9 July 2011 Ride: Horse of a Different Focus

The picture above may be a very good representation of how I felt today.  I actually took this shot yesterday but forgot to include it in the post.  As Kurt and I were headed down a steep downhill, I was smacked in the forehead by a dragonfly in the thin space between my sunglasses and helmet.  Rather than it deflecting off my head, the dragonfly found its way into my helmet creating quite a buzz.  I shook my head back and forth trying to free it but it was well embedded.  At the bottom of the hill, I lifted my helmet and the dragonfly fell out onto the pavement but still alive.  I took a quick picture but, between worrying about cars coming and trying to get the poor thing in an upright position, I never got a better shot.  It fluttered about on the ground for several seconds and then flew off, I'm sure much more in shock by the experience than I was.

It wasn't until this morning when I woke up that I realized the toll that the heat, in combination with all the miles, had taken on me the past few days.  Without any medicinal sleep aid, I slept 8 1/2 hours, which is a real rarity.  Once up, I moved around in a haze, taking a good two hours to finally head out on the bike for the Farmer's Market downtown.  I identified strongly with the dazed state that the dragonfly must have felt after colliding with me.

Riding today, I had a sense of what the last hours of a 24 hour ride might feel like.  At times, I found myself riding without giving much thought to the cars that were approaching me from the rear.  Once I realized this lapse, I made a point of checking my mirror.  Still, my judgment and alertness was definitely below par.

Going to the Farmer's Market was a good destination as it made for an easy ride both mentally and physically.  I wanted to keep this day simple in regards to photos so I resisted taking pictures of the colorful vegetables in the stands or of people that I encountered.  However, as I was leaving the neighborhood at the start of the ride, the body and hide of one of the horses glistening in the sunlight presented some interesting new perspectives.

Oh, yes.  On the way home, I had another encounter with a dragonfly.  This time it hit me on the chin and found its way into my mouth which I quickly spit out.

Today's Ride:  2hrs 40mins.  31.54 miles.  78-90.  Miles YTD:  4,350.

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