Side of the road..

Took a nice long ride on saturday. Been too long since I've really gotten out and put in some miles. Probably ended up pushing 80 miles but I took the computer off my bike a while back so I'm not entirely sure. I became tired with knowing all the data from each of my ride, obessing about averages and the like just seemed to detract from the ride. I know it is a good training tool but honestly I just want my legs to tell me how hard I am going, not my computer.


Saw a lot of interesting things on the road while riding. Some were the typical; dead raccoon, dead opossum, dead dog, dead cat.. a plethora of shattered and broken armadillos, and there were probably more since I smelled them but didn't actually see them. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the amount of roadkill out there. They are usually back roads that I'm riding and people with extra large pick-ups and too many beers will bring down a devastation upon the heads of the small forest creatures. Do I care? Eh, not really. It is always sad to see a dog with a collar lying in the middle of the road, but I think I've become desensitized to the whole deal.

But I also saw some more things out of the ordinary. First I saw my apartment key.. lying on the road. This occured when I attempted to pull something else out of my pocket, and something metal hit the ground. At first I didn't think anything of it, then about 100 yards later I though, "crap, that was my key.." and I had to turn around and look desperately for it all while attempting not to get hit by a car. Next I saw a pair of scissors. I honestly can't recall ever seeing a pair of scissors on the side of the road. I thought it was odd. The next odd thing I saw was a tiny mouse, I swear he could have fit on a silver dollar with room to spare. Except for his tail which was really long. He was just hanging out just to the right of the white line. I hope he didn't get killed by some car, but my hopes are not high. The last wierd thing I saw was sort of the oddest.

As I was coming back into town I noticed a car parked some ways off the road. Hanging out the passenger window waving was some strange woman. She started hollering at me and waving franticly. I was tired, dehydrated and ready to be home so I just kept riding. I realized a short time later that I could actually make out what she was yelling. She was calling for help. Do I feel bad for not stopping? Of course not. I have no clue what was wrong with her but I highly doubt I could have done anything. Plus, I'm sort of worried about someone taking my bike (this would totally suck.) If something was wrong with her car she could have walked to the road, though it might have been a medical emergency which honestly I wouldn't want to get involved in. Had I been with someone else I might have considered stopping but alone, in spandex, in the middle of nowhere.. I am not stopping to help anyone except for a fellow biker (and only if I approve of the bike they are riding.)

Ok, so those were the things I saw on the side of the road while I rode my bike the other day.

Later