Les took Casey to the dog park and I headed out on my bike. A classic summer Saturday morning. Except that it was late November! These bright, sunny "winter" days in Colorado are probably my favorite except, possibly, for the even brighter, sunny winter days with snow on the ground. 
I love riding south from Castle Rock along Hwy 105/Perry Park Road, a two-lane country highway that heads from Sedalia, CO (named after Sedalia, MO) to Palmer Lake. The road is lined with ranches raising and grazing everything from llamas to bison. 
This bison herd was right alongside the road today. Typically they hang back. This is as close as I've seen them in two years of riding along Hwy 105. If you look closely (click on the photo to enlarge)you can see a calf hanging out close to its momma (I assume, but don't claim to be a bison expert!).
I also saw a lot of horses and, of course, plenty of cattle. Occasionally I'll come across an unusual scene, such as the "menagerie a trois" (at left) featuring a horse, cow, bull and two goats (I know that's five, but menagerie a cinq isn't as funny). This struck me as rather unusual, but I didn't grow up on a ranch, so couldn't say for sure!We've been enjoying quite a run of unseasonably warm weather this Fall with only one measurable snow event to date. I'm sure that will change soon and I'll be relegated to riding my new Cannondale on the indoor trainer I purchased last Spring so I could train for Ride the Rockies while recovering from surgery on my collarbone.
Speaking of Ride the Rockies, I'm planning to form my own team this year...Team BEEF, of course! Let me know if you are interested in joining. Registration opens on February 1 when the 2009 route is announced in the Denver Post.
Ride on!
Daren
