How about a pair of raccoons? I seem to have an animal magnet on here lately. 😁 These guys came around the corner unexpectedly, about 2 or 3 feet away from me, but totally ignored me, to check the garbage cans, lol. I expected trouble, at that close a distance, but since none came, I got the camera out instead. 😁😉 Look at the top center of the pic, near the stone garbage can. Also, I get extra credit, for the bike being in both of these pics, lol. 😎

I finally saw some Joshua trees, out in the Mojave Desert. And yeah, they have a lot of streets (dirt roads) with no name. 😁😉

FYI, old route 66, west of Needles, isn't very bicycle friendly, from route 95 to Fenner, but you do get to see Goffs, a real ghost town. 😉
And 66 is closed to all traffic, west of Fenner, so don't even bother. 😒 Route 40 is OK, but there aren't many water stops, so I aborted this trip, almost back to Needles again.

BTW, I haven't figured out what this flower is yet, but it has HUGE burrs/stickers, and if you bend down to sniff it, it closes up the flower part, way quicker than you'd think possible. 🤔 Doh, got my finger yet again. 🙄😉

Do you always ride with that backpack on?

Yep, but it's not nearly as heavy as it looks. I have a down sleeping bag & down parka in the bottom, so it's like 10 or 15 pounds altogether. 😁 Plus it's perfect for light food, like tater chips & breadstuff. 👍

Hey, not my thing but if it works for you.

Exactly. 😎

Hey, I forgot to post one of my coolest pics. This is at the rest area (with drinking water, lol) just west of Fenner. This is the busiest rest area I've ever been to, and I've seen a few. I'm glad I haven't run into any rattlers, so far, they give me the willies. 😳

Here is a sign we saw this summer that is even more disturbing

You made me smile Doug

My wife and daughter on one of the countless small ferries in the Netherlands.


The view on the crossing.
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Ha! That kinda puts things back in perspective, huh? 😁

I'm not really too paranoid about snakes, but I do try to be smart. Actually, an older Native American guy told me that 90% of snake bites (around here, anyways), were from hikers & mountain climbers, who reach up for a handhold, and surprise the snake. I guess it's just like on the ground, if they hear you coming, they'll probably try to avoid you.

Think about it, humans are too big to eat, so why waste good venom on them? 🤔😉

Did a supported, overnight tour this past weekend. Not usually my sort of thing, but a friend couldn't use her ticket. Despite having gear transport, I carried all my crap. Had a good time. Group 4 repesentin' on a bridge over the Delaware River.

Sacred Datura. Looks like the seeds are almost ready to plant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii

Holy cow!!! That stuff's worse than peyote buttons! 😳😁 I had no idea. It's literally all over the side of the road, but here & there, not in large groups.
Thanks for enlightening me, I spent some time looking online, but didn't know what I was looking for. 👍

Sunday sunrise.

There is a rattlesnake warning sign on the last segment of the Mickelson Trail heading towards the southern terminus in Edgemont, SD. It advises you to not stray from the trail because they could be in the grass. I took that advice.

Good idea. 👍 I figure if someone ignores a fair warning, they pretty much deserve what they get. 🤔😉

That's a nice pic, with the red sky, but it's the wrong time of day. 😉 I remember that saying well, "Red sky at morning, sailor take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight."

Rain was forecast for later that morning. People in the group I was assigned to ride with were taking their dear sweet time packing up. Since I was familiar with the area I set out on my own. I also cut off about 6 miles. Maybe 3 or 4 miles of light drizzle before I made it back to the car. And there was a good deal of tree cover so I didn't really get wet. I wonder what happened to the slackers. Much of the route was on an unpaved, mostly dirt trail. My bike got a little dirty even with the light rain. Maybe 1.5 hrs. after I finished (I was the first in.) it started to pour. Only 3 other people had finished by the time I changed, loaded up the car, hung out for a bit and then finally headed for home.

Saskatchewan, "The Land of the Living Sky."

Last weekend in the North Woods on some kind of 'gravel grinder' ;-)

and Jebidiah said unto Abraham, "Thou shalt not burden ye with an extra 200 grams of kickstand"

and Abraham responded, "Ye, but without, it would be nay impossible to make such an image beside ye ol gravel grinder"

Jebidiah: "I giveth you that..."

that stand might eventually have to go...the honeymoon is not over, yet

I was just trying to be funny, if its handy and not a concern, hey why not. Hope you had fun, I've been to busy with work to get out for more than commutes, so it's great to get some fall riding in with the new bike.

Koblenz, Germany- Fire on the Rhine celebration with fireworks and music. It was the best and longest fireworks display I've ever seen. Shot while lying in our tent with a pannier as a tripod.



The strap from my pannier is visible in this shot.