Natual Phenomena Part 2

Lance is back


The annual Tour of the Gila runs next weekend. Last year, cyclist force-of-nature-Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and their team came in at the last minute, adding a little more glitz, a little more hype and a lot more people to the scene.

Who would’a thought he’d come back. His reason last year was to get back in shape from an injury before a big race in Italy. Not sure why he’s coming this year; the Sun News article, linked above, says he withdrew from a race in France and is preparing for races in California and the great one, the Tour de France. I’d rather believe that he and the team enjoyed the challenging courses, including the 9,000 elevation change (updownupupdownupppp) that was the course on the final day, ending in Pinos Altos. Not to mention the friendly people who were both thrilled to host the tour including Lance and Levi, and low key about having world-famous athletes hanging around the bike and the coffee shops!

Snow and coyotes

Did I mention yesterday’s blizzard in Part 1? Woke up this morning to 30 temp and more snow. Light, just a mist of snow, but snow all the same. A little after dawn, just as I was settling in to work, I looked out my office window to see a coyote slipping across the yard. Very exciting—first one we’ve seen here. Of course, we know they are around, as well as gray fox. We see their scat on a regular basis now, and occasionally hear the coyote neighbors calling each other around the hills of the neighborhood.

I went out to walk Nutmeg and could hardly get her past the trail. She hung back, her nose twitching furiously. At least I assumed it was the coyote’s trail. About half way around the block the Grant County Animal Control truck, with a big cage in the back, passed me, driving slowly. I thought to myself, “how dare they. Someone has reported that coyote and called out Animal Control. That’s pitiful. People let their dogs run loose (I don’t think I wrote about the local pit bull that got out of its yard a month ago and tried to attack Nutmeg when I was walking her; I yelled and growled at it, and it retreated enough until its owner came for it) but they’ll call the “cops” on a coyote…” and so my thoughts ran, getting me fair riled up! Until I turned on my street and there sat the Animal Control truck and the man out talking to a neighbor. So I walked over (felt like ‘marching’ but decided to ask rather than tell) and asked him what was up. Turns out, after all my building righteousness, he was after a big black dog that runs the neighborhood and killed another neighbor’s little dog this morning. Neighbors have reported this big black animal before but it has never been reported as hurting another dog. Now the Animal Control needs to capture it and take it in and so was looking for a good place to set the cage-trap. So possibly, it was the dog’s trail or the scent of his victim, that had Nutmeg twitching. Well, I sure hope he catches that dog. And I sure hope he doesn’t catch himself a little neighborhood coyote by mistake. Or if he does, he figuratively pats it on the head and lets it go.

The continuing dilemma of deer

The Sun News also reported on the most current thinking about the deer overpopulation. Apparently, the Game and Fish folks are thinking of trapping and relocating deer. They’ll be using nets to capture the animals. If you read the article linked above, you’ll note that they’re hoping that by reducing the deer numbers in this populated area, they’ll also reduce the predators that come in search of a meal. Note especially in the article that our present neighborhood, Indian Hills is specifically mentioned. Just in case you thought maybe I was buying into urban legends and imagining things :^)

A Weekend at the Races with Lance, Levi...

Chris, Philip, Kristin and almost 600 road-racers of international and local fame. The town was a-buzz with riders, fans, officials and media. It was the 23rd Tour of the Gila and the community put on its best. One of the most frequently-heard comments live and in the papers was some version of the following, “…and the Silver City people were all so nice to be around.” That quote is attributed to Kristin Armstrong (no relation), the young woman who won the Women’s Pro, surely an achievement right up there with the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal she also took in Bejing! Of the race itself, Lance is quoted as saying, “…an American Classic.” But the comment that was most telling about our town and the people here was reported in the paper early in the week, “People here are so nice—they let you into traffic!” Surely a big-city racer used to negotiating the streets of DC or Phily or LA.

So who won? You should need to ask? Levi, Lance take top spots… the Sun-News reported on Monday. But I get ahead of myself...

On Saturday, we went to the Criterium, which is the name of the in-town street race. It was a big square with the legs: Bullard (Silver’s ‘main street’), College, Cooper and Broadway. The start and finish line was at 6th and Bullard, but the best places to watch the big-kids races were the corners of Bullard and Broadway, and Broadway and Cooper. First, however, there were the Citizen’s races, starting with adults and working down the age groups to the littlest racers, with the youngest racers aged 3-5 and still riding training wheels and tricycles. And if you think these pictures are cute, check out my videos


And here’s where Lance ran over my hat! Maybe not, but at least half of the 150 plus Men’s Pro 1 did. Here’s what happened: I was wearing my blue Gila Wildlife Rescue ball cap just like I promised. The wind kicked up and was blowing in very strong gusts. Just as the big kids turned the corner from Cooper and down Broadway, the wind kicked my hat off right off my head and into their path. It bounded and flipped and skittered in front of and underneath the riders. My heart was in my throat that the hat would catch in spokes and upend one person, starting a chain reaction. But I and they were lucky – the cap was eventually tamed and run over, leaving tire tracks both on the inside and outside of the crown and in zig-zags across the bill. As I retrieved it, hoping the cameras were following the riders and not the ride-busting cap, someone yelled, “Say, how much you want for that hat!?” You might have missed the cap on ESPN under the Isaac’s sign, but look for it on eBay; Lance’s tiretracks are almost as good as his signature and, having seen his signature on some fan’s jersey, at least as readable.
If you wonder what it’s like to watch 150+ riders at break-neck speed make a 90degree turn with a strong tail-wind, take a look.
My final great picture of the day: Lance and Chris making a cool-down lap at the end of the race: So on we went to Pinos Altos on Sunday for the finish of Stage 5, the Gila Monster Race. The different classes rode different distances, but all rode UP! Because to get to Pinos Altos, that’s the only way – UP! The Men’s Pro 1 rode over 100 miles and climbed a total of >9,000 feet. That wasn’t 9,000 all at once, mind you: we don’t live on the moon, after all, nor even Everest. But the course climbs and dips and climbs and dips and so the total climbing came out to 9,000. Pinos Altos is a small place, as you saw if you checked out the story at the link above. But it was full and bustling and busy with racers, food vendors, fans and locals. The riders didn’t come in as a pack, the way they rode in the Criterium. They stretched out and came riding in, in ones, twos and threes, with only a couple of groups coming in together. We saw the winner of the Women’s Pro, Kristin Armstrong, but didn’t recognize her until people were yelling, but by then she was past and finished. We did see the front three of the Men’s Pro 1 ride with, with an Aussie in the lead – or at least he was riding for an Aussie team – Levi second and Lance third. Chris came in 4th or 5th. Even though Phillip of the Aussie team won the day, Lance’s team took overall first and second places.


I put together my best set of images of both races here on Flikr. Hope you enjoy them. We had just a great weekend. And May is a busy month: we have the Blues Festival, the Rodeo and a house tour. Wonder what we’ll do for June – or the rest of the summer!

Banished from the Bedroom!

Nutmeg got herself banished from the bedroom on Saturday. I took her out into the yard for her last pee of the evening. She heard a critter down in the creek bed. She hasn’t ventured that far down before; up until now I could reasonably trust her to stay within the yard limits she set for herself. But critters are just too enticing. This one was no exception. So, she chased it into the stones that make up the dry creek bed and it slipped into a crevice. She barked and nosed at the crevice until….OH NO….SKUNK. I was standing up on the flat next to the house calling her name and watching helplessly as she barked a last barrage and then recoiled. Then…I could smell it…wafting up the hill…

Not that we’re skunk novices. There are plenty of skunks back in MD, but Nutmeg never, nor for that matter, have any of my dogs, ever encountered them nose-to-tail, as it were. This time, she and we were very lucky. The skunk was more annoyed that frightened. So it didn’t spray her with full authority, but rather gave her just a spritz – just enough to back her off. But still enough to bring it into the house. So too bad for Nutmeg, but there was no way she was going to stink up our sleep. I opened all the windows in the main part of the house, closed the bedroom door in her face (Sorry, Nutmeg) and hoped for better air in the morning. Fortunately for all involved, the fragrance was passing and, while there was still a hint Sunday morning, it was gone by the time our brunch guests (can you believe it! Of all times to have a stink-catastrophe) arrived. It faded away both from the general environment and Nutmeg herself. She was very embarrassed in the immediate aftermath and I wonder if she’ll remember and give wide berth the next time. I need to tell you, though, by all reports – tomato juice does NOT work. By all reports, though, vinegar, umm, commercial-product-for-ladies, does. I’m VERY glad I didn’t have to test the recommended antidote.

Titmouse update: You’ll remember that we have a titmouse couple that decided to move into the birdhouse sitting on the corner of our patio. I didn’t know whether the couple would proceed with egg-laying and –hatching and chick rearing because of our proximity, but they have. The two have gotten very accustomed to having us around on the patio. That doesn’t mean they don’t fuss at us – they certainly do, around every mouthful of food they bring to the chicks in the nest. But they persist, and I’m beginning to hear cheeps coming from within now if I listen closely. On Sunday, we and our guests sat on the patio eating and chatting, while the hard-working parents came and went; if not ignoring us, at least not ceasing their feeding forays.

This weekend is one of the highlights of Silver City’s year. The Tour of the Gila. This is a multi-day and multi-stage bike race that has become an international draw. There are over 600 bike racers registered this year, including Floyd Landis. He’s one of the big names expected. The other superstar that is rumored, then confirmed, then denied, then rumored again is Lance Armstrong. I guess we won’t find out for sure until he registers, as Landis already has. This is big-time for us! And the town apparently swells by about 6,000 people, I guess including bike racers, team support, supporters, hangers-on, media and general race fans. I’m told that the place to be is on the corner of Bullard and Broadway, just outside Isaacs on Saturday when the main race through the streets of Silver is run. So I’ll be there, and I’ll take my camera. If I’m lucky, the next you hear and see from me will include shots of the big boys – and girls too – as they make the 90degree turns on the 1.something mile in-town race. Of course, I don’t know from Lance and Floyd except by name, so beware – I’m likely to post any old picture and baldly state, “See there, there goes Lance! And Floyd is right on his tail.” Or maybe the other way around. Or with my new-found new-hometown loyalty, I might even claim them trailing a local favorite! Stay tuned. Oh, and if you’re watching the race on ESPN or ESPN 2 or 3 or whatever, look for me behind my lens – remember, the corner of Bullard and Broadway, under the Isaacs sign, in my Gila Wildlife Rescue blue ball cap!