Nothing really epic today, just a few shots from the final mile or so of shore trail on the west side of Draper Lake. As you might expect, I was actually more interested in some solitude in a natural setting. As soon as I passed under I-240 and approached the entrance to the western trail leading into the Drape Lake recreational area, I sensed the raucous greeting of the place, welcoming me back.
This time I went around behind the model aircraft landing strip and reconnected with where I last fled the trail under threat of rain. As I came around the point of land, the view across the arm of the lake caught me, so I stopped to shoot.
As I turned to remount the bike, I noticed a small rocky point hidden behind the foliage on the shoreline. I hung out there for a bit and found it quite lovely. I walked out onto a couple of partially submerged extensions of rock to get a good angle on this spot.
The water was cool, but not cold. Oddly, it lacked the normal fishy smell that seems to hang over Draper most of the year. I’m guessing it’s the result of all that fresh water from down south pumped up through that hundred-mile long 4-foot wide pipeline. Then, too, today is likely the last of the cool weather for this season. I rode on around the arm of the lake and came out on Point 1. There was a rocky spit on the southern edge, so I rode out onto it and discovered a spot facing against the southeasterly breeze where the shore dropped off quickly, which means that the wind-driven wave action was rather loud. That’s actually pretty rare among all the various rocky spots I’ve visited. I hung out there quite awhile and ate my snack; the sound was just lovely.
I know that once the temperatures hit above 70° F consistently, the biting flies will hatch and there won’t be too many safe spots to hang out near the water. We expect to see 90s in a couple of days, so I made the most of this one last trail ride before I headed home back the way I came via the Sooner Road corridor.
