The Day was Dark and Dreary, but....

It sure felt good to get out and ride. The last two weeks have been full of long days at work, a good deal of stress, and too many sleepless nights. I ended my twentieth year of teaching on Friday.

The students were done on Thursday and some of the good-byes were very emotional. This past year, was without a doubt, one of my most difficult in the classroom. So, needless to say I was somewhat anxious to put it behind me and start a new at summer's end.
Early on in my ride I came across this sight along one of the gravel roads I was riding. I thought is was a unique photo op. Someone obviously found it in the ditch and propped it up on the side of the road. I hope it stays there for awhile.
The day was somewhat dark and dreary and there was also wet weather moving in from the south so I got a pretty early start this morning. The beauty of these gravel roads is that most of the time they are devoid of traffic which I find to my liking.
Even with all the gloominess there was the occasional oasis of color. I found these wild roses growing in a ditch on the side of the road.
I surprised to find that even with all the rain we've received the roads were fairly dry and not too muddy. The trails were another story and I didn't even try riding them.
I love the gravel back roads in this area because they offer plenty of hills and some wonderful scenery.
The horses were out in their pastures all over the countryside this morning. This particular one caught my eye and was kind enough to pose for a photo.
After about three hours of riding I decided to head back to the trailhead. About five miles from the parking lot a steady, and very cold rain began to fall. It felt good for about two minutes and I was more than happy to get back to the car.

I'm feeling that this will be a good summer and I will have plenty of opportunities to ride in the rain.