There's No Place Like Home

Almost every Saturday morning, I'm up early for the day's planned cycling adventure.  I love these things, but sometimes I just need a little time at home.  Between working full time, commuting, volunteering, and riding as much as I do, I actually have to schedule unscheduled time.  Ah, modern life.

Yesterday was gloriously agenda-free.  I didn't have to set my alarm clock.  I had a leisurely breakfast with Robert and the dogs.  Pumpkin oatmeal - my favorite any time of year!  After doing some laundry, I was ready for a bicycle ride.

First, I headed uptown to The Vanilla Bean to do my Bilbo Baggins impersonation.

It was a real treat to visit our local coffee shop because I'm rarely in town during the hours it's open.  There are always neighbors to greet and excellent beverages and baked goods at The Vanilla Bean.  A cup of green dragon tea and a slice of Italian cream cake gave me plenty of fuel for my ride.

I had already planned on doing a gravel grinder, but it turned out to be an especially good choice because yesterday was very windy.  Riding under the trees along unpaved roads shielded a good bit of the wind.  I headed south to the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge (PWR).

Although I'm not very well traveled, I have been a few places.  The world is so varied in its splendor.  Maybe I just love my home, but to me there's no place more beautiful than Middle Georgia.

I love the bright, fresh hues of green in spring, and yesterday the cloudless sky was brilliant blue.  This section of the route is one of my favorites.  The trees are managed to provide the open-growth forest habitat preferred by the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker:

Later I came to this natural rock crossing.  It's kind of fun to pedal through the water:

The southernmost portion of my route went to the Ocmulgee, one of Georgia's great rivers:

I looped back north on more wonderful dirt roads, savoring the day.  When I got home, I had a late lunch of Hormel chili, my guilty pleasure.  It was my favorite thing for Saturday lunch when I was growing up.  I ate it the same way I did back then, too, with a little Tabasco on top.

After that I lay on the sofa to read a while, happy to have the dogs nearby.  Not surprisingly, I dozed off.  When I awoke, Robert was back from his ride, and he asked me if I wanted to walk with him down to the creek behind our house.  If I had a tail, I would have wagged it!

The fiddleheads of the newly emerging ferns were a delight:

I could have spent the day doing household chores, but I have to remind myself that life isn't a checklist.  Sometimes it's good just to be home.