Bike and Trailer: Ready for Road Trials

NOB HILL--Before starting on the Transamerica bike trip, I went on a little jaunt along the Malpais to test out the equipment. Here everything is ready to go, waiting on the porch for Bob to arrive. His wife Wendy drove us out to Grants. We then biked south to Quemado.

Find the Coyote...

NORTH BOSQUE BIKE TRAIL--Do you see the coyote? I didn't. Almost rode past him. Bob pointed him out.

This is in the same stretch of trail that has all those organic torpedoes littering the asphalt. Bold. But when you blend into your surroundings as well as this guy, what does a coyote have to fear?

If you need help, click on the picture.

Shit...But With Apples

NORTH BOSQUE BIKE TRAIL--Don't tell me you can't recognize that blur on the ditchbank as a coyote. He really looked fat and healthy. And fast. I took the shot, but had to do it one-handed with the LED washed out with sunlight while I was riding my bike.

Excuses...excuses.

Nevertheless, that IS a picture of a fast-moving coyote just south of I-40 and west of the bike trail. Then I happened upon several piles of coyote scat right on the trail.

Many of you know that coyotes like to mark the territory with scat, even to the point of depositing it on top of rocks near a trail.

Well anyway, I was riding along and swerving to keep my tires fairly clean when something red caught my eye in one of the piles. I rode on for a ways, then told bike-partner Bob, "I've got to go back and look at something."

I didn't want to tell him it was a pile of shit.

That shit had a lot of red in it. I looked closer. I thought there must be fingernails in there. I got off my bike and looked a lot closer. Nope. Apple skins. What a relief. That coyote is eating good. No wonder he looked so fat and sassy.