Nothing much to report today. Took Blue out for a jaunt around the flatlands, including a loop through the Fitz and then a run down to Strawberry Ranch. Everywhere that I could, I avoided even the slightest hills. Strapped on the lights and used them for the last thirty minutes of the ride. This ride was purely for mileage.

My legs were still pretty ripped up from Sunday's ride (See August 8, 2004: Speed freaks), but I felt decent today. No real speed or sprinting, but after 23 miles, half of it against a tough headwind out of the northwest, I was not fatigued at all. At that pace, I feel like I could have easily ridden 46 miles if I'd had the time. I'll take it—that's a pretty good feeling to have.

On the animal front, the harbor was overrun with birds. From the inner breakwater south through Surfer's Beach to about halfway to the Miramar, the sea and sky were thick with all types of birds: pelicans, seagulls, sandpipers, herons, cranes. It was like a avian Serenghetti out there with hundreds, maybe even thousands of birds hanging out along the waterline; swimming, diving, and floating in the shallows; and wheeling and whirling through the air. Their cacophonous shrieking chatter added to the sensory overload. It was a total bird frenzy. An abridged vision of what the natural world must have been like before humans relegated all other life forms to the ecological margin.

Down at the Ranch, I saw another large gathering of birds, this time escorted by a cadre of seals frolicking in the shore break.

The week's off to a decent start with 50 miles already in the books, and it's only Tuesday.