You Want to Race?

 

Weird. I must have sensed it, because I didn't hear it until I stopped. Once I did the rumbling sound, as if someone was having a fast roll down the road on the other side of the channel, reached my ears. I had barely turned my head to see who it might be when I realized it wasn't a rider charging down, it was a deer which, as soon as it got past me (still on the other side of the channel) skidded to a stop and looked across at me. If it could have talked, I am sure the look it gave, said "why the heck did you stop?" To say I was surprised would be an understatement. It seemed like it was something that needed to be said so, "what, you want to race?" I inquired. At that I kicked off and started pedaling and, sure enough, the deer likewise quickly got up to speed. A short ways down I stopped again. And so did the deer, just ahead, and looked back at me. It was wild, and now I was smiling at the situation. Again, I kicked off and the deer ran ahead. She was already out distancing me and my turn off was coming up just ahead; I started to slow and the deer, probably realizing she wasn't going to get the competition she had expected, also slowed before turning off into the brush. In disappointment, the game, the race was over.

With the mountain bike still laid up until next week, the Ibis got the call this morning. Knowing that would make it a slower ride, I thought, why not focus on the adventure? Why not indeed? There are streams flowing and little basins filling, in the Out There, that likely have not seen water in decades. Some of those old water diversion gates maybe haven't filled their purpose since they were constructed in 1928, yet there they were, directing water into long unused ditches. This incredible season of water just keeps going.

the real Raging Waters

old water diversion infrastructure

rough road ahead...

rough road behind

the shoe tree has survived