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| All one needs to enjoy a summer night in Iowa. |
All academic really. Long miserable work week over and time to unwind. Unwine(d). For once it was not raining nor did we have anything more pressing to do. I'd be damned if it was another evening in front of a screen, computer, phone or TV. Get Out! Having blown my stupid money on concert tickets and my new denial of beer like I've something to prove our options were limited. No bars or pubs for overpriced swill. Time to burn the reserves. Grab two bottles of vino from the fridge and load the bicycles up for a ride somewhere off in the sunset. Perhaps gather a friend or two to join us. After all, I am nothing but a fool.
We went from winter to one week of Spring and then summer. The temperature has reached the 80s most of the week and after the Mother's Day Deluge a bumper crop of mosquitoes emerged. Pack the DEET. Put the wine in a cooler with reusable ice packs. Cork screw and drinking vessels. Bring a candle for ambiance. Pack the bike. The cooler was too wide for the single speed's panniers. Grab the touring bike. Grab a light. Leave the candle and matches on the grill while unloading one bike and loading the other. GTFO because there is a cloud of blood sucking mosquitoes. Ride off to the west.
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| Mary's road bike and my touring bike. Sadly, I've only put 20 miles on the bike this year. |
As we rolled past the Jackson Street Bridge I realized that I have not ridden this far west on the trail since I transferred downtown. My bicycle riding has pretty much died. 30 miles a day to 4. Today I will get 10 or 11 miles.
Our destination is unknown to the public. This prevents people from destroying it. Not an illegal site, it is a county park. A park with lots of New Age and Hippie craft. A wonderful place to chill and hangout. Rabbits were are only company. Mosquitoes the only distraction until the DEET was applied. Our friends, they hung out at bars most likely consuming large quantities of Busch Light. Their loss.
First up was the Moscato. Pretty sure I paid $5 for this at the grocery store. Been in the house for many, many months, perhaps over a year. It was removed from the top of the cupboard and placed in the refrigerator for some family event but never opened. There it chilled, literally, for several months.
As far as Moscatos go it was crap. Sweet yet some underlying foul flat aftertaste. Cheap California wine. HRM Rex-Goliath Winery. Named after a 47 lb cock. Giant rooster. My first sip had me thinking it was Australian. It clocked in at 9.5% alcohol. Mary did not complain. we finished the bottle.
Round 2 was all me. $5 Italian being blown out by the new downtown Hy Vee grocery store. Pro-tip. Never purchase wine that is displayed by the meat counter. That is meant to generate impulse purchases which this was. Rosato Toscana, a rose from Italy 2016. Bottled by ICQRF for Vinicola Ricaiano-Rufina-Italia and imported a Texas marketing group and purchased in Des Moines, Iowa. Long travels to get to our location on a bicycle. Clocking in at 12% it trumped the moscato. A dry white. After tasting it I knew Mary would not enjoy this one. Not my style either. I don't think I will purchase another. But I finished the bottle because not to would be abuse.
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| I tried this without the flash but it was too dark. |
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So we sat in the garden and looked at the lights and stars and listened to the echo of a wedding somewhere nearby. Fireworks announced the end of the Iowa Cubs baseball game. We heard them but could not see them. Friday home game. Our dog was probably hating life at that moment, too loud and a dangerous sound.
We discussed life and upcoming events. Once again I pushed the envelop of our summer adventures. Just trying do something special to create memories. Plans to travel to Cleveland and then Long Beach to see a certain bad headline two festivals secretly hoping a third gig will appear at a proper venue with out the festival glut. Plans for our bicycle adventure up in the air because of PTO waiting lists. Autumn is more enjoyable time a year to ride anyway. At least we have this quiet spot.
