A bike, a dead mouse and the moose.

Warm and humid this morning. Just perfect for a bike ride.

I went down to Oquossoc,turned off a side road and parked.There is something about a Maine summer morning. Bird calls, the green leafy canopy, the whine of mosquitoes, ahh!

I took off up the road, crossed Rt 16, and continued on up the Kennebago River Valley. About a quarter mile up the road, the alders rustled and then a young bull moose comes running out of the bush. I skidded to a stop, breathless and shaking.

I continued up the road and finally I came to my turn around point, the Kennebago River Bridge. I always stop and look around, catch my breath (it's downhill to the bridge and one has to ride through wet grass to get there, so wet brakes make for a breathtaking ride.)

I was stand on the abutment looking down and scared a young garter snake who them dropped down to the concrete below. Scrambling down,to one, check on the snake and two, I saw a dead rodent. Curiosity always gets me, so I had to check it out. It turns out to have been a Woodland Jumping Mouse, Napaeozapus insignis.

I see one on occasion ,but not long enough to really get a good look. The knife is 6 cm.

Riding back and stopping to look at things, I kicked my bike.