with my own eyes but did not smell it with my nose but the buzzard did. Huh? Nature.
This morning I rode from sleep spot just off marvins garden. Ride starts with a not too strenuous climb to KGB, turn right on KGB stay on top swooping and bending bends until a challenging downhill with several climbing turns and basalt chunks, this will be climbed on the return to beer. Today while descending before the first turn I noticed a dead ground squirrel, prolly lost the sprint with a mountain bike wheel and was terminated. Dead squirrel was no big deal as maybe not common but frequent enough to know it happens. Shit, Several times I escaped being run into by one of the little buggers. So the dead one is laying there. I continue my long ride, hit my distant point then turned to home. Time, distance, and energy passed. I arrived at the now climbing turns that sometimes I make, others my engine fails to propel me over some rocks. Today I stuffed my front wheel into the face of a rock and stalled as I lacked inertia to punch over. I stopped and paused. While motionless motion above ground caught my eye, it was a large bird, not a bird of prey and not a vegetarian like grouse. I remained motionless and just watched. I made the determination that it was a buzzard. Several times I heard a sound like it was strongly exhaling or maybe breathing in. It was above the trail and the dead squirrel maybe 20 feet away and down on the ground below. It took several short hops from branches working closer and occasionally blowing. It then dropped to the ground near the squirrel that it walked up to it, found it, then proceeded to rip flesh away and swallow it. It discarded part of it then walked towards me a few feet to find the front end of said squirrel which it tore and ate. The a rider descended and frightened it away.
To me I witnessed nature using a sense that is so much stronger than mine find something that to them is just something of life. The squirrel body was under tree cover, just nowhere near able to see it from the air. It used its sense of smell so acute to be able to locate a small dead animal while above tree tops. And the dead body was so small.
I had visions of riding up to top of Tylers for a big ride. I chose COD from the welcome center to connect with Storm King. Years have passed since I rode this piece of COD which has many rock gardens and challenges, many I walked as above my preservation level. I mellowed out to a shorter ride as I hit Storm King then rode it down to Catch and Release, Ticket to Ride, ELV, KGB and the buzzard, and Marvins. It was 20 miles long requiring just 1 safety break pedaling for 2 hrs 38 mins climbing 1690′. New Ergon saddle passed this length of ride with happy cheeks.
On Storm King another badger hole was freshly dug almost in the tread of the trail. Earlier this summer I reported about a similar hole but mislocated it on Catch and Release, it was on Storm King also.
Much of the forest here in the collective Phils system has been feller buncher fuels reduction logging. I have vague memory of riding these trails before the environmental destruction. Now the forest appears to be park like.
Trails are dry and loose. Two wheels put up a plume of dust. Ride by myself so I do not have to ride behind another rider. Selfish but my snot is not brown.
Heated water in solar shower then drained that luke warm temp water into the helios for a pressure shower. I enhanced the heat with a quart of just off boil water. Wind chill. I washed my hair.
So tomorrow is only Saturday, I flashed that it would be Sunday which would start the day with scratch pancakes. Instead I will fall asleep with visions of Mrazek ridge climb and oatmeal and toast. Cold brewed coffee from local roaster, ground yesterday.