Cruising with Grandma, Flying with Vultures

 Hey, what are you doing, grandma? You can't ride that bike here! You are old and frail. Thankfully the start of that conversation never made it out into the open air. I mean, after I had a moment to think about it, I was a lot closer to her age than to the age of my son; soon enough there might be someone saying something similar about me - "hey grandpa! You can't ride that pedal-only bike here. Get a motor on it already!" Even so, I was pretty surprised when that older woman, riding a townie no less, came cruising the dirt road along the base of the hills.

A few minutes earlier, higher up on the Lakeview Trail, I came around a bend, a spot where the obligatory photo of the lake must be taken, and noticed something further up ahead along the road. Something turned into a very large bird sunning itself with wings outspread. Determined to get some good shots, I rode up as close as I thought I could get without scaring it into flight, then continued to slowly approach on foot. Finally, the bird, now clearly identifiable as a Turkey Vulture, rose into the air with a couple mighty thrusts of its wings. I watched transfixed while it flew back and forth along the hillside before gliding away on a warm current. 

Fifteen minutes earlier I had traversed the backside, that road cutting across the hills above the I-10. I don't think I have ridden this side of the park since before last winters rains. Interestingly you can usually count on the county sending a grader along here once a year, but it seems as though they have given up on that idea, the steep, rocky surface seems untouched by anything more mechanical than a bicycle. 

Another fifteen minutes earlier I had taken the switchbacks off the dam, slung some dirt beneath my wheels along state route 57, hung that quick left after the old bridge to spin though the walnut woods, then back up the mustard switchbacks. I even turned my wheels onto that singletrack coming off Fatt Hill - I don't think I have ridden that one since they stopped holding races at Bonelli 😞

Ten minutes earlier I had passed through the jungle where I cursed four riders on motor bikes - not e-assist bikes, not e-bikes, but full on no-pedal motorbikes. Apparently anything goes these days.

Five minutes before that I pulled into the parking lot at Norms Hanger, watched a couple planes fly off, nodded to a fellow rider getting ready himself, and started turning the pedals on a fantastic ride.

It's the weekend. Get out and see what there is to see.