APabstSmear: Friday Adventure And Kona Love

Happy Kona in the woods

It was a beautiful Friday morning, and it wasn't supposed to be so hot it would melt my face off. With my girl at a sleepover, it was time to take advantage. I woke up early, took care of my chores and hit the pavement. Within 5 miles I would hit some single-track that lead to my gavelicious breakfast.

No whining now

My last post had my whining that I haven't had time to ride and today I was ready to put the hurt on. You have to admit, you love it when your legs feel like jello and it hurts to walk. I know I can respect and appreciate self- induced pain. I was definitely due.

NEVER leave home without Road Id

Do these socks make my thighs look big?

My weapon of choice was my Kona JTS cross-bike, of course. I absolutely love this bike. He has tackled every challenge I have set before him. Everything from commuting to the store to completing the Dirty Kanza, 202.5 miles of gravel heaven in Kansas. After nearly 6000 miles, we are just like an old married couple. Comfortable enough to leave the bathroom door open, without the fights.

He loves having his picture taken

I think very highly of Busch Memorial Wildlife Area and enjoy the many different routes I can take to get a great workout in. I use this place as my training ground during winter and bad weather. There is a small amount of traffic between the lakes, fishermen trying to catch the big one.

Riding this double-track near a cornfield. Around the bend I almost hit a deer eating.

By the time I arrived, it was only about 80 degrees and cloudy. I got to watch the wildlife wake up. I saw several deer and a family of turkeys early in my ride. I was in absolute awe when I saw the owl flying right above me. What a beautiful animal. I slammed on the brakes to get a picture, I think he was frightened of my phone.

Click to see Whoooo is in the trees.

It was very hard to take in the damage a drought takes on the lakes and the water fowl protected area. As you can see, the lily pads are no longer in water. I did not see a single bird in this area. Very disappointing.

Missing water and waterfowl

With views like this, it's hard to keep from smiling. There are many back roads to ride and a few hills to keep the heart rate up.

Blue skies and gravel. What more could you want?

There is a restroom and a small concession window located at the front of the conservation area. I headed there to refill my bottles and met a fella who was watering flowers in a memorial area. We spoke for a few minutes and I thanked him for taking such good care of the sunflowers and butterfly bushes.