TartanTed

Playlist: Calm Before the Storm – Eliza Gilkyson

As we head into the weekend with the prospect of heavy rain / thunder storms and tropical storm strength winds it seems unlikely that I will be able to get out on my bike. So I set off early Friday evening to get in a couple of miles before the approaching storm. I didn’t get as far as I’d hoped before the rain poured down and soaked me to the skin. Later in the evening it was fine again but I have done enough mileage for this week so a glass of wine is the order of the evening, not more mileage!

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Playlist: Join Us on the Airwaves – The Ham Band

If you thought I was crazy with all the cycling I do and my obsession with walking bridges you should take a look at the video produced by this group of (Danish?) enthusiasts.
I like heights but even I would draw the line at clinging to a swaying metal tower wearing a top hat or swigging a glass of champagne!
When you consider that the video has been on YouTube for a good few years now it’s pretty cutting edge stuff and really very well produced.

To more mundane matters – The Wildlife count this evening:
70 deer, including 3 very small babies, 9 dogs with humans, and 5 cats.

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Playlist: Reason to Believe – Rod Stewart

The deer count was down tonight and I only stopped to take one photograph of, mostly, concrete. Just got the miles in tonight without ceremony.
Wildlife count: 42 deer, 4 dogs with their humans, 2 cats.

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Playlist: Manic Monday – The Bangles

Monday must be meeting day for the local deer population. In spite of starting my evening cycle run earlier and finishing before dark I encountered an inordinate amount of wildlife.
Wildlife count: 59, yes 59 deer! 7 daytime dogs together with their bag carrying humans, 5 pre-teens on bicycles, 4 adult road cyclists (rare breed around here), 3 cats, 2 post dusk “evaporative” dogs (see post from 7/18/20) and 1 elderly couple driving a golf cart that I just had to overtake to prevent myself from losing balance due to slow speed.

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Playlist: A Summer Place – Percy Faith

Venturing out a little earlier, but delayed by some running maintenance, I ended up getting home after dark again.
Wildlife count this evening: 22 deer, 4 dogs (with humans), 2 cats, and a rabbit!

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Playlist: These are the Days of Our Lives – Queen

Tonight the wildlife count was down on yesterday although not by as much as I thought it would be since I set off in daylight and was home before it got too dark and did not cover as many miles.
23 deer, 2 cats (one black, one white), 1 Black & White Tahoe chasing down a young Chevy and no dogs with or without their humans.
I have a theory about the lack of dogs:
Dogs and their humans only come out after dark because dog poop deposited at night evaporates and therefore does not need to be picked up.
It’s just a theory but it’s born of practical experience

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Playlist: Streets of Edinburgh – The Proclaimers

The list of wildlife encounters this evening is extensive. That’s what you get when you head out at dusk and cycle into the darkness!
After 23 deer, 5 dogs (with their humans), and 5 cats (domestic), I decided to leave the Country Club roads behind and travel down Fulton Beach Road where the more predictable F150 traffic announces its’ presence with V8 rumble and high beams. Clocked a satisfactory 20 miles this evening in pleasant 80F windless conditions.

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Just so you know – traveling along Fulton Beach Road in the dark on a bicycle does rather put me in mind of cycling on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh. Very bumpy and uncomfortable!

Playlist: It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas.

I know I said that I wouldn’t be riding at night again because of the number of deer I had encountered (I did say that out loud didn’t I?) but guess what?
Tonight I rode after dark again but, as the title suggests, encountered fewer obstacles. The Partridge is poetic license although a dually with high beams did cast a shadow that looked like a bird in a tree to me!
The weather was 84F with 12mph SSE wind making for a pleasant ride.

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