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Summer's Here
 

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

5/3/13 11:29 AM

Summer's Here

Out on my lunch ride today, I drifted down a nice quick hill on the Canal trail and was sort of daydreaming toward the bottom of the hill when I heard a sound like a dry leaf skittering on the pavement. Looking down, I saw (briefly) a small reddish-brown critter doing it's damnedest to get traction on the trail (seriously--looked like something out of a Roadrunner cartoon) so it could turn around. It made it with about an inch to spare before it hit my tire and shot back into the underbrush like it was rocket-propelled. It took less time to happen than it does to think about it happening.

Takeaway: It's not just the humans in glass and steel we need to watch out for...

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/3/13 11:37 AM

"Takeaway: It's not just the humans in glass and steel we need to watch out for..."


I had a little gray furry spazmatic animal run into the side of my rear 404 once. I remember thinking if it was the Rolf Vector Pro wheels I had previously it may have gotten scooped up. Better the rear than the front. The carbon 'twack' sound was interesting to say the least.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/3/13 11:40 AM

I should add, to the thread and say:

Weather for all of us on average is now a good antidote for the non pedaling jitters. We seem to all get a lot less moody once we can spin often without the weather getting 'as' in the way. ;)

Stay safe out there is a good thought! Ditto from me on that one...

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Pat Clancy
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 1353
Location: Manchester, CT

5/3/13 12:56 PM

What a sky!

I'm maybe 30 miles from Andy and today has had the clearest blue sky I think I've ever seen this side of a cold winter's day. It's amazing to think of the snow storm that has been raging over so much of the mid-west while we are having such wonderful (if maybe too dry) weather.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

5/3/13 1:37 PM

Sky and Dry

@Pat: Yes, it's gorgeous, but I am not sure I like it quite this dry. Some of the trees at my new house are being a tad bit slow to bud, and I wonder if that's due to lack of water.

On the other hand, you would think we'd be well-stocked after February's 40+" of snow...

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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct

5/3/13 2:48 PM

March and April were way under normal precip, enough to make a significant deficit for the calendar year as a whole. Not quite drought conditions, but enough to make the farmers nervous.

Having grown up in a place where average annual precip is about 9 inches, I still find it weird to describe these conditions as "dry."

The spring flood on the Connecticut basically didn't happen. The snowmelt has been so gradual, and big rainstorms so infrequent, that the river never reached flood stage at Hartford.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

5/3/13 5:00 PM

Animals

My son and son-in-law have both had close encounters of the crashing kind with the small and furry.

My son-in-law had a squirrel run right through his front wheel, well, half way through anyway. The spokes slammed the squirrel against the rear of the fork blades and brought the bike to an immediate halt. The resulting crash sent him to the emergency room and the squirrel to squirrel heaven.

My son had a similar accident but not as serious. it dumped him but not very hard and he thinks the squirrel also survived.

My closest brushes with animals have been with two ground hogs that ran across in front of my bike. In both cases I managed to loft the front wheel enough to get it over them but hit them with the back wheel. I didn't go down either time but the thump of the rear wheel going over them was a real jolt.

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KerryIrons
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 3234
Location: Midland, MI

5/3/13 7:05 PM

Slow mover

I had to stop today and pick up an 8" box turtle that had parked itself right on the center line. I know he wasn't going to make it so I gave him the "air transport" to the grass on the side of the road. I hate it when I see a squashed turtle on the road and apparently we (Michigan) are decimating a bunch of turtle species that way.

I also scared up a wild turkey, a very large hawk (with rodent in claws), a beautiful ring-neck pheasant, and a mini-herd of 5 Whitetail deer on the ride today. All in all a good ride.

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bboston75
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 367
Location: philadelphia

5/3/13 8:51 PM

First snake of the season

On the Schuylkill River Trail. Large and black - either a northern racer or a rat snake. Didn't stop to examine it too closely.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

5/3/13 8:57 PM

I ran over a few thousands worms after a rain. I made the mistake of not cleaning the bike before the entrails dried and the proteins etched into the finish on my 9 speed DA calipers... they where on my fingers, shoes, frame stays, eesshhh. ;O

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KerryIrons
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 3234
Location: Midland, MI

5/4/13 6:49 PM

Splat

I don't usually find the last of the worm guts until the winter overhaul when I peel the frame down to bareness.

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ErikS
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Slowing boiling over in the steamy south, Global Warming is real

5/5/13 6:11 AM

A study in road kill.

I have often thought of recording what I see for a morbid research study.

Two deer, numerous dogs, a vulture that was slow to take off while eating breakfast and a beaver yesterday alone.

I wonder how many instagram followers those pics would attract?

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

5/5/13 7:44 AM

Science Project


quote:
I have often thought of recording what I see for a morbid research study.


It's been done as School science projects. The student count and identify (where still possible) the various road kills in a give area. The data is used to determine the numbers and variety of wildlife in their area. More road kills imply a larger populations of a given species. Various state and federal wildlife managers are often involved in these projects too.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

5/5/13 5:21 PM

What a weekend!

On two wheels, no less.

Rode from home to Poughkeepsie and back for the weekend. Nearly 100 miles (spread over 2 days, too hilly to do in a single day). The route was mostly rural (read, horse farm), so wide open with expansive (or expensive?) vista! Gorgeous 2 days of 60+ temperature and clear, clear blue sky, to be seen on bike!

It's only when there're TWO days of dry forecast that I get to do this ride: to my friends' at Poughkeepsie, spend the night and ride back. Each time I pick a different route. This being early season, I had to work really hard in front of my computer to come up with a route that doesn't have as many hundred feet in climbing as miles riden (the latter is easy enough to do).

code:
I'm maybe 30 miles from Andy and today has had the clearest blue sky I think I've ever seen this side of a cold winter's day. It's amazing to think of the snow storm that has been raging over so much of the mid-west while we are having such wonderful (if maybe too dry) weather.



quote:
Weather for all of us on average is now a good antidote for the non pedaling jitters. We seem to all get a lot less moody once we can spin often without the weather getting 'as' in the way. ;)

As a skier, I never get the winter blues so many of our average population love to TALK about so much of!

I was skier last weekend and had day of my life on skis! Spring? What spring? You mean 60 degree and sunshine over soft bumps? Yeah! I'll take spring SKIING any time of the year.

And then, on Wendesday, I did a 20 miler after week. And the cycling bug bit real hard. So I end up canceling this weekend's ski trip and jump on the bike instead. Soft bumps on skis vs smooth road on bike, not easy to choose at all!

I'll be happy in winter as well as in summer. There're those days in the depth of winter that's just as brilliant as this weekends. And I never cease to feel the uplifting of spriit on days like this, in every season!

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