Doe, A Deer, A Female Deer

Doe in muddy Dry Creek which was dry last week but has a bit of water in it.  She's a fair distance from me, my point-and-shoot has a good amount of zoom--I'm on C Avenue bridge and she's in the creek.

Ray, a drop of golden sun that fell on Iowa and made it friggin' HOT HOT HOT.

I got back Monday from a fun weekend trip to Rochester, Minnesota and the Twin Cities. Jon was in a wedding there, so he was able to come home for a couple of days before returning to the Peace Corp in Paraguay.

Due to a broken spoke, I didn't ride as many miles last week as I had intended, and while I will make up some this week, I won't push it. It's the week before RAGBRAI. The body needs a little rest before the ordeal.

I picked up Old Blackie from the bike shop Monday evening and took her out for a quick trail spin near my home. As I crossed the C Avenue bridge in the fading light, I saw something below me. Not that golden valley, but a creek that had been dry last week with some muddy water, and a thirsty doe, clearly having a drink.

She paused to look at me, but it was just too darn hot to run, so she just watched and I just photographed and after a few minutes I moved on.

I took the bike out again this morning for a 30-mile or so ride. I finished by 11:30, and it was already blisteringly hot.

Well, the first few days of RAGBRAI should be warm ones, but upper 90s, not 100s, and the forecast seems to include some 80s by mid-week. Maybe we'll be lucky and RAGBRAI won't be so hot, after all.

The water in the creek was a bit of a surprise, a gift from weekend rain. It's still very dry, and we could use more. There is a slight chance of storms tonight, so knock on wood and think wet thoughts!