After work yesterday I went for a short ride along the Washington and Old Dominion Rail Trail. This is a great, 44.5 mile multi-use trail that cuts across Northern Virginia, providing both a recreational and commuting opportunity for cyclists, as well as walkers, runners, rollerbladers, etc. I ride it year round, as regular readers know, so I get to witness the changing faces of the trail by season.
Yesterday, it was all about blackberry blossoms! Silly as it sounds, I never really gave any thought to the fact that blackberry brambles do in fact blossom, until riding this trail, rich in berries, became a regular part of my life. Each spring the small white blossoms pop up on the arcing, curving branches of the blackberry bushes... soon to be followed by the berries themselves, bringing folks out with buckets and bags to pick them.
I also saw this other blossoming brush in some abundance, but I have no idea what it is... anyone out there care to give me a hint? Pretty flowers, and quite a few of them.The bunnies are out too... little tiny cottontail rabbits, probably just a few weeks old. I didn't manage to get a photo of the one I saw last night... he was far too shy, and vanished almost as soon as I saw him. If you know the trail, by the way, it's fun sometimes to dip off the paved trail and onto one of the unpaved side trails, primarily meant for walking and horseback riding, I believe. If you have a bike with wide enough (oh, about 28mm or wider) tires, and you're careful, it can give you a slightly "wilder" feeling than you get on the paved path. That's what I did last night, and I'm glad I did.
Finally, on the way back home, I saw a customer whose bike I've worked on quite a bit. He chided me about riding too slow, so I picked up the pace and we zipped along together for a couple of miles, chatting about bikes and things. It was an unexpected and fun addition to my ride. Most of my riding is solitary, so I enjoy the company when I have it.
2 comments:
sweet pea
have you heard this riddle?
"white as snow, green as grass, red as blood, black as coal."
can you guess, based on your post? :-)
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