Friday's ride (pics)

[John Wilke]

Well, I've made up my mind to follow in Hip's slipstream and start my own blog (not that I have much time to do so), someplace to post my pics rather than tie up space here. So this will be my final photo essay.

Anyway, Friday, I headed down to the Racine County bike trail for an easy 10 miles. I still had to work that night, so I had to keep it short. Although I really didn't feel like it, I threw my camera around my neck just for the heck of it, and pedaled out.

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/PATH1.jpg

While it's a 20 minute drive to get here, I do find it peaceful and a nice break from the city.


http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/RPATH2.jpg

A few miles down the trail there is a cow path crossing. I've ridden over this thing a dozen times and thought "Wouldn't it be cool to see some cows down there?" ... oh well.

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/COWS0.jpg

A little farther up the path I see them up on the hill.

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/COWS1.jpg

Riding on, I enter a business park (only one business so far) and as you can see it was a breezy day.

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/FLAGS.jpg

Just past the flags, something catches my eye ... what the .... ????

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/CRANES1.jpg

HUH???

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/CRANES2.jpg

Are these Sandhill Cranes???

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/CRANES3.jpg

I spent probably 20 minutes shooting pics of these guys and about 3 or 4 cars stopped to see what I was looking at. One woman drove around the block 3 times ! :) It must have been during one of these distractions that turned my attention away ... just for two seconds ...

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/CRANES4.jpg

DARN!!!

(continued)

[John Wilke]

I must say, that was pretty cool. But I'm spending too much time not riding, better get moving ... head back.

Just as I enter the gravel path again, I look up:

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/COWS3.jpg

Wellllllll, look who moved across to this side of the path. :) I get closer and talk to them, you know, the typical:

"Hey girls, howz it going?"

Initially, they seem interested

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/COWS4.jpg

But then one seems really interested and moves closer and closer. I start getting nervous ...
does she (it is a she right???) want her nose rubbed, or want to head butt me across the road??

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/COWS5.jpg

Suddenly that thin barbed wire fence doesn't seem so secure, so I move on. They seem to take cue
from me and start mooving too ... under the bike path and I get that picture I've been dreaming of the
past year!

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/COWS6.jpg

:beer:

How can I possibly top that? So, I saddled up and rode back in.

http://hometown.aol.com/J999w/RPATH3.jpg

A fine ride it was.

(Saturday I spent several hours poking around the Bong Recreational Area on my bike ...
I'll leave that for my first blog entry. Will post the link when I get it. See 'ya there.)