The Fruits of A Bicycle Ride

Remember how I was surprised and happy to find out that the trees in the park were actually apple trees? Well, I went to work yesterday to find out if any new bus routes were up for bid (they weren't) after riding with Jamie to his work. I stopped to pick some apples!

There was a tiny little boy there with an itty-bitty wooden cart getting apples, and a horse paused for a break to munch on some too. Most of the apples on the trees were green, many had tiny worm holes. Most of the apples with red blush were on the ground already. I'm not sure if the ones very high up were even as good as they looked, because it seems there were some birds enjoying those. So, I picked a couple apples off the tree to eat, since I was very hungry. They were yummy, and the thought of a free tasty pie popped into mind. I went around several trees picking reddish apples off the ground, and a few better ones from the trees. I wasn't sure how many I'd need since they were very small, but I got as many as my little tank top shirt basket could hold.

Pedaling past the waterfall, I thought I should stop and dunk my feet in the water- something I've wanted to do ever since I first saw it. I also discovered yellow dust all over my feet at that point, so there was another reason to kick off my flip-flops and enjoy the cold water. I did exactly that, and told a runner about the apples further up the trail.

Then, I came home and found Alton Brown's Good Eats episode on apple pie, since I have never made one before. Good Eats is my most favorite food-related television show. I followed his recipe as best I could, but we didn't have all the ingredients. Instead of Applejack liquor in the crust, there is Appleton rum. It has "apple" in the name, that's close enough, right? I had to use strawberry jelly instead of apple jelly in the filling. We didn't have tapioca flour for the filling, so I used regular. That might be why it was still a bit runny when I cut into it. Overall, though, I'm very pleased with my very first attempt at pie made from scratch, and with teeny tiny free apples!

Remember the orchard?

Tiny apples

All peeled and cut up.

Uncooked pie, with an aluminum foil pie bird. I might have to get a real one, they are super-cute. My first try at pie crust isn't too bad, I think.

Uncooked, but now with glaze on top. We don't have a brush to properly get it on there.

This is in the crust instead of Applejack. Supposedly the alcohol makes a nicer stiff crust instead of water. Smelled really nice.

Pie! Cooling on the counter. FOUR hours? That's just torture.

You can see that my bad crust job let some filling bubble through- exactly what the pie bird would have prevented.

Two slices cut out decently. Ah, the filling is still a bit runny.

This was really yummy!

Breakfast of champions, maybe not, but it certainly makes a great reward for yesterday's efforts.

(Oh, and I received a call this morning- I get to be a bus assistant! That's better than a substitute until I can drive my own bus route. Happy Friday-Eve!)

Jamie's Commute Too!

So, after I got home today, I realized I had nothing else to do for the day. When Jamie asked if I wanted to ride with him on his way to work, I thought it was a great idea! I even have pictures for you, too, since my camera battery apparently charges lightning-fast. Jamie gets to see all this going to work, but often he works in the evenings and comes home in the dark. These pictures are after I brought him dinner (which I cooked!! with help). That makes 3 trips out from home and back today, and I feel awesome.

Here you go:

The sky as I stepped outside was gorgeous. 

It tends to do pretty things a lot out here, and I'm appreciative.

Zoomie is done hanging out with the gutter pipe. Time for a ride!

On the way out of that shopping area is a neat little picnic area between the road and a building. I always see the cat, but only just now noticed the picnic awesomeness.

That shopping center empties out at a light to cross into this dying mall. I personally think it is sad and a little bit creepy to see an empty mall, but it is a convenient way to avoid a very busy intersection.

A pretty view at the light still. Waiting patiently with the cars.

Free of traffic! First a big field.

Then a park! Can you guess the theme?

Eggs? Or maybe just fun rocks.

And on this farm there was a pig E I E I O.

Sidewalk details!

Moo. Why does this cow look so sad?

I was excited to notice this as I was leaving the park, but it isn't that great. Someone put a tree right where the spyglass looks to. I saw leaves.

The coolest mailbox I've seen in a while.

Some neat little sculpture thingy. I wonder if it moves.

Pretty flowers are always great to see.

The little trail winds out behind a bunch of homes, out of the way, yet convenient to avoid the little circles of roads that cars have to stick to.

Home Sweet Home. For a year, anyway.

Ride Home With Me

Happy Friday!

Follow along with pictures on my wonderful bike ride home on the St Vrain Greenway :)

Garden in a circle. 

Work is just to the right along that road. I ride under the overpass and cross a bridge over the stream, then take the sidewalk until I can cross the road right into the parking lot. The path doesn't empty out nicely onto the road for me.

I get to ride under a few roads, instead of having to worry about crossing them! There are gates to close off the Greenway for high water. I wonder how often that actually happens?

Wheeee!

I found a tiny soccer ball.

Now it shall be Grunt's new tiny soccer ball toy.

One of several small lakes/large ponds I get to ride by. There are lots of geese to see and occasionally dodge, but today they were having a party somewhere else I guess. I heard them, but didn't see any.

A neat pice of artwork at the edge of the lake. There are bunches of "Art in Public Places" and I aim to eventually see them all- they are numbered on my bike map :)

Little pedestals along the path have odd sculptures on them, and while biking past they resemble dog poops. Now I know they aren't!

Here is the table shown in an earlier post. There were little groundhogs or prairie dogs all over that hill, but they are really hard to spot in person- I'm not sure you can find one at all in the picture.

I finally stopped here! There are usually always people, so I haven't before. 

I sat down and the bowl amplifies the gurgling of the stream in a way that makes me wish I had my own personal Listening Stone with a cushion to curl up on and read a book.

I never realized it, but those are apple trees! I must stop and get some next time, they would make a wonderful snack.

A particularly inviting place along the stream. The Greenway follows it all the way to the pretty waterfall, where my route splits off to go home.  

Because the gravel is loosely packed? Or maybe because you won't run someone over (theoretically) on foot? These little trails look like they go down to the water, or maybe small clearings to have a picnic.

Perhaps my favorite part of the Greenway. I liked the bird immediately, but it took stopping to take pictures for me to read the placard and find out it's supposed to be a Kestrel. 

My favorite bird? No wonder I liked it!

And... here the battery pack in my new camera finally refused to turn back on (it had been flashing the battery symbol at me since the first picture!).

So, I got out my phone of course!

I get spectacular views!

That spec in the sky is a skydiver. 

There were actually six of them or so, but the others are hard to spot.

More mountain view.

The airport is nearby, so I get to watch aircraft landing often.

Under the bridge at my Greenway exit.

The final stretch home!

Happy Friday everyone! 

Have a great weekend.