Friday morning in the countryside

Today I started off at about 9:30 and rode north to the top of the hill. As I climbed the last stretch before Airport Road, I glanced up and saw a deer standing in the road in front of me. Riding slowly and as quietly as possible, I cautiously approached (by now I know better than to try to get my camera out - that is a sure way to get the animal to bolt!) She stood there for quite a while just looking at me, then casually walked into the ditch, where she paused to nibble on some greenery before jumping the fence and running off into the field.

It was a cloudy morning, but pleasantly warm -- shorts and a long-sleeved jersey were the perfect combination.

At Airport Road I turned left and rode to the top of the hill before turning around and riding east to the seniors' home. 

Riding west again, I rode to the top of the hill once more, turned around and headed south on Muir Lake Road. At the stop sign I turned right and rode west to check out the lilacs. They are starting to bloom, but are not yet in their full glory -- maybe next weekend.

 Why plant a plain old hedge along your field when you can plant a variety of lilac bushes? 

My next turn was onto Roller Coaster road, which looks even more intimidating on a cloudy day.

But I gritted my teeth and pedaled hard to the top, to be rewarded with a fast downhill on the way back to the main road. I think this stretch of road must be my little secret, as I never see anyone else riding here.

From there it was home, riding south against the wind, for a total of 60 km.

I saw a surprising number of cyclists out today, including the tallest rider on the biggest bike I've ever seen.

And you know, certain pickup truck drivers are making it very hard for me to maintain my disdain for F150s, Dodge Rams, Chevy Silverados and the like. Today as I was riding north, a pickup truck driver wanted to turn right, but instead of turning in front of me, he stopped and waited for me to ride past. There was plenty of time for him to turn, and I wouldn't have minded at all, but he went above and beyond to be courteous and careful. 

This makes the third extra-nice pickup driver I've encountered during the last couple of months.