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| March 2, 1:00 PM, 40 degrees |
Not warm, but above freezing. 40 degrees actually. But mostly overcast. Occasionally a ray of penetrating sun.
After yesterday's hard slog, I was a little reluctant to go out today, but then I couldn't NOT ride. It was Sunday, I had all afternoon, it wasn't snowing or raining, what else was I going to do? Eat? Drink beer? Read the newspaper? All that could wait.
So I saddled up and went out for a ramble. Felt better than expected. No residual soreness or stiffness from yesterday. And because it's not so cold today, I streamline my layers so feel svelte and ready to climb.
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| Shad from below |
Today I detected a stirring in the landscape. An impatience with winter on the part of trees, plants, animals. Mammals have emerged from their deep winter slumbers; that's reflected in the increased road kill. Today? Another opossum (three so far this winter), a skunk, and a squirrel (see photos below).
But perhaps the biggest indicator is the bird activity. I notice that they are more vocal these days, there are more varieties and in larger numbers. I continue to see flocks of robins, they gather in the soft roadside where the snow banks have melted back - are they hoping for worms? Attracted to the salt run-off? Today I also see a big flock of European starlings. Surprised, I see an eastern bluebird. Also plenty of crows, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, and raptors. A couple raptors in trees at field's edge. And the one below which flew down the road in front of me then landed in a tree.
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| Hawk Style |
These are the gut-it-out rides, the I-should-be-riding-rides, the blue collar rides. These are the rustic, sloppy rides on roads broken, cracked, potholed, and frost-heaved. These are the workman-like training rides, the plod and pedal, the spit and hack. These are the necessary rides, the foundation rides, the conditioning rides. It's been a good weekend for that reason. Back-to-back rides, one a fairly good-sized meander. And next Sunday daylight savings time kicks in, a huge development.
Ride Stats: 23.85 miles (38k), 13 mph, 1 hour 40 minutes (more or less). Temperature above freezing the whole ride.
Road Kill: 1 skunk, 1 squirrel, 1 opossum
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| Skunk |
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| Squirrel |
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