Steel Weekend

 

Damselflies and Widow Skimmer Dragonflies, Assunpink Lake

27 July 2025

Tom and Jim co-listed a Saturday ride from Cranbury. Theirs was listed as B- and C+. Two other rides were scheduled to leave from there as well. Not wanting any part of that mess, with Heddy and Martin in tow, I rode in from home on Kermit to wait for the group to appear at the intersection of Windsor Road and South Lane. We got there early. I took a picture of the field across from us.

Two other groups whizzed past us as we waited. When Tom's group arrived, I found myself on the only steel bike in the group. Kermit and I have nearly 48,000 miles together since I picked him up at a swap meet in October 2000. In all that time, I had never found the Waterford a difficult bike to ride. Until two years ago, when Janice arrived with her carbon frame and carbon wheels, that is. What I gave up in comfort I gained in power transfer. On Saturday, I traded keeping up with the front of the pack with not having any pain in my back. I'd been hoping for a mellow ride, which this wasn't.

There were two people off the front, neither of whom I would have pegged for the drop-the-leader sort, who weren't bothering to wait for the rest of the group, and who blew right on past the rest stop. See Plain Jim's Rule Number Two. Have a nice day. 

Jim's group arrived moments after we did. "I brought a knife to a gunfight," I told him, pointing to Kermit. "I'm the only steel bike." He said, "Yeah, well, I'm the only one here with friction shifters."

Our group left before Jim's. We headed towards the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area. Tom called out for us to turn into the lake parking lot.

I walked to the lake's edge to look at the dragonflies and damselflies. They were moving too quickly for me to attempt to capture any, even when they settled for a second on a leaf. Instead, I aimed my lens at the water and figured I'd zoom in on the photo when I got home.

I got lucky. Over the water were two widow skimmer dragonflies (left) and some species of damselfly in the center and right.

I aimed blindly at the reeds by the shore, but didn't catch any insects resting.

It hadn't been a particularly hot morning, but the heat was creeping up as the three of us peeled off of the main group on Perrineville Road. We had 48.5 miles when we reached my driveway. Martin had to Griff it up to 50, so he followed Heddy home. I was too hungry to ride any more miles. I'd bought a muffin at Woody's, but it was in my pocket.

There was a chance of rain in Sunday's forecast. There was also a social C ride listed to start three miles from my house. If I were to take Beaker, I'd be able to say that I'd ridden all of my road bikes in the space of a week: Miss Piggy on Monday and Thursday's work commutes, Janice on Wednesday night, Kermit Saturdy, and Beaker on Sunday. 

So I rode Beaker to Village Park (not the one in Cranbury). An air quality alert had been in effect since Saturday afternoon, as Canadian wildfire smoke blew eastward. The air was cool and very humid. It was also visible.

At the western end of Burd Road, I pulled out my phone to get pictures of the haze. I hate that my phone pixellates the zoom. I hope my next one doesn't do that.

I'd been wondering why the name of the route was "HM21Butterfly13b." When we detoured into the Watershed Institute for a visit to the butterfly garden and butterfly house, part of the name made sense.

I was the only one who walked over to the butterfly house and went in. There were monarchs inside.

This is a backlit monarch chrysalis.

Outside, under a sign, sat a katydid. They've been making quite the racket in my back yard, but they're up in the trees. I was glad to see one at eye level.

We passed near Terra Momo on the way back, but nobody wanted to stop there. I contemplated going in to bring home some pretzel bread, but it was so humid the salt would have dissolved.

In the last few miles, two riders jumped ahead, and I felt compelled to catch them, hoping they'd slow down to wait for the rest of the group. But by that time, we'd gone through a light, and the rest of the group was out of view. 

At least Beaker wasn't the only steel bike on this ride. Jeff P had a 1976 Puch with shiny chrome everything (including a rear fender) and a kickstand. This was the kind of ride where one can bring out the old stuff and not worry about being dropped. Beaker is meant for this. The feel is so soft it makes Kermit feel harsh, and Kermit makes Janice feel harsh.

I got home so early that it wasn't even hot yet. I decided to do yard work, still in my bike clothes, and by the end of that, I was thoroughly soaked. 

We're supposed to get a little rain this evening, maybe? The air quality has improved.

*****

I'll end with a spider. Here's an orchard orbweaver (Leucauge venusta). I could have cropped and zoomed. I didn't.

You're welcome.