Part of my normal routine is to check the weather in the mornings when I have my coffee. I didn't need to do that this morning as it started raining even before I left the cabin I was in for the night, and that indicated the type of day I was going to have.
Only now and then it would stop raining, the dark clouds would separate, then close up once more and the rain would start all over again. This wasn't a massive storm, just drenching rain with a light wind which made cycling through it that much easier.
At one point I looked up to see whether there was a break in the clouds, when I noticed birds of prey riding the thermals, and one diving straight down to what I can only assume must have been a snack. I desperately tried to get to my go-pro to record it, but no luck, I couldn't get to it in time.
As you and all cyclists know, you often encounter dogs. Anybody reading the blog will also be aware that such encounters are not uncommon for me. Depending on the situation, I will stop and talk to the dogs, they stop yapping, and come over for a scratch sometimes, or just turn around and walk away.
Today I had a different encounter though. As I was pedaling along, I noticed two beautiful well-cared-for Labradors. They were both on a big property with an open gate and when they saw me, they came chasing after me. I tried the usual talk and reprimand, one turned back, but the other kept on chasing after me. This was a problem because the dog was running in the middle of the road surrounded by traffic. When I saw this in my mirror, I immediately pulled over, got off the trike, and went to the dog. When it saw me coming, the tail started wagging and the barking stopped. I just kept on talking to it and walked it back to its mate. Thank goodness it didn't follow me again when I returned to the bike.
The best part of the ride came about 5 miles before I rolled into Kountze when I found myself on a beautifully paved trail. It was so great not having to worry about traffic for a while, and just relax and take in the serenity of my surroundings.
Greetings
The Trail
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