Oh, sheep!

I took a spin around the Baylands on the Fourth. It's becoming my favorite place to ride when I don't feel like hitting up the trails, but still want to get away from "the city". Not that my neighborhood is really in the city, but sometimes it just feels crowded with cars and people. And I'm not really one to enjoy a bike ride on the street.



With the smoke cleared away the water was a sparkling blue. You can ride on those dirt paths way out aournd the bay.




I think that's Alviso in the distance. The only complaint I have about the Baylands is the smell. It can be strong sometimes! It's not really a garbage smell, just a musty order. A little like body odor covered up with the smell of cinnamon. Weird, I know.




I saw lots of birds as usual. This is a bluebilled duck. Even though you can't tell very well, his beak is bright blue. The first time I saw a bluebilled duck I thought maybe they were doing some kind of nature study, and marking the duck bills blue to trace their migratory patterns or something. But, nope. They're just made that way. Obviously I'm not much of a scientist.





Always so many birds at the Baylands. I saw pelicans, and cranes and coots, and kingfishers...
That's an American Pelican, just hanging out.

But this time when I was riding around, I saw something I had never seen there before...


There is a grass covered hill with a walking path tucked between the Sunnyvale recyling station and the slough. I was riding my bike up the hill, turned the corner and came face to face with this guy. Him and a few of his buddies were spending the Fourth at an "all-you-can-eat" grass buffet.




Oh sorry, did I say "a few" sheep?