Sight... sore eyes... etc...

Seeing this old guy out on the road this morning gave me pause again. He was in the road on our loop out toward lake Lotawana, and I didn't feel like fumbling for the phone (regular camera was dead and I can't take flyin 1-handers with these stinkin smart phones), so we finished the loop and topped the hill 5 miles later there he still was. I pulled around to get my requisite turtle pic this time, but noticed he didn't even see me when I got in front of him - kept trucking right at me parallel to the road instead of across. Closer look, he appeared to have ranavirus or perhaps a battle scar from a fox/coyote/bird of prey... I always think if I lost a limb I could still find a prosthetic to allow me to continue to ride. Sight however, not so much. At least on your own. Seeing the beauty of the landscape (even in KC), the cloud formations, the ever changing lighting, the turtles — they all keep my eyebelly full. I thought about helping him across the road or even popping him in my jersey pocket to take to the nature reserve, but I'm glad I didn't intervene. He still had his freedom, though others might only see his burden. He didn't appear to be feeling sorry for himself - just chugging along toward the sunrise probably because it felt good. Here's to you, turtle, may you dodge many many tires and keep on keepin' on toward what you're looking for. Don't need eyes to see. Ride yer bike!