Catch up

I was busy last week and although I squeezed in time to ride, I didn't have time to blog so I'm going to play catch up.  My last three rides were pretty much the same anyway.  Lots of mud and stinky, stagnant bog water, overgrown trails and debris from the storms and flooding of the last couple weeks.  Despite the hazards of riding the parks right now, my rides have been pleasant with new foliage, bright wildflowers and fuller canopies.  I have to admit that I'm riding a little slower now.  I'm having to relearn the trails because they have changed so much.  In places the grass is so overgrown that I can hardly see the trail.  Today I was in some grass that was up over my head while seated on the bike.  I might need to invest in a bicycle mower soon.  The tree limbs are heavier with leaves too so I have more head obstacles to worry about.  Lastly, debris has been scattered all over the trails from downed trees and things being washed up from the river.  Its been an interesting challenge.   

I'll just include some highlights from my last three rides.

9 Miles - Two Moon Park - June 28

I wish I had my camera today.  I stumbled upon a red fox kit playing outside the den.  I dropped the bike and snuck up a little closer to watch.  It was oblivious to me, then finally saw me and froze.  When I finally moved, the kit took off.  Then, out of the den pops another head, curious about the fuss upstairs.  Again oblivious to me, the fox look around a bit, saw me and froze.  This one was more curious and waited me out.  I moved and it ran to a safer distance and perched up on a log to watch me.  It was pretty cool.  I finally left but came back a few minutes later via a different trail to see another kit fox, or maybe the first had returned.   People always wonder why I go to Two Moon Park.  It's because of the wildlife that I don't see anywhere else.

Another adventure.  On the way back to the office today I was plugging along on 6th Avenue.  It's not the safest street to ride on but the shoulder is wide enough to ride comfortably with the traffic flying by.  On a good day I can almost keep up with the traffic.  While I was cranking I heard a large vehicle behind me.  I turned just in time to see a box truck barreling toward me half in the lane and half in the shoulder.  Luck would have it that there was a curb cut right there so I swerved onto the sidewalk just as the truck passed.   Whew!

10 Miles - Riverfront Park - June 25

 I won't be going back to Riverfront Park anytime soon.  It was so muddy and the stench of the stagnant water was horrific.  Parts were still flooded and I had to ride through some of it.  NASTY!  At one point I had to hop off the bike to walk around a big puddle.  While walking the bike, a twig got stuck in my spokes and wrapped itself around the rear sprocket.  After clearing the bog water puddle, I stopped to pull the twig out when it happened.  A swarm of killer mosquitoes attacked.  There was nothing I could do.  I had to pull the stick out of the spokes but I was busy swatting the nasty pests.  I finally focused on the stick and then got out of there in a hurry.  Every I had to stop they swarmed again.  I tried not to stop but there were too many obstacles and flooded trails to continue.  I came back to the office hot, wet, sweaty, tired, muddy, stanky (worse than stinky), and biten.  Not a fun ride.

9.5 Miles - Two Moon Park - June 24

Reoccuring theme, I'm going to get hit by a deer.  Those two young deer that I keep flushing out of the trees and scaring half to death decided to get even.  As I was riding along, one of the deer jumps out in front of me and takes off running.  As I'm watching this deer run along side the trail just feet in front of me the other bolts out of the trees crossing my path forcing me to hit the brakes hard.  I was so close to hitting that stupid deer, proabably my closest call yet.  My heart was pounding and I couldn't help but thinking about that scene in Jurasic Park where the parks game warden, Muldoon, is tracking the velocoraptor, has it in his sites, and the other one pops out of the trees right next to him.  "Clever girl," he says just before the raptor chomps on his head.