Life, lush and fresh and new

I went biking at the Greeneway today. As you might expect, there are pictures.

It was beautiful out. It had just rained, and was about to rain again, but I was lucky enough to catch a window of respite. The rain had made it very humid, but it was cool, so when I got up to speed on my bike it felt like a refreshing breeze.

I started at The River Golf Club, as is usual when I go by myself. I like to be as close to the very end of the trail as I can...and it's also more convenient for me to go to that parking lot than it is to wind back around Georgetown Villas to get to the Activities Center parking lot. This way, I just come up Riverwatch, turn left on 13th Street, go across the bridge to North Augusta, turn right on Buena Vista, and turn right again to get to the lot.

I decided to cruise down along the golf club first, and try to get some pictures of the flowering plants there. As you'll see, I was pretty fortunate. I also got a couple nice shots of the Augusta skyline from that angle.

Once I entered the main section of the Greeneway (I consider the main section to start at the tunnel where the sign is), I tried to keep myself on track. After all, I was there for exercise...the pictures were just a side bonus.

Of course, you know me. When I saw a good shot, I stopped and took it ;>

Still, I didn't take as many pictures as I normally would have before I made it to the opposite end of the trail. Eventually, the Greeneway is going to be expanded into a loop (or so I hear), but for now it ends at a parking lot along some street. I took a break and drank some water (for some reason, humidity makes me thirsty), then headed back down.

On my way back, I started trying to bike using no hands. It didn't take long for me to get acclimated, surprisingly. I rode most of the way back to my car with my arms hanging at my sides, or my hands laced together on top of my head (by this point I was pretty sweaty, and the breeze felt good under my arms). I think it's easier to ride no-handed when you're going downhill, but with practice I was able to keep it up even on the uphill sections.

When I passed the Activities Center, I remembered the big dip towards the end of the trail. How was I going to pull that off no-handed? By this point, I didn't want to use the handlebars. I was enjoying the freedom of not using my hands, raising my arms and pretending I was flying, resting my wrists. So when I got there, I lifted my arms a little for balance, but otherwise didn't go for the handlebars. I had to stop pedaling and coast down the hill, and then I started pedaling at the bottom and made my way back up...all without using my hands.

Then I saw a tree I wanted to take a picture of, and started losing control, so I grabbed the handlebars and squealed to a stop, laughing. I couldn't believe I'd done it.

I rode on, through the tunnel and past my car to the little trail that heads out towards Buena Vista. I just wanted to see what the odd brick enclosure looked like after a rain. I'm not sure what it's used for, but it obviously has something to do with water. Maybe it helps to keep a stream from flooding; I'm not sure. All I know is that it looks neat. Today was no exception; I couldn't really see a difference in the water level, but the plants growing in the bottom of the enclosure were a beautiful, bright green.

After getting my fill of the loveliness of the brick enclosure and surrounding forest, I finally headed back. It was a great ride, and a beautiful day, and I'm thrilled I got to experience it.