The Road Less Ridden



Not A Car to be Seen

  Rainy, chilly, and windy. Perfect conditions for a ride at the tailwnd of the weekend. I love to ride in less than perfect conditions, as it requires more attention to keep up an average speed and focus. Today was no exception as I had to contend with wet metal grating (super slippery, at any approach angle other than perdendicular) and a turkey ambush (more on that later). But I did have the All American Fuel, Slim Jims, to keep me going.

  After riding among open fields, the road leads through a few forests, as in the picture above.  When I ride this in the pre-dawn hours and my light illuminates a small cone of asphalt, I get this Ichabod Crane-esque vibe. After I emerged from this hollow, I was getting ready to go into a left hand turn when something caught my eye in the ditch to my left 15 feet away.

  My mind registered pheasant as it got on the road to get traction for a good takeoff. Logic soon shot down that id possibility as I saw it clearly take off and accelerate to the trees. It was a turkey hen and I was again pleased at how well you can come up on creatures silently on a bike. Hard to swing on it with no hands on my bike, so will have to work on my gun mount. Earlier posts suggest my bike as more than just exercise and transportation, but a scabbard will need to be fashioned.

Pedaling into a stiff headwind and being pelted with rain, I thought of how awesome it was to be out and feeling much more a part of my surroundings, more connected with the land I rode through. The high pitched call of an osprey redirected my attention as he flew over me and banking I could see his talons gripped a large field mouse. The cycle of nature continues with or without me, but I prefer to be an observer to its wonder.