"I caught it!" (not the rattlesnake)

Our day started out with Zion having a flat.  That put us behind by 30 minutes and it was going to be another hot one.  Our first 20 miles were uneventful and we ate lunch in a lava field.  There is nothing like eating lunch on a hot day surrounded by black rocks and no shade.  

By the time we finished lunch it was almost 2 o'clock.  The winds had picked up and were getting stronger.  It took us almost 5 hours to ride the next 30 miles.  The wind gusts were strong and it took every ounce of my being to keep the bike on the road.  

"Well, Cedar, if we get blown off we are going to look like a couple of porcupines!" I yelled.

"OK Mom, just try not to!" he responded.

The road was lifted higher than the surrounding land so there was no wind break whatsoever.  Our map showed that a rest stop was ahead a few miles and it was getting dark so we called my parents for a lift.  I thought we would be there in an hour.  90 minutes later they called to check up on where we were.

"We are out in the middle of nowhere with the flying tumbleweeds!" Cedar yelled into the phone.

A few minutes earlier our conversation went something like this.

"I can't miss them!  They are going to hit us!" I warned Cedar.

"I got it!" he answered.

Cedar waved it victoriously in the air as I tried to steady the bike.  I made him drop it because steering was already challenging enough.  We were laughing hard at the difficulty of the situation and kept pedaling.  

We pulled into a closed entrance for the Idaho National Laboratory.  I stopped as close as possible to the gate in order to escape the passing traffic.  Zion quickly pulled in behind us.  We took a quick break and Zion was getting ready to leave first.

"Stop!  Snake!" he exclaimed.

We must have all rolled within inches of this 4 ft long rattlesnake.  It had been across the road in the weeds growing in the crack.  It circled and watched us as we watched it.  We snapped a few pictures and rode off.

I am thankful that the boys are familiar with rattlesnakes and know how to spot them.