lotsa y'all mentioning birds on your rides. there is this one stormwater detention pond i pass on the way in, where a red-winged blackbird always says "oak-a-leeee" as i ride past.

today there was a gusty wind from the east, turning southeast, which made things challenging. i would almost prefer a steady headwind, rather than the sudden, shearing crosswinds that make holding one's line difficult. and on a two-lane, no-paved-shoulder road dotted with frisky commuters and the occasional tractor-trailer rig, holding one's line is rather important.