Spring Has Finally Sprung
Spring has recently arrived in Eastern Iowa, rescuing us from the third-snowiest winter on record but bringing along additional precipitation in the form of severe weather with flash-flooding. Our local flood-control reservoir is running less than four feet below the emergency spillway at 708 feet above sea level while the normal conservation pool level is only 683 feet. Quite a few of the mountain bike trails at Sugar Bottom are flooded, although I was able to go for a ride last weekend on the southern trails and avoided the high water for the most part.
With all the rain recently I’ve had a lot of time to finish overhauling my Specialized Rockhopper, ending a long process that started in November. I disassembled and cleaned/relubed everything except the bottom bracket, doing all the work myself except for tensioning the wheels and regreasing the hubs which I had the LBS do. The bike definitely rides differently than my Trek hardtail, more stretched out with a lower hand position due to the flat bar. The steeper head angle makes the steering quicker, and the rigid fork means the ride isn’t as smooth. I’m looking forward to taking it out to Sugar Bottom to see how well it performs compared to a modern bike.
The picture above is of a mound of maiden grass, a species that grows to 5-7 feet tall. Sara and I planted two clumps over the weekend along with some daylilies in an effort to add color to the landscape outside our condo. Last year we tried planting several spirea (’Magic Carpet’), but only one of five survived the winter. The soil in the area is mostly clay so we have been experimenting with different plants to see what works the best. I’m hoping that these two new species will be as robust as their reputations.