Two things that have the power to steal my joy; when I’m out there, getting my daily dose of dirt, are heat and wind. That’s why I like to get out early. The coolest and calmest part of the day is the morning. As the angle of the sun increases, the thermometer and anemometer numbers rise. On Thursday and Friday the numbers were already off the chart by the time I had my first cup of coffee. So I found something else to do.
Even when the wind’s in the single digits I plan the ride with the headwind section first, so I’m riding the wind on the way in, when I’m tired. The forecast for Saturday was good but I got started late, because Saturday morning is leg day at the gym. So with the breeze already in double digits and the temperature in the eighties, I headed out for the daily dose. It’s been two days since my last dose and I was feening for some dirt.
I didn’t have a firm plan beyond heading into the breeze up to the Old Wells and then west. See how fast the triple digit temperatures show up and how well the legs work. I had to stop and herd a Bull snake off the road for the second time in the last few rides. No need for someone traveling at a much higher rate of speed to inadvertantly run over and destroy one of these beautiful creatures.
As I made my way west on the north side of the Old Wells, I started thinking about the big German Shepard that lives at the farm there. Most farm dogs around here are retrievers or pointers. They run out and bark a little but if you don’t smell like a rabbit or a pheasant they lose interest pretty quickly. Herding dogs are different, they’ll come right up and nip your heels. Normally I ride by the house pretty fast and by the time the big dog makes it to the road, I’m long gone.
The last time I was on this route though, he was already out by the mail box sniffing about, so when I rode by, he gave me the business for a good piece. He can accelerate faster than me too. I just kept telling him good boy and he kept telling me ARFF, ARFF. A sort of Mexican standoff until his human daddy called him in, and he lost interest in the “crazy guy on a bike.” I increased my speed as I approached the farm house this morning, but he wasn’t out and about.
By the time I crossed the highway and turned south back towards town, the decision was made – Head for the cottage. It was fun, ripping with the wind on the gently rolling hills, hitting close to thirty miles per hour but it was getting hot, fast. I used the extra water bottle to spray down, like the guys in the Tour de France, as I flew down the road past the corn fields. It was enough for today (17 miles).
I got on the road a lot earlier Sunday morning. I was clipping into the pedals before the sun was above the horizon. I had a plan too. Get a solid 2 hour ride. The forecasting app showed the wind from the NW, so I headed west. A Harris Hawk paced me for the first half dozen miles or so. He would lift off the top of the telephone pole as I approached and fly up the road for a half dozen poles and sit down and wait for me. Again and again this happened. I called to him in my best hawk whistle but he wasn’t impressed and never let me get to close.
Then he landed on a pole that was already occupied by another hawk. I thought it might be his sweetie but as I approached I could see that it was a Red Tail. They seemed to be doing a bit of hawk talk, there on top of the pole.
"What do you think's up with the crazy old guy on the bike, Red?" "I don't know Harry but he seems to be following you." "Actually I was shadowing him, hoping he might jump a little bunny foo foo out of the brush but he doesn't seem to be hunting. Just mindlessly spinning his pedals, like he has nothing better to do than ride that silly contraption up the road." "Yeah, those two-leggeds are a pretty weird species, I don't know if they can be trusted. Well, good luck hunting up breakfast Harry, I'll see you around."
Then both hawks flew off to the east, while I continued west. I turned left at about the 10 mile mark and headed for Firstview. It felt like the breeze was WNW and beginning to move a little quicker as it rushed over the ridge, which marks the very edge of the High Plains. It had me “licking my chops” for the run into town with the wind at my back.
The 10 mile run in was indeed exceptional and getting out early paid off. It’s close to a hundred degrees as I add this diary entry on Sunday afternoon and the wind makes it feel like a blast furnace. Another “Red Flag Warning” day here on the High Plains. The Sunday tally was; 2 hours, 28 miles and 1700 calories.
Monday was blown out again, with winds approaching 30 mph by mid-afternoon. The wind turbines north of town were burning bearings but Double Cross was stayin’ cool in the garage while I mowed the yard. The forecast said more wind on Tuesday but I came up with a plan to get out early and get the headwind section done while it was still in the low teens.
I already had a few miles in before the sun showed up. The wind can blow without the sun, when weather systems are moving through but most wind is created by solar heating. During the day, the air above land heats up, expands and rises, then heavier, cooler air rushes in to take its place, creating the wind. It’s relative though, that heavier cooler air’s not all that cool, this time of year.
I could tell the wind was picking up speed as I pedaled west. There was an unmistakable scent in the air and I scanned the area looking for the source. I had ridden by some big mounds piled south of the road a half dozen times and thought they were dirt but this morning with the wind coming hard from the south I realized they weren’t dirt, it was that finest of fertilizers – cow manure.
As I turned the corner and got on the wind for the first time of the ride, everything went silent. I never realize how much noise the wind makes, as it whips around my little chimp ears until it’s not there and everything goes silent, like a vacuum. It was so much fun, racing north on the wind that I just kept going right past the turn that I’d planned to take. I knew I would have to pay for it later but for the moment, I just kept flying up the road.
I did have to pay a bit at the end but it was worth it. I got a beautiful ride in and was back at the cottage before most folks even make it out of bed. The tally was 1 hour 50 minutes, 25.34 miles and 1525 calories.
Thursday morning was beautiful and I was pedaling before the sun made it above the horizon once again. The breeze was SSW, so I headed south and went down to Rd. K. I haven’t been on K this season, and I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon. At the top of this post I said the two big joy stealers were wind and heat but I’m going to add soft sand and call them, the dirty triad of evil. I was wishing for the fat tires on the mountain bike as I navigated the soft sand.
Luckily, the really soft stuff petered out, after a couple miles. I think the road crew might have put a layer on to protect the road. There are a lot of big trucks bringing equipment into a laydown yard I rode by. I think they’re getting ready to start construction on the new powerline, to transport all the juice from the windmill farms to the front range, so the folks can supercharge their Teslas or something.
Maybe I should get one of those electric bikes, so I can power my way into a stiff headwind or across the soft sandy sections. Nah, I’ll give it another decade, perhaps the nuclear option will be available by then. The tally for Thursday was 2 hours 10 minutes, 29.38 miles and 1760 calories.
Hawks, horses, Bull snakes, bobcats and jackrabbits outnumbered two-leggeds again this week by at least 10-1. The sunrises were glorious and no flat tires in over 300 miles, (hope I didn’t jinx myself). Just another beautiful, dirty week in paradise.