Shortly after I rode out this morning, I passed these herons gathered around a cow. That was a first for me, but I'm a city girl, so what do I know? I spent the next 20 miles listening to birds sing, hearing leaves rustle, and feeling the wind. The wind was the main topic of conversation today. We ran into a man who informed us that the wind blows like this for about a month every spring - about 20 miles per hour out of the south. Of course, we are headed east. It really wore us out.
We passed lots of rice paddies and farmed crawfish fields. After weeks of riding in the arid lands, it is surprising to see this much water. The country side was beautiful and the people were friendly, helpful and generous. For example, when I parked the SAG vehicle in front of a grocery store the owner came out with five gallons of water for our cooler and invited us to use the restroom. He also showed us pictures of his daughter's wedding. We are overwhelmed each day by these acts of kindness.
Those are cattle egrets and they have a relationship with the cattle - the birds get to eat more bugs, but I don't remember what the cows get out of the deal.
ReplyDeleteYou guys have met some of the nicest people on this tour - water and flush toilets, it doesn't get much better than that. You need to stop somewhere to have crawfish and beer - maybe on your rest day.
Cows ad birds get along quite well. The birds feed on insect the cows stir up....I've been following your blog from the beginning of your ride, bringing back memories of my 2009 trip. Please tell Linda and Carol "Hi" for me. They are the best!!!!
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