It's a jungle out there.

The end of another week is here. The weather has been amazing and I've taken advantage of it by clocking a truckload of saddle time. It's no longer a matter of having no daylight or time to train, it's now a question of how much is too much. My training paradigm such as it is has been shifting a lot over the last week or so; I don't pretend to have it figured out yet but simultaneous injections of new-school tech and old-school grit promise to harden me in the long run. With a doubleheader this weekend including the hills of Baraboo and the accumulated fatigue I'm carrying I'm not counting on having much snap, but then again I'm keeping my eyes on the big picture. Joe Friel lays down a good lesson on patience, one that might have served me well at Whitnall Park last week.

The ani-pals are out in force, enjoying the sun as much as I am. Eye-watering descents were made even more nervous by close encounters with deer, raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, and unseen rustling in the ditches. A last-minute swerve prevented me from prematurely ruining this little guy's day:

Having seen more birds of prey in the last two days than I can even remember, I ushered him to the side of the road.

I've been wanting a camera to carry on rides for a long time, and the maiden voyage has already proven its worth. You can't afford not to have one of these.