Traildog

5 toe pads, probably a skunk. The trail (#322) is busy enough that the skunk must have been recent. Another wildlife encounter that I’m glad we missed.

Java enjoyed this ride, though he’s a little stressed in the video because I rode ahead to film him. He calmed down once he caught up to me.

Java and I went up to Sierra Prieta Saturday. I’m afraid that’s San Diego’s suburbs hanging in the air, where it’s normally really clear.

Java only slows for photos when he’s getting tired. Here he is, most of the way down from Sierra Prieta. We went for almost 3 hours.

I felt bad snake-training Java last spring, but he loves to run on the trails with me. We have snakes.

He was hiking with the guys instead of running with my bike yesterday morning. If he’d been with me, he would have been the first to fly past this guy (or girl). It would have been a real test of Java’s snake-training.

This snake was laying stretched out, kinda diagonal to the trail, in the shade of a juniper, about 10:30 in the morning. After I went past, quite close to it and pretty fast because it was along a gradual downhill, the snake coiled up, ready to go. Fortunately, my friend J was not too close behind, and she stopped plenty early. 

Close-up of the Arizona black rattlesnake.

Ran up from post 23 to Hidden Valley. Nice petroglyph panel. I’m calling the spiral a snake and the concentric circles the sun.
Thankfully the cool weather gave us some relief from the sun today.  90 minutes with Java. He skipped the post-run bike ride.

Next weekend he should get his biking itch scratched in Prescott.

Sierra Prieta

Java at the Sierra Prieta overlook. This was a long ride, through the woods, then up Thumb Butte Road, and then back down the single track. He liked it.

Too fast to photograph.

Soon after this Java met a couple guys kitted out, probably preriding the Whiskey course. They were at a trail intersection, adjusting something. So, we rode ahead. They caught up to us about a mile and a half later. “What kind of dog is that?” “German shorthair.”

“He’s fast.” “Yep. It can be a bit of a problem. He climbs faster than I can.”

http://traildog.bike/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/trim.1FBAEED6-9B52-438A-9413-B421ED3AC0D9.movFast Dog

90 minutes on the trail makes for a contented pup.