Quote Originally Posted by Voodoo Sally View Post
But what I get a kick out of on my commute is the smells.
You wouldn't if you passed a field of cattle!

I ride from a city to another, but Boulder is surrounded by open space so I initially ride through a tiny town and then a country road through beautiful fields. This time of year I usually see dawn and dusk, lots of wildlife active at that time. There are ponds, with frogs and all sorts of beautiful birds. If its near sunrise the sounds are incredible.

Lately I've been seeing the output of some sort of berry-eating but not berry-digesting animal that seems to like to relieve itself on the shoulder of the road. I am curious as to what the animal is. My theory is that it is an old hippie from the aforementioned tiny town.

There are cows and birds, coyotes, rabbits, mice, deer, all sorts of animals. I hear roosters at a farm I pass.

Then I get to Costco. I pass behind it and through another old town surrounded by strip malls. There is an old man that sits on a folding chair outside his house and we greet each other every morning, every afternoon. Two dogs on the left that bark each morning. Lots of foxes in the little neighborhood, usually around a yard-turned-junkyard (full of lots of interesting things)

I turn right and see a big *(#$&(*@ hill. This is roughly when I wake up, which is a good thing because it immediately precedes a quick downhill through a massive subdivision, lots of SUVs, roundabouts, lawn crews, etc., then another hill. I pass a massive gym where the parking lot is packed, then zig zag through a perilous Wal-Mart parking lot where there are bikes for $48.77 outside. Then another killer hill past a golf course where the maintenance guys always greet me with friendly catcalls, we know each other by now. It takes my mind off the increasing grade. As the hill increases I know the detail incredibly. A little felt doll hat. A patch of glass. A shirt that appeared mid-july. Some broken bits of reflector. Then the top, where I hope for cars behind me to trigger the light, and a nice coast downhill to my office.

If I've ridden my mountain bike I like to take dirt roads and a stretch of singletrack home, a beautiful way to end the day. I love that because I always know what is blooming and can watch the seasons transition day to day.

Great thread. I love my commute and I love reading about everyone else's.

Anne