The best thing about biking in this oppressive humidity is that you don't feel it when you are moving. The air rushes past you and you don't feel the least bit sweaty, that is, until you stop. I get to where I am going and am suddenly aware that my clothes are sticking to me.

Usually, the scenery is pretty good too. Along Hwy M, heading towards Verona from Madison, there is an entire field of archtypical "amber waves of grain". Also, there are fields and fields and fields of better than "knee-high" corn which makes me happy that there will be sweet corn this year, despite dire predictions of flooding damage.

I took a new path today, one that runs from Farley in the West, along Campus Drive towards the Vet School. I think it is not done yet, because there was a lot of construction on it behind the Vet School, and I turned off, onto Linden to get to work. It also isn't well marked for bikes, making the crossing on Hilghland dangerous because you don't know when exactly you can go. I'm sure they'll be improving that. They have solar powered lights, which could be of great novelty and, if they work well, a nice advancement.

Along that path, near the Forest Products Lab, there is a greenhouse, and there were two herons there, just on the other side of the fence, picking at the grass. I tried to get a decent picture but I didn't stop and instead got an interesting shot of my handlebars. I love herons, especially their orangy red bill and the fact that they are so gangly. They look like half of the bird got left somewhere else.

When J and I went to Mt. Horeb on Sunday, we were besieged with people stopping on the path to forage along the bushes for raspberries. Since then, I've been keeping an eye out for my own private bush of berries, but haven't found it yet.

I've been seeing a lot of tiger lillies about, growing wild mostly, and there was a nice morning glory along the new bike path, which made the urban corridor a little more enjoyable and a little less bleak. There's a lot of baby's breath about as well, like little low clouds of white.

All in all, there's a lot of things to distract from the heat while on your bike. That is...until you stop. Don't stop. Enjoy the ride.