Kristine's Wild Kingdom

  Note - yes, I know I haven't written the H-M Race Recap yet. It's going to take me a bit. It's coming soon, promise!  

   Today, I had a four-hour Zone 2 ride on the Trace. For those of you not from the Nashville area, the "Trace" is actually the Natchez Trace Parkway. It's a 444-mile drive that goes through Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, and is part of the National Park Service. It ends in outside of Nashville and is a haven for cyclists in this area.

View from the Trace

   Like most cyclists, I have a love/hate relationship with the Trace. I love it because it is probably one of the best places to train in the country. Because it's kind of remote and (basically goes no where), there isn't a lot of car traffic. It's part of the Park Service, so the roads are smooth. Plus, the terrain is tough and, with the exception of pure mountain races, it'll prepare you for almost anything you happen to be training for.
   It's this last reason that I hate the Trace. Though it's a little flatter the further out you go; if you start at the beginning, it's nothing but hills for about the first 15 miles. And some of the are tough. Add Tennessee heat and humidity in there, and you're looking at a long, painful day on the bike. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right? And yes, I had that Kelly Clarkson song going through my head the entire last hour of today's ride.
   But the point of today's post isn't really about the Trace. It was about what I saw today. One of the best things about the Trace is all of the wildlife you see out there, and today was like Wild Kingdom. I saw no less than 10 turkeys with 10 baby turkeys, two deer that jumped out of the middle of nowhere (pretty much scaring the crap out of me), TWO SKUNKS - one of which was only five feet away from me when I noticed it (yes, I wanted to get a photo, but I'm not that stupid), AND I saves two turtles from certain death as they crossed the Parkway. Well, one from certain death...the other one was moving at a pretty good pace. He probably would have made it, but I helped him out anyway. Who knew turtles could move like that? And did you know turtles hiss? The first one HISSED at me!

The appreciative, non-hissing turtle.

   All in all - it was a beautiful day for a ride. 

   See you on the roads!!