Catch a wiff

The pace is right to be able to take in the aromatics of the ride.  It is as though I am being invited to define the sources as I ride by.

Right now the honeysuckle is overwhelming.  As I breathe in, the impression is sweet and captivating.  It is hard for me to understand why no one has derived this scent into a flavor for a drink.  I imagine it mixed with honey and when I am thirsty from the ride, it is easy to think how refreshing it would be to have a taste of honeysuckle to quench that thirst.

Further along the ride I pass freshly tilled fields being prepared for planting.  Earth and air come together to create an effect that is distinct.  It is not refreshing but it is comforting.  It is a rich odor that reminds me of childhood and digging in the dirt.

Passing the churning waterfall I realize how much this smells like the soil but it is not exactly the same.   As the water cascades over the moss covered stones you pick up notes of the earth and the plants that are nearby.

Though not at all pleasant, the stench of decomposition is almost always a part of the ride.  You are bound to encounter an animal that has been struck by a car and is off to the side of the road.  This can be a choking reminder of how easily you could be struck by an auto and cast aside. 

Presently most of the lilacs have already bloomed but the few plants that are growing in the shaded areas are giving of a wonderful fragrance.   This reminds me of my grandmother’s back yard.  This is a plant that I have learned to identify by its perfume at an early age.

Of course the smell of fresh cut grass is always a part of the journey.  If my lawn is long when I ride this is the stink of guilt.  If I have already cut the lawn then this is a sweet summertime aroma.

Each and every trip brings a new sensation to my nose.  No two rides bring exactly the same olfactory pattern even if the course is the same.  As the weather changes and the seasons shift so does the palette.  I never set out thinking about this, but it always becomes a part of what links me back to that jaunt.