Obstructions

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>[snip]

After sunny 80F weather yesterday, it was cloudy and 50F today, with
something called rain predicted by the ever-hopeful meteorologists.

The cold weather may have led this potentially deadly obstruction to
huddle right next to the bike path:
http://i31.tinypic.com/17eqfd.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/2nkront.jpg

They can sting, but I refuse to believe that they can puncture tires.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Ryan Cousineau

In article <7knj24t5ml6b3q93ksstaf6ejt0m9079jd@4ax.com>,
carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
> >[snip]
>
> After sunny 80F weather yesterday, it was cloudy and 50F today, with
> something called rain predicted by the ever-hopeful meteorologists.
>
> The cold weather may have led this potentially deadly obstruction to
> huddle right next to the bike path:
> http://i31.tinypic.com/17eqfd.jpg
> http://i28.tinypic.com/2nkront.jpg

I trust that second photo was obtained using a nice zoom setting.

> They can sting, but I refuse to believe that they can puncture tires.

When my wife feels like tormenting me, she repeats the old wives tale
that hedgehogs kill snakes by rolling over them.

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Wed, 14 May 2008 02:38:45 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <rcousine@gmail.com>
wrote:

>In article <7knj24t5ml6b3q93ksstaf6ejt0m9079jd@4ax.com>,
> carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>>
>> >[snip]
>>
>> After sunny 80F weather yesterday, it was cloudy and 50F today, with
>> something called rain predicted by the ever-hopeful meteorologists.
>>
>> The cold weather may have led this potentially deadly obstruction to
>> huddle right next to the bike path:
>> http://i31.tinypic.com/17eqfd.jpg
>> http://i28.tinypic.com/2nkront.jpg
>
>I trust that second photo was obtained using a nice zoom setting.

Dear Ryan,

No zoom, about three feet away. The top of the swarm is at about chin
level.

They were just sitting there this morning, buzzing faintly, but not
flying, so they didn't seem likely to attack me.

They were still sitting there this evening when I sauntered past,
dropped the leash and told the dog to be good, took a few fuzzy
pictures in the fading light, and finally sat down at arm's length and
steadied the camera on my knees.

Digital camera doing its best in bad light, but blurry:
http://i31.tinypic.com/2yvt7nr.jpg

Camera braced on knees, looking up, but still not enough light:
http://i25.tinypic.com/30kd0e1.jpg

Naturally, I had the flash turned off, since they might have resented
it.

I'm still amazed that the camera can do so well in such dim light and
make it look so bright, even if it's fuzzy due to the long exposure.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>[snip]

A trio of pointy obstructions that think it's spring:
http://i29.tinypic.com/jtxchi.jpg

Never yet found one of those needles in my tires.

A larger and more garish obstruction that was accompanied by at least
a dozen drops of water:
http://i28.tinypic.com/xo2vk7.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

>[snip]

A windy day, so a flock of obstructions were swooping and soaring
above the junipers and pines at the edge of the south bluffs of the
Arkansas River.

I tried to ignore them, but they kept teasing me, so I got out my
camera and took this picture:
http://i26.tinypic.com/2cqk9zn.jpg

Too damned close against too damned many trees.

This was a little better, faintly showing the bald red head:
http://i27.tinypic.com/2ng6a7l.jpg

After that, I gave up and ignored the flock of obstructions, who kept
swooping back toward me, having a fine time on the wind blowing up
from the cliffs.

But then they starting going "cronk-cronk-cronk" at me, which wasn't
right because turkey vultures are pretty much mute.

Sure enough, there was a ringer in the flock, soaring a bit more
awkwardly along the cliffs and making its hoarse, horrible call
whenever the vultures flew too close:
http://i26.tinypic.com/2hsanon.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/5xlrg0.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/23vezww.jpg

Whoops, wrong obstruction:
http://i26.tinypic.com/152dhzq.jpg

Back to the noisy one:
http://i27.tinypic.com/35at0td.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/4rdqhl.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/23mn9tf.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/erfz9z.jpg

Normally, you just see that obstruction flying in a straight line
instead of beating back and forth, soaring into the wind and daring
you to take pictures.

This solitary obstruction just felt like posing near the road:
http://i25.tinypic.com/16ne5j.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/30955sn.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/x3sw7n.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/21czceq.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Carl Sundquist

<carlfogel@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:58jh34hq1j4lvms28qj7t3b1414kk2ct74@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
>
>>[snip]
>
> A windy day, so a flock of obstructions were swooping and soaring
> above the junipers and pines at the edge of the south bluffs of the
> Arkansas River.
>
> I tried to ignore them, but they kept teasing me, so I got out my
> camera and took this picture:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/2cqk9zn.jpg
>
> Too damned close against too damned many trees.
>
> This was a little better, faintly showing the bald red head:
> http://i27.tinypic.com/2ng6a7l.jpg
>
> After that, I gave up and ignored the flock of obstructions, who kept
> swooping back toward me, having a fine time on the wind blowing up
> from the cliffs.
>
> But then they starting going "cronk-cronk-cronk" at me, which wasn't
> right because turkey vultures are pretty much mute.
>
> Sure enough, there was a ringer in the flock, soaring a bit more
> awkwardly along the cliffs and making its hoarse, horrible call
> whenever the vultures flew too close:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/2hsanon.jpg
> http://i29.tinypic.com/5xlrg0.jpg
> http://i27.tinypic.com/23vezww.jpg
>
> Whoops, wrong obstruction:
> http://i26.tinypic.com/152dhzq.jpg
>
> Back to the noisy one:
> http://i27.tinypic.com/35at0td.jpg
> http://i30.tinypic.com/4rdqhl.jpg
> http://i32.tinypic.com/23mn9tf.jpg
> http://i29.tinypic.com/erfz9z.jpg
>
> Normally, you just see that obstruction flying in a straight line
> instead of beating back and forth, soaring into the wind and daring
> you to take pictures.
>
> This solitary obstruction just felt like posing near the road:
> http://i25.tinypic.com/16ne5j.jpg
> http://i31.tinypic.com/30955sn.jpg
> http://i27.tinypic.com/x3sw7n.jpg
> http://i26.tinypic.com/21czceq.jpg
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carl Fogel

I was repeatedly dive bombed by a hawk on Hwy 24/Platte Ave as I was heading
out of Colorado Springs one day. It was both amusing and concerning to look
back over my shoulder and see it flapping it's wings as it descended right
at me to buzz me over and over again. However that was nothing compared to
the time a group ride I was on was strafed by a propeller driven crop duster
coming straight at us about three feet above the road, only to pull up at
the last second as riders began to turn for the ditches on the side of the
road.

Ryan Cousineau

In article <3%p_j.1702$v94.824@newsfe14.lga>,
"Carl Sundquist" <carlsun@cox.net> wrote:

> <carlfogel@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:58jh34hq1j4lvms28qj7t3b1414kk2ct74@4ax.com...
> > On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:
> >
> >>[snip]
> >
> > A windy day, so a flock of obstructions were swooping and soaring
> > above the junipers and pines at the edge of the south bluffs of the
> > Arkansas River.
> >
> > I tried to ignore them, but they kept teasing me, so I got out my
> > camera and took this picture:
> > http://i26.tinypic.com/2cqk9zn.jpg

> > Cheers,
> >
> > Carl Fogel
>
> I was repeatedly dive bombed by a hawk on Hwy 24/Platte Ave as I was heading
> out of Colorado Springs one day. It was both amusing and concerning to look
> back over my shoulder and see it flapping it's wings as it descended right
> at me to buzz me over and over again. However that was nothing compared to
> the time a group ride I was on was strafed by a propeller driven crop duster
> coming straight at us about three feet above the road, only to pull up at
> the last second as riders began to turn for the ditches on the side of the
> road.

Carl S.: Those didn't really happen. You've just been watching too many
Hitchcock movies on your trainer.

I remember this one time I stayed at this creepy motel in the middle of
nowhere on a cycling tour, and the proprietor kept going on about his
mother,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

[snip]

A pair of baby redtailed obstructions in a cottonwood, hoping in vain
for a contract to pose for the U.S. Post Office:
http://i32.tinypic.com/5ob3tw.jpg

These two young bald-eagle wannabes are just as happy as any Elvis
impersonators because their mother hasn't told them yet that their
beaks will never turn yellow and that their white heads will soon
darken.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

[snip]

Nice paint job:
http://i28.tinypic.com/11gu1jl.jpg

If not for that white racing stripe down the back, I probably wouldn't
have been able to go back and spot the obstruction, which hopped once
as I rode past it and then sat still.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

[snip]

It was still over 90F after 6pm today, so I soaked my shirt under the
tap and set out into the headwind. It was nice and cool at first, but
bone-dry in ten minutes.

Nasty headwinds dropped me to 11 mph on the flat at the dam and worse
on the climb up the ridge west of town.

But coming back downhill on the highway with a tailwind got the
cyclometer up to 45.8 mph, so I was enjoying a nice ride when--

Five stupid obstructions trotted out across the highway, right in
front of me, gabbling on what appear to be red cell phones.

Here they are on the far side of the highway after I swerved to avoid
them, jammed on my brakes, dropped my bike, and got my camera out.

They're milling around on the far side of the road:
http://i31.tinypic.com/4t3m7k.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/r9q5fq.jpg

Now they're heading back across:
http://i29.tinypic.com/29o0ket.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/2wrdc3a.jpg

Right in front of cars doing 60 mph:
http://i31.tinypic.com/2eghdar.jpg

Wait for me!
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qd7491.jpg

Glad those three cars stopped!
http://i32.tinypic.com/qnocq0.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/2lwx9ab.jpg

That was fun! Let's head back into the brush where we came from and
wait for another bicyclist to roll down the hill:
http://i27.tinypic.com/6s48kl.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/10hkq4k.jpg

They wouldn't dare behave like this at Thanksgiving.

As usual, I'm amazed by the digital camera, which took reasonable
photos when I was staring back into the evening sun and could barely
see the five idiots trotting back and forth across the highway. Look
at the sunlight off the white stripes and cars:
http://i32.tinypic.com/qnocq0.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

carlfogel@comcast.net

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

[snip]

A lone obstruction (the kind rarely seen up close) interrupted my ride
today.

The grass is on the far side of a two-lane highway, and it's a long
way from the highway to that fence:
http://i26.tinypic.com/30hq64y.jpg

Boy, you don't see 'em that close very often! No, sir, that's about as
close as--

Hey, get over on the other side of the fence with that cow!
http://i30.tinypic.com/scw5z5.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/2dawy6a.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel