A Quick Dash Before The Rain That Never Comes

Delhi, ON to Simcoe, ON
14 miles
147 feet ascent
226 feet descent
447 calories

It was supposed to begin raining last night, then this morning, then this afternoon, now later tonight.  The radar showed rains a couple of hours away, so instead of sitting around waiting for it, I decided to dash down the road to a bigger town with more facilities and better motels.  With wind forecasts even higher than yesterday, I expected it would take close to two hours.  But when I got on the Delhi Rail Trail (thank you, Google Maps!), it was an oasis from the wind because of all the tree growth along the trail. 

Delhi Rail Trail

It only took about an hour, and it turned into a delight to ride.  Though not paved, the trail was what they call "packed gravel", it was just as nice as most of the roads.  Some of it even narrowed down to some fun single track riding.

Single Track Section of Delhi Rail Trail

It is nice to experience some familiar sights and sounds as I approach western New York State.  This morning I saw some of the squirrels with black coats of fur that I have only ever seen in this area.

Black Fur Squirrel

(On The pole--you may need to click to enlarge)

I also came across some grape vines as wine country in the Finger Lakes area is not too far away.

Grape Vines

Finally, I heard lots of chipmunk squels as I rode through the woods, and I came across some blackberry bushes,  but I'm too late for those...

BlackBerry Bush 

It was a brisk 56 degrees when I left Delhi, and the wind chill once off the rail trail kicked in, so I found a spot for a nice bowl of warm chili before checking in to my motel.

Chili Time

It is now six in the evening and still no rain, so we'll see what tomorrow has in store.