Still tired from going strong for the last couple of months, I opted out of the bird trip today to South Padre Island. However, there was a need for exercise and so after our morning walk, I asked neighbor, Chuck, if he would like to go on a ride and he replied in the affirmative.  Chuck is a retired educator from Ontario, having spent most of his teaching career instructing Special Needs students, many who were juvenile delinquents.

The city of Mission, Texas, has outstanding bicycle trails, and a nice trail is adjacent to the resort; Chuck has named it the “Roadrunner Trail” because he usually sees a Greater Roadrunner along the trail when he rides.  The Greater Roadrunner, taxonomically classified as Geococcyx californianus, meaning “Californian Earth-cuckoo,” is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It was a great day for a bicycle ride—not too hot and not too cold.  Shortly after we left the roadside trail, we saw a large bobcat standing on the trail ahead of us.  We approached and the bobcat did not appear disturbed; as we got closer it trotted into the woods, and stood there, partially concealed by shrubs to an extent that a photo was impossible.  Further along the trail, we saw a Roadrunner, bearing out the trail’s nickname. It is in the center left of the photo, just off the trail.  After the ride, we had lunch, and road another 5-mile loop at the Bentsen Rio Grande State Park next door, making for a total of 15 miles+ today.

We finally reached Carolyn Todd to wish her a happy birthday, having left a “Happy Birthday” song message earlier in the morning.

We skipped Margarita night in the Club House, and enjoyed another quiet evening in the motorhome watching TV.