Sometimes you've just got to walk ...

Even though the riding season is fast coming to an end and most riders are squeezing in every last second on two wheels, sometimes you've just got to walk. You've got to walk to see the season's subtle masterpiece by the roadside. Tonight, between rain storms I decided to take time to walk and I found a scene I couldn't capture with a camera. The dampness in the air didn't dampen the delicate, wild roadside garden - wild asters in amethyst and purple, bouquets of brilliant goldenrod and pallid Queen Anne's lace, wispy, white milkweed pods exploding their softness over greens in olive and sage, deep maroon ivies, burnt red velvet tufts of sumac all coming into their own amidst the dying splendor of the maples. Take time - enjoy.
Send a link to share the autumn splendor where you live.

Fall Colours

Beautiful autumn colours, lunch at Wheeler's Pancake House and a tour of Kiwi Gardens... these are the things that added up to yet another glorious Sunday ride on the VStar. Sadly I can feel it though, the season, like Monday after a weekend, is coming all too soon to an end. A chill is in the air and winter is beginning to hint of its impending arrival. In all honesty, this morning with the temperature at 5 degrees C, had I not realized that the riding days are numbered, I could have easily cancelled. But instead I hauled all of the cold weather gear I could find from the closet - adding layer after layer until, like a toddler in a snowsuit, I could barely move. The sun was shining as I met up with my friends to follow their Jaguar in the annual Boot and Bonnet Car Club fall colours tour (yes, I'm a 'car' party crasher). I have to admit that somewhere about thirty minutes north of Westport, when the clouds covered the sun, I was questioning the sanity of my choice and thinking, "Are we there yet? Are we actually going to get there before my fingers freeze?" But one warm cup of coffee in the wonderful rustic surroundings amidst the beautiful scenery and the cold fingers were quickly forgotten. It turned out to be another near perfect day in Ontario that I'm glad I didn't miss (note to self, life would be more comfortable with heated grips and perhaps a heated vest).