise and ride the trail in a short enough time that allows for other activities during the day has been a good addition to my routine. Mostly, though, whether on my e-bike or non-electric bike, I've been enjoying getting out and away on the Fairfield Loop Trail and adjoining trails. There's a lot of beauty surrounding us, and taking the time to appreciate the beauty of nature is a healthy endeavor. Get out and enjoy the Fairfield Loop Trail, enjoy our city and county parks. There's a great deal of local beauty, even in our backyards, if only we will stop and notice.

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Step-by-Step, I Get My Main-in Ballot for the 2020 General Election and Submit It

This 2020 November General Election falls with the time of our COVID-19 pandemic, as did the primary election. During the primary, I requested a main-in ballot, filled it out, and returned it. The process wasn't entirely seamless, though, so I'm being more careful this time for the general election--and I'm writing down the steps and publishing this article to help anyone (especially locally) who many wonder what the process is.

For the primary election, the Iowa secretary of state sent out ballot requests to all registered Iowa voters in order to make voting by mail easier and, therefore, safer because of our current coronavirus crisis. Two situations arose from this action by the secretary of state: 1) I didn't receive my request, and 2) our Iowa state legislature got huffed and passed legislation to make the mail-in process more difficult to facilitate, especially for county auditors.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate did send out mail-in request forms to Iowans, but my wife and I did not receive the forms. Via Facebook and a voting-savvy friend, my wife and I were able to download and print request forms, fill them out, and return them so that we could vote safely without crowding up the voting stations.

As the November election nears, concerns have also been voiced about possible delays in the U.S. Postal Service's mail pick-up and deliveries, prompting possible late delivery of mail-in ballots, which would cause those ballots to not be counted.

Therefore, it's best to secure your mail-in ballot early and to do everything you can to ensure that the ballot is delivered on time, whether by mail or by handing in your ballot to your local county auditor. Here are the procedures I'm currently following, and those I plan to utilize once I receive my ballot, in order to ensure that my vote counts.

1. I searched online and found the "State of Iowa Official Absentee Ballot Request Form," the mail-in ballot request form. My wife and I ran off the forms and filled them out, being sure we didn't transpose any numbers or create any situation where the forms might not be considered completed. If we didn't have a printer, we could have gone to the county courthouse and received a ballot request from the auditor's office.
2. I called the auditor's office and asked when the ballot request forms could be submitted, and the auditor is currently accepting request forms. I filled out the request form, donned my covid mask, grabbed my hand sanitizer, and delivered my request to the Jefferson County Courthouse auditor's office. The request form can be mailed to the following address: Auditor's Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, 51 W. Briggs Ave., Fairfield, IA 52556.
3. Our county auditor clerk said the last date the auditor can receive the ballot request form is October 24, by 5:00 PM. 
4. General election main-in ballots must be postmarked by November 2 and received by November 9, 12:00 PM.
5. Mail-in ballots can be submitted by hand any time up through 9:00 PM on election day.

My wife and I plan to fill out the ballot soon after receiving it, and then I will mask up and deliver it in person to the county auditor's office. That way, the only mail interaction will be the delivery of the ballot. Here is an article about other options than mailing in your absentee ballot: Absentee Ballot Submission Options.

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2020 Iowa Caucus: First-time Impressions

Media impressions of the 2020 Iowa Caucuses has not been positive, especially with the flawed app for reporting results. This was my first time (even at sixty-eight years of age) to an Iowa Caucus, and prior to the event I was both encouraged and cautioned regarding the process. I am reporting that my experience was positive, unifying, and--how can I phrase this?--a glance back in time.

Arriving at the caucus site at my town's local convention center in SE Iowa, 451 Democrats showed up to represent my ward. I had arrived thirty-five minutes early, had signed in to confirm that I was a registered Democrat, and then received a number that I stuck to my shirt to verify my registration. I wandered around the center "unaligned" area, chatted with a few friends, a former student, and then sat down in my group with some friends.

There were some formal organizational procedures--the temporary ward leader-designate read a statement from the state organization, explained the early organizational steps, and then we moved forward: electing a presiding officer for the caucus, a couple of other officers, and then listening again to the protocols.

Heading to the first counting of supporters for candidates during a thirty-minute time period (there were three counts), the various captains brought the totals up to the presiding officer, the mathematician counted to determine if the various groups added up to 451, and when that number was verified, we all realized only two candidates (Sanders and Warren) were "viable" in that they had received at least sixty-eight endorsements, fifteen percent of the 451 total. Supporters for those two groups filled out first-run pledge cards. Then there was a time segment allowing the other non-viable candidate groups to see if they wanted to combine. I was in a viable groups and just watched that for a while, but the process didn't seem to be going much of anywhere. I couldn't participate in the second accounting because my candidate was already viable and I couldn't switch.

I left early, not feeling ready to participate in choosing delegates for the state meeting or for hammering out our platform requests. It was my first caucus, and I thought I'd leave while I was ahead.

Listening to NPR Iowa radio on the way home, it was announced that at five A.M. the next morning, the results would be announced. I happened to wake up at five and turned on the radio, where I learned that the new app for submitting results had failed and that there was a lot of mean-mouthing by media about Iowa and the Iowa Democratic Party. I listened for a while, then shut off the radio.

Later in the day, I turned the car radio back on and heard NPR Iowa hosting a call-in segment, which included folks speaking of their positive and negative experiences on Tuesday night. There was also some analysis of why some folks think Iowa shouldn't be the first primary in the nation, chief among the ideas presented that Iowa demographics don't represent those of the nation. I get the point, but then I wonder what state will represent the entire nation--our four corners and middle, our races, ethnicities, age and gender, rural and urban, and wealth or lack of it. As an Iowan, though, I acknowledge the point and am certainly willing to listen and learn.

My experience at the caucus was good. Let me iterate the reasons.

• The procedures and protocols were clearly explained, and the process went smoothly. While in the room, I scanned the make-up of the group and feel the leaders and participants were truly representative of our nation--age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
• People were polite, respectful, attentive, and willing to discuss without sledgehammering others with their opinions. I thought folks showed up willing to share, listen, and respect. 
• Because of the inclusive vibe of the evening, I enjoyed the process of chatting with friends and candidate advocates early in the evening. It was different talking to neighbors and community members rather than just reading articles, web posts, and listening to media talking heads. It was nurturing, coming together as a community, agreeing on the democratic idea of working together to choose a candidate, and that although we maybe didn't agree on who was the best candidate or perhaps weren't happy with the evening's results, I thought there was still a unity of democratic purpose. 

I had voted in primaries before when living on the West Coast, but I can see how the caucus process fits with the history and geography of Iowa. Iowa has many small communities, pretty much evenly distributed across the state. Back in time, let's say a hundred years ago, one can imagine farmers coming to local caucus centers, say the local grange hall, where they would share what they had read and heard, where more knowledgeable individuals could speak about the candidates. The level of rural isolation would encourage more sharing and discussion in the community.

I arrived for the caucus with my list or candidate priorities, but my choices certainly weren't carved in stone, in part because I felt the candidates all had good strengths. Therefore, I enjoyed the early general discussion and the further in-group discussions. In many ways, the caucus process for me was both a political and social affirmation. It wasn't a perfect experience; the after-glow certainly didn't last long. Iowans humbly and responsibly have worked through the experience, even though the glitch has ticked off the media--have to meet those broadcast timelines, you know!

Once I stepped away from my technology, all that babble just went away. Iowa made its choices, worked through its glitches, and now its everybody else's turn. My attention now is turning to patiently waiting for spring, my garden, and a little silence and sunshine.

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My Dad, Mark Wilkins, and a New Maharishi School Kiln

Maharishi School ceramics instructor Mark Wilkins, CrowdRise fundraiser

When I was a kid, I remember my dad showing me a ceramic seal he had sculpted when he was a student at Oceanside, California, in his art class. 

He showed it to me and my brother when our family was getting ready to travel south to vacation with my aunt in San Diego. It was Dad's introduction for us to the environment where he was raised: ocean, waves crashing upon the beaches, and seals sunning on the rocks.

It was a new environment for a boy used to valley heat and mountain pines. The pose of the sculpted seal was my introduction, touching the lines of musculature in the sculpture, the arched back and the nose pointing to the sky. Later, my brother and I saw these same poses in real-life seals, heard their barking and saw their awkward on-shore flippered shuffling. The sculpture my dad created contains all those elements, created 75 years ago, and now part of the legacy of my dad's time on earth.

This is what came to mind when I learned of Maharishi School's CrowdRise fundraiser campaign to buy a new kiln for the school--not the students now, but my father as a student 75 years ago, given the at-school opportunity to sculpt into being some aspect of his life. I wish I could show you a photo of that sculpture, but it's 2,000 miles away, still in California with my mother.

Seeing Mark Wilkins in his ceramics class, guiding his students as they take clay and shape it into art, provided me with a revelation of the continuity of our lives and how our lives affect our children and grandchildren. When I was in the Cub Scouts, my dad carved a kerchief clip for my Scout uniform. I remember watching him carve and seeing the wolf's head emerge from the wood. It was a magical moment for me, and I wonder how much of my life as a writer, a creator with words, owes itself to moments of watching my parents create, of seeing those artifacts of my parents' artistry--objects my dad sculpted or carved, sketches that my mom had produced while in school. How much of my life as a writer owes itself to those teachers who let me create with words when I was at school?

We now have a chance to help Maharishi School continue its tradition of establishing an educational environment that promotes creativity in all fields of life. A ceramic cup today, a new medical device years later. We have alumni producing such innovations right now. It's time now to purchase a kiln for the next 30 years of creative young students at Maharishi School.

So get fired up about our new kiln and connect with the CrowdRise page. Listen and view a video clip about our ceramics program by Mark Wilkins. We're about 25% on the way to achieving our goal, having only been fundraising for less than a week. Most likely, 75 years from now, someone will be drinking from a mug or looking at a sculpture and just plain feeling good that creativity and expression exist in the world. They always have and always will, especially with a little extra boost from us.

Congratulations to Greg Thatcher's Crowd-funding Kickstarter Project and Its Supporters

With the help of Greg Thatcher's friends, patrons of the arts, and lovers of England's sacred yew trees, the crowd-funding Kickstarter project that I wrote about last week has achieved its funding level. Success! Congratulations to all who participated in this effort.

Greg's project goal was the following:

One month intensive drawing in Painswick, Gloucester, UK. The goal is to finish a detailed drawing, and research galleries in the UK .

The "Plein Air" video above provides, for me, all the reasons why it is so good and meaningful that this project has met its financial Kickstarter goal and has been funded. We should all be proud to be supporters of such a good endeavor.

As Greg says in the video, "These trees deserve to be honored." We have just given the means to do so to an honorable man.

Copyright 2014 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Greg Thatcher's Vision: Support an Artist and the Sacred Yews of England

Welcome to a wonderful opportunity to patronize the arts--in the real sense of the word--by becoming a parent to the artistic process.

This is how it worked in the old days when those with the means provided seed money for artistic endeavors. Now even we commoners can be patrons of the arts by providing seed money via the Kickstart program. One artist in particular, Greg Thatcher, is using the Kickstart program to fund his continuing artistic and spiritual relationship with the ancient yew trees of England. The great thing about this program is that anyone can help fund this project, the "Plein Air" of the Sacred Yews, if you've got at least a buck to kick in.

Greg Thatcher's Kickstarter project goal is to spend one month of "intensive drawing in Painswick, Gloucester, UK. The goal is to finish a detailed drawing, and research galleries in the UK."

At the Kickstarter site, "Plein Air" of the Sacred Yews, Greg describes his project:

I have been working on a series of "plein air" yew tree drawings since 1991 based on the topiary yew trees in St. Mary's Churchyard, Painswick, Gloucestershire, England.

Last summer, I began a new "plein air"  drawing and clocked in 130 hours on location in Painswick. The drawing is about half-way finished. With your help this summer, I want to return to England and complete the drawing. I also plan to continue searching for suitable gallery representation as well as press coverage to help raise awareness about my work and the significance of yew trees.

The Kickstarter site describes his "unique, generous rewards program" that includes prints of his work. The site also includes a video showing the beauty of the Painswick, UK, area and the incredible yew trees. My wife and I are excited about receiving some prints and are already looking at the walls and wondering where in the house to mount Greg's art.

Making a donation was as easy as buying something from Amazon--in fact, it was an Amazon "purchase"--very easy and simple.

Part of my motivation to sponsor Greg for this project is his articulation of the relationship between the artistic subject, the process of creating art, the inner life of the artist, and the experience of viewing art. At his website, Greg Thatcher Gallery, he writes the following:

 The direct experience of an artwork is primarily an internal experience, based solely upon our level of consciousness and our mental impressions and past experiences. Experiencing an artwork with openness can provide us with direct contact with our deeper selves and, at times, a beautiful epiphany that reaffirms the divine. This is my goal, and I hope that you will experience some of the joy, inspiration, beauty and raw primal forces of nature that I experienced while drawing.

I've known Greg as a teacher and friend for almost ten years. What I admire about him is his dedication to his art and how as a teacher he is able to model for his students what it means to live the life of an artist, of how refining one's artistic vision is not only an evolution of one's art but can also be a process that leads to personal growth. Greg walks the talk.

His art is beautiful, and since he's going to England, I feel free to quote Keats:  "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all /Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

Become a patron of the arts. Provide seed money for the advancement of art--and, therefore, truth. It's money well spent. Funding Greg Thatcher's "Plein Air" of the Sacred Yews project will add beauty to the world. I feel better because of my donation. As of this blog post, only six days are left for the funding. Now it's your turn.
 

Copyright 2014 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Photos and art copyright by Greg Thatcher, used with the author's permission 

"I Write: Being & Writing" Featured in Transcendental Meditation Online Magazine

"Here, have a copy of my new book, I Write: Being and Writing," I told Dr. Richard Beall, the head of Maharishi School, where I teach.

This was several months ago when he was traveling out of the country, so I knew he'd have some air travel time. Dr. Beall is our hands-on advocate of Consciousness-Based education, and his hands are always filled with a million things to do. I shamelessly took advantage of the "opportunity" that he'd be flying across the Atlantic Ocean and dropped off a copy of the book the night before he left town.

The result of my bold little gift was that the book is the focus-point of Dr. Beall's recent article in Enlightenment: The Transcendental Meditation Magazine. Entitled "Waking the Inner Writer: Consciousness in the Classroom," the article focuses on Maharishi School's innovative approach to education, an approach that emphasizes not just course content but also the consciousness of the learner.

"Tom Kepler is an English-Language Arts teacher at Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa, who challenges us to look beyond the words to realize the significance of the writer within," Dr. Beall states at the beginning of his article.

That is indeed one of the key concepts of the book, that writing is an intimate and accurate reflection of the consciousness of the writer, and that as writers we must consider not only the word but also the source of the word. I think it no exaggeration to refer to the words of the Bible in John 1:1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Words are the manifestation of what lies within us, and if we can only clean that channel from which consciousness flows to thought and thought to word, then our writing will be not only more uniquely our own but also more completely cosmic.

“As writers, we have to consider the subject, the ‘I.’ If I am dull or impatient or distracted or unhealthy, what I write will lack my full potential. Like an athlete, I must be fully engaged, alert. I must continue to grow and expand as a person,” is one way I express this in I Write: Being and Writing.

The book is divided into three parts: the writer, the process of writing, and the written word. In each section, I address the relationship between the techniques of writing and the awareness that we bring to writing. Most often writing about writing only focuses on processes or how "how to get into print." I wanted to balance that emphasis with a consideration of writing as a reflection of who we are.

Even for the most mono-focused, obsessed writer, writing is, at the end of the day, just one aspect of our lives. Who we are is the big issue--and is the basis of what we write.

At Maharishi School, I am happy to say, there is a healthy balance of both providing knowledge and expanding the ability to know. In terms of writing, Dr. Beall describes this as the process "to construct a pipeline between the inner reservoir of creativity and intelligence, and the writing process." I send my thank-you's to Maharishi School, to Dr. Beall, and to the students, the parents of those students, and to the faculty and staff with whom I interact every day. I may be the teacher, but I learn something and grow as a person every day at Maharishi School.

As writers, all of us have a new paradigm to follow, not just to increase our "hand-eye" coordination to more quickly type out more words, but also to improve our  "mind-word" coordination in order to write with greater depth and power. We should all follow in the footsteps of Maharishi School's children and start each day of writing with the purity of a clean slate.

Copyright 2013 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

Enjoy the Road with Bicycles

The other morning as I came to work, someone said to be, "Mornings getting cold?"

Probably it was the "layered look" of my biking garb: pants, sweater, jacket--topped by raingear functioning as windbreakers--and a bicycling helmet capped with a rainproof yellow wind barrier.

"Yes, it is cool out." What could I say, that I'd biked in much more severe weather, that once coming home, I'd shattered the frozen sleet from my jacket prior to entering the house, that I'd pushed my bike because the driving snow had gotten too deep? That would sound like bragging--when actually it would just be part of the short, mile-and-a-half ride home as a bike commuter.

I'd rather spend ten minutes riding my bike in snow and ice than spending ten minutes scraping my windshield. It's just much more satisfying.

My commuting is on pavement or a lime-chipped rails-to-trails path near my home, so I miss severe road tests like the one in the video below.


I have ridden through a flooded street that reached my petals, and I have learned to avoid the bike trails after a thaw because of the mud. I have worn my goggles because the sensation of freezing eyeballs is not pleasant. However, "extreme" is a relative term, and after commuting for years, I've grown used to putting up with occasional "adventure."

Knowing home is a short distance away makes it all an adventure, and an adventure that ends with a shower and a chance to watch the weather from inside is fun. It's something I'm glad I can choose to do. And so I hear that the first winter storm is coming tomorrow--I'd better oil up my winter boots!

Copyright 2012 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved

A December 2 Bike Ride

Such a nice weekend with temperatures in the 50's! I checked out our bikes, put air in the tires, and my wife and I went for a bike ride, about 7-8 miles, on Sunday morning.

Jefferson County Park trail

 We left our house and traveled the Fairfield Loop Trail (see map), following the old railroad route out to 8th Street (to the golf driving range) and then continuing on the cement bikeway to 22nd St. to Fesler's Auto. The new lime chip re-surfacing of the trail was firm, and the morning was cool and misty.

We continued on 22nd St. to the Cedar Creek entrance to Jefferson County Park, where we rode the trails to the W. Jackson exit at Oakwood Nursery. We met a couple of mountain bikers riding the trails, and they said we were "gutsy" riding the trails with our recumbents. I replied that we just had to go slowly, kind of like driving the Baja 500 in a Buick.

Riding through town, we hooked up with the trail again at the golf driving range and rode back home. We met a few other folks on the trail. Really, the weather was perfect for riding, neither cold nor hot, and with the clouds and mist, there was no worry of too much sun.

We are lucky to have the bicycling trails that we have here in Fairfield--and we were lucky to have a day warm enough in December to enjoy the trails!

Copyright 2012 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved