sept. 5

Today we put the bikes and kayak on the car for some fun on the rails-to-trails paths and the rivers. Now, I ask you, how is this better than flying an airplane for fun? It's not really. I'm still burning the oil and gas. So it's hypocritical to say you are doing environmentally friendly sports if you are using a car to do them.

We went to the Glacial Drumlin Trail, starting at Lake Mills. It is one of our favorite rides because of the variety: a nice lake, aspen trees, farmland, and lots of waterfowl in a wetlands area. The temperature was 74 F, winds 7 mph from the east when we started out at noon. Here are some Sandhill cranes:

a great egret:

I think these were sandhill cranes in flight. I thought I caught the red head when I zoomed on one of the images. Also the bird book said that the cranes flight with their heads straight, whereas the great blue heron crooks his neck more.

Going in for a landing:

That was fun to watch. There were so many of them.

Then I we drove a couple of mile to Aztalan State Park, where I launched the kayak into the Crawfish river. Okay, it's not a bike, but it sure was fun. I saw the biggest bald eagle I've ever seen. I saw him several times as he kept flying away from me and then I'd catch up to him. I also a great blue heron, and I think some killdeer. Next time I'll know to look for the black neck bands. I want to bring my binoculars but need a waterproof case for them. Here's a view from the kayak: