I was going to call this blog What a Difference a Day Makes as today’s weather was opposite Saturday’s dreary, warm rain. Today was cool and sunny, with hardly a cloud in the sky. But then I spotted the first eagle circling in the clear blue, and the ride became more about the sights.
I layered exactly right for the 60-degree day, but I forgot to close the vents in my helmet. It wasn’t cold, but I did have cool air blowing across my head. I realized, however, that I might not want to prematurely close the vents; we could still get some warm riding days. On today’s ride the bright sunshine almost became an issue. Luckily, we headed out early enough in the day before the sun hit that direct-into-the-eye angle.
I was enjoying the beautiful foliage still vibrant though many trees are bare. The beautiful elm tree from last week still had its leaves, but they had faded into a paper bag brown. The Japanese maples that have their leaves are a stunning deep red, and I saw enough color to remind me it’s still autumn and not quite winter. The smell of pine needles struck me as I went wide on the on-street U-turn having entered the turn too quickly. I improved on the second turn, and I did great on the gravel turns later.
I spotted the first bald eagle as we passed the neighborhood water tower. At first I had thought it was another buzzard, but then I noticed the white tail feathers and, as the raptor swung about, the tell-tale white head. I pointed upward in hopes Bill would look into his rearview mirror and then up. Instead, I was able to tell him on our stop.
After I spotted the eagle, we headed into a turn. I saw the front end of the Rocket slip and Bill pulled over and parked. I parked alongside him and watched as he walked back to the corner. He rooted around in the leaves along the roadside, and then he came back and showed me three chunks of asphalt that had been lurking under the leaves. It was a reminder that the leaves on the roadway can hide dangers. But it did give me the chance to mention the eagle to Bill. We rode into the cul-de-sac and when we came out and were stopped at a stop sign, Bill took the moment to remind me of the one time he dropped the R Nine T was at this stop. After he made the reminder and started to head off, I called after him because the eagle had made a reappearance. It was, however, soaring up in the thermals and difficult for Bill to spot. But he eventually did spot it.
I also spotted a cabbage white butterfly toward the end of our ride. It came darting out of a clump of yellow mums to make sure I got a look. The other two eagles were over the river, and I saw them as I was loading my gear back into the car. They were circling around each other and soaring higher and higher as they headed down the river. So a beautiful day with a beautiful ride was capped off with another beautiful sighting of bald eagles. I’m hoping for some more sightings on next week’s ride; I certainly will be thankful!
Flutterby Biker 