Deer, Chipmunks, Bunny Rabbits, and Other Trail Hazards

So, for the past few days, my little detour, the short trail I take that cuts between routes 53 and 202, I have had near death experiences due to the local inhabitants of that field.  Yesterday a tiny little furball of a rabbit jumped in front of my tire just missing becoming dinner for the turkey vultures by a few inches.  Today, a grown white tailed deer jumped out of the field and into my path.  I was probably a good ten yards away from Bambi, but I was bombing a hill at the time.  Instinctively I clamped down onto my brakes causing a fishtail of dust.  I think I’d rather bail then smash into a 150 pound beast.  My heart skipped a few hundred beats, but the deer jetted out of my way before an accident report was necessary.

 

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First Hail Storm

I stepped out of the office and hopped on my bike (which I store in the loading dock of my office building) at about 6:10.  The day was hot for the most part, but there was a dark cloud growing and the wind was kicking in.

A maintenance guy was loading up his cart, and I mentioned to him that I was going to get slammed with rain.

I rode off with a sensation of anticipation.  I was not going to take the long route home (1 hour), but instead, decided it would be best to take the shorter route (30 mins).  This meant more traffic, but more options for ducking for cover in case the skies opened up on me.

About ten minutes into the ride, the wind was going very fast (the wrong way).  A strong headwind can be demoralizing when you fear a thunderstorm.  Then it rained.  Then it poured.  Then I started getting socked with tiny bits of hail.  Those bits of hail grew larger.  Here I was, riding against the wind, getting smacked with largish pebble sized pieces of hail.  One smacked me in my eye.

I took cover under a corporate parking garage while the storm let loose.  And as quickly as that storm came, it disappeared.  Well, the clouds were still present, but the hail stopped.

So, there you have it.  My first time getting caught in a hail storm.

Setback?

So, good for work, but possibly bad for bicycle commuting, but my company recently scheduled me out on a two month project in Short Hills, NJ on the JFK parkway.

Not a very good road for bicycle commuting, and I have no desire of showing up at a client sweaty.

I’ll have to see what I can do about riding, hopefully some early morning rides/late night rides will be in order, but kind of bummed to think that I’ll miss the majority of summer on the commute.

Good to be back on the road

It is.

The last month I’ve lost about 20 pounds just from healthy eating, but I finally got my bike out of the shop last week, and I think I’ve been on the bike practically every day since then.

I’m hoping to lose another 25 to 30 pounds.  Amazing what eating right will do for you.

Anyway, I’m not sure how often this site will be updated, but I do have some pictures from a recent ride that I’m meaning to upload.