A storm threatened last night before I went to my sleeping bag. The sky darkened and powerful winds blew in from the north. I welcomed a thunderstorm. I like them. But it passed.
This morning I was awakened by the combined sounds of cattle moo-ing from across the lake, seagulls screeching, mourning doves cooing, pelicans squawking, a variety of songbirds cheeping and chirping and whistling and singing, and little waves lapping up on shore. No better alarm clock ever existed. It was like an improvised symphony of nature.
Speaking of nature, I saw a lot of wildlife on the road today. The unfortunate thing is that they were all dead. A couple of snakes, three skunks (and yes, one of them was in the middle of the road,) two raccoons, a turtle, a fawn, a porcupine, two hawks (which seemed strange to me,) and a rodent I could not identify--maybe a fisher or otter or weasel or muskrat. I wish I was a better zoologist.
I'd also like to mention once again how nice people have been to me. Many people have all kinds of questions about my trip and many have shared some great stories about their automobile trips and experiences. I've had folks offer me food at campgrounds. People working at motels have given me discounts and granted me early check-ins. Other bicycle riders are fun to talk to. Train engineers blow their horns for me and wave. And this is the thing I like best: motorists, and even more commonly, motorcyclists give me an encouraging wave or "thumbs up" as I ride. It happens all the time. What a ride!!!!!!
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