Absolutely Exercise

My second foray outdoors today was a ride out and back to Sand Hollow Top. I decided not to stop to take photos. I abided by that, although when I stopped for a drink I did take some photos. The evening sun on the high mountains to the north was a view just too good to ignore.

As I struggled to fit a walk and a ride into a busy day, I realized just how difficult that must be for people with jobs, family commitments, and other demands on their time. I am time rich and money poor (relatively speaking because I want for nothing), which is fine for people who do not need or yearn for more than they have already. I hope it lasts.

I worked on a tech support project until I was in a lazy daze. I gave myself a shake late in the afternoon and was soon benefitting from the exercise and fresh air. Strava did not record the first seven miles and the devil may care, but not me. I stopped for longer than was conducive to good pedaling so that I could  photograph the hawk, and then made another long stop to photograph the power gliders. Neither photo set was even of average grade, so today was more about recording a visual diary than taking any portfolio shots. View a STRAVA entry for this post (free login required); click below for limited access:

There are people whose house looks out over this view. Perhaps I should find out who they are and send them a photo asking if they will allow me to install a webcam. The soundtrack to accompany the view would of course be the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II song The Folks Who Live On The Hill . The problem would choosing a singer.

Excuse me while I kiss the sky.

My knees were tender after my walk yesterday. I did a spin around the roads in my 'hood before venturing further afield. Nothing seemed to be unserviceable, so I rode gently and favored both knees to be on the safe side. By the time I arrived back home, my knees were comfortable again. I am in awe of the rides and places visited by some of the people I follow on Strava: today I will mention the 78mi/5,482ft  (login required) ride done by Alec Eror. I have driven parts of his route and just following along on Strava made my knees start to throb again. View a STRAVA entry for this post (login required); click below for limited access:

It rained heavily all morning and into the afternoon. The forecast averred that there would be sun later in the day and so it came to pass. It was cool at 4pm, but had warmed up by 5pm, which was just in time to cool down again for the end of the day. There were more walkers/riders out and about around the bench than usual—full families, a parent with offspring, or just couples out together for some fresh air and exercise together. Perhaps the pandemic will change the lifestyle of many people for the good and there will be a re-evaluation of priorities, although it is becoming increasingly clear that all changes will come at a very high cost to society at large. View a STRAVA entry for this post (login required); click below for limited access.

I also share some of the photos that I post here through my Strava ride-recording account; often it's just a subset of what is on the blog. I foolishly assumed that other Strava users would use the mobile app the way I do: a quick check on my own rides and the rides of people I follow with a leisurely review on the big screen of the desktop computer at a later time. Not so, I discovered today, much to my chagrin and dismay. I decided some sleuthing was required to find out first if I was mistaken before I made a fool of myself. Generally speaking, photography is not a primary interest for many Strava users and it's more about the riding stats, which is fair enough; however, there are sufficient quality photographs to delight me daily. The way the Strava mobile app handles images is disappointing, but good enough for a quick and dirty way to check. For some people, for a variety of reasons, the mobile app is the only way they experience Strava. I experimented with w

After four days of outdoor-riding deprivation, it felt good to be back in the saddle. I started the Strava app, but at the end of the ride it had recorded zero in all its data fields. Whether that was a service failure or an operator/device failure remains undetermined. The most disappointing part was being unable to use the Strava Flyby feature to identify all the new people who were on the road today, or at least any who were sharing Strava data. It took an hour for me to settle into a comfortable rhythm, but the remainder of the ride was a joy. There is still plenty of unsettled weather to come before the spring is sprung, but meanwhile what we had today will suit me just fine. The largest number of recreational travelers I have seen so far this year were using bicycles, horses, motorcycles, dirt bikes, ORVs, and aircraft. View a STRAVA entry for this post (login required); click below for limited access:

The bane of any landscape photographer in these parts is the weather: three-sixty degree blue skies and blazing sunshine for three hundred days a year does not flatter the spectacular views. The recent unsettled spring weather  has provided more than the usually available number of opportunities for interesting shots. The light was changing so fast that I carried the camera in my hand, switched on and ready to fire. Even so, I missed a couple of shots: it was as though a heavenly hand was operating a lighting board with the sole (no pun intended) purpose of spotlighting individual performers in a grand scale outdoor theatrical show. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. ~ Matthew 20:16, KJV Bible There is no deep meaning to be had from that quotation. It is only a mundane summary of how I selected the photos for the post today. The contact sheets are in sequential-time sort order, but I chose the last selection as the headli

It was a gray day with low-level cloud and fresh snow on the tops, so the photos make it look wintery. In fact it was mild and I was riding in shirtsleeves and shorts. There was plenty to see and hear: the construction contractors were servicing and fueling machines by the north cattle guard; a yellow bird was calling loudly from a fence stob and a frog was ribbitting in a drainage channel; the dead remains of yucca seed pods from last year littered the higher ground. I stopped at the edge of the built-up area to take a photograph into the gloom. Suddenly a plane came roaring across the fields, which is something that one should expect when standing at the end of an airport runway. Doh! View a STRAVA entry for this post (login required); click below for limited access: