Follow the River / Autumn Dreams / Free Girl

Over the weekend, we had mostly just stayed home. But come Monday morning, it was time to go somewhere. I heard my husband messing around in the garage. When he came out, he approached me with a great big smile. 

"Come and see," he said, and took me to my car, which now had my orange bicycle packed into its back seat. "I woke up thinking. . . What can I do to make my wife happy and have some fun?" he said. He nodded toward the bike: "YOU are going on a GRAND ADVENTURE!"

It's surely been one of the best Octobers I can remember. We've packed so much into it and the color show has been fantastic. But a place we hadn't been to yet this fall was the Lower (rhymes with flower) Trail, along the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River, also known as the Little Juniata. 

I've walked on the Lower Trail plenty of times. Sometimes my husband jogs. It's a nice, flat trail along the river, well maintained. Yes, I've walked it before but I'd never RIDDEN MY BICYCLE THERE yet. But this was going to be my big day to go and explore!

So we drove down through Spruce Creek to Water Street, parked my car by the flea market, and my husband took my bike out of the car and put it back together. You see, he'd had to disassemble it a bit to fit it in. So he was armed with a pair of big wrenches, and in a few minutes, my bike was back together again, and I was on it. 

I'd decided to wear leggings, a long-sleeve shirt, my newest purple and pink outdoor adventure shoes, my purple hat, and a blue fleece vest. Inside my daysack on my back were my camera, additional clothes, a bottle of water, my tunes box, and my friends the Moose, Tiny Tiger, and the Anteater. We were ALL going on a grand adventure! My husband got ready to go for a jog. I walked my bike over to the trail, rode a ways, and stopped many, MANY times to take pictures.

We had agreed we'd spend a couple of sunny hours on the trail. He would go for a light run. And in the time that we had, I would go as far as I could on my bicycle, and perhaps see parts of the trail I'd never been to before! Win, and WIN! 

There is a spot near the start of the trail where there is a bench and you can walk straight down to the water. There are a bunch of sycamores there and it is a favorite spot for reflection photos. Just outstanding. So I did that photo op first, and then I took off down the trail.

I was on my bike for about 90 minutes, give or take. Since it was a Monday afternoon, there was hardly anybody there! The occasional bicycle rider, a walker or two. But that was it. I said Hello to everyone I passed. I had walked through the flea market and taken the trail going to the RIGHT, walking upstream. In a few places, there were rapids, but mostly, the surface was smooth as glass. Perfect for reflections.

The afternoon light was glorious, and as it filtered through the trees, it maximized the leaf glow. The beautiful leaves were lit by that wonderful sunlight, and it was prettier than a picture. (The light had significant impact on the color show; the trip upriver was much more beautiful with the leaf show than was the same ground traversed in the opposite direction; weirdly enough, on the way back, the colors were a bit flat.) 

I listened to wonderful music as I rode. Every single song seemed like the soundtrack of my life. My life itself seemed like a wonderful autumn dream. Full of color, and light, and beauty. I could have wept, but instead, I smiled. A great, big smile; as I rode, and I rode, and I rode.

I went beyond where I'd ever gone before. I visited a little pavilion, sat in a bench or two, hopped off my bike and posed it for photos along the trail. Honestly, is there anything more beautiful than Pennsylvania in October? I warn you: if you ever come here for October when the foliage is good, you will be SMITTEN. You will never, ever want to leave. You will never, ever want ANY other season than this one, with its beautiful sunny afternoons and its glorious leaves. And the river beside me. Oh, follow . . . follow the river.

Shortly after 2, I met my husband at one of the benches near where I'd gotten on the trail. He had changed clothes after jogging and was sitting in his chair along the river. I cruised up with a great big smile on my face. "Honestly, hon," I said as I hopped off the bike, "I think that's the only trail I've ever ridden where it felt like I was riding DOWNHILL both ways!" 

I told him about my fantastic adventure, about how far I'd gone, further than ever before. He smiled and nodded; this was a special day he'd set up for me in advance, and made it so. The moving force that set the plan in motion. That's my man.

I thanked him for the gift of this grand adventure with my sweet little bike. If I had been walking, sure, I could have still seen some things. But NOTHING like what I got to see, and as far as I had gotten to go, on the bike. It was spectacular. "You may never get to do this again," he had warned me at the beginning. "Now, GO AND SEE." And I did. And it was so, so beautiful!

"You just looked so free," my husband offered, this morning, as we recapped our trip with glee. "This was as happy as I've seen you since your parents died." Oh, and I took 301 photos during this adventure, which sort of cracks me up. The extra 1. Couldn't have been just 300! But 301! Ha ha ha! They are all full of light, and color, and beauty, and joy. And every single one makes me smile. It was hard to pick just three, but here they are, for you to enjoy this day with me:

Follow the River - above, a reflections shot I took near where I got on the trail, including some of the grand sycamores that bend and dance along the river.
Autumn Dreams - extra photo, one of SO MANY pictures I took of the pretty benches, this beautiful trail, and its wonderful leaves.
Free Girl - extra photo, a picture my husband took of me on my bike (yes, that is the Moose in my hands! Tiny Tiger and Anteater were on a bench nearby).

And so that brings us to the end of this great big grand adventure for one VERY happy girl! I've picked three songs to go with these photos: John Mellencamp's To the River, Air Supply's Sweet Dreams, and Belinda Carlisle's I Feel Free.

And here's a great big thank you and a kiss for the special guy who secretly set up and planned this day, just to make me happy. *blows kiss*