Catching Up! Friday Obstacles

I have missed blogging!  I have had an incredibly busy four days (five if I count today)!  I am going to try and do some catching up tonight with several blog posts-let's see how far I get!  So much has happened these past few days!

Last week Thursday we had a pretty nasty wave of storms move through the area.  We had wild winds and heavy hail that left a trail of destruction...just how much I didn't realize until Friday morning.  I took my usual new route but when I got to my old starting point I had to slam on my breaks to prevent myself from crashing into a swath of tree branches.  It is DARK at 5:30 in the morning, even with my light I really can't see that far.  I had been cautious on an earlier stretch of the trail because I know that downpours can cause the creek to flow over the trail leaving debris.  I avoided those logs and didn't think much of meeting any other obstacles along the way...that is until I cruised down the hill and was surprised by the darkness (this part of the trail is lit).  I flashed my bike light around but could see no way through.  Large tree limbs had fallen from trees on both side of the path which prevented me from being able to get anywhere.  I finally accepted defeat and turned my bike around.  I figured that I could ride down the street and get on the trail in another spot a few blocks down the street.  The old me would have said that this was a sign to go home and go to bed so I was happy that I decided to keep going.
The park had another obstacle waiting for me-my trail into the park was blocked by a strategically placed picnic table and a large piece of machinery.  I think it was meant to indicate the park was closed.  I didn't want to chop another part out of my ride so I ducked and dodged and got on the trail anyway.  They were well on their way to being set up for Riverboat Days!  (More about that later.) 
I headed home thinking about my crazy morning ride.  I wanted to get a photo of the downed limbs so I swung back by the trail to attempt to take a photo.  It was still pretty dark at the point to it isn't the best photo.  I also got to see the lovely skid mark that my back tire left behind.  So here is my Friday morning:

 

On a side note, I noticed on my Monday ride that the the limbs had completely smashed the top of the lamp post that is normally in this area which would explain the extreme darkness that lead to my almost crash...good thing I wear my helmet!