Today's ride ended quite suddenly: CRASH!

Very pleasant 28 miles, almost all along the bike path that goes over 60 miles around Tucson. I stopped to look for birds at a park, along the path and at the Sweetwater Wetlands. I rode to my husband's work at the community college, with a plan to meet him in 20 minutes at one more stop. I got about 2 blocks further....

I rode through a construction area on the lane that was just dirt... when it became pavement again, there was a 4-5 inch abrupt rise to the asphalt surface and I hit it hard. I heard the whish of the front tire going flat as I jolted into the curb and landed on my side- got some road rash by my knee, scraped my elbow, and bruised my hip and my ego. I'm a little sore, and the bike is at the bike doctor because the front wheel is making a noise as it spins. I've got a few big band-aids on and some sore muscles still, but a good soak in the tub helped.

It's not too bad- I think i could probably ride the Surly tomorrow along the bike path....but a good reminder to stay focused!

Oh, and I saw about 35 species, including another Peregrine Falcon, possibly a Merlin and a variety of desert, urban and water birds.